Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 120, July 2019 | Page 49

TRAIL RUNNING
The Shooting Star
One minute he was enjoying a training run, the next he was running for his
life, with a bullet lodged in his back... but top trail runner Roelof Mostert
has decided that nothing is going to stop him from continuing to run, or
chasing podium positions. – BY PJ MOSES
man, brandishing a gun. Before I knew what was happening and could react, he
pointed and fired the gun at me as I was coming past him,” says Roelof.
T
hey say nothing makes you appreciate life quite like a near-death
experience. Well, Roelof Mostert can certainly attest to that, after his
terrifying experience in Hout Bay, Cape Town at the beginning of May. He
was on his way to meet up with a friend for a last training run in preparation for the
Tsitsikamma Ultra trail race when he narrowly avoided becoming yet another victim
of the violence sweeping South Africa.
“I was on my way to a nice chilled 8km training run with a friend
when, about three blocks away from her home, an
unknown car first drove past me and then
returned. I saw them pull up ahead
of me, and then out from
the passenger
side jumped a
masked
“The bullet hit me in my back from close range, and without thinking, I just took
off immediately, because I knew that I needed to get away and get help before
I collapsed. I didn’t even look back to see where my assailants were, I just ran.
Adrenaline took over, and that was the only thing that kept me going. In fact, I
almost ran through my friend’s security gate!”
Lucky Escape
Having been taken to hospital, Roelof was given the good news that the slug had
done minimal damage, and after a small operation to remove it, he was discharged
later that same day. Different people find different ways of dealing with traumatic
experiences, and for Roelof that meant that instead of this incident putting brakes
on his running ambitions, it gave him an extra push to succeed.
Just one week after the shooting, he was on the start line of the Tsitsikamma Ultra,
ready to race. “After I found out that the wound was a fairly superficial one, I was
never going to sit out the Tsitsikamma race. I just felt that it would have done
myself and my coach a disservice if I didn’t go and compete.”
Well, he did more than just compete, he ended up winning the race with a new
course record, but admits it was a bitter-sweet experience for him. “I am usually
very present during these races, and enjoy running through the spectacular
scenery of these trail races, but this time I felt disconnected, and everything felt
like a chore. Still, the win was very satisfying, and I crossed the line happy, so with
everything that went down before the race, I will always look back fondly on
this race and this win.”
Running Journey Starts
Growing up, Roelof was good at sport, but he
explains that nothing really stuck. “As
soon as I started showing
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