Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 125, December 2019 | Page 22

ROAD RUNNING “We are still talking about the experience, because it brought us all closer together, especially that experience of running through the forest at night. We were all so relieved to see the sun coming up the next morning! I think we will still be talking about this experience 10 years from now. Inspiring Others Sibs says he is proud of his Washie finish, but even more proud of his sister’s Karkloof finish. “A young black African woman doing a 100-miler is not common, so for her it was so meaningful, because she wanted to showcase that women can do what men can do, but more so because she is a young African black woman. So her story is more meaningful than mine – that is clear from all the Facebook comments she received. I had been running for many years, but people had questions whether she could do it, having only done five Comrades. Afterwards she was being asked so many questions, and getting interviewed, she was like a celebrity!” The Karkloof Experience Nontuthuko says she wanted to tackle Karkloof with others, so asked her running friend Dudu to join her. “We have done several other races together, so she understands me. Dudu and I are often the only women of colour in the long trail races,” she says. “I also wanted to take along my trail running training partner, Scelo, to share this experience. Then we had Sibs, my boyfriend Khaya and a team of four other clubmates looking after us as seconds. The three of us ran most of way together, but by the last leg of about 30km, everybody was sore and fed up, so we split up and different pacers went with us individually. I had Khaya and Sibs stay with me.” to jump over snakes. At other times it was hot and humid, so we would just run to get to aid stations, and see familiar faces, and then it was back into the bush. I noticed that at the stations, most athletes were silent, obviously processing thoughts about bailing versus pushing on. We found that we ran in total silence, sometimes for a good five or so hours, but the aid stations would then revitalise us and we would feel like chatting again.” Champagne Moment Unsurprisingly, Nontuthuko says one of the highlights of Karkloof was finishing the race, because she had requested a ‘Michael Schumacher-style champagne finish’ if she made it. As a result, her friend Charmaine was waiting at the finish with a bottle of bubbly, and the cork was popped as she crossed the finish line. But that was only after the commentator had to remind her to first finish the race, because she had stopped before the line to enjoy a long hug with Khaya and Sibs! She readily admits that she found the race tough, and had doubts throughout whether she could do it, asking herself over and over why she had decided to take on this crazy challenge. “I saw people bailing and that created more doubts... but in these ultra distances it’s a mind game more than anything else. The body goes on autopilot, because of your mind.” She says the feeling of achievement was immense when she did eventually cross the line and ring the finisher’s bell. “My aim had just been to finish, and we had 36 hours, so my target was 35:30. I came home in 35:40, and my first thought was that compared to this, Comrades is nothing, so why even panic about Comrades again, because I just did a double Comrades. If I can do 160km on trail, some of it in the dark, through bush and forest, then Comrades, in the daylight, with people cheering you all the way, is nothing to fear.” “Also, running at night out in a dark forest, was frightening, with the noise of animals and having She adds that the experience at Karkloof has definitely changed her and her two trail companions. 22 ISSUE 125 DECEMBER 2019 / www.modernathlete.co.za “We want to inspire others, especially in our African culture, not necessarily to run a 100-miler, but just to train for and run something, whether its 10km or the Comrades. I now have a colleague that will be running his first Comrades in 2020, as will her boyfriend Khaya, because we have inspired them, and that is very satisfying. Whatever their goals, they can achieve them,” says Sibs. Nontuthuko adds that she is particularly happy to see clubmates and friends now saying they want to register for the Karkloof in 2020. “I want them to feel that same sense of achievement that I felt, that nothing limits you but yourself. As long as you are breathing, it is just a matter of applying yourself. I’ve got my buckle now, and I’m proud to be a beacon of encouragement that shows people it can be done, that you can take a step out of your comfort zone and add value to your life by trying something new, or something harder.” club and community to join us. Running in the bush can be scary – there’s a risk of injury, and more – but I get bored easily and didn’t just want to do road running. When I saw I could go off-road, I also started to take on ultra distances. It is unusual for a woman of colour to run 100-milers on the road, let alone on trail, but I want every woman to break out of such restrictions and limits. So Sibs and I were not just doing it for ourselves, but for others to see that it can be done.