Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 125, December 2019 | Page 27

“He may struggle to
see, but Jaco’s vision for
life knows no bounds”
also did a 250km hike in the Drakensberg, which was
incredible. We did it in 10 days and had to cover 25km
every day, carrying everything. It was tough, so I really
was happy I had decent kit, in particular, decent boots.
But it was also incredible. There was one morning,
as the sun started to rise in the East, that we saw the
moon go down in the West. It was absolutely amazing!”
Clearly Jaco does not let his lack of vision deter his
lust for adventure, but he does admit it can cause
problems. “I’m neither near-sighted, nor far-sighted.
Instead, what happens is that the middle field of view
is a problem. If I stretch my hand out and look at my
fingers, I can see some of my fingernails, and some I
can’t.” It also affects his movement around the house,
much to the consternation of his pet Weimaraner,
who is his companion when he does his parkruns.
“Sometimes I don’t see my dog, Bluümi, and I trip
over her. Then I have to stroke her and pet her so she
doesn’t think I am upset with her.”
Green Fingers to Work
Jaco and Bluümi
Life-changing Technology
When talking to Jaco, one quickly realises that being
idle is just not in his nature. Besides planting trees,
managing a parkrun and looking for adventures, he
has also become a teacher, of sorts. “I cannot read
due to my eyesight, but technology has improved so
much over the years, that all of my admin work is now
voice-generated. That has also become a source of
income for me, as I train people with little or no vision
to make use of voice-activated software to manage
administration. This technology has changed my life.”
Another favourite pastime is listening to podcasts.
“Because I can’t really read, I have developed a love
for podcasts and spend hours listening to them.”
Amongst Jaco’s favourites are the Bulletproof Radio
Podcasts done by Dave Asprey, who interviews
people about “hacking life so you can kick more ass
every day,” as well as those of Ben Greenfield, whose
topics are all about health, wellness and longevity.
Both podcast themes seem appropriate in summing
up this inspirational athlete. He may struggle to
see, but Jaco’s vision for life knows no bounds. No
mountain is too high for this ardent adventurer, and
he is sure to add to his list of accomplishments in
coming years.
When not doing long runs or rides, including tackling
the Cape Town Cycle Tour – he has done 12, most of
them on a tandem with himself as driver – then Jaco
is giving back, often while ‘feeding’ his passion for
gardening. Thus he will be embarking on another trip
to Swaziland this December to help plant trees as part
of an ongoing regeneration project in that region.
“I have always had green fingers and love to plant
things, and this idea came from when I was in
Zimbabwe, where I was exposed to the planting of the
amazing Moriga tree. It adds so much nutrition to the
ground and helps recreate topsoil and fertility of the
ground, while preventing erosion. So when a friend
of mine who owns a lodge in Swaziland told me he
wanted to help get the soil fertile again there where
his lodge is, I jumped at the chance.
Jaco has now been going to Zimbabwe for the last 10
years, and Swaziland for the past three years. Initially
the reason for growing the trees was to prevent
erosion and rebuild the area, but it also became about
getting the countryside healthy and growing again.
“Currently that area of Swaziland is being starved of
nutrients, and so now we plant the Moriga tree there,
along with other trees.”
Jaco and his guide
finish the Wally
Hayward Marathon
27