ROAD RUNNING
“Then one day I tried a 10km, and that made me think
I could go further, so I did a 21km, then decided I
would tackle a garden marathon two weeks later, on
26 April. It would mean doing 200 laps of the garden,
but I thought, why not, and since it would fall on the
same day as the London Marathon date, I decided
to ask friends and family to sponsor my run to raise
funds for Save the Rhino International, to not only
help this highly endangered species, but also to help
me honour my cousin and her love for all animals.
I started a WhatsApp group and challenged the
members of our Mr Price Running Club to also run on
the day, and to also run for the charity of their choice.”
With her dog on a leash, a water station set up in the
back yard, her music player’s batteries charged and
ice spray at hand for a tender knee, Jo set off, only
stopping now and again for refreshments and a quick
catch-up on Instagram with running friends. “My dog
did about 32km with me, attached on a waist lead.
She is an incredible runner and never seems to get
tired, but eventually I had to lock her indoors, because
I didn’t want her to overdo it. But she still wanted to
join me, and went crazy every time I ran past.”
Jo took on the Sani Stagger Marathon
with friend Stacey Gibhard
Neighbourly Interaction
Thankfully Jo’s knee held up throughout her lockdown
marathon, but she did run into some problems with
the neighbours. “I needed to run a short section along
the pavement right in front of the property in order
to complete each loop, and at one stage I had an
estate security guard stop me to tell me not to leave
my property, because somebody had complained
about me. I had several neighbours watching me
from nearby properties, and most were actually
cheering me on, but when I had just two kays left,
one neighbour came to shout at me about not being
allowed to leave my property – which I wasn’t doing! I
just told him he is a bad person, with nothing better to
do than complain.”
“I was now so angry, but that actually fuelled me
for the last two kilometres, and when I finished all
that anger instantly disappeared, because I was
overcome first with joy, then emotion as I thought
about what I had just done, and feeling Jen with me.
Finishing was a really happy moment… when I came
around the house for the final time, I saw that one
of the neighbours cheering me on had snuck into
my backyard and left a bouquet of flowers for me!
And best of all, I ended up raising R18,000 for rhino
conservation on the day, and it was so motivating to
see the donations coming in while I was running. That
really kept me going!
With the garden marathon behind her, Jo went on to
run 45km in mid-June for the Race the Comrades
Legends virtual challenge, her longest run to date, but
she says it was actually not the hardest thing she has
tackled. “I think finishing the Sani Stagger has been
my biggest official running accomplishment so far,
but not my biggest running accomplishment overall.
Just on a mental level, that would definitely be the
lockdown marathon in the garden!”
Passion for Running
While she is an accomplished long distance runner
today, Jo actually had an interesting path into running.
She is the eldest of three kids, with two younger
brothers (now 23 and 13), and she says it’s a sporty
family. “My brothers are sporty, my dad is fit, and
my grandpa was an SA soccer player. He still planks
for eight minutes each day at the age of 83!” Jo also
excelled at soccer while attending Durban Girls’
College, earning KZN provincial colours at under-16
and under-19 age levels. That helped her earn a sport
bursary to help pay for her studies at the University of
Stellenbosch, where she went on to earn a Masters in
Industrial Psychology.
When Jo arrived in Stellenbosch, she was already a
runner, having done up to the half marathon distance,
but considered herself first and foremost a soccer
player. However, a knee injury forced her to put soccer
on hold for a while, and when she was able to run
again, she found herself drawn more into the world of
running. “By my third year, I was staying in digs and
found out that the two guys living in the flats above
and below me, Mark van Zyl and Jason La Cock, were
big into running. We soon became close friends and
did many races together, both on trail and road. At
one stage, I think I ran at least 21km every weekend
for six months.”
“I loved running with friends, and the scenery around
Stellies was brilliant – I especially loved running on
the Coetzenberg trails, and the trail running soon
The flowers that
awaited Jo’s garden
marathon finish
Jo and her regular running partner
Images: Xavier Briel, Jetline Action Photo & courtesy Joanna Maingard
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ISSUE 132 JULY 2020 / www.modernathlete.co.za