Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 135, November 2020 Nov 2020 | Page 27

TRAIL RUNNING

Camaraderie and teamwork on the long trek as Bongmusa , Jenna and David share the load

Racing Pedigree on Show

With the rugby players back home , the running team was up next , setting out a week later , and Erik says it was clear that something special was about to happen . “ When the challenge was designed , I thought that adding a 250kg cart as a fifth team member would be a leveller between the sporting codes , to prevent the teams relying only on their natural strengths , but I could not have been more wrong with Team Running . They completely took control of the cart and proved they are exceptional athletes .”

“ Right from the start , I thought my biggest challenge was going to be slowing this dynamite team down , so that they didn ’ t overstretch initially , but they proved me wrong . They were averaging six to seven kilometres per hour initially , and then upped the pace so at times they were doing 14 kays per hour . It was also so interesting to see the difference between the rugby team , which was all about power , grit and determination , and the runners , who are all about speed and determination . The endurance of these athletes is incredible , and they surpassed every challenge we gave them ,” he says .

That shouldn ’ t really come as a surprise , given the running pedigree of the team . David Gatebe is a former petrol attendant who now works as a sport officer in the mines in Rustenburg , and he made history when he broke the ‘ Down Run ’ record at the 2016 Comrades Marathon . He had already won the Two Oceans Marathon in 2013 , and his Comrades win saw him join a select club of just five athletes to have done the ‘ double ’ of winning both premier South African ultra-marathons .

Bongmusa Mthembu is also part of that elite group of five , and furthermore , is one of just 10 runners to have won the Comrades three times or more – he was first home in 2014 , 2017 and 2018 , as well as runner-up in 2019 . He was working as a casual bricklayer in Pietermaritzburg and running “ just to keep his body healthy ,” when he decided to enter a race in 2004 . A year later he won the Maritzburg Marathon , met and signed up with a coach , and the rest is history .

Pushing Through Tough Times

On top of the heat , the running team had to overcome a number of extra challenges in their 200km journey . They had to repair 13 punctures along the way , but worse was losing expedition leader Erik to a back injury after just 40km . The team was moving at pace down a small slope around 2am on the first night when the towing rope momentarily went slack , got caught in the wheel and jerked him off his feet . The clock was stopped while the accompanying medical team assessed and treated Erik , and then the team was forced to continue without him .

Another forced stop came later when the cart required mechanical repair . Undeterred , the dynamic running trio managed to complete the challenge in an excellent time , and a proud team manager , Bruce Fordyce , says , “ The mental toughness of these experienced runners , who were totally committed to setting a record pace , really rose to the fore over the last 30km .”

All teams ’ final times were kept secret until the final prize-giving , so when they finished , the runners did not know whether they had beaten the rugby team ’ s time , but they were still understandably happy with their performance in the very trying conditions . As David said at the finish , “ We are so proud of what we achieved , and so grateful to our sponsors and to the organisers for giving us this opportunity to compete and do something for the good of all South Africans .”

This sentiment was echoed by Bongmusa , who only had praise and gratitude for his team mates . “ Jenna did phenomenally well , and David was our young lion . I feel so grateful we were able to inspire millions of people , and so grateful for the opportunity to do this challenge .” Adding her thoughts , Jenna said “ At the end of the day , it was an awesome adventure . Yes , it was really tough at times , but well worth the effort , and our message to the remaining two teams is simple : Beware the cart – it is really tough ! But other than that , just enjoy the adventure . You will love it .”

Team Running at the finish

The final running star in the team , Jenna Challenor , only turned professional after having three children , but she has enjoyed great success since then . She finished as women ’ s runner-up in her Two Oceans debut in 2017 , and then took sixth place on debut in the 2019 Comrades . ( Happily , Nick was still able to join the running team ’ s expedition , having recovered enough from his injuries to travel . “ I was looking so forward to this amazing challenge , and was really disappointed not to be participating . However , I still wanted to go down and support the team , Bruce and Erik with all the arrangements and logistics . I felt they were an excellent team and stood a great chance of winning this challenge ,” he says .)

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