Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 136, December 2020 Issue 136, December 2020 | Page 21

ROAD RUNNING
Modern Athlete columnist and features writer Peter ‘ PJ ’ Moses has come a long , long way since his days with a gang on the streets of Bonteheuwel in Cape Town , and he attributes his ongoing journey of redemption to becoming a runner , in order to give his life new purpose and meaning . Join him as he looks back on the road he has travelled since his first race in 2013 , and celebrate his triumphs with him .

Every Easter weekend , thousands of runners descend on Cape Town to take part in one of the biggest races in South Africa , the Two Oceans Ultra Marathon , a daunting 56-kilometre road race starting in Newlands . You run to Muizenberg , then turn back to go up and over Chapman ’ s peak before you head to the last big climb at Constantia Nek , after which you spend your last bit of energy getting your tired body to the finish at the UCT sport fields . My brother

Andy had competed in two already , and he described it as a brutal test for any runner . I was sold on the idea .
Qualifying for the race proved easy enough for me , and by the end of February of 2014 , I had run two marathons under the qualifying time of five hours . Getting the money to enter was the biggest hurdle , but a friend blessed me with an entry when he had to withdraw due to injury . All of a sudden , this dream was becoming a reality , and I was set to run the biggest race in my city .
Andy and his wife were coming from Port Elizabeth to do the race , and she was also doing her first one , so it was turning into a family affair . My parents , who remained friendly after their divorce , were also planning to attend and support us over the finish line . “ Don ’ t worry if you can ’ t finish , because nobody expects you to do well your first time .” This was my Dad ’ s way of encouragement , but it just pissed me off .
“ It will be tough during the second half so don ’ t go out too fast .” Andy ’ s advice made a lot more sense , but I had already proven in my short time as a runner that my build was better suited for running than his . He was a solid mass of muscle , stronger than ever after spending 10 years as a police officer , before moving over to teaching firearm usage and practical law at the traffic department training college . I was still tall and light , not adding much in the way of weight since I
PJ and his family at the 2014 Two Oceans finished school 20 years before . Maybe my life on the fringe and drug-use over the years also had a role to play , so it was a blessing in disguise , I guess .
I decided to ignore their doubts in my ability and go do the best I could . It was finally a way of showing the world the man I had become . It was to prove to the many naysayers that you can change if you are willing to put in the work .
I spent hours running alone , preparing for the ultra to come . Sometimes it would be in the early morning hours , when the sun was still struggling to light up the sky . At other times it was late at night , running home after a day of fulfilling my cleaning duties at my unsatisfactory job . “ You spend too much time running , the kids don ’ t understand ,” the mother of my two boys would say as she prepared dinner and I prepared to go for a late run . “ The kids do not have to understand , they are too small to realise what this means to me ! I thought maybe you would , but if you don ’ t , I can ’ t really explain it .” The frustrations of my life pushed me on , running harder each time .
Race day arrived and I felt scared out of my mind . The doubts were buzzing in my head and the fear of failure was like a weight on my shoulders . “ Who are you kidding ?” the voice in my head insisted . After all , I was a failure in life . An unemployed , uneducated former gangbanger , struggling to care for two kids and stuck in a relationship that had gone sour long ago . My father was right … nobody was going to care if I quit . It was what I had been doing most of my life , anyway , so why should it be different now ?
Images : Jetline Action Photo & courtesy PJ Moses
But as I made my way to the start , I smiled to myself and whispered , “ Well you ’ re here , mate , no turning back now !” It was time to set the record straight and prove that I was worthy of my place , not only on the start line , but in this world as well . It was time to make my children proud , and it was time to put a smile on my Ouma ’ s face , because I was sure she was looking down on me from Heaven .
As we gathered in our starting pens and got all the formalities out of the way , a moment of complete peace descended on me and I finally felt complete . I was where I was always meant to be , and I was about to do exactly what I was born to do . The horn was blown and the starter ’ s gun set us on our way , my first ultra was a reality and I was smiling about
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