Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 140, April 2021 Apr 2021 | Page 15

ROAD RUNNING
All three of them will happily admit that without the support of their friends and families on the day of the run , things would definitely not have gone as well as they did . “ Distance running is always a family event . The families are more important than the athlete , as they provide the support and encouragement needed to get the run done . Our families were absolute stars , and they ’ ll never know how much having them there with us all the way meant to us ,” says Angelo .
“ The goal for the day was not about time , but to finish and raise awareness . When we set out the morning , side by side with smiles on our faces , we wanted to cross the finish line the same way . As for afterwards … I ’ ll be like those politicians on television , and say that I can neither admit or deny that later that night I was crying myself to sleep while smashing much-needed food . Survival was the key , as we didn ’ t want to be eating hospital food after the run . Again , thank you to everyone who supported us on the day , and I ’ m sure we ’ ll do something of this nature again sometime .

Support the Cause

An exhausted Merlin after another training run
Check out the Hannah ’ s Place of Safety Facebook page to find out more about the wonderful work this safe house does , and if you would like to make a donation to the fundraising effort for Hannah ’ s Place , please contact mentor . tamsyn @ gmail . com for banking details .
Ready for this !

Running With Purpose …

Late last year we decided to run for charity , finding something local and close to home . Hannah ’ s Place of Safety run by the Fabe ’ s , based in Westridge , Mitchells Plain . A Safe house for abandoned and neglected babies , do a Google search for them for more info . We set R30,000 as our target , and we reached that because of persistent spamming of social media accounts . Sorry we had to spam you , but we are thankful that you put some cash into their coffers .

On 20 March 2021 , 04h32 it was dark , windy and cold as we set off to do a 100km loop around our beautiful city , but more about that just now … Let me first tell you the back story . – BY ANGELO ADAMS
Anyway , this story will take you on a journey with us , and I hope this can do justice to the efforts put in by the men who undertook this monster run . This run had nothing to do with the Two Oceans or Comrades , or any other ultra-distance event . The purpose was to raise money for an institution that looks after abandoned babies . Nothing more , nothing less . Also , on a more selfish note it allowed us to train at a level that made sure that we could get our pants size down , because lockdown was tough . COVID-19 has impacted all of us in some way , so spare a thought for families who have lost loved ones and jobs , and bless the souls of the departed who were taken away from us over the last year . This has been one Rollercoaster of a year , but if anything it has shown us how resilient society can be .
Sons of Cape Town , running in their ‘ backyard ’
Images : Courtesy Angelo Adams
So , while we ran this distance , the efforts of our family members cannot be ignored . Distance running is always a family event , the families are more important than the athlete , they provide the support and the encouragement that we need . The driving force behind us during the run was each family member that somehow really made the 100km fly by quickly . From the kids to the parents , grandparents and our Kenfac clubmates who have become family over the years , offering their time to do roadside support . The group was massive , something that we couldn ’ t have imagined – we had support and assistance on the same level as Comrades , just for a few “ nobodies ” like us . So the families got to experience the Comrades effect , the early
wake up call , the nutrition planning , the logistics , the feeding stations … , These things rocked , because we
planned properly , and they made it comfortable for us .

A Very Early Start

Wake-up call at 01h30 , breakfast , coffee , toilet , toilet , toilet , pack bag , toilet , check memes , check the weather , toilet , change a nappy , shower , take vitamins , eat a second breakfast , say goodbye to Tamsyn and Jessi , who I would be seeing around the 70km mark . The thing about Tamsyn , no matter what , I just need to give her road names and landmarks and she ’ ll make her way there at that specific time . Even with Jessi around , she still does the support car duty like a champion !
Qaasim rocks up to fetch me at 04h00 . We get to our starting point , it is dark , windy , cold , and all you can see are the lights of the 12 Apostles Hotel and some ship carrying the COVID-19 vaccines on the horizon . Esmund and Merlin rock up in an entourage , the photographers were snapping away , incredible atmosphere at the start . Ezzo says a prayer for our safety , and the safety of our followers for the day . He is the pastor of our group , every big race he is the go-to guy .
Off we go , from the Kramat to Bootleggers Coffee Shop was dark , but after that the streetlights did their job . Ocean on the left , mountain on the right , nobody else in sight . Camps Bay , Clifton , Three Anchor Bay , Jill joined us to keep us safe , Sea Point , Green
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