ROAD RUNNING race , after doping control , to tell him what happened , and he was actually very happy . He knew the SA 21 was a bad experience for me , and that I had bad flu after that , so didn ’ t want me to overexert myself and potentially cost me my Olympic run , but he was just being protective . He had also seen me finish Two Oceans pretty smashed , but I think when he saw on TV that I was running strong , his mind was at peace . In fact , the next day after the record run , I was already back to normal life , but he was still talking about it !”
Career-threatening Accident
What makes Irvette ’ s 2021 results all the more remarkable is that not so long ago she underwent reconstructive surgery on the right knee she injured 16 years ago in a scooter accident , and which has continued to give her on-off problems ever since . “ It ’ s always hard to think back to the accident , because the doctors told me I would probably never run again . The wounds became infected , and I was unable to walk for the first two months , so even though it wasn ’ t that sore , the long recovery process was mentally challenging ,” says Irvette .
Irvette ( with young Louis ) on the podium with Gerda Steyn and Helalia Johannes at a 2019 SPAR Women ’ s race
“ I was 17 years old , but couldn ’ t meet up with friends and couldn ’ t go to parties . I was just stuck in bed , with the PlayStation … but in the end I learnt a lot from that accident , and my recovery , and I think I became more appreciative of my running . I learnt that today is what counts . I also learnt that if you have a good race , you should be grateful , because you never know if you will be able to do it again !”
While Irvette did make a comeback from that accident and has gone on to enjoy a massively successful career to date , including winning multiple national titles , representing her country at the Olympics and numerous World Champs events in road and cross country , and more recently setting a World Record , she says that the accident did leave her with a permanently damaged knee . This meant that she had to compensate , which put extra strain on her left leg , leading to various niggly injuries over the years .
Irvette has always been known as a strong frontrunner
Going Under the Knife
So , fast-forward to 2020 and the global lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic , and Irvette decided to use the ‘ down time ’ with no racing to finally get the problem in her right knee sorted out – because the doctors were telling her that she could face the prospect of needing a knee replacement some day if she didn ’ t . “ In the past , there was always something to train for , so there was no chance to take time off for an operation , but now I had the time do the rehab properly , and it seemed the ideal opportunity to fix the problem after 16 years .”
She recounts that the operation - a chondroplasty with stemcells - caused her a lot of pain , because firstly , the doctor had to drill more holes in the knee than he originally thought , and then the wounds did not heal as expected . “ Athletes are supposed to heal faster , but not me , so the doc thought something had gone wrong and went back in . He said give it two more weeks , but it took another six weeks for the wounds to close up , and I still couldn ’ t bend my knee . So , it looked really bad in the beginning – the doc even said I may need another operation , and this time it would have to be a knee reconstruction , much more invasive , with no guarantee I would be able to get back to competitive running .”
Fortunately , the knee eventually began healing , and six weeks after the operation , Irvette was allowed to cycle for 10 minutes , but no walking , and she couldn ’ t swim either , as the gyms were all closed due to lockdown . “ My feet swelled up from doing nothing all the time , but I told myself I would be ready for the three-month check-up with the doctor , to show him the op had worked and I wouldn ’ t need another one . He told me it was looking much better and to come back after six months .”
Back to Running at Last
Three months after going into theatre , Irvette was able to start running again on the anti-gravity treadmill . She began conservatively , then slowly increased distance and added weights , until eventually , after six months ,
the doctor gave her the go-ahead to start running on the road again . “ He gave me a strict programme to follow , with strange distances , which he told me were ‘ army distances ,’ but the slow build-up and rehab went well , and now I am very happy with my knee . I do need to go back to the doc , but just to say thank you . And I know I will just cry the whole time , with tears of joy .”
After various comebacks from injuries , as well as two pregnancies – she and LJ have two sons , Louis ( 5 ) and Gideon ( 3 ) - Irvette says this comeback was the hardest . “ I was stuck on the couch at home during lockdown , with the kids , on crutches , and felt like I could not even be a complete mother , let alone an athlete . So , when the doc told me I could start doing something again , that was all the motivation I needed . Athletes just need hope that they can come back … I didn ’ t ’ know what level I would come back to , or when , but anything would be better than being stuck on the couch !”
“ When I did start running again , I was so motivated , and when the doc asked me what my goal was , I told him it was to win the 2021 Two Oceans Marathon . Of course , that got cancelled in the end , but I found new goals . Still , it was not easy building up my mileage again , and it felt like my body would shut down and not react well to an increase , but then the second time it would be better . So , the first 15km and 20km runs shattered me , and at the end of February , when I did my first 40km run , the same thing . LJ played a really big role here … he was always there when I came back from long runs , massaged my legs , and made sure I had food . And he helped so much with looking after the boys as well , in between his own work . That ’ s because he knew how important it was for me to come back , that I am not finished with my running .”
Irvette admits there was one other thing that really helped her get through the rehab process : Friends ! As in , the hit television series . “ René Kalmer said I must watch it while I was stuck on the couch , so I started with episode one of the first series , and went all the way through to the end of the 10th season , all 236 episodes ! It kept the smile on my face , and I can ’ t believe I waited so long to watch it ! LJ even let
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