ROAD RUNNING

A moment of peace on the KZN coast

of South Africa , from the Mozambique side to the Namibian side , but the more I thought about it , the more I wanted to run for mental health instead ,” says Henry . He therefore made contact with the South African Depression and Anxiety Group ( SADAG ), a nonprofit mental health support and advocacy group , and found out some pretty disturbing statistics , including the fact that their volume of telephone calls from people looking for help had tripled during lockdown , while suicide rates across the country had increased .

“ Did you know that a South African commits suicide nearly every hour . That ’ s a horrifying 23 people a day ! And the pandemic has certainly shone a light on the importance of mental health and how it can affect everyone , because people have struggled with isolation , fatigue , illness and the death of loved ones . There has been a new wave of mental health concern , and I thought this is a good time to be ‘ mentally aweh ’ and to break the stigma attached to suffering from anxiety and depression ,” says Henry .

“ I also heard horror stories from friends who are doctors in psychiatric wards , about people abandoned by their families and the government , sometimes stuck in a basement with no sunlight , effectively isolated , because they have no resources , as medical aids won ’ t cover mental health treatment . In South Africa , the percentage of the uninsured population that has access to some form of mental healthcare is as little as 0.89 percent . This is a shocking statistic , and it made me realise just how lucky I am , with access to medical help that a large percentage of South Africans don ’ t have .”

That prompted Henry to decide to try run through as many towns as possible on his record-chasing run , in order to spread the word about SADAG , and to link up with SADAG volunteers wherever he could along the way . “ My goal is to promote what SADAG does , while trying to raise upwards of four million Rand for them . If I could raise 10c from every South African citizen , I would reach my target , but I obviously won ’ t get something from everybody , so I worked out that if 8000 people were to donate 10 cents for every kilometre I run in 2021 , including my training and the record run , which should be around 6000 kilometres in total , then I can donate 4.8 million Rand to SADAG at the end of the year . That works out to about R600 per person on average . And it ’ s important for people to know that I am paying all costs for the record attempt out of my own pocket , so 100 % of the donations collected will be going to SADAG .”

Life-changing Decisions

With a start date for the record run set for mid-July , Henry had to make some serious lifestyle changes in order to get himself ready for the greatest physical challenge of his life . That meant cutting out the partying and drinking , eating healthily , and disciplined training . “ In December I went SCUBA diving in Sodwana Bay with a friend who is a doctor , and he told me my weight was getting unhealthy . I told him I only weighed 89 kilograms and he just laughed , so when I got home , I weighed myself and found out I was actually 103 kilograms , with 22 % body fat !” says Henry .

“ So , on 31 December I had my last bender as we celebrated the start of the new year , and then I told my friends I was not going to have another drink for the next year . That first run after New Year ’ s was really tough , but I stuck with it , and by the time my weight had come down to 88 kilograms , with just 11.5 % body fat , my friends were actually asking me if I was OK , as I had lost so much weight . I am thankful that I have received overwhelming support from my friends , and to be honest , it has been nice not drinking , and getting up on Saturday mornings to run instead of eating a pizza and loafing while recovering from the night before .”

With coaching advice from Norrie Williamson and combining running with gym work , boxing classes and healthy nutrition , Henry put all his effort into his training , which included regular trips to run in the Drakensberg . By July he was raring to go , and he says , “ I knew I could train myself into top running fitness on the run itself , but I needed to make sure my body was strong enough to handle running day

Henry with run manager Bianca Bower

after day , with no rest days . The nice thing about the rules for the World Record attempt is that I only have a time limit of four hours per 21km , so I can run at a relaxed pace . That allows me to enjoy running along the coastline and really see South Africa .”

Important Attention to Detail

Besides the daily time limit , Henry also needs to comply with other strict rules in order for his run to count for the record books . He is allowed five minutes ’ rest for every hour of running , and has to fill in a daily logbook for each run , with witness statements to confirm each run took place , along with Strava recordings both for himself and a second runner . They also need to take photographs at the start of the run , the mid-point and the finish . And here Henry readily admits he needs help to keep abreast of the paperwork . “ My friend Bianca Brower is accompanying me on the trip to handle the admin , because I ’ m a bit ‘ loskop ’ at the best of times . It would really suck to miss the record because I missed a filing !”

That said , Henry is quick to turn the subject back to the fundraising element of the run . “ Setting a new record motivates me to keep going , but raising money for SADAG is the primary goal . That ’ s why I will keep going , even if I get injured and have to run on crutches around SA . I just want to make a difference … I know that may sound cheesy , but that is my driving goal . I am nobody special . I ’ m not an ex-athlete , or a professional sportsman of any kind . All I am trying to do is raise awareness of something that has affected me and the people around me , and affects hundreds of millions of people globally . That ’ s what drives me on during the tough days on this run , because there has never been a better time to become more mentally aweh .”

Images : Courtesy Henry Cock

Henry takes in another wonderful view of the Wild Coast near Haga Haga