MULTISPORT

Lee tackles many endurance races in his Carlstrong kit , running in memory of his brother ith it ’ s stunning roads around the Peninsula and magnificent ocean surrounding , Cape Town is an endurance athlete ’ s dream , and it is no surprise that events such as the 56km Two Oceans Marathon and 109km Cape Town Cycle Tour attract tens of thousands of participants each year . Not quite as popular , but every bit as iconic , is the Robben Island Freedom Swim , the 7.5km crossing from the island to Blaauwberg , which is just as highly thought of as a bucket list item to tick off .

Now for most , doing one of these events on any given day is seen as a huge challenge , but doing all three … well , that would probably be thought of as madness . But that ’ s what 31-year-old Lee Schoombie decided to do in early December … and he says it was just an idea that popped into his head one morning while out running in November , and thinking about the Robben Island swim he had been forced to postpone when lockdown was initially introduced last March .

“ It all started through wanting to overcome my fear of sharks . All my mates know that just finishing the 3.8km swim at Ironman is my actual Ironman , and once I am out of the water , I feel like I have done 80 % of the race ! But eventually I decided to overcome

MULTISPORT

In December , Cape Town-based ultra-runner and Ironman triathlete Lee Schoombie set out to tackle the Carlstrong Extreme Challenge : Racing For Recovery , an incredible ultra-distance multisport challenge that he came up with during a 10km morning run . But there was much more to it than just the challenge of taking on three of Cape Town ’ s most iconic sporting events in one day – it was also to raise funds to help those suffering from emotional and mental trauma , something that Lee knows much about . – BY SEAN FALCONER

my fear and take the plunge , so I began by doing more open sea swim events in Cape Town , and it got to point where I signed up to a Robben Island to Blaauwberg crossing in March 2020 , but that was then postponed due to COVID ,” says Lee .

“ Then one day , during a 10km run – where all my ideas come up – I was thinking about the Cycle Tour and Two Oceans , wondering if they would actually take place again in 2021 , and when I could try to fit in a Robben Island swim around them , and all the training required , and I thought screw this , I ’ m going to do all three in one day . I just decided there and then to do it , so when I got home , I messaged my sister and my dad , and told them of the plan . I definitely had not prepped or trained for anything like it , but I just decided to go for it because it would be an epic adventure to do all three iconic events in one day . I love challenging myself , and I have all the motivation I need by doing it for the Carlstrong Foundation , because I believe that one day of pain can end a lifetime of suffering . That makes my pain minimal .”

tragic death of his brother Carl in November 2015 , due to what he and his family went through as a

Lee on his way from Robben Island to Blaauwberg

result of the senseless killing of a beloved sibling . It ’ s unknowingly turned into a cul-de-sac and the a horrific story of mistaken identity and being in the aggressors cornered them . “ My brother and his friend wrong place at the wrong time , says Lee . “ My brother got out to try and reason with these two guys , trying had just returned from a gap year working on the to explain that it wasn ’ t them in the club , but these cruise ships , after completing his studies , and he had guys were beyond listening and started beating them a job interview coming up on the Monday . That Friday , he went out with one of his mates , and the mate ’ s sister , and they went to Tiger Tiger to dance .

“ While they were there , a fight broke out between two sets of other guys . My brother and his friend didn ’ t even know about it . The two aggressors in the fight were thrown out of the club , but the club manager had to sneak the two younger guys out the back , via the fire escape , and put them in an Uber , because the two aggressors were waiting outside for them . Meanwhile my brother and his friends came out and got into another Uber to go home , and when the aggressors started hammering on the Uber car , the driver tried to speed away from them .”

A dangerous high-speed chase ensued , until the panicked Uber driver

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ISSUE 137 Rain JANUARY or shine 2021 , / www . modernathlete . co . za the run went on

Themba ( left ) and Lennox Mathebula , the running brothers , on their way from Centurion to Bushbuckridge

During August , Women ’ s Month , we invited readers to tell us about the strong , inspirational women in their lives , and the reader with the best story would win a Garmin Forerunner 55 watch , valued at R3999 . The winning story selected by Garmin and the Modern Athlete team was the nomination for Debbie Fass , submitted by her partner Riaan Lloyd . Shortly after fulfilling her dream to earn her Comrades Green Number , Debbie was given the devastating news that she needed a hip replacement , and she thought her running days were over . However , through determination and dedication , she has returned to the road . – BY ROXANNE MARTIN

line of her first Comrades in 1995 , she swore she would never run it again ... because everything hurt ! She had run the race in memory of her late father , who had died from cancer , and while proud of her finish , she had never felt pain like that in her 29 years . “ The race was 91,76km that year and it was the longest 10 hours and 15 minutes of my life . While finishing was quite an achievement , I couldn ’ t walk for five days ,” says Debbie . “ The bath that night was torture – my legs ached in the water – and just having sheets resting on my legs was agony , so I had no interest in running another Comrades . I said to myself , f *** it , I am never doing that again !”

It wasn ’ t that Debbie had gone into the race underprepared , it was just that her body had not handled the distance as well as hoped . She had put in the long hours of training and had attended all the famous Comrades Panel Talks hosted by the late Don Oliver , the original Comrades Coach , at Wits University , so she was fully aware of what she was getting herself into . On Don ’ s advice , she ran the 56km Korkie Ultra Marathon , from Pretoria to Germiston , as her long run . Don had said in the meetings , “ If you can run Korkie , the slow poison marathon , you can run Comrades , and if you take your time from the Korkie , times it by two , then subtract one hour , that will be your Comrades time .” He was within one minute of my actual time , 10:15 ! He really was an amazing guy .”

However , as satisfied as she was with her finish , it was the pain in her legs that made the biggest impression , and she made the age-old promise to herself : Never again . But running is like childbirth … you forget the

MULTISPORT

Debbie clocked her best Comrades time of 9:10 in 2011

TRACK ROAD & RUNNING FIELD

Debbie on the way to her 10th Comrades Marathon finish in 2019

pain , or your fading memory at least dulls the pain , and soon you can ’ t quite remember why you thought it was all that bad , so you attempt it again . And that ’ s how Debbie ended up lining up for her second Comrades in 2008 .

the Liberty Running Club in 1994 , serving as Club Secretary , and the following year she tackled that first Comrades , but then reverted to running more socially , just doing about 30km a week . In 1998 a career move saw her move to Discovery Health , which helped kickstart her semi-dormant running career . Together with Archie Walaza , she started the Discovery Health Running Club , and to get more people involved , she knew she had to lead by example , so she began running more regularly , although never more than 10km at a time .

The Comrades had been a constant companion in Debbie ’ s life – her brother-in-law had attempted the race five times , completing it twice , her mother had helped her prepare for her first run , and being so involved in the club , all her close friends were runners , and many followed the traditional build-up to the Comrades each year . “ In the middle of 2007 , I made up my mind to commit to the 2008 Comrades , and I was determined that this attempt would have a better ending than my first one ,” recalls Debbie .

The race proved an emotional experience as Debbie , now 42 years old , came home in 10:05 , finishing 10 minutes faster than her first run 13 years before , and in far less pain thanks to all the research she had put into her training and race nutrition . “ I was so overwhelmed

21

On the way to winning the Freshpak Fitness Festival Triathlon

ick ’ s path to a career in triathlon seemed well on track . In 2015 he had won the Junior title at the SA Champs in Buffalo City , then added the African Champs junior title in Egypt a few months later . Earlier in 2016 , he was second junior at the African Champs , then added top 10 finishes in two ETU Junior European Cup events in Hungary and the Netherlands , but things didn ’ t go as well in Mexico that September . And with hindsight , Nick says he should have heeded the warning his body was sending him .

“ It started earlier when I was part of the Stellenbosch University swimming team . The standard protocol before going to national champs was to go for a medical screening , and the doctor picked up a murmur in my ECG . The doc said I could take it further , but that it didn ’ t seem too much to worry about , so I didn ’ t worry about it . Then Mexico happened , and I should have looked into it , but I still didn ’ t realise it was so serious ,” says Nick .

Nick is back in the saddle after his serious health scare

Things went smoothly for the next few years , with When Nick Quenet blacked out during the bike leg of the 2016 World Triathlon more podium finishes coming regularly , but then Grand Final in Mexico , he put it down to the heat and 90 % humidity , and though in February 2019 Nick was racing at altitude in

disappointed , he simply got back to training for his next event . After all , he was Zimbabwe and suffered another blackout mid-race . Once again , he thought it was just a side-effect of the young and supremely fit , and making the most of his talent , with justifiably high racing conditions , thus not something to be overly hopes of someday competing on the pro triathlon circuit . However , it was just the worried about . “ I thought it was due to the heat on start of a harrowing medical experience that appeared to have robbed him of that the day , and the altitude , because I had not been able sporting future . – BY SEAN FALCONER to get away for altitude training due to my studies .”

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to finish – it was the same as the first , just with none of the bitterness ,” says Debbie . “ As I had on my first run , I got down and kissed the ground to give thanks for my run !”

Comrades , Debbie decided on a new challenge , to finish nine consecutive Comrades Marathons and earn her Green Number by the age of 50 . That saw her run the Comrades each year from 2008 to 2014 , clocking the first of five consecutive sub-10s in her third run in 2009 , and posting her best time in 2011 . “ I finished that one in 9:10 , which I put down to experience . You learn to recover as best you can from the training mileage , and that you have to have your nutrition right on race day .”

However , she was regularly beset by injuries , including strained muscles and torn ankle ligaments , but with her sights fixed on her Green Number goal , she tried running through the pain . “ That ’ s what runners do … you think you are doing well , but actually all you are doing is pushing too hard ,” says Debbie , who earned her eighth medal overall in 2014 , aged 48 , but then had to sit out the next two years due to injury .

She had developed peroneal tendonitis – inflammation of the peroneal tendons on the outer side of the ankle , just below the so-called bony knob of the ankle – which is a common injury suffered by everything right .” runners who have upped their mileage . Repetitive overloading or stretching can cause small tears in the tendons , which leads to inflammation , irritation , weakening and degeneration , and this can be made worse by the tendons rubbing on the bones in the foot . The pain in her ankle made it virtually impossible for Debbie to run .

Understandably , she was devastated to have to give up on her goal of earning her Green Number after nine consecutive finishes , but supporting her

Paying homage in 10:27 . to Arthur ’ s Seat on the Comrades Route in 2014

Proud moment receiving her Green Number from Alan Robb

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friends as they tackled the 2015 and 2016 Comrades helped her decide on a new goal : Instead of running her 10th in her 50th year , she was just going to get to 50 and prove she could still run Comrades . However , first she had to deal properly with her injury problems . “ I see it around me , with other runners … you are given advice , but you ignore it , and I guess you must make the mistakes to learn from them . We think we are invincible , but the truth is that our bodies are not indestructible . I was forced to listen to what my body was telling me , so I took the recovery slow , saying to myself that if I wanted to continue running , I had to do

completely , which she says was very frustrating , but it made getting back on the road a soulful , almost spiritual experience . “ Running becomes an addiction , and you are addicted to the high it gives you , that feeling of pushing your body , and feeling the endorphins as you do . You feel better mentally and spiritually ,” says Debbie , adding that she was determined the mistakes of the past would not come back to haunt her . What she did obviously worked , and in 2017 , aged 51 , she finished her ninth Comrades

“ I also ran next to two legends during that day , Louis Massyn and Barry Holland , and watching how they helped runners along inspired me , so I decided I would also help others as much as I could that day . I had met a woman at the start , Thandi , who said her target was to run a sub-11 , so I helped her as much as I could to achieve that ,” adds Debbie . “ What makes Comrades so tremendously special is the sense of camaraderie , with everyone running and the crowds standing at the side of the road all wanting to see you achieve your goal , so I was glad to help .”

Coming home in 9:44 , Debbie says she just made sure to savour each moment , including crossing the finish line and hearing the marshals calling out , “ We ’ ve got a 10 , we ’ ve got a 10 ,” then guiding her to that tent where Green Numbers are awarded . “ I got my picture with another legend , Alan Robb , and it was so special ,” she says , but what she didn ’ t know at the time was that this would be her last Comrades finish , because another injury nightmare was waiting down the road .

needed specialised help for her 11th , and for the first time in her running career she signed up with a running coach . Training was going well , and she lined up at the Kaapsehoop Marathon in November 2019 feeling better than ever , duly clocking a brilliant 3:48 . However , in January 2020 Debbie started experiencing a searing pain in her hip , and eventually the doctor recommended an MRI , which showed that there was no cartilage left in her joint .

In a healthy hip , the surface of the ball-and-socket joint is covered by a layer of articular cartilage , which allows the bones of the hip joint to move freely without

She didn ’ t qualify to run the 2018 Comrades , but in 2019 , now aged 53 , she was back and ready to go for that coveted Green Number . It was an Up Run , her preferred direction , and she says she had a terrific run . “ It was my best Comrades … my fitness , my nutrition , everything just worked perfectly , and when you run your tenth , you run with a yellow number , so everyone knows you are going for your Green Number , and runners kept cheering me on , saying go and convert

With Comrades winner Charné Bosman at that yellow to green .” the 2019 Randburg Harriers prize-giving

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In December , Cape Town trail runner and environmental campaigner Karoline Hanks set a second women ’ s FKT ( Fastest Known Time ) for the 13 Peaks Challenge , and she did it all to help efforts to rehabilitate and conserve turtles . – BY SEAN FALCONER , WITH KAROLINE HANKS

t comes as little surprise that the 13 Peaks To date , some 450 runners have tackled the

21:51 in October … but that just spurred Karoline on Challenge has quickly grown into one of the challenge , either in one day or over more than one to try again in December . The 49-year-old openly ultimate bucket list items for South African trail day . Ryan himself holds the men ’ s FKT at 13:41 , admits that she wanted her record back , but that runners . The idea was conceptualised in 2019 by which he logged in August last year . A year earlier , the was not enough for this well-known environmental one of South Africa ’ s top trail runners , Ryan Sandes , original women ’ s FKT was set by Linda Doke , when campaigner , who has been a leading figure in the antiplastic and carry your own campaigns in road running who lives in Hout Bay and does much of his training on she clocked 22:57 , and that mark stood until this past the various peaks of the Cape Peninsula . Stringing them August , when Karoline Hanks , coached by Linda , took for the past few years . She decided that she would all together , he came up with 100km circuit featuring 13 more than an hour off the mark as she ran a 21:55 . like to run the challenge to benefit an environmental peaks , including Maclears Beacon on Table Mountain , cause close to her heart , but let ’ s allow her to tell her with over 6200m of climbing , and then challenged his However , that mark stood for just two months before story in her own words … fellow runners to try post a FKT on the route .

Amri Williamson lowered it by a few minutes to

Karoline Hanks on her way up another peak , with partner Filippo Faralla for company

ISSUE 139 MARCH 2021 / www . modernathlete . co . za

BEST OF 2021

A Challenge is Born Motivated by her now happier memories of

Forced to Slow Down Debbie therefore took three months off running

“ What makes Comrades so tremendously special is the sense of camaraderie , with everyone running and the crowds standing at the side of the road all wanting to see you achieve your goal , so I was glad to help .”

Didn ’ t See That Coming Following her 10th finish , Debbie decided that she

Images : Action Photo SA & Courtesy Debbie Fass

When ultra-runner and Ironman triathlete Lee Schoombie set out to tackle his Carlstrong Extreme Challenge , there was much more to it than just taking on three of Cape Town ’ s most iconic sporting events in one day . ( Published in the January 2021 edition )

Chosen by Richard Laskey Modern Athlete Director & Head of Sales

“ When I first started chatting to Lee , I had no idea about his story . He was working at Bos Brands at the time and I had made contact about advertising the brand in our publication , but it was only after getting to know Lee that I found out about his brother , Carl , and the tragic manner in which he lost his life . What resonated with me was how Lee was able to turn such devastating circumstances into a positive , and by setting up the Carlstrong Foundation , Lee has been able to assist others facing similar ordeals .

His crazy idea of a monster triathlon challenge to raise funds for the foundation was both daunting and inspiring , and when he first mentioned it to me , I knew we needed to feature it in Modern Athlete . A Robben Island swim of 7.5km , followed by the Cape Town Cycle Tour ride of 104km , and ending off with the Two Oceans Ultra Marathon 56km run is no easy feat , especially if tackled on one ’ s own , instead of alongside the thousands of other participants in the Cycle Tour and Two Oceans .

It takes a special type of person to be able to finish a challenge like this – which is testimony to Lee ’ s tenacity , commitment and dedication . He is a selfless human , of whom his brother would be so proud , and the world needs more people like Lee in it .”

Shortly after earning her Comrades Green Number , Debbie Fass was given the devastating news that she needed a hip replacement , and she thought her running days were over . However , through determination and dedication , she has returned to the road . ( Published in the September- October 2021 edition )

Chosen by Roxanne Martin Modern Athlete Director & Head of Digital Marketing

“ I was tasked with writing this article , and when Debbie told me about her first Comrades , she honestly surprised me by saying that when she arrived at the finish line , she literally said “ F *** that , I am never running this again !” I was speechless , as this went completely against the norm – usually interviewees tell us how they were motivated to go after back-to-back medals .

I was captivated as she described coming back to the Comrades after 13 years , and going on to run it another nine times and earn her Green Number . And then she told me of the hip injury , and how she fought to come back to running , in spite of what the doctors said . I found that her love for running is like a lust for life , and her story made me want to get back on the road myself , and learn to love running again .

More than that , just as she had overcome her personal demons , she made me want to tackle my own demons . It ’ s been a tough road for the last two years , both for us as a business and for me personally , and Debbie ’ s story was one that I needed to hear . I don ’ t think people realise how much of a healing experience it is find the answers you have been searching for yourself while writing someone else ’ s story .”

More Great Reads from 2021

A Guiding Hand for the Youth

A Guiding Hand for the Youth

While the four articles featured on the next pages were the absolute favourites chosen by the four members of the Modern Athlete team , we could easily have chosen several others . Therefore , we ’ d like to recommend a few more of the great stories from this year that we think you will draw inspiration from – you can simply click on the links below to go direct to these stories in

18 ISSUE 147 DECEMBER 2021 | www . modernathlete January 2021 edition . co . za ) the editions they appeared in .

Much loved as a guide in the Kruger National Park , Lennox Mathebula took his humour and lust for life with as he joined his brother Themba in a fundraising charity run from Gauteng to Mpumalanga , to help the school children in and around their hometown . ( Published in the

Matters of the Heart

Matters of the Heart

N

Images : Nicholas Campbell , Oakpics , Chris Hitchcock , Caleb Bjergfelt & Gaby Quenet

When Nick Quenet blacked out during the 2016 World Triathlon Grand Final in Mexico , he put it down to the heat and humidity , but it was just the start of a harrowing medical experience that appeared to have robbed him of his sporting future . ( Published in the February 2021 edition )

13 Peaks for 13 Turtles

I

Trail runner and environmental campaigner Karoline Hanks set a ( then ) women ’ s Fastest Known Time ( FKT ) for the 13 Peaks Challenge as she ran to help efforts to rehabilitate and conserve turtles . ( Published in the March 2021 edition )