BEST OF 2021
Three
Standout Stories
OF 2021
• Originally published in the January 2021 edition •
Challenges in One Day
Lee tackles many endurance races in his Carlstrong kit , running in memory of his brother
With 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
Images : Courtesy Lee Schoombie
20 ISSUE 147 DECEMBER 2021 | www . modernathlete . co . za