TRAIL RUNNING
identified his school uniform , tracked down the principal , who had then sent them to Jéan ’ s house to break the tragic news to her .
“ He normally travelled home with a group of friends , but the trains were apparently full that day , so he decided to catch a later one and was alone . The police think the train jerked and he somehow fell out , but sadly there were no witnesses , so we ’ ll never know for sure . I remember the investigating officer said to me , it ’ s up to me which story I choose to believe , and that will determine how I get through it . I may never know the full truth , but what I do know is that Reagan was loved by many – he was always serving others , including building bikes from scratch for other kids , and he truly lived a full life . About 1500 people attended his funeral , including all the kids whose bikes he built , and they rode in front of the hearse leading up to the church .”
This one is for Reagan
awards – so when Sean started telling the story and mentioned Reagan ’ s name , I thought it must be me … I kept thinking , what are the chances somebody else had a son named Reagan who had passed away . That moment right there , when Sean called me to stage , and I knew , Reagan was with me , in spirit .”
Beloved Son and Friend
Jéan fell pregnant at a young age , but still completed her schooling , then put all her energy into raising her son as best she could while carving out a career for herself in the human resources field . Reagan soon grew into an outgoing , fun-loving and popular young man , somebody that touched hearts wherever he went . “ He was so full of life , and adventurous , and I often found myself running after him , whether it was into the ocean or up mountains ,” says Jéan . “ He was also a talented soccer player and had a serious left puncher , so I decided to take him for a trial at Ajax Cape Town , but financially it was not possible for me to get him to training from our home in Blue Downs , so while it may not have worked out , he certainly had the potential .”
In February 2016 , on a normal school / work day like any other , where Reagan would catch the train home , that particular afternoon he did not return , and Jéan ’ s life would never be the same . “ It was day one for me after accepting a position at a new company , and my last and final moment with Reagan was dropping him off at school . At half-past-four that afternoon , I felt a cold shiver , but couldn ’ t understand the reason for it . When I arrived home , I couldn ’ t find Reagan , his school bags or the usual bread crumbs on the kitchen counter . I tried calling his cell , reached voicemail and I knew this behaviour was out of the ordinary , so I contacted the police and immediately put out a missing alert ,” she recalls .
Picking Up the Pieces
Jéan openly admits that her world collapsed after Reagan ’ s death . She says she felt stripped of her sense of being , her sense of self , and it felt like she had lost everything . She recalls that she drifted through the next few years , putting on a fair amount of weight in the process , but by 2019 she realised that she needed to do something to change her life and get back on track . “ There were three things I decided to do : I removed white bread and sugar , I signed up for parkruns , and joined a local gathering of women who met up twice a week to train together . They taught me to be active again , and to start having fun again ,” says Jéan .
“ In my first parkrun , I walked more than I ran , and it was the moment that changed my view of running , because it was quite significant to life and how one perseveres and endures through it . In my first attempt at the Somerset West parkrun , it started raining around four kilometres in , and as I tried to run the full stretch , while listening
The Sanet Wentzel Award
Each year the organisers of the THIRSTI AFRICANX TRAILRUN Three-Day Stage Race call on all entrants to send in their nominations for the event ’ s cherished Sanet Wentzel Spirit Award .
Jéan receiving the award from MC Sean Falconer
Around 11 o ’ clock that night , there was a knock on her door , and it was the police . They told a devastated Jéan that her son had apparently fallen out of a moving train on his way home from school , and had been killed instantly . The police had
Fun on Dress-up Day with Wayne Hendrickse , Marisa and Rudy Oliver
“ Sanet Wentzel was an Oudtshoorn-based athlete who took part in the inaugural AFRICANX in 2009 ,” says Michael Meyer , Managing Director of Stillwater Sports and founder of the THIRSTI AFRICANX TRAILRUN . “ Sanet enjoyed the event to the fullest that year and could not wait to toe the line again in 2010 . Sadly , this dream did not come true as she passed away tragically at the end of 2009 after being knocked down by a car during a morning training run .”
Images : Chris Hitchcock
“ In memory of this fallen athlete , we introduced the Sanet Wentzel Spirit Award in 2010 ,” continues Meyer . “ This trophy honours AFRICANX entrants who persevere irrespective of the adversity that they face . Each year we call on the trail running community to help us identify the perfect recipient of the trophy , and then we , the AFRICANX community , honour this athlete , and show him or her that they are not alone .”
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