ROAD RUNNING the challenge without the actual Comrades event , so the whole idea had to be put on hold until the race came back .
“ I was actually planning a North-South run across SA when they announced that the Comrades was back this year , and would be two months later , too , so I thought , no more excuses , and in January I committed to giving it another go . But I wanted it to be about more than me , so I decided there needs to be a reason to do it , a charity angle , so I began researching charities . I had seen The CHOC Cows at other events and they intrigued me ,” say Mike .
The Cows were started in 2008 by a group of eight enthusiastic cyclists keen to make a difference by raising funds for the CHOC Childhood Cancer Foundation of South Africa . Many had lost a loved one to cancer , including young children , and this was a cause very close their hearts . Purely by chance they donned cow suits in their first event and this proved such a hit that it became their signature look , and the herd of adventureand endurance-loving cows grew from there . Since 2008 , The Cows have raised well over R30 million for specific projects implemented by CHOC .
“ Fortunately , nobody close to me has had cancer , but my girlfriend , Kathryn , is friends with Kerrin Bain of CHOC , so I met with her as well as Robbie Riccardi and Jade Fouche , and they sold me on their energy , enthusiasm , and community , and the way they rally to help each other . On connecting with them it just all felt right . Great energy , great community and of course , a great cause , so that ’ s how I signed up to run for The Cows and raise funds for CHOC ,” says Mike .
The next question Mike had to answer was how much money he thought he could raise . “ I decided that this was going to be a three-week event that would hopefully grab some attention , so I should go big on fundraising . Initially , I was not sure if I was going to raise a million rand of donatable products , but somewhere along the way I decided to raise a million Rand in cash . CHOC and The Cows will be helping me with media and comms during the challenge , so I am hoping we can get to that target . That ’ s why I ’ ll be treating the charity element as a second parallel project – as big as the run .” he says .
Catching a roadside snooze on day 16 of the 2018 run
Revised Planning
Mike is due to start his 20-day challenge on Tuesday 9 August in Green Point , Cape Town , and is planning to run 90km a day . He says that even if he is feeling good on the day , or finishes early , he will not go any further than 90km . On the other hand , if he only manages a shorter distance on any given day , he will need to do more the next day to make it up . “ There are no rules , but that ’ s the basic plan . There will undoubtedly be a lot of walking , and while I would love to do 9km an hour and finish in 10 hours , I will likely be out there around 12 hours a day . I just don ’ t want to run at night , as it is not safe and I will need sleep , so ideally , I want to spend no more than 12 hours on the road per day , leaving 12 hours for eating , stretching , massage and resting ,” he says .
He adds that he has taken a long hard look at the route the 2018 run used , and while he is going use the same basic blueprint , he has made some serious tweaks to it . From Cape Town , he plans to run to Worcester , then head along the R62 through Barrydale to Oudtshoorn , then carry on up into the Eastern Cape , with a slight deviation to stop in Gqeberha ,
Mike finishes the 2018 Comrades with Sunninghill clubmate Phetogo Monaisa
Images : Action Photo SA , Rory Scheffer & courtesy Mike Sewell
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ISSUE 152 | www Mike . modernathlete rolls into a rest . co stop . za during the 2018 attempt