MULTISPORT
Rehan says the swim leg in SA was very cold
Mid-winter sun made the SA bike leg enjoyable
Stunning views of Cape Mountains on the SA run leg
The swim leg started at the Bosman Family Vineyards , just outside Wellington , followed by a circular bike leg via Wemmershoek , Stellenbosch , Klapmuts , Malmesbury and back to Wellington , with a few stops to visit ECDs supported by ForAfrika . Finally , Rehan tackled a two-loop run around Wellington . “ The current pastor at the church there is a family friend of the Bosman Family , so he was able to arrange for me to use their dam , where other Ironman athletes also train . It was just a five-minute drive from my parents ’ house , but it was still dark and cold when I started . Thankfully , it went well and I felt good ,” says Rehan .
“ I started the bike leg with a beautiful sunrise , on a bike borrowed from a local Ironman triathlete , so that was great ! Along the way our group stopped at four ECDs to see the teachers and children , where ForAfrika provides porridge for breakfast , because a full belly helps kids learn . I then started the run at 5pm , and that was special because I ran the whole way with my two brothers . Things went a bit egg-shaped late in the run , because I didn ’ t get my nutrition right , so my salt and sugar balance was out . A salt tablet didn ’ t go down well , causing me to dry-heave , so the last 7km were just survival mode , but a real highlight was giving my mom a hug at the finish of this special day spent with my entire family ,” recalls Rehan .
Triathlon Take Two
The team was up early again the next morning to set off at midday for Uganda and the second triathlon , but first stopped in the Khayelitsha informal settlement , near the Cape Town Airport ,
Rehan visited four ECDs during the bike leg in SA
to meet some more children that ForAfrika supports . Having flown to Uganda and then caught a chartered plane for the next part of the journey , they only arrived in Kisoro , in south-western Uganda , at about 8am the next morning , and headed climbed straight onto a bus to the Lake Mutanda Lake Resort , near Kisoro , for Rehan ’ s swim at 10am .
“ The second triathlon was the most arduous of the three , because it was unfamiliar , hilly territory , and I was using unfamiliar gear , including a borrowed bicycle with cleats that broke enroute !” says Rehan . “ The swim went well up to two kilometres , then the wind picked up and it felt like swimming in the sea , with a lot of rocking . I needed to change my approach , so mid-swim I changed the route and decided to swim with the current , then get the boat to take me back to transition .”
The bike legs also posed a few challenges , he recalls . “ I did the first seven kilometres on a mountain bike to get to the road , and needed to stop twice to fix the seat . As for the road section , doing four laps around the lake … I think they wanted to make it more exciting for me , so there was a total of 2600 metres of elevation-gain , and we even went through parts of the forest where gorillas live ! I ’ d never done anything close to that kind of terrain on the bike , so 40 kilometres in , after changing bikes three times , I didn ’ t think I would be able to do it , especially since I couldn ’ t ride with cleat pedals , as we had no tools to change the pedals on the bike I eventually did most of the ride on . Fortunately , I had one of Uganda ’ s best cyclists , Mike Kisegerwa , riding the entire 180km with me , so I could draft behind him , and that helped me through some very dark spots !”
Rehan once again found himself doing most of the run in the dark , finishing around 3:30am after a 17-hour slog to complete the Ironman distance , but he says he loved every moment , in spite of the hard swim and bike legs . “ I had people running with me who had never gone further than 5km , but they stuck with me much further than that , and that inspired me to keep going .” The team then just managed a quick shower and three hours ’ sleep before heading to a refugee centre in Kisoro to see ForAfrika in action . “ It was incredibly sad to see so many children without parents , but it was wonderful to see how many refugees volunteer at the camp ,” says Rehan .
Negotiating 80 ISSUE the wind 153 and | www current . modernathlete . co . za in Lake Mutanda in Uganda