MULTISPORT
As a regular cyclist in the Cradle , Mac wants to improve the safety of riders
Africa , especially where there are cycling and running communities ,” says Mac .
“ So , we will be advocating for road safety and trying to get as many people as possible involved , and we even want to take a trip out to Holland , which is one of the safest cycling countries in the world , just to see what they ’ ve done with their roads , what they ’ ve put in place , and what we can take from there and implement it not only in the Cradle , but throughout South Africa .” he adds .
As part of the campaign , Mac is keeping in touch with Sharon , and says she is 100 % behind his Ironman mission . “ The two of us haven ’ t had a chance to sit down and talk properly yet , but she ’ s fully supportive of what I ’ m doing . She reads my posts and sends messages of encouragement , and we ’ re probably going to be interviewing her , as soon as she ’ s ready , as part of the campaign . We want to get her involved , but we ’ re also giving her time and space to heal . Still , we do talk , and she has committed that she ’ s going to be on the finish line , the same way that she was always on the finish line for Andre .”
Career on the Airwaves
Mac has spent the last two decades building a reputation as an investigative journalist . He currently anchors Carte Blanche , which is South Africa ’ s longest-running investigative journalism programme , with a history spanning 30 years , and this has seen Mac interviewing industry leaders , senior politicians , business owners , civil servants and members of the public , often going beyond the call of duty in pursuing criminals , interrogating fraudsters and calling power to account .
Unsurprisingly , the job often elicits a distinct reaction from people that Mac comes into contact with in everyday life . “ If you want to get your car serviced , give me a call . You ’ ll see , they ’ ll probably even change the tyres for you ,” he jokes . “ It ’ s amazing what the
brand actually represents , and yes , there ’ s a lot of perks that we can laugh about , but sometimes it ’ s the only hope that people have , and they come to us and see us as some sort of saviours of salvation for the injustices that are happening to them , either through government , or the private sector companies , or even individuals . So , yes , people do run away sometimes , but other times they come to us for help . Either way , it ’ s an incredible job .”
Before Carte Blanche , Mac worked for various radio stations , the SABC and eNCA , Africa ’ s first 24- hour news channel . Mac has also recently joined the board of ProtectedBy . AI , as CEO of the Africa Division . There ’ s actually an interesting story to how he originally got into radio , which he attributes to his natural gift for the gab as a youngster , or as he puts it , “ Having a big mouth and not shutting up .”
“ About 21 , 22 years ago , when I was living with my aunt in Lenasia , I decided to embrace Islam as a religion , and wanted to study to be a Muslim scholar . So , I was going to Madrasa , learning Arabic and how to read the Quran , learning Islamic laws and texts and all of that , and we listened to a lot of Radio Islam . However , what I was learning about the religion , and what was being said on the radio , were two totally different things , so , my cousin and I went to the radio station and I said to the guy , listen , as a black Muslim , I don ’ t feel like the religion on your station is speaking to me . You ’ ve got to change that because , because this is Africa , and I just feel that your sort of Eastern view of Islam is very skewed . He said , okay , do you think you can do it better , and I said , who , me ? Of course , bru !” recalls Mac .
“ That ’ s how it started for me at a community radio station and Radio Islam , then I went to a digital radio station called Channel Islam International . While there , I got my break at YFM , where I used to do the breakfast news , and I ’ ve never looked back . From YFM , I went to SABC Africa , and then when Debora Patta and them started eNCA , I think in 2008 , she poached me from the SABC and I was there for about five years . But then the radio bug bit again and I went to Kaya FM , until the TV bug bit again when Carte Blanche called me up .”
Sporting Background
In terms of a sporting background , Mac says he has always been an avid participant in various codes , starting in his school days . “ I was a boarding school boy , so there isn ’ t a sport I haven ’ t played , because you ’ ve got to pass time in boarding school over the weekends , right ? So , I ’ ve always been a really sporty person , but my two big sports in school were athletics and rugby . I was a 100-metre and 200-metre athlete , because I was very , very fast . I could run 100 metres in eleven second dead , even though I was a big guy – that ’ s why my friends used to call me Jonah Lomu – but as soon as rugby season started , I would forget all about athletics . I played in the Under-16 Craven Week , and went on to play for the Gauteng Falcons for a short stint , so I ’ ve always been a bit of a jock ,” he says .
“ Later on in life , I took up cycling as a hobby and I did a 94.7 as well as riding quite often in the Cradle . In terms of running , I ’ ve done a number of half marathons , like the Vitality Series , and a lot of 10-kay and 5-kay runs , and I run with the guys at RunZone once in a while , but I ’ ve mostly just done fun stuff . As for swimming , I did play a bit of water polo here and there , but I was never in a swimming team , and it ’ s always been a fun and recreational thing for me .”
Unsurprisingly , Mac is now finding that his cycling and running background are making it fairly easy to get into the training for the upcoming Ironman , but admits the swimming has been quite a challenge . “ Before this , I think the last time I swam in open water was probably when I was , like , 12 or 14 years old . Back then , we used to ride our mountain bikes down to the Vaal River for a swim , but that ’ s it . So , a few weeks back , when I went for my first open water training swim at Cradle Moon , I almost had a panic attack ! It doesn ’ t help that I ’ ve seen too many horror movies about crocodiles and sharks , or that I ’ ve done a lot of stories for Carte Blanche about all the sewerage in our water , but I think it was because of the vastness of the water , and not being able to touch terra firma . It was quite daunting .”
Happily , after six open water swims ( at the time of writing ), Mac says he is slowly getting more comfortable in the water . “ The day after that first swim we went to Prime View and that second swim was already better . My coach keeps saying that I just need to get used to it , get orientated , and that I must not try and swim for time , or distance , but just get comfortable with the vastness of the space that I ’ m in , and then with time , we can work on speed and distance .”
Getting the Training Done
Other than getting used to the intensity of triathlon training and coping with three disciplines at the same time , Mac also faces the challenge of fitting all this training into an already busy schedule that includes regularly travelling around the country to investigate and film stories for Carte Blanche , on top of his duties as a devoted husband and father of six . Nevertheless ,
68 ISSUE 154 | www . modernathlete . co . za
Track sessions add some quality work to the longer , slower mileage on the road