Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 58, May 2014 | Page 14

Feature

Let’s do it

AGAIN!
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The Red Love Train steams on…

T

he Unogwaja Challenge traces the footsteps
of Phil-Masterson Smith, the youngest ever
Comrades winner in 1931, aged just 19. Two years
after his win, due to the economic depression,
he could not afford the train fare to Natal for the
Comrades, so he cycled for 10 days from Cape
Town, then ran the 89km ultra on day 11, placing
10th! Phil was known as Unogwaja – the Hare in
Zulu – and this will be the fourth set of presentday Unogwaja cyclist/runners that will take on the
challenge. What makes them so phenomenal is not
only that they cycle 1750km from Cape Town to
Pietermaritzburg in the 10 days preceding Comrades
and then run the race on day 11, but that they do it all
in the name of charity.
Last year’s Unogwaja team raised R500 000 for the Comrades Amabeadibeadi
Charities (The Pink Drive, Wildlands, Worldvision, Starfish Greathearts
Foundation, PMB Community chest and the Sports Trust), and when Unogwaja
founder John McInroy saw what the 2013 team was able to accomplish, he set
his mind on doubling that figure in 2014. “I believe one day, with the full force of
the Red Love Train behind us, we are going to raise R10million in one campaign!
But this year to raise R1million will be truly remarkable. Just a few years back
it would have been deemed inconceivable!” Some might label him a crazy
dreamer, but by mid-April the 2014’s team fundraising tally had already passed
the R600 000 mark!

INCREDIBLE ATHLETES

This year’s Unogwaja team is a unique mix of exceptional men and women
who cross the age divide, from South Africa, Portugal, Germany, Kenya,
Northern Ireland and Brazil. However, these basic stats are just about the
least interesting thing about them. Take Tiago Dionisio as an example: He
has completed 13 consecutive Comrades since 2001 and is the Portuguese
Ambassador to Comrades, and in 2013 completed the Unogwaja Challenge. In March,
he joined the list of the world’s ‘Mega Marathoners’ by completing his 300th marathon,
in the same month he turned 40. His marathon list features multiple international races,
including the Western States 100 miler, which he ran a week after his 2006 Comrades
finish!

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ISSUE 58 MAY 2014 / www.modernathlete.co.za

“My 300th marathon was on the last day of
an event that included seven marathons
in seven days. The previous weekend I
had done two marathons, so I had just
finished nine marathons in nine days!
I had never run so many marathons
in a row, so this also made the 300th
special,” says Tiago. He also got to
share his special moment with his
partner, Rita Manso, who will also
be part of the 2014 Unogwaja team.
She is a full-time mom, professional
businesswomen and ultra-runner
in her own right, and as Tiago was
running his 300th, she ran alongside
him to complete her 50th marathon.

IN THE HEART

Tiago Dionisio and Rita Manso.

But what makes Unogwaja truly
unique is that the team is not just
made up of seasoned athletes, but
rather of people that show spirit
and heart, like newcomer Danielle
Mascher. Dani has two Comrades
back-to-back finishes to her name,
but only started cycling a year ago,
and joining the first day’s ride of the
2013 Unogwaja Challenge was her
first public cycle. It was also the first
time she put headlights on her new
bike – and the first time she knew
Unogwaja was in her future! “It feels
as though each person’