Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 59, June 2014 | Page 23

Feature

Few things make a runner as
happy as expert advice from
a fellow runner when buying
shoes, so having top trail
runner Nicholas Rupanga
guiding you through the latest
models is a real bonus!
– BY SEAN FALCONER

W

alk into The Sweat Shop branch
in Claremont, Cape Town, and chances are
you will be served by Nicholas Rupanga,
a Zimbabwean national who has lived in
South Africa for just over seven years and
who divides his time between being a
professional runner and professional shoe
salesman. The 39-year-old hails from the
Mashonaland, about 300km south of Harare,
and has been running since his school days,
but only took it up professionally once he
came to SA to find work. He has a marathon
PB of 2:18:41, which he set in Portugal in
2001, and has clocked 30:21 for 10km and
1:05:29 for the half marathon, so this man
can run!
Judging by comments posted on Facebook,
Nicholas not only knows his shoes, but also
offers customers great service in the shop.
He has worked at The Sweat Shop for four
years, since the Claremont branch opened,
and says he loves going to work each day.
“I really enjoy working here, because we
are like a family and they are so supportive
of my running – whenever I want to go
training in the mornings, they say go for it

SKINS_MAG_AD.indd 1

Image: Jetline Action Photo

Knows HIS SHOES!
and come to work once I’m done. Also,
working here means I meet people that I
also meet when running, and runners are
such nice, friendly people.”

SMILING RUNNER

Another thing that people always
comment on is that Nicholas is always
wearing a smile, even when running,
but he is an ultra-competitive athlete,
and lists winning the Pronutro AfricanX
Trailrun in 2009 with running partner
Patrick Cox as the highlight of his career.
“That is still my best run, but it was also
great to finish second last year with Kane
Reilly. I love the AfricanX and had run it
every year since 2009, but missed it this
year because of a calf injury. I am seeing
a physio, but I think it needs complete
rest for a few months.”
Looking ahead, Nicholas will be getting
married to fiancé Precious in a few
months’ time, and then he says he still
has big goals to chase in running, once
he recovers from the injury. He wants to
run some of the big trail runs in the US
or Europe, but his sights are firmly set
on a local race first. “My goal is to win
the Otter Marathon, even though some
people say my age is against me, but I
am inspired by Ian Don-Warchope – he
is even older than me and still came
second at Otter, so I believe that I can
still win it. There is strong competition
in trail running amongst the vets at the
moment, and I’ll be 40 soon, but at heart
I feel like I’m in my late 20s. I want the
youngsters to see that if you look after
yourself, you can still run competitively as
you get older.”

2014-03-19 02:56:35 PM

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