Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 66, January 2015 | Page 13

time, but everything was geared up to prepare him
for the Otter, and his sub-five goal.

Family Man

Born and bred in Tokai, Cape Town, Noel is
married to Meg, a fellow competitive runner and
mountain biker who often podiums in events, and
they have a daughter, Frances, who is quite the
runner as well, having recently finished second in
the Berg and Beach two-day trail running event
in Kleinmond. He also has a son, Wayne, from
an earlier relationship, and three grandkids, and
true to his ageless character, he has a unique
relationship with his grandson Kai: “He calls me
Dude, because I refuse to be called Grandpa!”
Noel recently sold his kitchen design and
construction company after 23 years and is
currently a partner in the Trail & Tar bike and
trail running shop in Tokai, in partnership with his
future son-in-law, Grant Bender. “We opened Trail
& Tar three years ago and we’re looking to open
more branches soon,” he says, adding that one
of the highlights of each week is the Wednesday
evening trail runs that Trail & Tar host.

“It was the worst fall I’ve ever had, despite years
of bombing down mountains at 60km per hour,” he
says with an ironic laugh. “Now maturity doesn’t sit
well with me, nor patience, but for once I listened
to the doctors and kept the air boot on for the
full six weeks, and now I’m seeing three physios,
one for my knee, one for the ankle, and one for
general aches and pains. I also waited until the
exact day they said I could run again, although I
was already cycling to work each day to get the
legs going again.

Planning the Comeback

Now that Noel is able to start running again, he
says he is undecided whether to make the Otter
his focus in 2015. “I love the event, but I kind of
feel I’ve been there and done