Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 68, March 2015 | Page 10

Ma

in the lead

Phoenix

RISING
H

orsepower… that’s an interesting nickname,
and Shaun explains that he picked it up at
school when playing soccer. “I was a great
sprinter and just kept going, but it was also because
I was respected on the field. Strikers hated me
because I kicked their shins and wiped them out!
It was a healthier, happier, simpler time… Then you
finish school, study, work, fall in love, get married.
Life happens and you forget those beautiful times.
Suddenly you’re miserable, you can’t have kids,
and you’re depressed. I compromised myself. I got
divorced at 33 and wondered if anyone would fall in
love with me again. I thought everyone hated me.”

Before running, overweight and
inherently unhappy
To say that the wheels came off is putting it mildly,
and Shaun explains that he went through some
very dark days. “In the Indian culture, divorce is not
normal. I was disowned. I felt guilty and embarrassed,
and figured people thought I was a scumbag. Also,
struggling to have kids with my ex-wife hurt me. I was

10

Posing with
the Nurgalie
va
twins

overeating, did drugs, had bad
friends… I was in a dark space and I
wanted to die. I felt no one cared. I tried to commit
suicide. I had lost my faith, my mind was corrupted
and I wondered what I did to get punished like this.
After my lowest low, chasing deadlines and dealing
with relationship issues, it was all overwhelming. I
overdosed. Then I went to rehab and found God again.”

Social Media Saviour

Coming out of rehab, Shaun says his journey to
recovery began on Facebook. “When you start a
profile, you put in your name and I went back to
Horsepower. I travelled back to my happiest time. I
felt it was time to reinvent myself, so I got rid of the
bad people in my life, and came up with simple steps
to change: Find a job, eat healthy and go for a walk.
Soon I was running, then I went from running in
secluded areas because I was so shy, to routes where
people could see me. After getting into races, I’d hang
my medals on the wall and chime them when I came
home. Today, there are over 350!”
“In that first year of running, I wanted to lose weight.
There was also the intention to make new friends. I
became known as the ‘Running Photographer’ and
my second year was exciting because I went back to
the races I had done to get PB’s. I connected with so
many people through my photos, sharing them online,
and I think I’ve perfected the angles, too! Taking
photos and opening up to people on the road was my
therapy.”

ISSUE 68 MARCH 2015 / www.modernathlete.co.za

road

Big C calling…

In 2012, Shaun lined up for his first Comrades
Marathon, which he describes as another life-changing
experience. “A year earlier I volunteered on the
route with Alberton running club, giving out crème
sodas, watching the top guys go through and then
later the pacing buses. The next year I ran it myself,
and I think Comrades is so special, because it was
my definite turning point. I still prepared myself
for disappointment, because my body hadn’t done
that distance before, but if you really believe you
can do something, there is nothing stopping you! I

First Comrades finish in 2012

Images: Jetline Action Photo and courtesy Shaun Naidoo

Go to most weekend races in Gauteng and you’re likely to spot
Shaun ‘Horsepower’ Naidoo smiling and laughing, snapping
away with his camera all along the route, and ending off his run
with a few cartwheels across the finish line. He appears to be
high on life, and when you hear his inspirational journey from
depression and drugs to finding his true purpose on the road,
you’ll understand why. – BY LAUREN VAN DER VYVER

Always a blast on the