and thus difficult to spot in a crowd , it isn ’ t hard to find the 49-year-old Pinelands AC runner , thanks to her loud jokes , infectious laughter , sometimes outrageous running outfits , and quite often , rather eye-catching dance moves . Whether it ’ s before , during or after a race , Michelle simply cannot resist the music , and she just has to dance if she hears a tune she loves . She is thus often up on stage at the big races , busting out moves that pro dancers would be proud of . “ I am an entertainer , and I just love having fun , so I just let the music take me ,” says the dancing runner .

A Capetonian all her life , Michelle grew up in Kensington before moving with her family to Mitchells Plain , and after school she went to study at the Otto du Plessis Nursing College ,

then landed her first job . “ I started working as a part-time staff nurse at Somerset Hospital , and then went full-time a year after that . A few years later I got married and we had two wonderful kids , a son and a daughter , but two years after getting married I started going through a painful divorce , and that changed me ,” says Michelle .

“ I started looking for something to take me out of my comfort zone , I wanted to try something I had never done before , and eventually I thought running would be a good idea . I didn ’ t take part in any sport at school , and figured that it would be a nice change , so I did my first race , the 1999 Big Walk 36km from Simon ’ s Town to Cape Town , and from that moment on my life was never the same . I finished in a shocking time of 6 hours and 5 minutes , and to be honest it wasn ’ t as enjoyable as I thought it would be , but the bug had bitten , and soon I had entered my second event , a running race .”

Running soon became a healthy addiction , because Michelle says she felt that if she didn ’ t run , she was miserable for the day , and that a part of her life felt missing . She began racing regularly , and in 2000 completed her first Old Mutual Two Oceans Half Marathon , in a time of 2:27:55 . However , the following year she missed the then stricter Two Oceans Half cut-off of 2:30 , coming home in 2:43:04 , but the following year , with the cut-off now extended , another 2:43 saw her claim a second medal . Today she has 11 Two Oceans Half medals and her Light Blue Permanent Number , but she says she has never quite reached the heights of that 2:27 again .

“ I have completed hundreds of races , and even won an award one year for doing 84 races in a year , but none of them were near the times they

could be . I just don ’ t like competing with the faster runners , and pushing hard in running is not for me . Instead , I remain one of the runners at the back of the pack , talking and encouraging and pushing those who need the help . I know I have the ability to finish and I make it my goal to help others to do so , too , because I know that running as a whole is just a life-changer ,” says Michelle .

Another result of her divorce saw Michelle pursue her goal of becoming a registered nurse . She had left Somerset Hospital to work at the Life Health Care Hospital while doing the bridging course , but that didn ’ t work out and she moved on to the Groote Schuur Hospital , where she eventually achieved her goal in 2014 . “ It took me two tough years of studying and it required a lot of effort and sacrifice , but I learnt a lot and it was another life-changing experience .”

Besides time with her kids , the other thing that Michelle would not sacrifice during her studies was her running . “ I still made time to get out on the road , because I just love talking to all my fellow runners , at training runs or races … but I really go crazy when I hear music , and that ’ s my biggest distraction when it comes to a race . Music transforms me and sends me to a different planet , and then I just have to dance !”

Images : Courtesy Michelle Cupido