some point during the race , and to add to the stress of it being his first time as a Comrades pacesetter , Buks was also running with a secret plan : He had girlfriend Carolien running alongside him , and tucked into his waistband was a wedding ring …
“ I knew some people had concerns about me pacing the sub-12:00 bus , given my much faster Comrades history , and I actually had to run at a very uncomfortable pace , but I was planning to ask Carolien to marry me at the finish line , so I ran the whole race on nerves , constantly checking the ring was still there , and constantly checking that she wasn ’ t dropping off the bus ! She had tried running Comrades three times before and only finished once , so I was always worried about her making the distance … because I needed her at the finish !”
At times the bus grew so big that Buks said he couldn ’ t see the back of it when he turned around , and he says there was a lot of laughter and talking earlier in the race . “ I had joked at the Expo that I wanted a beer at 60km , because it helps with cramps , and suddenly we had three beers doing the rounds in the bus , thanks to various supporters who had heard my request . At the same time we were joined by the sub-12:00 legend himself , Vlam Pieterse , who ran with us for a kilometre and taught us his favourite song . Getting his stamp of approval for my pacing was a huge motivator for me ! But it got more and more tense as we got closer to Durban , and there were constant questions whether we were going to make it . From 75km onwards we just had the finish in mind , but once past that PinkDrive station with 5km to go , we knew we could cruise home , and I knew Carolien was still right next to me .”
HOME SWEET HOME
As is always the case , the sub-12:00 bus came home to a standing ovation from the spectators in the stadium , and Buks was showered with hugs , kisses , high-fives , handshakes and slaps on the back , and then finally he was able to go down one knee and propose . ( Buks and Carolien were married on the 1 st of January – because that was the only free weekend they had in between all their pacing commitments !) Looking back on that finish , Buks says the emotion really got to him , making it that much harder to get through his proposal . “ Watching the guys around me realise they had done it and achieved their dream … that ’ s why I pace , and that ’ s why I am going back to do the sub-12:00 bus again this year . And the best part is that Carolien will be beside me , so we will be making more memories together .”
You can find out more about the Gauteng Pace Setters at www . facebook . com / Gauteng-Pace-Setters-GPS-1205368806168863 .
PACING THE CAPE
While Buks van Heerden is coordinating the newly created Gauteng Pacesetters , one of the men behind the long-standing Western Province Pacesetters is Paul Murphy . He explains that the group came about when the running magazine that started the Pacesetters in the Cape decided not to continue with the programme 10 years ago , so he and Wilby Steenkamp decided to keep it going . “ We e-mailed all the pacers on the list and had about 10 who wanted to carry on . Today we have 30 regulars on the list .”
“ We do around 10 official races a year , but some of the guys run most of their races as Pacesetters , whereas I prefer to pace just once a month , otherwise I stop enjoying it . We have identified the bigger marquee events in the Cape as our focus races , like the Peninsula , Cape Town and Winelands Marathons , and of course the Old Mutual Two Oceans , where we will have 26 pacesetters in action this year across both distances . We also hope to have more of the Gauteng or KwaZulu-Natal pacesetters join us at Oceans in the future .”
Paul says the programme has met with a lot of success , and their Facebook page now has about 1900 members . “ It ’ s great to see the growth in our own numbers as well as athletes who follow us . I actually think that we ’ re very good at what we do , and I don ’ t know if anybody else in the world does pacesetting week in , week out . Some of our guys are getting close to 100 races carrying a flag , and every time somebody says thank you at a finish line , I admit that I glow a little inside . That ’ s the motivation to keep pacing .”
You can find out more about the Western Province Pace Setters at www . facebook . com / groups / 314436651950192 .
Images : Courtesy Buks van Heerden & Paul Murphy
14 ISSUE 92 MARCH 2017 / www . modernathlete . co . za