Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 95, June 2017 | Page 15

From a practical point of view, Miguel explains that the
Unogwaja team likes to take some ‘experience’ out on
the road each year, hence asking some riders to return
for a second year. “At the farewell breakfast after my
first Unogwaja in 2015, I was asked to return in 2016.
I had a week to consider it, but I’d already decided
on the flight back that I wanted the whole experience
again… it was a no-brainer! It is a long and daunting
journey, so my role in 2016 was as a second to Stoff,
John’s dad and the leader of the trip, and if someone
had a puncture or needed help, I was the guy to help
them. This year may be Stoff’s last Unogwaja, and
we’ve walked a special journey together, so it’ll be
special to finish off with him. Also, the team this year
is perhaps stronger in running and not as strong a
cycling team, so there is an element of being able to
help them out on the road again.”
Mainly, however, Miguel admits that he is driven by
the goal to become the first South African to do three
consecutive Unogwaja rides to Durban
and he also has some unfinished
business with the Comrades route. “My
first Comrades was not great – I only just
got to the finish – but last year I finished
in just over nine hours, so this year, if I
could do a sub-nine, that would finish off
the personal goal. But the first priority on
any Unogwaja is to get every single team
member to Durban, and then get them to
the finish line of Comrades. If you have
to go back to fetch someone on race day,
than that’s just what you need to do.
Whatever happens on the day, if I can
finish, that will be great, and I can go out
with a bang!”
INSPIRED BY
HISTORY
Miguel’s path to the Unogwaja Challenge
began when he met John through the
weekly Red Sock Runs. He saw the Red
Sockers out running one Friday morning
and by chance happened to meet John
a few days later, where they spoke
about Unogwaja. “The story captivated
me right from the beginning. Apart from the history,
it struck a huge nerve with me, given my personal
endurance background of pushing the body to its
limits, plus it had the charitable and empowering point
of view, of doing something for this country. At the
time I didn’t actually think it was possible to cycle to
Durban and run the Comrades, but now I’m about to
do it for the third time!”
Unsurprisingly, Miguel says his first Unogwaja was
quite an eye-opener, given that he was going into
unknown territory that he had not even experienced
in his Ironman or Cape Epic events. “It’s such an
interesting thing that goes on in your head. The cycle
is so daunting, but with nine strangers you’ve just
met, you get on the road and you make it through
day one... Everything is sore, but somehow you get
through day two, and everything is still sore, and then
your body just adapts, and it becomes a rhythm. Then
you arrive in Durban to take on the Comrades – and
everything is still sore – but the great thing is that
there is no expectation on you. Having cycled there,
no-one is looking at you to do a great time, your goal
is simply to get to the finish line.”
“In my first Comrades, the team got me through to
halfway and then we just did what we could to get the
rest of the team home. It felt like my teammates were
kilometres ahead or behind, but the support group
told us afterwards that we were actually just a few
minutes away from each other most of the day. Th