Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 96, July 2017 | Page 22

Ma Feature
or Bust
Nicky van der Westhuizen’s extraordinary journey
to the 2017 Paris Marathon, via the Modern Athlete
9to5 Programme , is an inspiring story that defies
medical and biomechanical logic.
– BY JEANNIE JORDAAN, 9to5 COACH
I
clearly remember the day that Nicky walked into the gym, on 23
May 2015, her birthday. One of her friends had dragged her to
my 9to5Challenge that morning, determined that the best thing
to do on one’s birthday is go for a run with a new running group.
Nicky confidently introduced herself and took me through a bit of her
history with running, and I remember thinking, this girl is going to fly,
never mind run. Needless to say, Nicky has proven me right time and
time again. She doesn’t do anything in half measures, and doesn’t
know the meaning of “stop.” Our running journey together (and our
steadfast friendship) began that day, and I can say with both the pride
of a coach and of a friend that I am grateful to be able to tell the
inspiring story that got her to Paris.
In November 2015 Nicky decided to compile a list of 40 things she’d
like to do in the six months before she turned 40, hence the title of
her blog, 40beforeforty. Then at Nicky’s 40 th birthday party in May
2016 she received an entry for the 2017 Paris Marathon from her
brother, Craig. There was another half marathon on the 40beforeforty
list, not a full marathon… but what do you say when you get handed
an opportunity to fulfil a dream and run a marathon in one of the
most beautiful cities in the world? In Nicky’s words, you say “Wow,
wow, wow! I couldn’t think of a more amazing gift.” And so began the
training, and the blogging, and her journey to the start line on the
Champs Elysees.
Birthday Surprise:
Paris!
However, there is a significant bit of history that is relevant to this story. Nicky was unfortunately
born with a club foot: Her left foot was turned inwards and upwards, with her toes virtually
touching her shin! Her parents were worried she would not be able to walk, let alone run, and 40
years ago a club foot required fairly extensive surgery, often without much success. That meant
her lower left leg was in a cast for much of the first year of her life, with the cast being redone
every six weeks to try to straighten the bones as much as possible before three sets of surgeries
commenced, the last when she was five years old.
Today Nicky has virtually no mobility in her left ankle and her “little foot,” as her family
affectionately calls it, is three sizes smaller and overpronates substantially. This means she has to
buy two pairs of shoes every time she needs a new pair, but more importantly, since ankle mobility
is essential for the biomechanics of running, running is extremely difficult for her. As she explains,
“I didn’t grow up running – in fact, I hated it. I was a tennis player through school and varsity,
but after I was unceremoniously thrust into running a half marathon in Knysna in 2007, my road
to running started, and thereafter I entered a few races, went to time trials and included a run or
three in my week.”
Nicky completed a few more half marathons after that first one in 2007, and then in 2011 she
decided to prove to herself that she could complete a marathon, in spite of her foot. She duly ran
the Watervalboven 3-in1 Marathon, crossing the finish line in five and half hours, and through
tears of joy, said to her watching parents, “I bet when I was born, you didn’t think I’d ever run a
marathon!”
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ISSUE 96 JULY 2017 / www.modernathlete.co.za
THE JOURNEY STARTS