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y journey started in September 2013 when my family went on holiday to Port Edward
Mwith my friend Peter Clark and his family , and they asked me if I had a mountain bike to bring with . I replied that I did , but that it had been locked in my garage for three years and needed some cleaning from all the dust … meanwhile , I was thinking , “ Who wants to exercise on holiday ? They must be crazy .” That first 4km ride was brutal and I kept checking my pulse to make sure I was still alive , but two or three days later I went for a 10km ride and actually started enjoying this cycling thing . The bug had bitten , and when I came home I continued cycling . Rides became longer and easier as Peter introduced me to road cycling , and soon I was entering races . |
the thought , “ If I can get through this , I can cycle , and that ’ s what I love .” I duly walked the 5km run and finished my first triathlon .
Back to the drawing board : I had to learn how to swim and run , so it was swimming five days a week and running on the treadmill for 20 minutes three days a week . Then I entered numerous open water events and 5km and 10km running races , supported by Peter and our wives , and in August 2015 I was standing at Bela Bela , ready for my first 5150 event . I survived the swim , loved the bike and ran / walked the 10km . Nerves got the better of me that day and I battled the whole day with a tummy bug , but I finished – and I loved it .
So what next ? Peter suggest the 70.3 Half Ironman distance . “ No ways ! I will never be able to run 21km . How do people even do that ?” I answered ... but after completing a number of sprint and 5150 events in 2015 , I pushed up the training and entered my first 70.3 distance event in February 2016 , as well as the 70.3 Ironman in Durban later in 2016 . That ’ s when s ** t got real ! I did numerous 21km road races , and got a Watt Bike , and as both my running and swimming got stronger , so my biking was also getting stronger . Loads of early morning runs and bike rides as well as swimming became a daily thing , and I went on to complete both 70.3 events in 2016 .
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Of course , none of this would have been possible if I had to do it on my own . Firstly , I need to thank Peter for all the encouragement and pushing me beyond my boundaries , and secondly , people sometimes forget the huge role an ‘ Ironman wife ’ plays – there is no way I could have done all this if it was not for Jacqui putting up with me during the months of training . That said , becoming a triathlete has brought huge bonuses : I have lost 32kg and five pants sizes , and where three years ago my cholesterol level was 6.3 , now it is 3.1 . I feel great , and long gone are the days where I was out of breath pushing a trolley in Pick n Pay . I always tell people you either love tri or you hate it , but you will never know if you don ’ t tri , so get off that couch ! |
Images : Courtesy Morne Heystek |