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Feature
Some 23 years ago , Youssef Kanouni followed his running dreams from Morocco ’ s northern mountainous region to the foot of Cape Town ’ s Table Mountain . The quiet man with an iron resolve not only fell in love with the Rainbow Nation and decided to stay , but also found true love here . – BY PJ MOSES
E lana Meyer ’ s silver medal in the 10,000m final at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics had the whole of South Africa cheering , but it also inspired a young man watching in Casablanca , Morocco . “ I came to South Africa as a 21-year-old in 1994 to further my running , because Elana ’ s medal-winning run in Barcelona inspired me and made me look at South Africa with different eyes ,” says Youssef .
He arrived in Cape Town with an impressive running CV , having been part of a golden generation of emerging young Moroccan runners that saw him training alongside Hicham El Guerrouj , who would go on to win two Olympic gold medals and still holds the 1500m World Record . “ We trained at the same camp and were from an identical background with a similar upbringing . He showed us what was possible with hard work ,” says Youssef . “ I was a good school athlete and competed at the Moroccan National Champs . I ran middle distance on track and also ran cross country , winning many races .” Another close running friend was Khalid Khannouchi , who later broke the Marathon World Record twice .
Raised in a devout Muslim family by parents he adored , Youssef was taught to always do his best in life , and as much good as he can . This philosophy still affects everything he does today : A family man and activist , he splits his time between his training and working on various projects in the poorer communities . He ’ s a police reservist , an activist for low-cost housing , and a charity runner for the Palestinian Children ’ s Relief Fund ( PCRF ). He says he is a firm believer that sport can change the lives of young people and that they can be so much more than their circumstances allow them to be . “ I want to teach them that if you can ’ t do it with a book , you can do it with your legs . The power of a nation comes from its youth , so if we look after the youth , we will have a stronger nation .”
On the road , Youssef boasts a marathon PB of 2:36 , and he also took on the big ultras a few years after arriving in SA , with a best of 4:18:42 at the Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon in 1997 and a 7:56:03 at Comrades in 2001 amongst his early highlights . However , he lost the passion for the sport later in 2001 when his mother passed away , and it took him 10 years to rediscover that fire in his belly . That happened in 2011 when he saw some old friends training around Rondebosch Common , and all the old instincts kicked in again . “ When I came back I was a little chubby , so I had to do a lot of training to get back to who I was .”
His comeback was greatly helped by finding love on the road with fellow runner Mushfiqah , and they were married six months after meeting at a race . Youssef says their shared active lifestyle has been a blessing for both of them . “ She has been my rock , and I think I have been an inspiration to her . I helped to coach her to her first marathon finish , and it took her just two months to go from the half marathon to the full .”
Having regained his fitness , Youssef posted a brilliant 4:01 in the 2012 Two Oceans , and 4:02 in 2013 , just missing out on a coveted silver medal . In 2012 , he also set a Comrades PB of 7:22:22 , and more highlights were to follow . “ One of my proudest moments came at the 2015 Western Province 100km Championships , where I finished in second place .” However , he does not just run for himself : Youssef recently joined the Western Province Pacesetters and
Youssef and Mushfiqah
loves helping others achieve their running goals . “ I always speak to my passengers , because I want them to feel happy in my bus . They must know it is going to take hard work to achieve their goals , but that I will help them to do it – and I always let them cross the line in front of me , because it is not about me .”
Looking ahead , Youssef says his next big goal lies overseas . “ I am going to run the Istanbul Marathon in November , but that is just a step toward my ultimate goal of winning the Palestine Marathon .” He also wants to get his Comrades permanent number , needing just two more finishes , but this has unfortunately been put on hold because the 2018 race date falls within the Muslim holy month of Ramadaan for the next few years . A plea by Muslim runners to move the race date has been unsuccessful , but he remains hopeful . “ We hope that when the 2019 race comes along , the powers that be will have a heart and move the race to a date that will accommodate Muslim runners . For now , all I can do is train hard and be ready .”
Images : Courtesy Youssef Kanouni
26 ISSUE 99 OCTOBER 2017 / www . modernathlete . co . za