CIAN ’ S VOICE people who always makes the room light up , bringing positivity to the tough days , always knowing how to get you to be your best self , that ’ s her .
She made training fun , like it should be , running with us , giving us sweets for good efforts ( obviously this was my highlight ). Her impact on my running was huge , she showed me how running could be fun , and how if I worked hard I would go far . She joked that the year I came top three , she would jump into the nearby dam naked - something she has yet to do ! She is someone I consider to be a big sister . She has always been there for me in life and running . She is always so encouraging and enthusiastic and is still out there supporting me where she can , and I was so lucky to have her in Paris at the Olympics cheering me on too . I know a lot of people are able to say that their first teacher or first coach had a massive impact on them , but this is something that even I struggle to describe the magic of this bond .
By Grade Three I was coming in in the top 10 , but my hunger to do better was already there and by the end of Grade Four I joined my first running club , Randburg Harriers . Joining the club runs every week where I was the only kid , still a tiny one too . The adults around me took me under their wings and all inspired me . They taught me a lot about showing up for training and racing . How to enjoy it and work hard , and work together . Soon I was running with some of the faster groups and got nicknamed “ Pocket Rocket ’. I won a few of the club time trials and continued to push and be pushed . What really helped is that I was surrounded by a lot of people who always believed in me and cheered me on , and all said they couldn ’ t wait to see how far I ’ m going to go when I grow up . Believing in yourself is so important and so is having a community who believes in you . This is also something I like to try and remember goes both ways , don ’ t forget to support your friends , family and running communities on their dreams .
By Grade Five I got the school league cross country start line and won , it was exhilarating . I had led from start to finish , I ’ d been working so hard to just be able to come top three , but actually winning ? It took a while to sink in . I ’ m quite sure I was smiling for a week .
Running is a sport that teaches you early on how the hard work can pay off , and how rewarding that feeling is . I remained undefeated between Grades 5 and 7 in the school leagues . In Grade 5 I joined the club leagues too , which although came with no wins , I earned my spot on the team and went to my first South African Cross Country Champs in Middleburg and came 92nd , which showed me how far I still had to go , and how much competition was out there . But I was so happy and proud to be there .
At the start and end of every running season my mom would ask me , “ Are you still enjoying it ?” Always reminding me that there was no pressure , that I should just do my best and enjoy it . It was such an important question . But I always answered YES .
I ’ m very certain that ’ s one of the big reasons that I have stayed in the sport - because of how much I love it . It ’ s so important to love the things you do at any level , which for me is how you do well and keep going .
If there ’ s one thing you need to ask yourself when taking things on this year , “ Do I still enjoy it ?” And if the answer is yes , then that is how you know you will go far .
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