Leave no man behind
HELPING A FELLOW PIRATE
Brilliant Ndlovu isn ’ t new to running . Born in Zimbabwe , he grew up in a rural village where running became part of his daily life .
He needed to run to make it to school on time , to get home to help his family , and was always running around during his childhood .
To no one ’ s surprise he began to excel at running , becoming a champion in most of his interschool athletic competitions . During this time , Brilliant began to develop a passion for sport and wanted to know more and become faster .
He moved to South Africa where he joined the Pirates Road Running
Development Squad . As Brilliant says , “ This is where my running started .” He started out in the middle distances - running 10 and 20km . He soon started turning heads , with times landing him on the podium in some races .
During this time not only was he a fast runner , he soon became a very loved member of the Pirates running community . He was always the first to volunteer to dress up , to coordinate themed water stations during club runs , and has the warmest smile to welcome every runner coming through Pirates .
Brilliant decided to challenge his mind and body , and started training for a full marathon . He was fit and ready with a goal of 2hrs30mins for his debut marathon . However , as most runners know , sometimes things don ’ t go according to plan .
Brilliant started the 2023 Cape Town Marathon and began feeling unbearable pain in his hip within the first 5kms . Determined to continue , he carried on running and finished in a time of 2hr47mins . 17 minutes slower than his goal time , and in a lot of pain .
Unfortunately , after a period of rest , the pain continued to get worse , rendering Brilliant unable to run . After help from members of the club , Brilliant was able to see an orthopedic surgeon who diagnosed an underlying hip pathology that ultimately required surgery to replace the joint- a diagnosis devastating to any 27-year-old .
This was a hard blow to a fit , healthy young man in his running prime . Despite this news , Brilliant hasn ’ t lost his passion for running and is ready to come back stronger . Thanks to the unbelievable generosity of the Pirates Road Running members , we were able to raise over R50,000 to pay for Brilliant ’ s hip replacement . This is the minimum amount required to have the surgery at Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital due to Brilliant being from Zimbabwe . Plus have some funds left over to assist with his rehabilitation so that he could return to the sport he loves .
Unfortunately , due to factors beyond our control , he hasn ’ t had the operation yet , but we are optimistic to have this completed shortly . We have no doubt that Brilliant will sail through his recovery , and we are excited to see his happy smile on our roads racing again very soon !
15