FEATURE
Anatomy of an amazing human being and BNC runner :
ALLAN RYNINKS
How this incredible Triple Laurel Blue Number and Board Member defies the odds to live and run with Lymphatic cancer and has so far conquered a ‘ worst case scenario ’ diagnosis - By Adnaan Mohamed
When he was diagnosed with stage four lymphatic cancer in December 2022 , he asked his doctors what the next stage was . He was told in no uncertain terms that it ’ s the worst stage you can get because there ’ s no such thing as stage five .
That was the harsh reality Allan Ryninks , 33-time ( Two Oceans Marathon Triple Laurel Blue Number 410 ) finisher , was faced with . A debilitating condition such as this would have meant the end of a career for any ultradistance athlete . But not for Allan – the news of this cataclysmic setback did not discourage Ryninks from pursuing his dream of continuing his Totalsports Two Oceans 56 km Ultra Marathon ( TTOM ) journey , even if it had put it on hold temporarily .
The 66-year-old TOM NPC Board Member from Kenilworth in Cape Town has given the Totalsports Two Oceans Marathon slogan , ‘ Conquer the Current ’, a whole new meaning . Despite having to contend with lifechanging health issues on a daily basis , Rynink ’ s dogged determination , dedication , and discipline , has put him in a position to attempt a remarkable 34th ultra marathon in 2024 .
“ Since my diagnosis with lymphoma , my oncology team said this is the prognosis and this is the treatment I have to do . But I am stubborn , I said to them I am going to continue to run no matter what , because it is my go-to and my sanity ,” says Ryninks .
“ I have new hashtags that I live by and that is : # LWLWtfYE − Living With Lymphoma Wtf is Your Excuse , as well as # CMiOC − # Conquering My ( Inner ) Oceans Current . I decided to continue to run every day that I could , and only missed the chemo days . I tried hard to do at least about 5 to 10 km a day . I think it made a huge difference in terms of my recovery .”
Rynink ’ s running career started way back in 1983 with the 56 km Two Oceans Ultra Marathon being his first official race ever . This in itself is remarkable , because nobody does a 56km ultra marathon as their first race , unless you are a natural talent .
“ I missed the entry for Peninsula Marathon . In those years Chet Sainsbury used to organise a training run which was called Chet ’ s Marathon . We would start from Brookside and run to the 21 km mark , turn around and run all the way back to Brookside and run one lap of the rugby field to ensure that we got in the extra 195 meters . This would then be used as a qualifier . So , if you missed Peninsula , you could try again at Chet ’ s Marathon .”
Ryninks ran the unofficial marathon in around 3:19 and finished his first official 56km Two Oceans in 4:32 at the age of 26 . And that is where his infatuation with the Two Oceans Marathon started .
“ As a beginner runner you think you are invincible . I did too much too quickly and picked up an injury . I was treated by physio Graeme Lindenberg who identified my injury and took me under his wing . I started training and running with him regularly and from there I flourished and went from strength to strength , which was great .
“ I went from 4:32 to running a 3:46 silver medal the following year . It was a 46-minute improvement from the previous year and that was mainly because of Graeme who taught me how to train properly and not half kill myself in training . For the next 13 years , I ran successive silver medals . My personal best was in 1986 − 3:27:41 − I finished in 14th place overall .”
Ryninks was born in Vereeniging next to the Vaal River on the border of Transvaal and the Free State . His parents moved down to Cape Town for a while and then moved back up to Springs where he attended Primary School and High School . He started out as a track and field athlete at Springs Boys High in Gauteng where he did high jump , long jump and most of the track events such as 100 , 200 , 400 through to the mile as well as hurdles .
Ryninks explains : “ Yes , that can be considered a unique situation and probably is why I have such a passion for this race . Obviously in those years , you also had to qualify . The qualifying criteria in those years was 4 hours and 30 minutes for a standard marathon .
“ I only started running on the 6th March 1983 . My first run was 13 km . I joined Celtic Harriers and did club runs with them and just progressed from there . I don ’ t know where the mileage came from because I was doing 8 km runs intermittently until Two Oceans .
A Blue Number is awarded to any runner who has completed 10 Ultra or Half Marathons , or Trail Runs ; or who has achieved a gold medal in the Ultra Marathon 5 times ; or who has won the Half Marathon , Ultra Marathon or Trail Run ( any distance ) 3 times .
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