FEATURE
Emma was also shaken . “ I was distraught initially , but then it didn ’ t feel much different as my dad was so strong and seemed completely normal .
“ But after Papa ’ s diagnosis , within the space of two days and without telling my parents , I signed up and paid for the Two Oceans Half Marathon ! It was a very spontaneous decision and the day after I thought to myself , ‘ What have I just done ’?
“ We ’ d always worn old Two Oceans T-shirts around the house . I was wearing a 2011 Two Oceans Half Marathon one on that day and I thought it would be a small thing to do in support of Papa ( Neil ) and to remember Grampa ( Chet ).
“ I ’ d always ran when I was younger – a bit of cross-country when I was 8 years old and then some 5km and longer runs when I was a teenager . Never more than 10km though . But I took the plunge to race 21km before I thought to tell my parents !
“ I said that they had better book some flights to Cape Town in April !”
But ‘ Papa ’ was more than happy to oblige . “ What could we do ?” said Neil , clearly touched by his daughter ’ s commitment . “ It ’ s quite expensive for a student to enter the race as an international runner . So , we ’ ve all booked to come for a holiday with family and friends in Cape Town and to support Emma ’ s run .”
Deepening the cause , Emma has added work on a fundraising campaign to her studies in Spanish and Arabic to keep her busy before she leaves for South Africa . “ I ’ m using my Two Oceans Half Marathon to raise money for cancer research in the UK ,” said Emma . “ The charity I ’ m supporting is Cancer UK and I ’ ve specifically chosen brain cancer as the field of research .
“ My first target was £ 1000 ( about R24 000 ) and when I passed that mark , my target moved up to £ 2000 . I reached that too and my goal now stands at £ 2500 ( around R60 000 ).”
Neil has worked for 25 years as a chartered town planner and qualified urban designer in Milton Keynes . The family ’ s April visit to Cape Town will be an important time for him to reflect on his father ’ s legacy at the Two Oceans , admire his daughter ’ s fortitude and empathy and reflect on his life journey .
“ It will be a special journey ,” said Neil . “ Growing up , we were always in the thick of Two Oceans – we couldn ’ t avoid it . I remember feeling proud when some of the best Two Oceans runners came to dinner at our house after the race .
“ One of my proudest memories of my dad was when he was Race Director for the Champion of Champions event in Cape Town , including road , track and cross country . When athletes like Matthews Temane and Elana Meyer ( both held the world half marathon record during their careers ) came to our house it was as good as it gets !”
Emma will leave for Cape Town with a mixture of excitement and trepidation on her half-marathon debut . “ My calf injury this year put my training on hold for over two months ,” she reflected . “ I haven ’ t done the training I should have , but with my dad ’ s skilful coaching , I ’ m hopeful I will make it .
“ I know the last miles will be testing – but I ’ ll just keep remembering Grampa ’ s saying he often asked of us when things got tough , ‘ Are you a man or a mouse ?’”
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