Short Story
There is a classic scene in Forrest Gump where he runs past two elderly gents. One turns to the other and comments “That boy sure is a runnin’ fool”. A Running Fool! That’s me. The phrase ‘running fool’ is defined as a person devoted to a particular activity. This is how I feel about running. I am devoted, passionate and committed.
I run if I am stressed. I run if I am happy. I run if I have something to process in my head. I run if I am angry, sad or irritated and I feel 100 times better when the run is done. I run after a tough day at work to clear my head. I run to keep fit, to stay healthy. I run to meet likeminded friends. Sometimes I run because I can’t help myself. Running is part of my DNA.
As a youngster I was a sprinter, but time has taken its toll on my speed. Nowadays I am more of a slow-and-steady wins the race kind of guy. I began competing in long distance races when I was in my early 20’s. It was not long before the 21 km races in Turfontein and Brits evolved into training for my first Comrades Marathon.
In 1995 I took the plunge and completed my first down run from Pietermaritzburg to Durban. It took me 10 hours and 23 minutes, but I did it. I soaked in the bath afterwards, nursing my aching legs. On that day I made two commitments – I swore that I would never drink another Coke and I swore that I would never run another Comrades. The human mind overlooks pain and suffering too easily! Although I continued to run many half and full marathons, and several Two Oceans, it was not until 2013 that I attempted my second Comrades. It took some time to convince my mind and body to do it all over again. Joining Regents Running Club around this time enabled me to hone the skills and confidence that I needed to attempt further Comrades challenges.
Running has taken me around the world. I have been fortunate to run a series of international marathons – at least one on each continent except Antarctica. If it was not for my significant aversion to cold, the icy marathon may have been completed by now!
Injury setbacks obligated me to taper off on long distance running for a time. I was looking for a new challenge to kickstart my enthusiasm and help me find my running mojo –something exciting and different. When I was approached by Don Bailey to join Harry and Co to compete in the Run For Rangers 2023, I hesitated for about half a day and then signed up. I know it is going to be tough. The terrain is unforgiving, the distances are long,and there is the added (danger) element of wild animals. Running has taught me tenacity, grit, endurance and determination. I will need to draw on all these lessons to complete thistough 100 km quest.
It’s for a worthy cause! As an added bonus you may even get to watch video footage of me galloping away from a snake or a rhino.
The funds raised will be going towards helping Project Rhino and Babanango Game Reserve to empower their rangers with essential resources, training, and equipment needed to combat poaching, enforce conservation laws, and promote sustainable practices.
Join me by activating generosity by donating a once off amount now.
Story
Babanango Game Reserve, located in the heart of Zululand, Kwazulu-Natal, is a showcase for one of the most ambitious rewilding projects in Southern Africa in recent years. Set among the breathtaking topography of the upper White Umfolozi River Valley, the reserve occupies a vast wilderness area of over 20,000 hectares that is steeped in Zulu history and layered upon geological features that date back to the beginning of time. The rugged mountains and valleys provide refuge for an extraordinary diversity of birds, plants, insects, reptiles, and mammals, including the elusive aardvark and aardwolf.
Visitors to Babanango Game Reserve can be assured of an unrivalled safari experience due to highly knowledgeable guides and a range of activities to choose from. Significant historical battle sites, such as Isandlwana and Rorke’s Drift, are located close by.
Project Rhino was launched on World Rhino Day, 22 September 2011. It is a rhino-focussed association that brings together a provincial government conservation body, private and community-owned reserves, rhino owners, leading conservation NGOs and anti-poaching security specialists in the common aim of fighting wildlife crime.
Together with South Africa’s Kruger National Park, Project Rhino member reserves are collectively responsible for the protection of the world’s largest rhino population, as well as the most genetically diverse white rhino population. Devastatingly, our rhino have become a target for highly organised poaching rings and crime syndicates, fuelled largely by an ongoing and unfounded demand by traditional Eastern medicine. Rhino numbers have plummeted – more than 8,000 have been lost in RSA in the last decade – whilst the costs of keeping the remaining populations safe have increased astronomically.
