Ultra racing is as selfish a pursuit as you will find. It is long, it is remote, and it involves an element of risk.
For family and loved ones this equation is a very unfair one – knowing that its makes us ‘tick’ and is deeply engrained in who we are, but sacrificing time / money / worry to do so.
Tash and I met on a charity cycle tour that she organised – riding from Joburg to Durban with a para athlete to raise awareness and funds for wheelchairs for a disabled home. This ride brought our true personalities to the fore and we both fell hard for each other – not 11 months later and we were married 😁. Not only is she an unbelievably capable cyclist but she has grit for days, all whilst embodying the beautifully charming ditzy blonde character to a T. Our love for racing and endurance events saw us compete in multiple races together over the years, such as Ironman and 2Oceans marathons.
Along came two beautiful spirited kids, Charlie (6) and Riley (5) who are growing up to appreciate the outdoors and relish in riding bikes/motorbikes/running etc. We chose 4 years ago to move from Joburg to Durban to allow the kids a better outdoor and slower paced lifestyle and we have been fortunate to see their personalities flourish thanks to this choice. We both believe that its fundamental that the kids see in our love for adventure the joy it brings and they chose to rather go for a ride/run/hike than huddle up behind an iPad screen.
Since being the skinny smallest kid in class, I have found refuge in disappearing into my own mind whilst running or cycling – the further and harder the better. Pushing into the unknown gave me a sense of being that I struggled to find ‘in the real world’. The endurance community from day 1 made me feel welcome (grown men giving me high fives on a 15km race start line when I was 8 yrs old). I have no innate talent or ability beyond normal, but the willingness to venture a go at ridiculous challenges is something that motivates me. And now at 41 years old that need still remains – the stresses of work and life mount up, and the need to release pressure by pushing the boundaries once again arose, leading me to enter the Transcontinental.
I absolutely know the worry and anxiety this causes to Tash and family, and hate that my pursuit of joy and relief adds stress to her. My commitment as with all these trips is to ride with absolute safety in mind and take as much from the experience as possible. Sacrifices by the family of this magnitude are immense and so its very NB to me that her and kids share in the adventure and live a little through the experience – if Charlie and Riley can learn just a little of what grit means and where it can take you, then that’s something I will be more proud of than another finishers certificate.
Thank you Tash for being my one,
thank you for putting up with my madness ❤️
