Last weekend I ran in the 24 4 🙂 (24 for Smiley) charity run, on the Lower Field track at St Andrew’s College. Participants ran one or more laps over a 24-hour period.
Last weekend I ran in the 24 4 🙂 (24 for Smiley) charity run, on the Lower Field track at St Andrew’s College. Participants ran one or more laps over a 24-hour period.
The event, organised by College and DSG, was held from 14 to 15 September and raised funds for orphans and vulnerable children in the Grahamstown community. It was started in memory of Stuart van Oldenborgh who, while a Grade 9 pupil at College in 2011, was tragically killed in a plane crash.
As an Old Andrean myself, I wanted to honour the memory of Stuart, and to be a part of celebrating his life. At the same time, I thought I would challenge myself, and use this celebration of life to try and complete the longest official unusual distance on the track, 30 000m.
I had read that, officially, only one deaf athlete in the world had ever completed the 30 000m distance on the track, and he was from Spain (the world deaf record was set in 2003). No other deaf person has officially done this track event before or since.
I thought that this was ridiculous, and asked myself why this was so. I wanted to run this to prove to other deaf people that it is possible to run and complete unusual – and unusually long – distance track events.
I hoped that by doing so I would encourage other deaf people around the world to look at these kinds of tough challenges with a fresh perspective, and be inspired to give it a go themselves. There are so many talented deaf athletes in the world, yet for some reason almost all of us are not taking on these (tougher than usual, and unusual) athletics challenges.
Stuart’s life, though short, has clearly inspired many from all walks of life. One can see this in the diversity of the people who participated and the extent of the community's support. It thus made sense to me to use this event, and draw on Smiley’s inspiration, to show the deaf community – and community of people with disabilities – that we should not be afraid of attempting the toughest of physical challenges.
The St Andrew’s motto is 'Nec Aspera Terrent' – translated as 'Difficulties do not terrify us' or, colloquially, 'Nothing makes us afraid, so bring it on!'
Deaf people, and people with disabilities, face many challenges every day. Thus, drawing on the College motto together with the courage and spirit of Smiley, my running this challenge, and attempting to complete this distance on the track, made for a worthwhile personal challenge, as well as an opportunity to hopefully change perspectives regarding deaf athletes and stereotypes relating to self- or other-imposed human limitations.
One of the add-ons of completing this 30 000m challenge was that if I were successful, I would establish a South African Deaf and British Deaf Athletics record for that distance on the track – as no other SA or British Deaf person has officially done it before.
En route I would also establish various other national deaf records for unusual track distances.
For this first venture, I was not concerned with a fast finishing time. I was more interested in raising awareness, and encouraging the young men and women who were there at the time to enjoy the experience with me.
For me, with my deafness, and the muscular challenges I have experienced in the past few years, running is truly a celebration of life. I wanted to celebrate the life of Smiley, and of life per se, through this run. The records being set were, and are a bonus.
So, with great encouragement from St Andrew’s College, I ran my first lap with both of my sons, aged 6 and 3 years. As both are aspiring runners, they both seemed to love the experience.
On the second lap, and for the rest of my journey of 75 laps around the track, I was accompanied by a group of College boys and DSG girls, who took turns running a couple of laps at a time with me.
After two hours on the track, and more than 50 laps covered, I started to get tired. I slowed down a bit, and was touched at how the others running alongside me adjusted their pace accordingly, even walking with me when I became too tired to run. As the laps ticked by, these fine young boys and girls seemed to become determined to encourage me to complete the challenge, and increasingly joined me on the track, trying to spur me on with their youthful energy and warm smiles and clapping of hands.
I am sure Smiley would have been proud to see his friends, who are still at the school, showing such spirit towards a fellow Andrean, who at that stage was exhausted.
With 20 laps still to go, I strained my calf muscles in both legs. Despite agonising pain, being so close, I was determined to finish the task at hand. Surrounded by College and DSG pupils, I ran-walked the last 10 laps. In the final lap, all the staff and pupils who were at Lower at the time swarmed on to the track, and accompanied me as I ran my final, 75th lap.
I set British Deaf and SA Deaf records for the 30 000m, 25 000m, 20 000m, and for distance run in One Hour on the track.
In so doing, according to the ICSD (International Committee of Sports for the Deaf), I became the second deaf person in the world to officially complete the 30 000m track event, the third deaf person to finish the 25 000m, and fourth deaf person to complete the 20 000m and One Hour track events – the first to do so for the latter three events in the 21st century.
I am earnestly hoping that this will open the floodgates for deaf athletes participating in these unusual track events, and raising the bar and standard for deaf athletes globally.
Next year I hope that other deaf athletes will join in the celebrations and experience the phenomenal vibe of the 24 4 Smiley charity run, and challenge my records.
Throughout my 75 laps on Lower, I reflected on why we were there, and the greater reasons behind the event.
While I never had the privilege of meeting Smiley, I was acutely aware, in the energy of the pupils who ran with me, that Smiley was a much loved Andrean whose energy and personality overflowed through all who encountered him. Throughout the three-hours-plus on that track, my thoughts and prayers were with the Van Oldenborgh family, and the broader Andrean community who knew and loved Stuart.
