Embodying the ethos of positive thinking. Carel Botha #342 | 29 June

For more than two decades a bunch of special people have got their bikes from Pietermaritzburg  to Paarl through some breathtakingly beautiful terrain that ranges from joyful riding to expletive inducing slog. It delivers memories and stories to take to one’s final days. No matter the goals, it is a challenge that will stretch one mentally and physically. This uniquely South African experience can only fully be understood by doing it (or perhaps by being one of the many mostly behind the scenes hosts that move it from a physical to a human endeavour). It has organically sprouted a community, that just gets each other. If you know, you really know.

I wrote this article (https://www.freedomchallenge.org.za/post/freedom-challenge-step-one) a forthnight ago as Carel Botha (Rider 342) was in the early stages of leg 2 of the XTC (Xtreme Triathlon Challenge Stage 1 = Comrades, Stage 2 = the Freedom Challenge mtb ride PMB to Paarl, Stage 3 = Berg River Canoe Marathon). This follow up article will come out as he is at the very end of the bike, and he’s gone through enough Cape cold frontal conditions to at least know for sure that Berg River will not have the dreaded low river levels without having to ask anyone.

It's been a privilege doing the research with Carel for this follow up article. I’ve been pretending I’m an intern at a newspaper and I somehow got the scoop on a banger of a story that I take straight to the editor with a smile saying: ”This is the good news inspiring stuff we want our readers to know more about”.

It’s not uncommon to a see a South African emptying a bucketlist of endurance events that would raise many eyebrows on foreign shores. He had wanted to do the XTC as soon as he heard of it, but when he got onto the start line a decade later in 2023, no one had actually completed it in that time frame as the event drifted into obscurity with the main focus on the incredible mtb leg itself. He came achingly close to finish it then, but the final sting in the tail was the Berg. This has been the undoing of many of the XTC hopefuls over the years.

Comrades is a brutal single day punishment on the legs. Carel likes to do an event once, get the T-Shirt and move onto clearing out the rest of the tickets in the bucketlist. He did his first in 2013, but returned in 2023 and again this year – because it was in the XTC requirement. I’ve just finished my second Comrades this year and I wondered how one could ride for 14+hours the next day – it’s just mindboggling. The MTB ride is an extended test of the body. 2200 km with very harsh terrain, in mid winter. You push long days on the bike and the body turns into a machine of pedaling, nutrition and attrition. It wastes away as you stretch it to its limit and the inevitable curve balls of navigation, weather, bike issues, injuries (pick your combination) will at some stage make you question how you chose to do this.

Dependent on the timing, there could be a few days recuperation prior to Berg as one hastily tries to move into paddle mode. The body will however be recovering from a huge daily endurance effort. When Carel swam in the ice cold Berg River for the 5th time in 2023 on day 1, his body stripped of all fat from the riding was hypothermic and he had to pull out. It was traumatic for him, and he swore never to come back for a second swipe at XTC. 

Carel embodies the ethos that the power of positive thinking can overcome all obstacles. I really like his attitude to overcome the really low times in a race or event, when you’re at a low point just convince yourself that the easiest plan is to just stick to finishing what you started – what a great mindset.

In training for this XTC he measured his running to be able to finish in under the required 12 hours as he had injuries that he had to manage with a reduced mileage. Sticking with the 11:45hr bus was a good plan, but then he hitched up with a friend and they tracked in with the famed sub12 bus and got in with a full 86 seconds to spare. If you’ve ever watched Comrades, you know it is all about the winners and then much, much later the final cut-off is the most brutal scene of human emotion as athletes who have endured 90kms of tar are divided into the elated finishers with their medal and the rest who get nothing. It’s an annual guarantee of unscripted drama, many have been moving on willpower only for the past hour and just collapse as finally they no longer need to put one foot in front of another. Amongst that chaos was our guy who then got on his bike the next day, and for the next three weeks that’s what he kept on doing.

In April 2024 he was in a catastrophic accident and sustained debilitating injuries, which put his personal future mobility at risk. It was during this time that he really had to draw on his mental fortitude to keep going, to see the positives in life and be grateful for one’s skills and abilities. Just learning to walk again was a struggle. While the XTC seemed like an impossible dream then, the fire began smouldering again during this time to do it. I’m being very economical with the details on this accident, because they are explained in the fundraising initiative that Carel is driving with this XTC attempt. During this recovery time Carel met Requelmy who has had epilepsy since birth, and they are now “mobilty buddies”. Interested to learn more? click on the link below and keep those donations coming – there is no upper limit on what can be done to help improve Requelmy’s life and conditions.

https://www.backabuddy.co.za/campaign/jamestown-mobility-buddies

I began this story about how the Freedom Challenge has created a community that goes beyond brotherhood. Personally, I had a tragic accident where I fractured my pelvis and was on my back for two months and had to go through physio just learning to walk again with a body that had atrophied so much during this time. 5 years later I rode across the country to get my Basotho blanket to finish this event. I do my best not to take my own mobility for granted, and to pay respect to those who don’t have the ability or means to travel and enjoy this incredible country we call home. I’ll leave you with the founder of the Freedom Challenge David Waddilove’s quote:           

” Riding the Freedom Trail has the potential to change lives. The lives of those riding it and of those along the trail."

I believe Carel is living these values to the core and look forward to him getting his K1 canoe to Velddrif next weekend and adding a long awaited next entry to the list of XTC finishers.