Not just a race, but a LIFE STORY

I get overwhelmed by emotions when I talk about this race. When I reminisce on the true value of my experience and the impact it had on my life, I realise just how my soul still wonders around searching for tire tracks and my heart yearns for the freedom of this beautiful race.

If my heart could tell a story

See, I always knew I was different. It was a struggle for me to find my true place and value in society. My thought patterns and behaviours, always excessive, forever passionate.

I suffered a great loss in my life. The man I truly loved suddenly lost his life when I was 26. A grief so excessive that it destroyed my perfectly created, white picket fence fantasy. It was knocked off its axle. My mental health took a turn for the worse, loneliness ingulfed me, substance use disorder had a hold on me and it was so cunning, baffling, and powerful that I feared for my life. A life I didn’t want to be a part of anymore.

I was searching, yearning, and screaming for this pain to dissipate. This is where my story and healing started. There was some light in this very dark tunnel of life when I heard of The Freedom Challenge. I saw a picture of a gentleman named Marnitz Nienaber with his bicycle standing in deep snow, on where I recall now, could be Lehanas. I was intrigued by this foolish idea. I wanted his story. I dreamt of that story.

After 7 years in 2022 I finally received my blanket. I have made lifelong friends who I love so dearly, so deeply. It hurts when I see someone suffer, it hurts when my friends fall. It hurts when they hurt.

I am still writing my story. Some days are easy, others very hard. It’s been 18 months since I felt the need to numb my feelings. Life is beautiful. I live every day as if it is my last. My blanket takes up a beautiful space in my home. My experience on the trail is one I now tell with raw emotions; it truly changed my life.

I will be back, hopefully on my bike with a picture in the snow.