Athlete joins 13 000 to run virtual Comrades
A PHOENIX athlete will join runners from around the world in a virtual race.
Following the cancellation of this year’s Comrades Marathon, the world’s greatest annual ultra marathon between Durban and Pietermaritzburg, due to the
Covid-19 pandemic, the Comrades Marathon Association (CMA) launched the “Race the Comrades Legends”, which will be run next Sunday, when the 95th running of the race would have taken place.
More than 13 000 athletes have registered for the virtual race.
One such athlete is Trevor Naidoo of Phoenix Villagers Athletic Club who will be running 90km in Sastri Park in Phoenix.
A four-time Comrades runner, Naidoo would be dedicating his race to his late mother Neela Naidoo.
His aim is to raise funds for food vouchers to be distributed to deserving families in Phoenix.
People can donate R20 or more per kilometre.
Naidoo would be running 13-and-a-half laps of 6.65km from 5.30am.
“I wanted to start at the Durban City Hall and run to Phoenix but would need permission because of the restrictions. Despite the lockdown, I continued training.
“I was disappointed when the Comrades was cancelled but glad to be part of the legends race which has given me a platform to help others. You don’t have to be rich to help other people,” said Naidoo.
He said he was hoping to raise R20000 to be able to give 40 needy families R500 food vouchers.
Thayer Hoosen Latiff, the public relations officer for Phoenix Villagers Athletic Club, said the team was proud of Naidoo and commended him for embarking on this “noble act”.
Race the Comrades Legends will provide a platform to engage with other runners throughout South Africa and the rest of the world as well as an opportunity for family members to participate in the action, but under lockdown regulations.
The official Comrades Marathon website will include an online functionality where runners can virtually compete, run with and compare each other with the likes of Bruce Fordyce, Frith van der Merwe, Samuel Tshabalala and many others; where each participant creates their own personal story and on completion is able to earn a real medal.
Runners could register for the 5km, 10km, 21km, 45km or 90km.
They would be required to submit their finishing times, which must be recorded using fitness apps such as Strava, Endomondo or Suunto.
Participants can run at any location, in the comfort of their own home, on a treadmill, in their garden, or neighbourhood, at their own pace.
Entry is free to all South African runners who entered the 2020 Comrades Marathon. Local runners pay R150 and foreign athletes pay $25 (R423).
Cheryl Winn, CMA chairperson, said: “The Race The Comrades Legends offers runners the added bonus of being part of an event, especially those who for months have done training runs in isolation and no longer feel the kinship of a close-knit running community.”
REESHNI CHASLYN CHETTY
FROM baking with his granny at the age of 5, a young Verulam man is now a pastry chef at umhlanga’s plush Beverly Hills Hotel.
Sohail Seegobin, 21, gave credit to his paternal grandmother for being the one who ignited the flame for baking within him.
“She was the best teacher and coolest gran ever,” he said.
Fresh out of high school,
Seegobin started his studies at the South African Hospitality Institute before making his way to Chefs Training and Innovation Academy to specialise in baking.
“First year was extremely tough, I didn’t know what to expect so I walked in blindly. But over time it became easier to understand the craft and it was an enjoyable experience overall,” he said.
Seegobin said he had always had a passion for baking and had never had to think twice about choosing a career path.
He sees himself baking on a luxury cruise liner or yacht in the future.
“It’s my dream to be able to experience that at least once in my life.”
He said he felt blessed to work at the Beverly Hills at such a young age.
“It has always been my dream to work as a pastry chef. When I was offered a job I grasped that opportunity as quickly as I could,” he said.
Seegobin said his favourite dish to make was an all butter Madeira cake.
He described it as a simple butter sponge cake infused with lemon.
“It is simple but it can be made into anything you want, you can play around with it,” he said.
His advice to the younger generation: “Passion is very important and make sure you focus on bettering your craft.
“You can never practise too much.”
Seegobin would like to write a cookbook when he eventually retires.
Now he would like to learn as much as he can so that one day he is able to create a simple cookbook for anyone wanting to bake.
“By the time I retire there will be so much that I would have learned and I want to be able to share that with everyone,” he said.
His role model is chef Joanita Venter, Beverly Hills Hotel’s executive pastry chef.
Venter described Seegobin as a passionate and self-driven worker.
“He is extremely reliable and you could almost say that I look up to him because of his drive and passion,” she said.
Venter said she wanted Seegobin to keep on the path he’s following.
“He is always researching ways to better himself. I want him to keep on the way he is because he will go very far in life,” she said.