Nothing is impossible. Have big dreams.
“After a medical check by Discovery and Vitality in 2013 I got a big surprise. My blood pressure was dangerously high and my cholesterol was high. I had a permanent headache. My Vitality age was 4 years older than my real age. I weighed 83kg so I was 10kg overweight. I decided to start training and I changed my diet. I struggled to run 3km. It took me 6 months to build up to 10km for my long run,” says Johann Jacobs, who just ran his first Comrades and was the last runner to cross the line before the final gun.
“The running bug bit me at the beginning of 2014 when I decided to challenge myself with an event like the Comrades that looked beyond my capability. I was a sprinter at school and I believed that I could not run long distances. Then I read that you can retrain fast twitch muscles for long distance running. Now endurance events fascinate me.” The 46-year-old ran his first race in 2015 in order to qualify for Two Oceans and Comrades.
Unfortunately, Johann got badly injured during that first race and hadn’t recovered in time to run Comrades in 2015 – nevertheless, he started and ran 30km before he had to stop. Despite his DNF (did not finish) he is proud that he joined the 90th edition and says that atmosphere was worth it. “I have been watching the Comrades since they first started broadcasting it on TV. I promised myself to run it at least once. It is the ultimate challenge with a beautiful history. I wanted to do something great and inspire other people.”
This year DNF was not an option
Johann was very nervous when he started this year. The furthest he runs during training is 50km – “The fear of the unknown makes you very nervous.” But his nerves subsided, he says, because of the atmosphere at the start line and he was inspired and motivated when the 20 000 athletes at the start began singing the national anthem. “The atmosphere and spirit is unrivalled.”
“In the second half of the race your legs tries to convince your mind that this was a bad idea. At the 20km mark I did not think that I could do this. When I reached half way I started believing. The last 7km felt like hell, but with all the encouragement I managed to get to the end.”
He had planned to finish in under 11 hours but he was struck by cramps from the 60km mark. When Johann passed the Hilton hotel he heard the announcer in the stadium say that the runners have 65 seconds until the final gun. His first though was for his friends, family, and wife who were so excited for him to finish.
“I dug deep and gave it my all. The crowd inside the stadium went crazy. It motivated me even more. I lifted my knees higher and ignored the cramps. As I entered the last straight I saw the dreaded gun already in the air. I watched that clock with every stride. Fearing the worst but believing at the same time. As I placed my foot on the timing mat the loud gunfire went off right beside me. I did not know whether I made it or not.”
He had to settle for finishing but he did so in a way that not many people get to – by getting the bouquet for being the final finisher. “I have always heard Bruce Fordyce saying that there are only two people that the crowds make a fuss about at the finish line: the winners and the last person. I could not believe that it was me. It felt very surreal. But I was extremely happy. The tiredness disappeared. When my wife saw me she cried uncontrollably.”
Johann is currently negotiating with his wife about whether he will enter for next year’s Comrades – he reports that the negotiations are at a very sensitive stage and he’ll report back when they have reached a compromise. He hopes to begin training for Comrades 2017 in August. But for now, Johann will be recovering with a programme of active recovery and then start training for the 947 Cycle Challenge.
Johann is convinced that anyone can finish the Comrades. “Every Comrades runner has a story of overcoming challenges. Comrades is like life, we all have a story to tell. By just getting to the start you will inspire the people around you. People are afraid to start something if there is a possibility that they will not complete it. We should all challenge ourselves to do something impossible. If you can dream it you can do it. I ran the Comrades a thousand times in my dreams before I arrived at the start. If I can do it you can do it too.
“Nothing is impossible. Have big dreams.”