Find a form of exercise that speaks to you, and it’ll become a natural extension of yourself

Published in 2016

Jonathan Dicks and Nicola Drabble are your average Joburg couple – except that they aren’t average in any way. Jono and Nix – as they are affectionately known – are a staple at Team Vitality VIP hospitality areas because they do so many races throughout the year. We sat down with them to chat about their passion for triathlon.

Just four years ago Jono was 50kg heavier than he is today and almost entirely sedentary. It took him a long time to find his passion and with it, his health began to improve dramatically. Then Jono and Nix met, and they complimented each other perfectly – Nix is a registered dietitian and has helped Jono to improve his diet substantially over the past few years. Looking at them, they are very different: Jono is tall with an expansive personality and loves to chat while Nix is petite and a little shy – but it’s easy to see that they are a great team both in and out of races.

The two of them are just back from Ironman Durban and planning to take on some more endurance events in the next few months.

On the road to health and wellness

Jono and Nix are both naturally sporty people – they’ve both done a lot of sport throughout their lives and so when they met and started to challenge each other to longer, harder races, they were both up for the challenge. Now daily training sessions and healthy eating are a part of both of their lives.

“We mix swimming, cycling, and running through the week,” explains Jono, “and then longer training sessions over the weekend.” Nix has also recently added in strength training to her routine and she says this has made the world of difference.

But Nix is quick to say that one of the most significant changes for Jono has been his diet. “When we first started doing all these races,” says Nix, we did a two day stage race and Jono was still on all these protein shakes! I kept telling him he needs to eat food.” On that race, there were several occasions when Nix was leaving Jono in her dust and he was flagging badly. “I battled,” says Jono.

Since then they’ve changed his diet including what he was eating during the events and now Jono has not only lost substantial weight but has also increased energy, fitness, and strength. For Nix, he is her human guinea pig – and he has been an extremely successful experiment for her.

“In one way I regret his change,” jokes Nix, “because now he’s way faster than me and he has to wait half an hour for me at the end of races!”

No FOMO for these two

“I can already see myself running with our little one and pushing a jogger,” says Jono, “We are such a healthy couple so I know that our kids would be healthy because healthy, active parents make for healthy, active kids.”

In the more immediate future though, the two will be taking on Berg and Bush and the 947 Cycle Challenge. Nix’s passion is most definitely mountain biking – and she and Jono have done some serious mountain biking stage races. But Jono is all about triathlon. Still glowing from the thrill of Durban, Jono is planning to complete next year’s full Ironman – an event not for the feint-hearted. “There are some check points along the way – so I’ll be using Midlands Ultra, 947, and a few marathons in January and February to make sure I’m on track with my training for the full Ironman. Mentally I’m looking forward to the challenge!” says Jono.

They plan on completing several running and cycling races to get on track for full Ironman – even though Nix insists that she will not take part in full Ironman – and they aim to complete one race a month to keep themselves in peak physical condition.

“We’re both individually passionate about these sports and we can support one another in trying to get training schedules and meals right,” says Nix.

“We both suffer from a healthy dose of FOMO – fear of missing out,” says Jono. “If she gets up early and she’s getting ready for a race or spinning class I don’t want to miss out on that!”

But Jono and Nix certainly use their events to have fun and enjoy time with friends. “Berg and Bush is a great way to spend time with friends,” says Jono.

Do the things that scare you

Jono’s battle with his weight and health have given him a unique view on exercise. “I can tell you to go ride a bike but if you don’t enjoy it, you won’t keep it up. So my advice is always to find a form of exercise that speaks to you, and it’ll become a natural extension of yourself.”

“Always just try to do a little bit extra,” says Nix, “it’s good to scare yourself to push yourself and see what you can do. I think that’s important to progress in your sport and for confidence,” she says.

We at Team Vitality wish Jono and Nix all the best for the next few months and we’re sure they’ll share their progress and updates with us.