Marathon cycling challenge

Ten days of cycling 200km a day through remote towns would leave many sore and possibly demotivated. But the riders in the Unogwaja Challenge were instead inspired – drawing strength from the energy of those they met along the way.

The team of five men and one woman – on her first such journey – set off to Pietermaritzburg from a chilly Cape Town at 4am on May 24. Accompanied by a 10-person support crew, their plan was to cycle an average of 200km per day for 10 days to make it to the Comrades Marathon on June 3.

The team – led by John McInroy, pictured above, founder of the non-profit Red Sock Foundation – includes dentist WP van Zyl, lawyer Lourens van Zyl, Olympian Paul Blake and physiotherapist and marathon runner Miranda Symons.

The journey was taken in honour of Comrades runner Phil Masterton-Smith.

In 1933, Masterton-Smith could not afford the train fare from Cape Town to Pietermaritzburg in order to take part in the Comrades Marathon that year. But instead of giving up, he cycled to KwaZulu-Natal in 10 days, and finished the marathon in 10th place.

He was nicknamed “Unogwaja” which means hare in Zulu. He died in World War II.

The foundation’s epic journey, now in it’s second year, has grabbed the attention of many. Through the challenge, the group raised funds for charity and to date have reached R50 000 in donations.

Jumping Kids, which provides prosthetics to young amputees, will get the bulk of the money raised.

While Masterton-Smith was a dedicated athlete, McInroy says he and his teammates are not. Speaking about their preparation, he says they ate “chips, biscuits and lots of biltong”.

But despite this, they all knew their cause was “powerful”.

“There were so many special things. Waking up every morning in different parts of the country and watching the sun rise. And also the warmth of strangers was very special,” says McInroy.

Completing the journey – which McInroy stresses is not a race – came with the responsibility and pressure not to let anyone down.

There were some “big climbs” and many hills, and he remembers that Graaff-Reinet was particularly cold and the riders had to wear every piece of clothing they had with them.

When they arrived in Pietermaritzburg one day ahead of the marathon, they were greeted by a stranger who had the Unogwaja Challenge banners flying from his car. For the group this was one of the most humbling experiences along the way.

Once in the city, they met two boys, aged 17 and 14, who were both leg amputees and who were given prosthetics by Jumping Kids

McInroy says he was inspired by the boys, who were focused on the things they could do, rather than the things they could not.

Three of the team members finished the Comrades in 10 hours and 19 minutes, while the other two finished later.

McInroy says plans for the 2013 Unogwaja Challenge are already afoot.

“There’s been an overwhelming response from people who want to get involved,” he says.

More than 50 people have written to him, asking to ride along next year, and while it is important to grow the event, McInroy says they will have to limit the numbers to retain the unique spirit of the challenge.

The final number will probably be closer to 10 riders and the foundation is now trying to work out a fair selection process. McInroy stresses that this will have less to do with athletic ability and more so with the right kind of energy.

“It’s about discovering the gems and people who have a story and feel inspired,” he says.

A former national and provincial hockey player, McInroy left the corporate world a few years ago and today is a brand ambassador, acting in commercials and presenting motivational talks and MCs events. He was offered a position with a corporate company recently, but that didn’t work out.

Other than the “crazy” trek across the country once a year, McInroy is also the founder of Red Sock Friday.

In April 2010, he officially launched it with a diski dance flashmob at Cape Town station. “We had random people rocking up, wearing their red socks and being part of the vibe. At the end of it we all joined arms and sang the national anthem. It was a poignant South African experience and an awesome, surreal moment to be a part of,” he was quoted as saying earlier this year.

To date, more than 13 000 pairs of socks have been sold in over 50 countries worldwide and all the proceeds go to charity.