I was never particularly sporty as a kid. At school I played goalie for the 1st Hockey team, but purely as I was the only girl mad enough at the time to stand in the goal box. Our team was so strong that I hardly saw the ball anyway. I later turned to Squash as a social sport, no competition involved whatsoever. But I did cycle. I did my first 'Argus' when I was 15 and got hooked. School never quite recognized it as a serious sport and we hardly ever had enough girls to make a team. But I aimed to improve my time each year (as one does) and continued to be a 'summer cyclist' as I went into University - come December you dust your bike off, train madly for 3 months and as soon as the Argus is over, your bike goes back into storage. University, however comes with new distractions and I found myself being able to drink guys under the table and smoke up a storm on a regular basis. Some form of competitive spirit arose there, but far from healthy. I then ended up in Europe for 4 years, living quite the rebellious life and getting to know the local pubs extremely well. Cycling as a sport was the last thing on my mind. In my first year back in Cape Town I met 2 chaps who changed my idea on life. They would go for a run over and around Table Mountain 'on a whim', and get back up to 5 hours later. I was envious of them - I could not imagine I would ever be capable of joining them. They'd been running for years, they were fit and lean. I was quite the opposite. Not long before my 27th birthday I went up Lion's Head. As I spluttered my way up the mountain I vowed to those around me that I would quit smoking. I could not believe I was that unfit! This was my first "Rude Awakening". I was then told by the 2 chaps that if I didn't smoke for one week, they'd take me out for a fancy dinner. If I smoked during the week after that, I'd owe them dinner. I lasted both weeks, which ended on the eve of my birthday. I figured having lasted that long I may as well go another week, and another, and so on. 2½ years later and I've still not touched a cigarette. The chaps, although they still owe me dinner, gave me a new lease on life. They also started me running and encouraged me back onto my road bike. Soon after I bought my first mountain bike and started chasing them up the mountain. In the year or so that followed, I ran my first full marathon and completed my first Cape Epic. I would never have thought! My parents still wonder what happened, where all this energy suddenly came from. I've been pushing myself through all manner of boundaries, both physical and mental. Each challenge I put myself through teaches me something more about my own strengths and weaknesses. All this I take back into my life, work, and everything else. The people that I've met along the way are inspirational, and I've learnt something from everyone I've spent time grinding uphill with. There's nothing like a rough day out on the trails, followed by a hearty lunch and sharing stories to cement great friendships. Going to various races also means I visit parts of the Western Cape I'd never seen before, although I've lived here almost all my life. The events are a great excuse for doing a bit of travelling, often not much more than 2 hours out of Cape Town and I feel I'm getting to know my country that much better. At the moment I'm taking my cycling quite seriously, where it will take me, only time can tell. One thing I do know is that I've made sport and outdoor activities into a lifestyle choice, and I intend to be active for as long as my body will allow me. I see men and women far beyond their 60's still running the Comrades and cycling in the Argus. I want to be like them when I reach that age. Why on earth not!?! I've been lucky to have had the opportunity to train with people much stronger and more experienced than myself. Because of this, I have become a stronger competitor and set higher goals. I'm not an Olympic athlete by any means. We've all got potential for anything, really, it's just a matter of taking up the opportunities when they present themselves. That's all I've done... Here's to taking life by the horns! Inky June 2008