Anyone battling addiction knows the road to recovery is a marathon and not a sprint.
If that’s the case, Plumstead Running Crew member, Hlalisanani Mathe, 43, from Makhaza, in Khayelitsha, is living proof that if you believe you can, then you’re halfway there.
Known to friends as Joyous, aptly so, as Mathe, who completed his first 100miler at the weekend’s Ultra Trail Cape Town, seem to be spreading nothing but joy among his new-found friends in the running community and those working with him at the The Haven Night Shelter in Wynberg and at Parkwood Clinic where he signed up for an an outpatient treatment programme for people trying to overcome alcohol and drug addiction.
His Plumstead Running Crew members were surprised to learn that he never ran any races as he looked like an elite athlete, the soft-spoken Mathe jokingly said.
Although new to running, Mathe also completed his first marathon – the Cape Town Marathon – in October and finished a number of shorter distances this year with relative ease for a first timer.
“Thankfully, I am naturally fit,” said Mathe, who took to running like a duck to water.
“I would like to enter many races, he said, “but the entry fee and having proper running gear is sometimes a bit an issue,” he said, thanking everyone who has helped him on his journey.
“For me it’s not about breaking records and personal bests, I just go out there to have fun. Running helps to clear my mind,” he said.
A chance encounter with Plumstead Running Crew captain, Sean Peffer at a community-based cross-training gym at Wynberg military base, run by Howard Davids, led to an instant bond between the two and an invitation for Mathe to join Plumstead Running Crew.
Peffer said the Crew was established by Ashraf Orrie, known in running circles as Mr O, in 2022, following a spate of muggings and hijackings in the area.
“My role is to welcome new members and encourage the runners to keep running consistently. Along with some of the other coaches like Craig February, we vary the routes and build in different training methods to develop speed, stamina and goal setting,” said Peffer.
I met Joyous one year ago and immediately thought he is built like a long-distance runner and soon we started chatting about running,” he said.
“I invited him to come run with PRC. The very next morning he was there at 5am and after one run, he was sold, attending regularly, running two kilometres to the start in the dark as we start at 5am sharp”
“He has a very quiet and calm nature, but chat to him about running and he’ll get talking,” Peffer said.
“He is not physically muscular but built of strong stuff, has the physical stamina to tackle tough events but more so it takes mental tenacity to take you through to the end and he has it all.
“However,” said Peffer, “he was completely unprepared for trail, never mind an Ultra and UTCT miler (163km) which is one of the toughest ultras.”
“Although he had sponsored shoes and clothing, the Ultra trail event required mandatory items like first aid, base layers and nutrition to keep the runners safe in the event of bad weather or an injury.
“He was fortunate to receive an entry from the sponsors, RMB and a full running kit from Adidas, a co-sponsor of the event. Unfortunately, this was one week after Cape Town Marathon and three weeks before UTCT, leaving little time to prepare for an Ultra event when most runners would be tapering their training.
“We had to rely on his marathon training and get him running in the new shoes. I did two trail runs with him, doing a recce of some of the route and going through some of the technicalities doing trail running, handling steep climbs, and doing technical descents,” said Peffer.
“This man has a gift for running, the only thing he is short of is opportunity,” said Peffer.
“He has a very strong work ethic, often volunteering to assist at aid stations and feedback from others is that he is the hardest working volunteer. In fact, he had volunteered to work at the UTCT earlier in the year and when the event came round, he was running in the title event.”
Fellow UTCT first timers, Reegan Alward and Michael Larter, met Mathe during the weekend’s trail run and were inspired by his story as the trio trodded along for most of the race, talking about life and running.
“I chatted to Hlali early on in the race and very quickly he opened up to me about his life story and I was awe struck,” Alward said.
“He told me all about his struggles and how he has ended up in the race and it really was such an inspiring message to me that he would be so brave to take on a feat like UTCT alongside all his current and previous struggles going on in his life and still have such a positive demeanour and utter determination,” she said.
“I think Hlali is a fantastic runner not just from a performance perspective but he just lives the brand of what makes a runner. Someone with passion and perseverance no matter the circumstances and no matter what lies ahead” she said.
Chatting to Mathe also left an indelible impression on Larter, who had run 772km from Cape Town to Namibia for charity two weeks prior to the beginning of UTCT.
“Joyous was a complete stranger at the beginning of UTCT. We chatted briefly in the first few kilometres and then we split up at the kloof corner aid station before linking up again at the Llandudno aid station from which we spent the rest of the run together. We spoke about many things, our reasons for running, mine being mental health and his being his fight with addiction. I got the impression that I had met a really amazing guy,” he said.
Although wondering what the fuss is all about, Mathe said he’s happy to keep on running for as long as his legs can carry him and hopes his story will inspire others
“The sky is the limit and it’s never too late to achieve your goals,” he said.
- For more more information about Plumstead Running Crew visit @plumstead_run_crew or call 072 637 1045
For help with addiction call 021 444 4201 or email petra.burt@capetown.gov.za
