{"id":213753,"date":"2019-08-06T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-08-06T04:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/germistoncitynews.co.za\/213753\/running-runs-in-the-family\/"},"modified":"2019-08-05T16:00:55","modified_gmt":"2019-08-05T14:00:55","slug":"running-runs-in-the-family","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/develop.citizen.co.za\/germiston-city-news\/sports-news\/2019\/08\/06\/running-runs-in-the-family\/","title":{"rendered":"Running runs in the family"},"content":{"rendered":"

For the Christophers, running is in their blood.<\/p>\n

The family\u2019s love of running began with Derek Christophers, who competed in his first Comrades Marathon in 1976.<\/p>

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His son Richard followed his lead, competing in his first Comrades Marathon when he was just 18 years old, after a school career filled with athletics and cross-country.<\/p>\n

And now grandson Kenneth has followed suite, competing in and finishing his first Comrades Marathon this year.<\/p>

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ALSO READ:\u00a0Callies set to collect medals at Comrades<\/a><\/h4>\n

Kenneth (30) began preparing for the gruelling ultramarathon by attending local parkruns with his family.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019d head to the Victoria Lake Parkrun every Saturday, which is great family time,\u201d said Kenneth.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce we\u2019d done a few of those, my dad asked when I was going to run a 10km and so on and so on, and from there the bug bit and my running progressed.<\/p>\n

\u201cRunning the Comrades has always been a goal of mine, and is a wonderful family tradition.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have been running for a while and training towards it and this year was the year.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kenneth admits he had a terrible run, but still managed to finish the race a minute-and-a-half before the cut-off time.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had hoped to finish the race two to three hours quicker than I did as I was fit and physically ready for the race, but everything fell apart on race-day.<\/p>\n

\u201cI messed up my nutrition completely, so on race day I wasn\u2019t able to eat or drink anything,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Though Kenneth had a lot of setbacks and challenges to contend with, he admits it was one of the most amazing days of his life.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a very special day,\u201d Kenneth said.<\/p>\n

\u201cKnowing all three generations ran for Germiston Callies Harriers and running past the wall where my grandfather\u2019s and father\u2019s green numbers are was amazing.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a life-changing event and something I will definitely do again.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kenneth was supported through his preparation and the race by his family.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t put into words how proud I am of Kenneth,\u201d said Richard.<\/p>\n

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\u201cAt the three-quarter mark he was behind the cut-off time, and as an experienced Comrades runner I can tell you what he did in the final leg of the race was a small miracle.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was just awesome and incredible.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mom Lee, who has also run the Comrades, was there to meet Kenneth at the finishing line.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had a special surprise in store for everyone when I ran into the finish,\u201d explained Kenneth.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had a banner made with all of our race numbers and photos.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Kenneth, Richard and Derek Christophers hold up a special banner Kenneth had made before he ran the Comrades Marathon for the first time. The banner included all three generations\u2019 race numbers.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Kenneth\u2019s official finishing time for the race was 11 hours 28 minutes and 57 seconds.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the last kilometres of the race, my legs went into spasm and people I didn\u2019t even know rushed to help me.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe sense of camaraderie was amazing,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

When asked what Derek thought of him completing the race, Kenneth said, \u201cI have never seen my grandfather cry, and he cried.\u201d<\/p>\n

ALSO READ:\u00a0Runners face the cold in honour of Fred Morrison<\/a><\/h4>\n

To runners thinking of tackling the historical race the family has some advice.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat helped me through the race was the continuous training,\u201d said Kenneth.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe marathons before the event put strength into your legs that you don\u2019t fully appreciate until you are at the race.<\/p>\n

\u201cPlanning for the race is also vital to getting you through.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd finally, do not underestimate the power of your mind. If you condition your mind you can do amazing things.\u201d<\/p>\n

Richard advised, \u201cRespect the distance and train as the Comrades is not a joke or a fun run.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd most importantly, enjoy the ride.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo it because you want to and do it because you enjoy it.\u201d<\/p>\n