Few activities push you to the limits like road running - but for me, the necessary discipline and frequent soreness is outweighed by the unexpected joys.
Responding to the early morning alarm, regardless of African heat or European cold, the Cape wind, the English drizzle … yet rounding a corner to glimpse sunrises, expanses of mountain or ocean, rough bush or neatly patterned green fields, the edgy structure of the urban … running combines the gut and the senses - and when in "the zone", leaving your mind free to roam even further afield.
And few activities reinforce the deep challenges faced by the business consultant and entrepreneur than training for and running a marathon …
To date I have clocked up 57 marathons, including the two iconic South African ultra-marathons – the Two Oceans Marathon (I’ve run 14 times along the 56 km of mountains and sea of the Cape Peninsula) and the Comrades Marathon (twice I’ve run the 88 km of pain and ecstasy in Kwazulu).
... and maybe a few more left in these dodgy knees.