After a runner’s knee gave in, it wasn’t long until her Comrades medal dreams were left in the dust. Then, something unexpected, beautiful and proudly South African happened that she deemed better than any medal.
KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa (19 June, 2023) — When Ena Du Plessis embarked on her fourth Comrades Marathon recently, she hardly expected to gain something better than a medal. Especially when said Comrades Marathon medal would be thrown out of the question entirely. However, what she didn’t get to wear around her neck, she got to wear somewhere that matters more; her heart.
Somewhere around the 28km point, Ena’s left knee started to wear her down. Determined to continue, she pushed on for kilometres after. By the 40km mark, her knee’s protests had become increasingly sterner.
“I had successfully pushed through its shenanigans at four ordianry marathons—but Comrades was no ordinary marathon. And I had 62km ahead of me,” she shared of the daunting journey ahead that her knee simply couldn’t support.
Despite pacing 12 more kilometres, Ena shared that along the downhills leading to Drummond her knee was virtually screaming at her to stop.
Settling into a reluctant walk, she beat on, taking in the scenery, grateful for the ability to be able to move forward. Bodies are incredibly resilient, minds even more so. Placing a bet on herself, Ena decided that she would not bail.
“I would keep going until I was officially cut off.”
“Walking for thirty kilometres of Comrades had certainly not been part of the plan, but it brought with it some unexpected blessings. It allowed me to reflect and to drink in the beauty of my surroundings in a new and different way.”
Along her determined stroll, Ena’s eyes more than they ever would have if she’d only been able to focus on the road ahead. At a point, Ena realised she was tackling the stretch lone ranger. It didn’t deter her, instead inspiring what she calls the “delightful agony” of being able to still be a part of the ultra marathon.
By the time an authority told her that she needed to call it a day, Ena had to face the fact that she hadn’t made it to the end this time. Off the road and onto the bus, Ena was met with others who faced the cut-off time’s chime.
However, when the bus began to move, disappointment quickly shifted gears for the downbeat group on the bus who wouldn’t be receiving Comrades medals.
Outside, strangers continued to root—not for the ones who’d crossed the finished line, but for them, the ones who had tried.
“The supporters on the side of the road were looking up at us in the bus, smiling, cheering and clapping. At first, I thought it couldn’t be. But there had been no mistake. They were looking directly at us. Some were blowing kisses. Some were signalling for us to come back next year. One held up a poster that said, “You’re my favourite runner!”
“There was no way I could ever have expected this. And as the bus moved along, the support continued. These people who had spent the entire day cheering on runners, handing out snacks and spraying legs had reserved some of their most enthusiastic appreciation and encouragement for us. Us—the ones who were going home without our medals.”
Ena pondered how full her heart was despite the day taking an unexpected pace.
“The togetherness, the celebration, the determination and the love are just some elements that keep giving meaning to Comrades.”
Meanwhile, in other heartwarming Comrades news, this pair uplifted South Africans everywhere after one runner refused to leave a stranger behind!
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