Few would ever take note of 334 as a number. It seems insignificant but if Niel Thiart (Bestmed Athletics Club) has his way it might change from Friday when he aims to run nonstop for 48 hours around the Tuks athletics track.
It sounds like pure madness. Why would anyone want to punish body and soul trying to run approximately 835 times around a 400-metre track?
Thiart, however, has good reason for wanting to do so. His aim is to create awareness for autism. To be more specific, he is doing it to raise funds for Els for Autism SA. He already raised a few thousand rands earlier this year when he ran a virtual Comrades-race.
To make things a bit more interesting, Thiart had set himself a personal goal. He wants to see if he unofficially can improve on the record of 333.18km Johan van der Merwe set in 2013 in Hungary. He did so during the first 48 hours of a six-day race.
Thiart is the first to admit that he is no superathlete, but he can't resist a good challenge. So the Bestmed-athlete took up distance running. There is apparently something to be said for getting to know what the human body is capable of.
"My best quality as a runner is having the mindset of a donkey. Being able to slog it out kilometre after kilometre. Never giving in to the temptation to quit."
Thiart was certainly tested earlier this year when did a 100-miler. After 90 kilometres he sustained an ankle injury. He, however, kept on running. According to Thiart, it boiled down to mind over matter. Sort of going into the "zone".
"One of the most fantastic experiences of running is when you get to a stage when you are zoned out. You are only aware of your heartbeat, breathing and the sound of your feet on the tar. It is as if you can go on forever. There were times when I have been in the 'zone' for hours, but it felt like mere minutes."
The Bestmed-athlete certainly will have to be in the "zone" during his 48-hour run as there is no getting away from the fact that going around and around the Tuks-track will be monotonous.
To combat this, Thiart has decided to change direction every few hours, going around the opposite way. Quite a few runners have indicated that they will be joining him to encourage him to keep going. One of South Africa's foremost sports psychologists and former middle-distance runner, Henning Gericke, will be one of them.
According to Thiart, the biggest challenge is going to stick to "The Plan".
"I will have to pace myself from the start. To achieve what I have set out to do will mean that I must be able to consistently run time of 8 minutes and 30 seconds per kilometre. I will also have to force myself to sleep for an hour or so."
The Bestmed-athlete will start his quest on Friday at 09:00 on the Tuks track. His plan is to finish at 09:00 on Sunday morning.
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