Fight To The Finish

ALWYN UYS SURVIVED A NEAR-FATAL CAR CRASH, CRACKING HIS NECK, SNAPPING HIS FEMUR AND BREAKING HIS BACK. BUT HE WAS BUILT FOR ENDURANCE.

Alwyn Uys glided onto the pink Ironman 70.3 carpet, the arms that steered him through a 1.9km swim, 90.1km cycle and 21.1km run in front of him, lifting only to wipe away a tear. He heard the crowd cheering, felt their energy; and the loudest applause he’d ever heard washed over him like the waves of the Durban sea he’d swum in earlier. Crossing the half Ironman finish line had always been a dream of his. Now, against all odds, it had come true.

BROKEN DREAMS

Alwyn had spent his university years playing for a formidable Maties rugby team, but was benched after a persistent arm injury. Wrapped up in trying to find out who he was if he couldn’t be a rugby player, he turned to triathlon, with the Ironman start line fixed in his mind.

Then – for one second – he took his eyes off the road. Alwyn’s car hit a dip between dirt and tarmac, went spinning, and he was flung through the windscreen. One second: the length of time he took his eyes off the road. One second: how long, he recalls, it took his car to crash. One life-changing second.

“The Ironman is known for being the toughest endurance race for any athlete. And when I was paralysed, I took a knock – a big one. Mentally, it broke me. I was this strong, capable guy who could do anything, physically. And in an instant, I’m sitting in a wheelchair, helpless. Dependent on people around me. “And that broke me. I used to be the one who was able to help others; and now? I couldn’t even turn myself around in my bed…” He laughs, and makes sure to add, “…at the time of the accident. I can do that pretty well now.”

RISE ABOVE