Meeting Rona
TRAIL|Issue 38
Being young and fit doesn't faze COVID-19. Salomon runner THABANG MADIBA (36) experienced this for himself.
Meeting Rona

Thabang reunited joyfully with running at the 24km 4 Peaks Mountain Challenge on 31 October. He had a burning in his chest as the beginning, but felt good once he'd warmed up. I enjoyed every moment. It was a good test of my fitness at altitude, and I'm happy with seventh place.

I think I caught coronavirus from a friend in June. He was sick and I went to chat with him, then I got sick. My wife also had coronavirus, so it's possible I got it from her.

I had to stay at home while I was sick. Staying home was challenging. The stigma was very bad, and I had to keep quiet about it. I had it, my wife had it, and also my mother-in-law and two close friends.

I didn't tell anyone until two weeks or so after I found out I was infected. I kept it secret and stayed in quarantine until I had recovered. Listening to the way people around me talked about those who were infected, I felt the stigma was very bad. I knew they would treat me badly, so I didn't want to talk about it.

Feeling ill

The typical symptoms are a headache, a high temperature, and your lungs feeling blocked up. But with me it was surprising: my temperature was okay. My main symptom was that I couldn't smell or taste anything for more than a week.

The day I realised I was not okay, I felt hungry. I ate a whole pineapple! I couldn't taste what I was eating. It just tasted like something watery.

The worst part of it was feeling like I'm losing my mind. At one stage I was talking to my wife and I kept having to ask her “Do I make sense when I talk?” and she said I did. I literally cried because I felt all mixed up, like I wasn't making any sense.

Bu hikaye TRAIL dergisinin Issue 38 sayısından alınmıştır.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

Bu hikaye TRAIL dergisinin Issue 38 sayısından alınmıştır.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

TRAIL DERGISINDEN DAHA FAZLA HIKAYETümünü görüntüle
Heat Cheat
TRAIL

Heat Cheat

In his How Or Why series, coach SEAN TAIT, founder and Running technique coach at Off the Mark, digs deeper into specific issues troubling TRAIL readers.

time-read
7 dak  |
Issue 38
Pacing The Way To Change
TRAIL

Pacing The Way To Change

Seeing a need, Jo Keppler ran 130km to raise funds for the Southern Lodestar Foundation breakfast programme on Saturday 6 November 2020.

time-read
2 dak  |
Issue 38
Die Ander Tafelberg(e)
TRAIL

Die Ander Tafelberg(e)

Dalene van Staden developed Die Ander Tafelberge* project, recruiting Caro Jordaan and Magan Hanekom to summit all 15 Tafelberge in the Western Cape, ending with Cape Town's Table Mountain.

time-read
9 dak  |
Issue 38
Dodge The Super Plods
TRAIL

Dodge The Super Plods

We all want to get faster, not slower. But the plods are real – if we overdo our training. Stay fast with Joburg-based coach Neville Beeton.

time-read
9 dak  |
Issue 38
Grounding Is It The Missing Link?
TRAIL

Grounding Is It The Missing Link?

Durban biokineticist Stephan Terblanche has been in private practice for almost 25 years. One of his biggest frustrations is that some patients do not get better, regardless of treatment, for unknown reasons. He believes that a lack of grounding is a major factor.

time-read
7 dak  |
Issue 38
THE ALIENS ARE HERE
TRAIL

THE ALIENS ARE HERE

Why do we run? There is no simple answer.

time-read
4 dak  |
Issue 38
Meeting Rona
TRAIL

Meeting Rona

Being young and fit doesn't faze COVID-19. Salomon runner THABANG MADIBA (36) experienced this for himself.

time-read
7 dak  |
Issue 38
For the Love
TRAIL

For the Love

RACHEL MANYATHI is an ultra runner and high school teacher whose life centres around kindness, and mountain adventure.

time-read
6 dak  |
Issue 38
Cultivating FLOW
TRAIL

Cultivating FLOW

High-performance coach CRAIG CAROLAN shares the Tao of Mike and positive psychology to help you reach maximum gratification on the trail.

time-read
6 dak  |
Issue 38
Bites & Stings
TRAIL

Bites & Stings

Life support medic ALET MAARTENS is a Gauteng-based trail runner with a few tips to keep you safe against summer bugs with big appetites or short tempers.

time-read
4 dak  |
Issue 38