It is not about the shoe

Anyone who imagines they can work alone winds up surrounded by nothing but rivals, without companions. The fact is, no one ascends alone

- Lance Armstrong: It is not about the bike: My journey back to life -

When I wrote ‘12 Days of Christmas’ on 23 December 2021, I was failing my family. Out of desperation I had to do the one thing I am extremely bad at:

Ask

The weeks that followed changed my perspective on life. It changed me. Nobody had any reason to care, but they cared. Nobody had a reason to reach out, but they reached out. With the help of some of the most amazing human beings, we survived the 12 Days of Christmas. Our journey to recovery has only just begun; One day at a time, and with one foot in front of the other, but with a renewed realisation:

You will never experience the joy of acceptance until you have overcome your fear of rejection.

In an attempt to sum up the generosity that transpired in the week or two after I published ‘12 Days of Christmas’, I thought it best to single out the sequence of events that followed on my mention of my challenge with running shoes. Shoes that have all but given up on life.

What follows, is a dedication to every person who has ever taken time out to pay attention to someone in need:

On November 24th, 2019, I wished a man a happy birthday on LinkedIn. We had never met prior to that, and apart from that brief encounter, we never spoke again. That was until December 24th, 2021, when I received a message from him that read:

Heya buddy, wanna help and support you a little but can't do too much. I'm also a runner and active Ironman triathlete so was wondering if I could get a fresh pair of running shoes on those feet, to help you churn out fresh ideas, have a little escape, feel energized again and then put your head down and tackle stuff and "run towards the light, away from darkness".

I had a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes. We all have a crutch that helps us cope with life. Mine is my love for running. This was not about the shoe. It was about someone else understanding me.

Two weeks later a voucher to a well known sports outlet arrived in the mail. It was also around the same time, an Instagram post from Runners World, caught my attention. Their latest edition featured the 2022 Shoe Buyers guide. It included a story about a locally designed running shoe, the Pivot Forge V1. It is described by the manufacturer as a runner extensively tested, specifically designed, and purposefully built to meet the needs of the ZA ultra marathon runner.

Before I knew it, I had an email drafted. Two paragraphs at most. I had nothing to lose and everything to gain and without hesitation, I pressed send. I asked.

"I would really love to run in an African running shoe (what I do, say, and promote is all about this beautiful continent and its people.)"

The response came from the man himself, the designer of the shoe:

"Thank you for taking the time to send the email. I had a look at some of your posts. Previously I had worked with other brands and dealt with professional and semi-professional athletes. I was quite adamant that I don’t want to do that again.

Our goal when we started this journey was to support authentic people with authentic stories. That’s what running really is. It’s for everyone. Not just the superior athletes with impeccable running forms and speeds the regular person can only dream of."

You seem like you have a cool story, so 100% we would love to send you a pair of shoes.

I was elated, but at the same time I could not shed a nagging feeling of guilt. I reached out to the person who had shown such an understanding for my relationship with running, and the one who selflessly and without hesitation offered to sponsor a new pair of running shoes.

I simply said:

"Integrity is extremely important to me and I therefore thought of letting you know that a local running shoe manufacturer has offered to supply me with a pair... I do not want to insult your generosity in any way. Therefore, if this does not sit well with you, I will be happy to return the voucher. I do not want to have you think that I am taking advantage of you in any way."

His response sums it all up:

"Gave it unconditional so welcome to use it for other stuff!"

On Monday morning 31 January 2022, a day after my youngest daughter’s 17th birthday a pair of Pivot Forge V1 running shoes arrived at my doorstep. It resembled a fresh start made possible by the kindness of so many people.

It was about so much more than the shoe.

The words on the inside of the shoe box were almost prophetic:

No matter how many summits you have reached in your life, the climb to every mountain will always start at the bottom. Knowing that there are always people on route who are willing to help is encouraging, but the real joy will come from them being there to share in the celebration when you make your final ascend.  

Thank you Pivot, thank you friends, thank you ex colleagues, thank you strangers. We will never be alone again.