"Your dad has numbers Fordyce can only dream of..." was the comment. The reference was to Bruce Fordyce, the Comrades king. Apparently the test results were incredible. So they did test me as well.
Bruce Fordyce
I was born with a very mild case of Pectus Excavatum. Pectus excavatum, also known as sunken or hollow chest, is a congenital chest wall deformity in which several ribs and the sternum grow abnormally, producing a concave, or caved-in, appearance in the anterior chest wall.
All of this explains why I always had to train 100 times more and harder than others to reach a specific fitness level. It also explains why my best times could never match those of my dad.
I am a very dedicated runner and always put in the necessary effort in my training. I train harder and more than most. But I will never be able to run very fast.
My best times (when I was in my 30's) compared to my dad's (when he was in in his 50's):
Me (when I was in my 30’s)
|
Dad (when he was in his 50’s)
|
10km – 47:13
|
10km – 37:15
|
15km – 01:11
|
15km – 57:19
|
21.1km – 01:41:07 (half marathon)
|
21.1km – 01:22:45
|
32km – 02:45 (20 miles)
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32km – 02:15
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42.2km – 03:49 (marathon)
|
42.2km – 03:09
|
50km – 04:54
|
50km – 03:46
|
56km – 05:23
|
56km – 04:10
|
Comrades – 10:41
|
Comrades – 09:08
|
100km – 11:34
|
100km – 10:32
|
The above numbers say it all. I had to work just as hard and sometimes even harder to achieve my PB's. I am very proud of my times in the table above.