Umbilo nurse conquers Two Oceans Marathon
When Cindy Pillay was diagnosed with hypothyroidism, she started running to improve her health - little did she know, she would soon complete her first ultra marathon.
UMBILO resident and ICU nurse at Netcare St Augustine’s Hospital, Cindy Pillay, recently ran her first marathon, the 56km Two Oceans Marathon (the Ultra Marathon) in Cape Town, where she crossed the finish line in an impressive six hours and 43 minutes.
The journey was an emotional one for Pillay who ran in honour of her late father who inspired her to reach this goal despite an injury that kept her off the road for three weeks. When she started running in 2019, she had no idea she would become a competitive road runner. Pillay took up running as a way to stay fit after she was diagnosed with hypothyroidism, also called ‘underactive thyroid’, which often leads to weight gain.
“At that time, the Covid-19 pandemic hit, and gym was not an option, so I started running around the area,” said Pillay.
It was a slow start for the runner, but she soon took off.
“Running 1km was tough, but eventually, I was running 2km, 3km, 5km and so on. I got used to it. At the time, I lived in Newlands, and I would run all the way to the beachfront – I was very impressed with myself because that was 21km,” she said, adding that she shed 26kg in the process.
Despite this feat, running was nothing more than a hobby for Pillay, until her late father inspired her to compete.
“When I used to run, my late dad would tail me in his bakkie at the back, just to be safe, because of the sugar-cane truckers that use that route. After a while, he told me I was actually good at running and seemed happy tackling a long, tough run,” recalled Pillay.
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Her father encouraged her to enter a competitive race, but at first, she just laughed it off.
“He turned around and said, ‘Nothing is impossible. Everything is possible. Only a wise man seeks possibility in the impossibility.’ Standing on that road, having that conversation, struck a match for me,” said Pillay.
Getting serious about competitive running
It was just as Pillay joined Stella Athletic Club and set a goal to run the Two Oceans Marathon in honour of her father that injury struck.
“I injured my left calf muscle, and that took me away from training for the weeks ahead of the ultramarathon. I was so nervous, thinking I was not physically or mentally prepared. I thought I would have to tap out, but I sat down on my knees, and I said, ‘Dad, this race is for you – win or lose.’ When I made it to Chapman’s Peak, I decided I was coming home with a medal, and when I crossed that finish line, it was emotional,” said Pillay.
She added that she would not have made it this far without he father’s support.
“He was my biggest motivator. He was my foundation – he always reasoning behind an unreasonable situation. If you found something difficult, he would say, ‘No, it’s not difficult,’” said the runner.
Pillay has now set her sights on running the Comrades Marathon later this year.
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Juggling training with nursing and home life
Ahead of the Two Oceans ultramarathon, Pillay ran 40–80km a week, spread across several training sessions.
“For instance, on a Monday, I may run 10km, on Tuesday 6km, on Wednesday, I would rest and then run 15km on Thursday and 10km on Friday. Then, on a Saturday or Sunday, I would run 25km–30km,” explained Pillay.
She said her training sessions vary as she juggles her work as a nurse and her home life.
“I have a seven-year-old and a soon-to-be ten-year-old, so life is busy as a working mom. I work nightshifts and usually go straight for a run after work and then get some sleep before it’s time to fetch my children from school. On my days off, I run more,” she said.
Pillay advised aspiring runners to join a club.
“You have a support structure and more clarity as to how to tackle each run. Each run is different, and each incline is different – how you tackle each one of them is different. It’s like an equation,” she said, adding that she sustained a knee injury prior to joining a club because she was taking on too many strenuous runs.
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