Bryne to run in memory of her dad
Bryne Kietzmann will fulfill her dream to run the Comrades this year in honour of her late father.
THERE is nothing stronger than a memory and for local woman Bryne Kietzmann, those she has of her late father, Bradd, are her inspiration to take part in this year’s Comrades Marathon.
“Between my dad and I we always had this shared dream to run the Comrades Marathon together when I turned 25, but unfortunately he died in a car accident in 2010. He was very much an athlete and had taken part in 10 Comrades Marathons,” said Bryne.
With her goal set and filled with determination, she needed help with kick starting the journey and turned to Claire Harms, owner of Air Fit, to help her get into the swing of things. “There was always the dream but I had no idea how to start in terms of training and that is where Claire came in,” said Bryne.
On top of taking running training, she also joined her father’s running club, the Hillcrest Villagers, and saw a personal trainer once a week for strength training.
“I ran with the club when I was still just a child and my dad was taking his time trials. They are such a close knit group and take you in, welcome you with open arms and really treat you like a part of the family. With regards to training i tried to do as many of the time trials as possible and then took part in as many of the social runs when I could,” said Bryne.
A sense of pride and closeness beamed from Bryne as she described receiving a licence number that was just two digits away from her father. “It was just so eerie and exciting to know that my dad’s number was 1806 and mine was 1808, it can’t just be a coincidence,” said Bryne.
As dieting goes, Bryne said she had not conformed to any of the “crazy” diets runners usually consume themselves with before the race but instead has taken a more balanced approached to her eating plans.
She will be wearing a bright cap, with her father’s running number (13783) printed onto it. Her family and friends from around the country will line up along the route, wearing shirts with a picture of her dad printed on them, to cheer her on.
My dad had two mottos in life, one was ‘dream, believe and achieve’, while the other, which I had tattooed onto my right wrist, is ‘who dares wins’ and I will draw inspiration from these on the day. The journey up until this point has been awesome and I can honestly say I am excited and looking forward to the atmosphere on the day,” smiled Bryne.
