Grant conquers Amashova with his toe

THE first person to ride 35kms with one big toe, Grant Oosthuyzen, has challenged other disabled people to try the Amashova challenge next year.

With his dad, Billy and brother, Larry Oosthuyzen and friends Sebastian Crawford and Julia van Zyl by his side, Grant managed to finish the race in 3 hours and 31 minutes.

The 25-year-old New Germany resident said it seemed like yesterday when he started preparing for the Amashova Race.

“Driving the electric wheelchair sponsored by Mr Wheelchair was a dream. There were so many things to consider but the hardest was the lack of practice as getting a functional chair for this distance was a huge challenge.

Then the physical challenges were a whole new story.

“Would my leg hold up and how about my neck and back? But with an amazing team of people who believed in me, it slowly all came together,” said Grant.

He said the morning dawned so quickly and they went to Hillcrest.

“We just made it in time and we were off. We stopped at the Rotary stand in Gillitts for a chat and then proceeded to our next planned stop. My leg soon became painful but with all the encouragement, stopping was not an option. We changed batteries close to Durban but did not need any other mechanical help.”

He said it was a beautiful day but it got hot and that contributed to the hard final push to the finish.

“Three hours and 31 minutes of driving time and we crossed the finish line together. What a great feeling to have completed this challenge,” said a proud Grant.

“It was so great to be the first disabled person to do this, but I don’t want to be the last. The organisers took great care to make space for me and a safety vehicle was close by most of the time.”

Grant thanked everyone who made this ride possible.

“All who gave of their time and financial support, you were all special. My dad recently mentioned the next race was coming up. Wish you could have seen my mom’s face,” he said.