Well-known Lowveld athlete and Van Wettens GM passes away
Friends and colleagues of Iain Toomey are devastated by his passing.
The general manager of Van Wettens and a well-known athlete in Mbombela passed away on May 3.
Van Wettens said it was deeply saddened and shocked by the sudden passing of Iain Toomey, who had had a heart attack.
“Iain was part of the Van Wettens family for over 32 years, and at this moment it is incredibly difficult to imagine a Van Wettens without him.”
He joined the company in 1990 as an operations manager and made a huge impact from day one.
“His incredible knowledge of the trucking industry helped contribute towards the success of Van Wettens over the years. lain will be fondly remembered among his colleagues as someone who shared his knowledge and experience, and who lived life to the fullest.
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“An avid long-distance runner, he had effectively run around the world twice. After competing in marathons and ultramarathons around the globe, including 28 Comrades, he had clocked over 80 000km.”
His “family” at LVCC Nedbank Club are also devastated at the news of his passing.
Speaking on behalf of the club, Beth Bloch said Toomey was a founding member of their club and an extraordinary athlete and friend.
She said he had missed his 29th Comrades due to an injury that led to him missing the time limit by two minutes, but he was there. He planned to go back and then Covid-19 kept him away. This year was to be his big one.
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“Iain ran every one of his Comrades races in Lowveld Country Club colours and then, when we started to represent Nedbank in Mpumalanga, he embraced that in his usual pragmatic way.
“Throughout the years, he mentored many athletes in our club and many of us have benefited from his enormous bank of knowledge.”
Toomey had been Manda Gomes’ running coach for the Comrades as well. They had gone running together on Monday still.
Gomes said he was still bragging about his six-pack just the day before his death. “… And you’ve lost 13kg since January, injury-free. Ai, I’m going to miss your cafes, chats, love and support so very much. It was also such a honour to run with you yesterday. I will cherish all the memories forever. Leigh is waiting for her super-fit hubby! Until we meet again.”
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Leigh was Toomey’s wife who had passed away from cancer last year.
“It is unreal for me and our whole LVCC. He was our hero! He was such an inspiration.”
Bloch said he was also an international runner who represented South Africa on the world stage.
“He took on the Big 6 worldwide marathon challenge, the Abbott Marathon Challenge consisting of the Boston, New York, London, Berlin, Chicago and Tokyo Marathon that he was set to run later this year. This would have placed him among the truly great marathon achievers in the world.”
