Setting the pace for young athletes
Well-known road runner Rufus Photo (36) walked us through what it takes for an athlete of his calibre to prepare for races.
POLOWKANE – Well-known road runner Rufus Photo (36) is a seasoned athlete with a passion for running.
Photo lives in Ga-Mokgonyana, just a stone’s throw away from Polokwane. “I started to run long distance in 2009 after struggling over five years as a security guard working long shifts. I did not get enough time to train during those times,” Photo explains. He was offered a job at VW and Audi where he is allowed enough time to focus on his running. He is also a member of the popular club Pietersburg Road Runners.
According to Photo, he was inspired to pursue his passion by fellow athlete and team mate, Johan van der Merwe. He has competed in the Two Oceans Marathon in Cape Town, where he finished in a time of 4 hours and 1 minute. He also ran in the 42,2km marathon in Thabazimbi where he finished second in a time of 2 hours and 35 minutes.
What was perhaps one of his biggest achievements to date was when he ran one of the toughest races in the world, the Comrades Marathon which stretches a distance of 89 kilometres from Pietermaritzburg to Durban. He placed fifth in the world and fourth in the country. He went on to become the first man from Moletjie since 1921 to win three gold Comrades Marathon medals.
Photo walked us through what it takes for an athlete of his calibre to prepare for races. “To prepare myself, I partake in speed works three times a week and the rest of the week I use for endurance training. I normally jog for two to three hours a day so I can say that per week, I can run a total of 240km.”
He says he would like to work with the youth, especially those in disadvantaged areas in order to teach them the importance of not only education but taking part in sport. “With sports, you can go far. You can even go overseas to represent your country. Understand that there is no future in drugs and alcohol,” he advises.
