Warner Beach long distance runner Val Opperman has ticked another world-famous marathon off her bucket list.
In June Val conquered the T1 diabetics 42.2km marathon along the Great Wall of China and on 3 December she lined up on the starting line for the 16th Reggae Marathon and half marathon in Jamaica.
The marathon is Jamaica’s premier international marathon event. Almost 2,000 runners converge in Negril, Jamaica’s capital of casual, for a fun event characterised by good vibes and lots of reggae music.
The marathon, half-marathon and 10km run start at Long Bay Beach Park situated along Negril’s famed 10-kilometre white sand beach.
The course loops into the town of Negril then heads north towards the town of Green Island.
“The vibe was absolutely amazing,” said Val. “Jamaica is a very warm country with beautiful people. I thoroughly enjoyed myself.”
She is the first South African type 1 diabetic to run the famous marathon.
Val, a type 1 insulin-dependent diabetic for 30 years, decided to experience more iconic runs around the world in an effort to inspire other diabetics that with eating right and exercising, you can enjoy life to the fullest.
To get to the white sands of Jamaica, Val had to first endure a gruelling 23-hour flight from Durban to Johannesburg, then to Atlanta, USA and finally Montego Bay.
She had struck up a friendship with the marathon’s organiser on social media before entering the event.
“Fortunately we started running at 5.15am, because the heat and humidity was hectic. By 6am the sweat was running off my face. The music started at 3am and the whole island came to a standstill for six hours with Bob Marley blasting from the speakers.”
Val got to enjoy the sights and sounds of the island after the marathon and visited Bob Marley’s birth place and mausoleum.
“Everyone speaks English and they are friendly and happy. Jamaica is such a cool place. China was intriguing, but Jamaica was completely different and so chilled out. I highly recommend it as a holiday destination.”
Val’s next iconic run she plans to conquer the Sydney Marathon in Australia.
“In China I met Brad Schroder and Greg Canning who ran in rhino suits as part of Run for Rhinos and I will run with them in Sydney in September to raise funds and bring awareness about the plight of our rhinos.”
