Montclair thrill seeker tackles the trails

ALWAYS up for exploring new challenges and obstacles is Leona Lamont who comes alive when she has her trainers fastened on. She recently ran and cycled the 10km Run and Challenge Duathlon Tinman Tri Series which she described as a fun event that she followed through with the 1000 Hills Challenge the very next weekend.

Although she was into athletics back in high school, she admits that she hasn’t always been active, as life responsibilities took the forefront in most of her adult life.

“A few years ago I came to a time in my life where I felt like I had nothing to look forward to in my days, besides work and being a mother. I revaluated my life and realised that I was in a repetitive cycle day in and day out. My routine had become monotonous and I wasn’t doing anything for myself.

“I hadn’t exercised for about 20 years and one day after dropping my children off at school, I thought to myself ‘what if I used this time to go for a run before work?’ So the next day I did just that. I put my trainers on and went on a run. However, nothing in my body worked after that run. I was out of breath, my legs felt like jelly and I actually got sick. But I didn’t allow that to stop me. Life is all about choices. You can be happy or you can be sad. You can persevere or you can give up. To start over an athletic life was hard but I just took advantage of the new lease on life,” said the Montclair resident.

She went on to run with her brothers, going on every road race that they could enter. “I just fell in love with it. By the end of the first year I was running up 21km races. The enjoyment of being with people and experience things other than just sitting at home was so refreshing. In the second year I got involved in trail running and my eyes were opened to the beauty of our country. All the different places that we’ve done trails at have been spectacular. I do a lot of races with my husband who is a lot more competitive than I am. I look forward to my weekends and have just fallen in love with my life. There is nothing I don’t like about it,” said the adventure seeker.

She is also a cyclist and dabbles in a few road and mountain bike races when she gears herself up for the challenge.

From the hills, valleys, dams, the ocean to the fauna and flora, Leona takes delight in the nature and awe-inspiring scenery over the trails.

“I find road running boring. Trail is hard but fun and improves your road running pace and time. If I had a choice between the Comrades Marathon which is 90km on the road or the KarKloof 50miler which is 80km in the forest and nature, I’d gladly pick the latter. It’s a no brainer for me,” she said.

Her highlight for the year so far has been the Oxpecker Trail Run which is a 2-day trail running event that takes place in the central Drakensberg, halfway between Johannesburg and Durban.

“That is a stunning race. It’s a fulfilled weekend of beautiful scenery, trails, good company and good food.” Not only is her passion is infectious but her strongest quality is her endurance when out on a trail.

“It’s not always easy but I can endure an unpleasant or difficult trail without giving up. It’s not about coming in first place for me. I want to be able to start strong and finish strong and to achieve this, I put in the necessary training. Fortunately, I’m always full of energy,” said Leona who is a swim coach by profession.

She is a member of the Yellowwood Park Athletics Club where she does the weekly time trials. She also trains at the Yellowwood Park Stainbank Nature Reserve regularly amongst the zebras and buck. Her husband and running family are her biggest support.

She has done numerous races with several personal achievements under her belt and looks forward to many more. She has entered into the Quest 2 Day Trail, Sani Stagger and the Euro Steel Run the Rivers. She also has her heart set on doing the half Iron Man as well as many other thrilling trails next year.