DESERVING plaudits and rewards went to the record breakers at last week’s Comrades Marathon, but the runner who made it home, in spite of being stricken by injury and pain, minutes after the 12-hour cut off time, stole the hearts of those who watched his dramatic finish.
Bent and falling over to the right, Henri Zermatten, 62, remained on his feet by clutching onto the fencing along the final few hundred metres to the Comrades finish line, at Durban's Hollywoodbets Kingsmead Stadium.
The TV crew were done with their coverage of the Comrades “down-run” that began in Pietermaritzburg at 5.30am last Sunday and were about to cross back to the studio when the head of production spotted on a monitor, Zermatten hobbling towards the stadium’s entrance.
“Comrades is all about determination and human spirit. We decided to follow him and turn him into a storyline for the day,” said Sean Everett, who directed and produced broadcaster Supersport’s race coverage.
Zermatten’s family and fellow runners from the Nedbank Running Club Central Gauteng waited for him at the stadium, confident he would make the cut-off time.
Their concern heightened with every minute that passed after the dreaded 12-hour gun was fired.
But they roared with approval when they saw Zermatten, a Comrades debutant, lumbering onto Kingsmead’s turf. Others at the stadium joined in and cheered him to the finish line, where he was loaded onto a stretcher and carried away for medical attention.
“I was going to finish the distance, no matter what,” said the Johannesburg-based businessman about his will to finish.
He felt fine from the start but by the time he got to Inchanga, which is near the halfway-mark of the 87-km long race, he started to experience some difficulty.
“I was looking at my shadow and I noticed I was leaning to one side.”
Zermatten worked out that his “runner’s lean” was triggered by an old injury to his Achilles tendon, which he picked up while playing squash, and failed with his subsequent attempts to strengthen it.
He found out afterwards that if you have a weakening leg, the brain will automatically tell the pelvis to take the weight off, leaving you bent to one side.
“I ended up bumping into a lot of runners because of this.
“My condition worsened but I never thought about dropping out.
“I stayed on my feet by grabbing onto my shorts with my left hand and pulled myself straight. I ran with one arm and just kept going.”
Against the odds Zermatten progressed to near the stadium. That’s when he noticed the “bailer buses” (transport for runners who drop out) that were forced onto the race route by metro police officers.
“I had to contend with rows of buses and passengers on the bus convincing other runners, who were trying to finish, to quit.
“They bugged me but I refused such suggestions. I said to myself it was not over until I decided to stop.”
When he got to the stadium’s entrance he realised he was three minutes too late. He struggled to get in because of the buses, but eventually did.
“I ended up walking like a cripple person to the finish. I would have fallen over if I let go of the fence.”
Zermatten was surprised at being the only person on the field and the congratulations he received at the finish because “you get nothing, have a lekker (nice) day… thanks for coming”.
“I’m not miffed about missing out on a medal. It was never about the medal. I did the distance – that is all that matters.
“It was an amazing experience and a fantastic journey.”
For Zermatten, who has recovered well and determined to do next year’s Comrades, road running was not his sport of choice.
“I like doing tough mountain bike events. The more difficult the more fun. I have also driven in two Dakar rallies, and I've been off-road driving since I was 19.”
He joined the running club last year when his son suggested running would improve his cycling.
He enjoyed the camaraderie at the club and was encouraged to try out longer distances.
Once he agreed to do the Comrades, his intensive preparation programme began with help from Marco Josephs, the club’s head coach.
Considering Zermatten’s age and his lack in distance running, Josephs had some trepidation about the task, but his personality and determination swayed the coach.
With time and effort, Zermatten ran further and qualified and completed the Two Oceans Marathon in Cape Town and eventually made the cut for Comrades at the last possible event, the Wally Hayward Marathon in Gauteng, during May.
“This was a remarkable story because six months before the race Henri had not run more than 8km,” said Josephs.
Jose Bates, chairman of the club, said they waited for Zermatten to finish but when he hadn’t, the mood in their camp was "sombre” and some became emotional.
“We are a family club and everyone stayed behind in support.
“We let out a huge roar of excitement when we saw him enter and other spectators joined in.
“Some of our guys have already volunteered to run with him next year,” said Bates.
Everett said his crew were about to pack up and go when Zermatten emerged, hobbling through.
“The way the spectators reacted, that was in the true spirit of Comrades.
I hope the viewers at home bought into the drama,” said Everett.
SUNDAY TRIBUNE