From Comrades to Consistency – My 200km Journey
Twenty five years ago, my dream was to conquer the Comrades Marathon. Back then, achievement needed to be “loud”! I needed the medals, finish lines and finishing times, the kind of pain that leaves you wrecked but proud.
Fast forward to today, and jogging isn’t something I do, it’s part of who I am.
The goals have changed, but the mindset hasn’t. I didn’t learn discipline in a gym or some feel-good self-help book. I learned it in the army, where fitness wasn’t about “wellness”, it was about survival. You ran because you were told to. You pushed because stopping meant failure, and failure wasn’t an option. It was a place where they broke you down just to see if you’d crawl back up.
When I shattered both my legs during that army training, that same mentality kicked in. Running wasn’t a hobby; it was a necessary part of rehab.
A young army doctor told me I might never walk properly again. So instead… I ran.
Somewhere between the agony and the asphalt, it stopped being punishment and became something else entirely: my anchor.
Young men run to prove something. Old men run to “remain” something.
These days, I don’t care about finish lines. I care about showing up. This last month, I hit 200 kilometres, my best monthly mileage in 25 years, AND with two days left on the calendar. There was no crowd, no medal. Just my wife cheering me on (and me grumbling about her making a fuss).
But here’s the lesson: I’ve learned to celebrate anyway.
Not with fanfare, but with a quiet nod of acknowledgment. Because consistency is showing up, day after day, year after year. The victories aren’t about glory anymore. They’re about grit. The kind that doesn’t need applause because the reward is in the ritual itself.
People ask how a man my age outworks men half of it, in business and on the road. The answer’s the same for both: you don’t rise to the occasion; you fall back on routine. Mining isn’t only about striking gold. It’s about showing up every damn day, digging when others would’ve quit.
Running isn’t about speed. It’s about lacing up when your knees scream and the bed feels too good. The overlap isn’t coincidence, it’s cause and effect. The army taught me to endure. Broken bones taught me to adapt. Now?
Running is my sanity. Business is my craft.
Neither requires talent, just a refusal to let the flame die.
So if you’re chasing a dream, remember: the difference between a goal and a lifestyle is repetition. Stop waiting for motivation. Start building discipline. And when you hit your stride, don’t only celebrate the milestones, celebrate the fact that you didn’t stop.
–Z.B.S
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