When Phindi Gule and Kevin Burley undertook their ‘Run KZN with Us’ they were faced with many challenges. Not only were their barriers when organising it but once they started, they faced dark moments on the road too.
“Kevin is an Executive Coach and he’s always been one to push boundaries (he even sold me to run Comrades) which is something I really love about him. His mantra is ‘Never say you can’t unless you’ve tried’.”
Kevin had to push through his own boundaries on day 13 when he suffered a serious injury to his shin and had to stop running.
Realising that this could be the end of his journey and running the next day on her own made the day both mentally and physically incredibly difficult. Phindi relied on Kevin for much motivation during the challenge. Kevin also took the responsibility of getting the crew and Phindi ready for the day and sorting out the logistics.
“I’m not a good morning person at the best of times and relied on Kevin to make me coffee and wake me up each day, and then some ‘gentle’ persuasion to get me out of bed.”
When Kevin was forced to stop running, Prime Human Performance Institute sent a Physio up to assess him. Based on the diagnosis Kevin had to return to Durban for a CT scan, which showed a cyst on the shin. Luck was on their side. The doctor treated him and he was back running within a few days.
Aside from the injury they also had to encounter a number of really bad days.
“One of those days was on route from Ulundi to Melmoth which was basically a day of running uphill. During these hard times we helped each other. The consistent message was to keep our mind on the end goal. That being the first people to run the length of KZN and the kids we were running for.”
Kevin and Phindi point their successful challenge to their relationship.
“One key strength of our relationship is the fun and laughter we share. This kept us going at our lowest points on the road.”
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On the 30th of April 2016, Phindi Gule and Kevin Burley made history. They became the first people to run the length of KwaZulu-Natal. They ran a total of 900km non-stop for 30 days in aid of the LIV Village and over the next month we are uncovering the Body, Mind and Life aspects of their endeavour.
