South African long-distance runner Dave Chamberlain – who has crossed Canada, jogged the length of Argentina and run through the Namibian desert – has run 56km every day for the past 49 days.
This Saturday the 42-year-old will run his fifteenth 56km when he completes the Two Oceans Marathon, now in its 50th year, for the first time to raise funds for and awareness of the endangered African penguin.
He has run just over 2,400km thus far, completing the exact Two Oceans route every day.
“I am not a scientist but that doesn’t exclude me from helping environmental causes,” Chamberlain said. “What I can do is run, so I am using this to create awareness about our environment.”
He is aiming to raise R150,000 to help BirdLife South Africa create new African Penguin colonies in the Indian Ocean by relocating penguins from the Atlantic Ocean where they are struggling to survive.
To date, 57% of the goal has been reached with the support of Pick n Pay, which has been covering the cost of meals during the duration of his runs.
Donate to Chamberlain’s campaign here.
Chamberlain, a former scuba instructor, gave Business Insider South Africa a list of four tips to help runners more easily complete the Two Oceans ultra-marathon.
Don’t be intimidated by the hills
Despite athletes having to conquer three steep hills with a total elevation of more than 700 metres, Chamberlain said runners should not be intimidated by them.
“They’re not big themselves but where they are positioned that make them scary,” he said.
Don’t push hard
Chamberlain advised runners not to push “too hard” until they are on top of Constantia Nek - roughly ten kilometres to the finishing line.
“It is very easy to make up time in the final 10km.”
Watch out for cat's eyes
There are a lot of cat's eyes (retroreflective safety devices) in the road at the beginning of the race which causes runners to fall, Chamberlain said.
He said running in a crowd also tends to distract runners, which causes them to trip on cats-eyes.
Don’t give up
Chamberlain said despite the bit of an incline from Princess Anne - near the end of the race - runners should push through.
“Just remember that [it is close to the end] and don’t let it discourage you.”
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