Something unexpected happened when a teetotal country bumpkin participated in a fun run organised by a Wits University residence 13 years ago. He won the race.
Hendrick Ramaala was not much of a political firebrand while staying at Glyn Thomas, a bastion of resistance against apartheid and Wits liberal policies.
Glyn Thomas was the residence inside Baragwanath Hospital where black students had been placed because of the Group Areas Act, which barred them from staying in town.
But it became a hotbed of political activity where black students celebrated the battle of Cuito Cuanavale in Angola, where the South African Defence Force was forced to retreat after a spanking from Umkhonto weSizwe guerrillas.
This was the residence that spotted the talent that this year gave South Africa its second New York Marathon winner.
When he arrived at Wits determined to be lawyer, Ramaala had never participated in athletics.
In 1991, while the rest of the students enjoyed the fun day by imbibing alcohol and plotting the fall of the Wits administration, a star was born.
It was therefore perfectly understandable, a fortnight ago, when a smiling, waving Ramaala shook his head in disbelief just after crossing the line and realising that he — the athlete who never knew he was one — had won the New York Marathon and a cool $100 000.
In his wild joy, he missed the tape and left New York’s mayor standing waiting for him.
‘I was looking for this kind of win for about four years. It was my third attempt at the New York Marathon. When I won I was like ‘Is this really happening to me?’ Now I have the respect I deserve,†he said on returning home.
The win was also a big answer to critics who ridiculed him at the Olympics a few months ago when he broke away from the rest of the marathon runners but ended up not finishing the race.
‘What is Ramaala doing?†asked a disbelieving television commentator as Ramaala surged ahead. In the end he pulled out of the race because of a hamstring injury but the public assumed he had run the wrong race and burned out.
‘I was going to play around with those boys,†he reflects with regret.
Ramaala, from Ga-Molepo outside Polokwane, has now managed to keep almost everyone happy. He collected his two law degrees, a BProc and an LLB, bringing joy to his parents. His brother, who arrived at Wits at the same time, has also completed his degree and Hendrick is now helping his younger siblings with their education.
Of his running profession, Ramaala says it was a complete fluke. ‘It was never part of the plan.â€
In 1997, after completing his LLB, he took a year off to run, before starting to practise law, but has since stayed in athletics, running marathons, half-marathons and track races.
Now the humble athlete, who does not carry a cellphone because he does not need one, is taking a two-week break before preparing for local track races.