MARK ETHERIDGE: Two Oceans brings together two praiseworthy heroes

Right Place Right Time was the title of an album released by UK artist Olly Murs 10 years ago — one that sums up 2023’s Totalsports Two Oceans road race for two special people.

One kilometre into the half-marathon on Easter Sunday, Estcourt Athletics Club runner Gendraj Harripersad collapsed. Luckily for him, Groote Schuur Hospital cardiothoracic surgeon Moitheri Lephoi and a squad of fundraising medical personnel just happened to be running past.

A life-saving moment as it turned out. Says Lephoi, who had also run the gruelling 56km ultramarathon the previous day: “I was the very first person there and my colleague Dr David Ferreirinha [an anaesthetist] and a couple of other doctors began to manage him.

“His heart had stopped, so we did cardiopulmonary resuscitation for 20 minutes until the ambulance arrived.

“He was admitted to Chris Barnard Division, his coronaries [arteries] were stented and he’s making a good recovery. It was just such an incredible achievement that so many people stopped their race and did whatever they could to help save this man’s life.”

A father of four, Lephoi’s first love was soccer and during his studies he captained the Wits’ students first football side. Running marathons came by accident to him.

“I was helping out with some children at an orphanage in Soweto when the owner said they had some free entries to the Soweto Marathon the very next day. I was clueless but took a chance ... that was in 2010 and I’ve never looked back.”

Like so many long-distance runners, Lephoi says the sport is such a levelling affair. “It’s just such a wonderful space to meet people, there’s nothing like sexism or racism ... you can be the CEO of the biggest company in the world and can be running next to someone who is unemployed — but during that run we are all equal and treat each other with respect, there are such good dynamics of unity!”

The idea of raising awareness about organ donorship came to him a few years back. “I realised there was an extremely low volume of donor patients, perfectly healthy people pass on and their organs just go to waste, which really bothered me.

“I started thinking about a campaign during a run so that we can generate conversations about donoring, etc and dispelling myths, whether they be cultural or religious, about organ donation.”

So, together with his own cardiothoracic team and the Groote Schuur Trust they invited more runners to help raise awareness and funds and ended up with a group of more than 70 spread over the half and full Two Oceans events.

Lephoi’s busy Easter Weekend got off on a good footing on Easter Friday. “We had a referral from Gqeberha — a lovely person donated their organs, so from our side my team did a successful lung and kidney transplant.”

Meanwhile, lucky patient Harripersad was discharged from hospital this week to head home to KwaZulu-Natal and continue his recovery.

He is already a survivor in more ways than one. His wife Sushika says: “He was diagnosed with colon cancer 28 years ago but has been an active runner for 23 years now.

“Despite those health issues, running is a passion for him, he’s done all the major road races and has run Two Oceans ultra 10 times and has a permanent blue number. This would have been his eighth Two Oceans half-marathon.”

Harripersad’s goal was to reach 10 half-marathons but the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown was a speed bump on that road.

The medical theme runs thickly through this tale. Harripersad recently retired as financial manager of the Estcourt Hospital and turned 60 earlier in 2023.

For her part, news of her husband’s collapse came like a bolt from the blue, says Sushika. “We came down for the race and were waiting for him at the finish when a nurse called from the hospital.

“We were totally shocked as he had never suffered or complained about heart problems. He was fit and fine, ready to race and then we heard he had suffered a double heart attack. The doctors told us it was truly a miracle that he survived.”

Dr Lephoi’s medical mission continues as he and others plan to run the Comrades Marathon in June to raise more awareness and funds.

“Every little bit we can get will help. People can look at odf.org.za to register as organ donators and also look at Groote Schuur Hospital Trust’s social media pages to make any financial donations towards the hospital.

“And if we could get a big sports apparel company on board that would be even better. People are welcome to email me on lephmj@gmail.com in this regard.”

Going back to Olly Murs, that 2013 album also featured the song Heart on my Sleeve ... something that Dr Lephoi and his team of do-gooders plan on wearing for the foreseeable future.