Despite a close shave with death, two weeks in coma and six months in bed fighting to recover from life-threatening injuries caused by an accident, Melanie Delainey is happily chasing marathon titles around the world.
Two years after the accident that threatened to cripple her and end her illustrious sports career, the 31-year-old runner from South Africa is in India, determined to win the Great India Run from Delhi to Mumbai, possibly in record time. The marathon that will begin in Delhi on July 17 will finish on August 6 in Mumbai.
Recalling the incident that put her life on hold for a long time Melanie told The Pioneer, “I was out for my morning run when a car hit me from behind. That’s it. I don’t remember a single thing after that. Two weeks later I woke up in a hospital bed where I was told that I had been in coma for 15 days. I suffered three broken vertebrae, three fractured ribs and serious injuries to my neck and right leg. Doctors told me I was never going to run again. However, I fought and picked up slowly. Imagine a furious runner like me had to be taught how to stand and walk again. But I was determined to get back on the tracks again. It was a long, painful and bitter struggle, but today I am here in India for this marathon.”
The total distance of The Great India Run is 1,480 km and the runners will cover a minimum distance of 70 km and maximum of 80 km each day. After being flagged off from New Delhi, the first stop for the runners will be Manesar in Haryana, where they will stop for the night and then move on the next morning towards Neemrana in Rajasthan which is their next stop.
The Great India Run is being held to raise awareness and money for Go Sports foundation that offers financial support to athletes trying for a spot in the Olympics games but who don’t have the wherewithal to spend money on training and equipment.
Melanie, who hails from Johannesburg, has been running marathons since she was a teenager and her love for long distance running only grew with age. This year she completed her seventh Comrades Marathon, which is the world’s largest and oldest ultramarathon of approximately 89 km which is run annually from Durban to Pietermaritzburg.
Talking about where she got her passion for running, Melanie said, “My mother was a marathoner. She used to train in the streets around our house and sometimes I used to jog along with her. This inspired me to go further and take up the sport. Besides, I used to watch the Comrades Marathon in which athletes have to finish the main race in less than 12 hours. The race is shown on TV every year. We used to get up early to watch it and I decided to participate in it someday. I was only three-year-old then.”
Her first marathon was in high-school when she ran 21 kms. After that running became an integral part of her life. “It has shaped me and is part of my identity now. In 2008, I ran my first professional marathon. Then the following year, I took part in an ultramarathon and then Comrades Marathon,” Melanie added.
Asked if she saw India as a potential running nation in the next five to six years, Melanie was optimistic and said with confidence, “Yes! Absolutely!”
She said, “From what I have heard and read, India is doing a lot of events for their runners to enhance their skills. There are quite a few Mumbai runners who are supporting local running and trying to spread the word. These are the kind of initiatives that encourage people to take up running even if not for timing and competition sake but just for the fun of it. With events and programmes like these it means the nation is on the right track.”
Melanie has some advise for wannabe marathoners, “Running is a combination of mental, physical and psychological endurance. You have to have physical endurance but a lot of it comes down to mental and psychological endurance. All three are equally important. Once your body gives up, it is your mind that takes you over the finishing line and other barriers.”