He’s exactly one week away from celebrating his 88th birthday, but a little thing like age is not about to stop him from living life to the full – or completing his virtual walk from Port Elizabeth to Cape Town.
Henry Smith (87) has been a cyclist since the age of 14 and even when Ménière’s disease – which affected his balance – forced him to give up the bicycle at 84, he only traded it for a pair of running shoes.
Smith, a retired electrical engineer who lives in a retirement village in Fernglen, spent 30 minutes walking in the complex every day to stay fit and healthy.
Then COVID-19 happened and they weren’t allowed outdoors.
By April 1, only days after lockdown started, he decided to continue his walking indoors and make it interesting by setting himself a goal – walking to Cape Town.
“It is 10m from the back door to the front door in my unit. Walking this path 100 times gives me 1km. I do this five times a day, which amounts to 5km,” he said.
Smith said with all the walking, he’s been forced to place a piece of cardboard by the back door where he turns as he’s been wearing away the carpet.
He plots his progress on a map. By July 30, he’d walked 600km and “passed” Barrydale.
“I feel super fit with no aches or pains. I am also proud that I have given up some of my TV watching time to improve my health and also to reduce the boredom one experiences when living alone,” he said.
Smith’s wife of 53 years, Valery, is presently in frail care and he’s unable to visit her.
They have a son, Glen, who lives in London, and a daughter, Caryn, who lives in Cape Town.
“I spend two-and-a-half hours a day walking up and down here, and I’ve got my country and western music going all the time.
“It’s a fun thing. It keeps my mind active,” he said.
He’s looking forward to celebrating his 88th birthday on Wednesday, August 12.
“I’ll have my birthday in Caledon,” he joked. “I’ll be having a cup of coffee in my kitchen but I’ll have a glass of wine in Caledon.”
He plans on reaching Cape Town on September 7.
‘Health and fitness are my objectives’
And they always have been. Smith was a road and track cyclist for nearly seven decades.
He took a break only from 1956 to 1958 while studying automotive engineering in America.
During his competitive years, he won 40 EP titles from the junior to veteran age groups, broke several EP records, received his EP colours in 1954 and his Springbok colours in 1984. He also represented South Africa at the World Veteran Road Championships from 1976 to 1978, and again in 1983.
In 2000 he represented South Africa at the World Veteran Track Championships in Manchester, England, where he won the world sprint title in the 65-plus age group.
He’d set his sights on getting a world championship jersey at the age of 14 and it took him 54 years to get it. “Winners don’t quit and quitters don’t win,” he said.
Smith added that the 5km he walks every day now is not a hardship since his days of doing up to 180km on a bicycle a day prepared him for it.
He’ll keep going
While he never truly gave up his love of cycling, he won’t be getting back on a bicycle until he reaches his goals.
And it’s not just Cape Town he’s set his sights on. After he sets his virtual foot in Cape Town, he’s planning a virtual walk from Durban to Johannesburg.
“I’m hoping that someone will want to sponsor me because I want to raise money for the church,” he said.
“You have to have a reason for getting up in the morning. I live every day like it’s my last. I’m going to live it to the fullest.”
