Prelude
When doing research on living legends in the running space like Ian Benson, a rich source of information are their club mates. I therefore asked a mutual friend, David Case, if he has any anecdotes, stories or snippets that he could share with me. David started his description of Ian with, “He’s a typical macho male.”
David is something of a kindred spirit when it comes to beer and, as is typical of his kind, framed the follow-up sentence in a drinking context, “Ian is always in the bar but he’s not one to be holding up the bar.*”
* After writing this article, I have to say that I think David got this one wrong as it would be more appropriate to say that Ian is normally the one ‘raising the bar’.
Therefore it is very suitable that the first time I met Ian was in the ‘Bones Bar’ at Pirates Running Club a couple of years ago at the launch of David’s “1000 Kays of Caring” initiative. I remember being impressed with the number of Two Oceans ultras Ian had run, that (like me) he much prefers Two Oceans to Comrades as a run (he’s run 37 Comrades so he should know), that he’s survived to old age despite having two daughters (which gives me hope) and that he’s run London Marathon 13 times – this was where we disagreed as this was his favourite marathon and the one London Marathon I ran was the most disappointing in my collection (but that is another story).
When I saw a Facebook post that Ian was running his 40th Two Oceans ultra this year, I jumped at the opportunity to write an article on his reflections of four decades of Two Oceans and on running in general.
How it Started
Ian started running because a friend called him fat. He explained that he was a good 800m, 1500m and cross country athlete at school and won many a track meet at Florida Park High School and later Edenvale High School (where he matriculated). However, after completing school, Ian returned to his birth country, England (although he was keen to point out his family’s roots are in Glasgow), and eventually ended up working on the oil rigs in the North Sea.
Ian explained, “On the oil rigs you worked a two week stint consisting of 14 x 12 hour shifts and were well fed with three solid meals a day. After that you got to spend two weeks on shore before returning. You basically got your month’s salary in two weeks and then had a two week holiday.” Ian used this opportunity to explore all the glamorous locations and exotic experiences that Europe had to offer, like Oktoberfest and the running of the bulls in Pamplona (which he admits was the only running he did during this stage of his life).
After returning to Johannesburg 10 kilograms heavier than when he left and finding a job at an engineering company, Ian bumped into an old school friend and track competitor whose opening remark was, “It looks like you’ve put on a few pounds Bennie!” Ian, who has a self-confessed super competitive streak, replied, “Nah, I’ll still drill you over 800 metres.”
His friend said, “I don’t do that anymore, running on the track is for school kids. Men run Comrades.”
“That thing down in Natal? But that’s for old, slow people!” said an incredulous Ian, to which his friend snootily replied, “I’ll bet you’ll never run Comrades!”
Of course Ian took the bet and the net result was a debut Comrades later that year in 1980. Reflecting on rising to the challenge Ian said, “I finished just before the final cutoff in 10h50 and it almost killed me.” Of course he went back the next year, and the year after that and the year after that… and now has 37 Comrades medals* to his name including 11 Silvers.
* There are currently just two people who’ve done the “double quadruple” of 40 Comrades and 40 Two Oceans, Louis Massyn and Hercu Hofmeyr. Ian Benson is best placed to become the third. Other contenders who’ve already got 40+ Comrades are Wietse van der Westhuizen with 34 and Barry Holland with 33 Two Oceans ultra finishes.
A First Two Oceans
It took Ian another couple of years and a very long car trip to the Cape before he ran his first Two Oceans in 1982. Ian said he always knew he’d run 10 Comrades but, although he loved the race and beautiful route, thought that Oceans would be a once off as it was just too expensive to get down to the Cape from the Highveld.
A ‘Slow’ Silver
However, every year there seemed to be a car driving down to Two Oceans with a seat available and Ian kept returning for one more voyage around the Cape Peninsula. The 1985 trip was particularly memorable, sharing a car with Mark Page, Mike Arnold and Trevor Metcalfe.
The group was staying at Mike Arnold’s parents’ house in Cape Town. When they all came down for breakfast after the race on Sunday morning, Arnold’s dad asked everyone how their race went. Page boasted that he’d finished 5th in 3h17, Metcalfe that he’d won the veterans prize in 3h24 and Arnold told his dad that he’d cracked the Top 40 and smashed 7 minutes off his PB with a 3h37. When it finally came to Ian’s turn he proudly said, “I had a fantastic run. I finished 3:59:18 and got my first silver medal!” Arnold’s father gave him a confused look like he was withholding information and then further interrogated, “And what position did you come?”
“322nd” said Ian to which Arnold senior scoffed and said, “Better luck next year!” before returning to his newspaper.
The Brookside vs UCT Finish
Ian would go on to earn six Silvers with a personal best of 3:56:54 in 1995. Amazingly, five of his silvers were between 3:59:08 and 3:59:59. In those days, it was a much easier finish on the Villagers sports fields at Brookside for which Ian is grateful, “If we finished at UCT, which is a couple of minutes slower than the Brookside finish, it would have wiped out five of my silvers.”
When describing the old route to Bev Roos ahead of her first Two Oceans in 1987, she remembers Ian’s advice being, “When you get to the top of Constantia Nek, don’t think you are at the top. There are two nasty little pulls through Cecilia Forest called ‘Fuck it 1’ and ‘Fuck it 2’!”. Other than F1 and F2, the old finish consists of many gentle downhills past Bishops Court mansions, through leafy lanes and shaded suburbs. The term “Fresh out of fucks” may well have been coined to describe Ian’s description of the new finish at UCT with all those extra little hills.
Chappies vs Ou Kaapse Weg
You’ll always find one or two people who will disagree but Ian is firmly in the camp that the Chapmans Peak routing is much easier than going over Ou Kaapse Weg, “Chappies is an ideal way to run the hills in that it is 3km of fairly steep up but then 5km fairly gentle downhill whereas Ou Kaapse Weg is the other way around – it’s a 7km slow poison up followed by 2km very steep plummet down to Pollsmoor. You can’t make up the time you lost and it really hammers your legs.”
James Bonding it
I had earmarked Ian’s 1996 run, which was completed like James Bond defusing a bomb with one second remaining in 3:59:59, for special examination. When I asked Ian about it, he chuckled and I knew a good story was coming.
In those days, Bruce Fordyce used Two Oceans as a training run for Comrades and ran an unofficial ‘Fordyce bus’ that would finish in the last minute before the 4-hour cutoff. Ian was a frequent passenger on that bus and found himself there once again in 1996 with a small group of runners including his friend Tony Drury. As they neared the finish, Ian started to feel the first twinges of cramp coming on. Now the thing with the Fordyce silver bus was that you knew if you stuck with him, you’d definitely get a silver but there was no time to mess around as he literally timed everything down to the last few seconds.
With about two kilometres to go, the rest of the group noticed that Ian was starting to struggle as the cramp twinges intensified. The group accommodated him for as long as they could but eventually the twinges turned into twangs. The group looked at him with pity and Drury said, “Sorry mate, we gotta go.”
Ian recovered his composure and set off again. He knew it would be tight. He put his head down and eventually hit the finish straight on the grass at Brookside. He saw Fordyce’s bouncing locks of blonde hair disappear around the bend and knew he still had a shot at silver. Ian threw caution to the wind, knowing that if he cramped now and had a spectacular wipeout, he would at least be cushioned by the grass on the rugby fields.
Ian told me that he channelled his inner Roger Bannister and with flailing arms and a complete lack of grace or decorum, barrelled towards the line of chalk that marked the finish. He overtook another hapless runner 30 metres from the finish and collapsed over the line just as the 4-hour gun fired. The dreaded tape came out to separate the silver from the bronze medallists and to Ian’s relief the tape touched his back and not his chest.
Ian lay in a collapsed, undignified heap. After tunnel visioning to silver as only a medal hunting ultra marathoner can, Ian started to regain his composure. He realised that he’d made it but the guy he passed on the finish line hadn’t. However, as the euphoria wore off and consciousness of his surroundings was regained, Ian was rather perturbed to see that the ‘first bronze medallist’ had a Coca-Cola towel thrown over his shoulder and was being treated like royalty by an entourage of dignitaries whilst he was left like a discarded dish rag on the ground.
He didn’t have to worry about being ignored for too long. The salt was rubbed in the wounds when Fordyce and the rest of the silver bus surrounded him, peered down at the forlorn body sprawled on the ground and said, “You look pathetic!”
Fordyce has a clear recollection of Ian’s 1996 effort and suggests he draws inspiration from it ahead of his 40th voyage, “I expect Ian to display the same guts he showed at Two Oceans many years ago when he fought off cramps and dehydration to earn a coveted silver medal by a scant few seconds.”
Mathematical Complications
After 53 editions of the Two Oceans ultra there are just 90 people who’ve run 30 or more and Ian is looking to become the 12th quadruple Blue when crosses the line on Saturday. This is an exclusive club and you often spot these legends navigating towards each other and congregating along the route.
A couple of years ago Ian, boasting 37 finishes on his race number, was cruising up Chappies together with Paul Leader, a ‘quad’ with 41. As they passed a group of runners, one guy noticed and remarked in awe, “Wow – that’s 68 finishes between you!”. His friends laughed and told him to count again as he was cheating the pair out of an additional 10 finishes.
A side effect of ultra marathon running is a temporary loss of cognitive function, including the ability to do basic maths, and a short while later when Tony Abrahamson, having 44 finishes at the time, pulled up alongside Ian and Paul our struggling mathematician exclaimed, “Don’t even try to make me calculate that one!”.
Old School Paddle
Ian ran his first seven Two Oceans in the colours of Rand Athletic Club but, being a keen canoeist, left to found the running section at Dabulamanzi Canoe Club in 1990, essentially to allow those training for Dusi a single licencing facility rather than having to join a running club as well. Ian was already heavily involved in canoeing at Dabulamanzi and he served as Chairman for 12 years from 1988 to 1999.
Whist Padel is currently the rage (but would not be recommended for runners that want to stay injury free), many of Joburg’s old school runners cross trained with the traditional form of paddle on Emmarentia Dam. Ian was a keen paddler, regularly competing in the Dusi Canoe Marathon and Leppin Ironman (which replaced the swim of the traditional Ironman with a 28km canoe leg).
In those days, not only was personal seconding allowed but it was required if you wanted to be competitive. Mark Raubenheimer relayed this story, “One of our more memorable moments which comes to mind was when the two Martins and myself agreed to second Ian on one of the many Leppin Ironman events he completed. Martin Willis was the designated driver. Martin Wood rode a bicycle transferring buckets of water and ice between the car. Yours truly had the task of running the marathon leg with Ian offering him encouragement and refreshments along the way.”
All Raubenheimer had to do was sit in the car all day and then get out and help Ian through the final marathon leg, “Well, you guessed it, Ian had a blinder of a final leg, I blew trying to keep up with Ian, who was not sure if he should continue or slow down and assist me who at this stage was in all sorts of trouble. Fortunately, sanity prevailed, Ian told me in his most charming manner to get into the @$$&ing car and he will finish the run on his own!”
I also spoke to Ian’s former paddle partner at Dusi, Chris Fuller, who reported that Ian liked to use the opportunity to spend time off the legs and was something of a reluctant runner with the K2. Ian told me he was worried about “getting dehydrated” out of the water. However, I suspect that it might have been because he met his match in partnering with Fuller. A dentist by trade, Fuller embraced his inner sadist and told me, “I ran at the back of the K2 canoe. I always knew when I was pushing too hard because Ian would start with the dry heaves.”
Another funny story was when Voltaren was deciding whether to launch their “UltraMan” series which would comprise completing the Dusi, Leppin Ironman and Comrades in the same year, they asked Ian whether he thought it was possible. He replied, “Of course it’s possible, I did all three last year and also climbed Mount Kilimanjaro.”
Becoming a Pirate
When he eventually left Dabulamanzi in 2002, Ian naturally wanted to keep some nautical associations and therefore joined Pirates, “I had always been a social member of Pirates as I often went there to watch their rugby team. I used to double up my training. For example I would go to the dam on a Tuesday, paddle 10km, then run to Pirates and do their time trial. It was just a natural progression.”
Ian is still very much active in club affairs and, as a retired engineer, his current project is overseeing the construction of the Pirates Hockey Astro. For most, running the Pirates Half Marathon once a year is sufficient but for Ian the route is part of his staple diet. According to Pirates club members, no one has run the course more often than Ian and conservative estimates are that he’s completed the route several hundred times.
Ryan Mills, Pirates Road Running chair, said, “Ian’s impact on the club goes beyond the running section – he is an active member of the Pirates club council and always seeks ways to make meaningful contributions at the club. He doesn’t mind getting his hands dirty and he is also always willing to share his wealth of knowledge gained from decades of experience running the length and breadth of the globe.” As for the best place to find Ian at Pirates, should you wish to get some imparted knowledge, that would be at the Pirates bar where Ian “always has the time for a cold Hansa or a good bottle of wine when he’s not out exerting himself.”
Now Hansa sponsored the Dusi for many years so I wondered whether his choice of beer was cause or effect. Ian cleared that up with, “I’ve always enjoyed the taste of Hansa – even before the days they sponsored Dusi.”
Longevity, Cross Training & Time Management
Who better to acclaim Ian’s longevity than Bruce Fordyce, “I am no longer surprised when I learn that Ian Benson is running his 40th Two Oceans. I expect it.”
Fordyce, who stopped at 32 Two Oceans ultra continued, “In a way he has beaten us all. Not because he has run faster than many of us but because he has just simply worn us down with his longevity. Will he ever call it quits? I doubt it!”
I chatted to Ian about his longevity in running and he puts it down to cross-training. In his heyday, Ian did a lot of canoeing and cycling. These days he cross trains with a 10-11km walk twice a week (whilst enjoying a round of golf*). He still cycles and finds that this allows him to put less wear and tear on the body, “You don’t need to go out and toughen up your legs with 30km runs every Sunday morning when you’ve done so many marathons. So you just become a lot more selective.”
* Although Ian claims to be a very average golfer, he did get a hole-in-one off the 17th tee at the Majestic Creek Golf Course in 2018.
He continued, “As the years go by, I find I do less and less long runs. I always used to work on a 4-1 ratio so I find that if I do an 80km or 100km training ride it’s the equivalent of a 20 to 25km training run, unfortunately it just takes longer. It gives your running legs a break but it keeps your lungs and your heart going so you still get that stamina.”
Now when it comes to cross training, I don’t think anyone does it quite like Ian Benson who turns marshalling at the Pirates half marathon into a full on triathlon. After arriving shortly after 4am, “I’d put my head torch on and cycle down to Zoo Lake and cycle 20 times around Zoo Lake, cycle back to Pirates, stick my bike back in the boot of the car and grab my marshalling flag.” From there he’d run to his usual marshalling point on First Avenue, Linden and, “Once all the runners have gone through, I’d run the route but duck off at Emmarentia Dam (I still keep a boat there), get in the boat, do 7 or 8 laps and then jog back to Pirates.” He would of course end his triathlon with a couple of beers in the Pirates pub.
Ian also fondly recalls getting a lift to the Springs Striders 32km, running the race and then cycling the 70km back to Pirates. And I think he might have been talking directly to me when he said, “I’ve always trained hard. I’ve always pushed myself hard. And that’s what the youngsters don’t understand nowadays.”
“I have always just found a way to fit in a run”, was one of the catch phrases I wrote down in my notebook when I interviewed Ian. His daughter Leigh probably explains how he put this into action best, “I remember one holiday driving to Nelspruit. We stopped at Witbank Dam and while my mom, sister and I had pancakes for breakfast he did a 21km training run around the dam. He would run 10kms to family braais while we drove. December holidays in Gqeberha were much the same, us driving to the beach while Dad made his way there on foot.”
Perhaps Ian’s most impressive achievement was working the London to Brighton 53 mile ultra marathon into his honeymoon, “My wife Mandy and I had booked our honeymoon in 1982 to visit some friends and family in England for a week, then go on to the Greek Islands for two weeks. Then I found out that London to Brighton was on the weekend we arrived in London so what better opportunity?!”
Perhaps the person who was the most surprised to see Ian on the start line was the race’s eventual winner Bruce Fordyce, “I had known Ian for a while, mainly because we met almost every week on the start line of the Pirates club 8km time trial, and to be honest, in the Pirates pub afterwards. I also knew that in October 1982 Ian had married and gone to the UK on honeymoon. So, I was more than a little surprised to see Ian standing on Westminster Bridge, underneath Big Ben on a chilly London autumn morning waiting to run the London to Brighton ultra marathon along with 250 other runners, none of whom were on honeymoon.”
On Ian’s diverse appetite for endurance events, Fordyce said, “If it’s tough, long, has a reputation for endurance and it can be run, walked, pedalled or pedalled then Ian is always keen.”
As for those who have a Comrades or Two Oceans Silver on their wish list, Ian would be the guy to speak to for training tips. When he was running ‘competitively’ (although most would argue he has never stopped – and Ian told me he’s still very competitive with himself), Ian said in the build up to Two Oceans he would focus on quality and not too much quantity – plenty of the track work and time trials combined with the cycling and canoeing that he was doing, “Once you are used to running at 3m45 per kilometre running 4m15 for 56km is very doable”. After Two Oceans he then switched to high mileage and hill work to prepare for Comrades. Based on Ian’s results, you can’t argue with this recipe for success.
A final piece of advice for those that want to amass an impressive tally of Two Oceans and Comrades finishes, “I do try and run all year round. A lot of people stop after Oceans or Comrades and then start again in January. You’ve just got to keep that same thing going year after year.”
Advice with a Silver Lining
One of the beneficiaries of Ian’s mentorship was Filippo Faralla, “I was a solid Bill Rowan finisher at Comrades for 9 years until I met Ian Benson and his band of Pirates. I ran my first silver on the 10th attempt all because of the confidence brought about by running with the likes of Ian who knew how to run silver.”
Faralla highlighted the four key philosophies of Ian’s approach:
- Camaraderie – “The ingredient that made the long hours of training enjoyable and worthwhile.”
- Northcliff Hill – “A deep love for the infamous Pirates 21km route over Northcliff Hill. This route was run every week as a training run (often at quite a good pace).”
- Get out of town – “Ian had a love of racing and travelling, most weekends were spent on the road to some interesting corner of the country to run some equally interesting and beautiful race.”
- Beer – “Lastly and no less importantly, everyone enjoyed a beer after their run.”
Faralla concludes, “Ian showed me that running could be a lifestyle and that this would not only make the training enjoyable but would elevate one’s performance to levels you would not have expected.”
The King of Camaraderie
I tracked down several of Ian’s long term running buddies for comment and the consistent response was that the secret to what makes Ian tick is the camaraderie. Doug Dunbar explains, “When I first joined Pirates and ran with Ian and John Stark and Co., I was intimidated by the status of these legends of South African ultra distance running but soon realised that they were simply normal people with a passion for running. Ian would often be asked why he’d kept up and had done so many marathons. His answer was always the same, ‘I do it for the camaraderie!’ It’s not about winning but participating and having the pleasure of doing it all with good mates and fellow runners. Camaraderie brings him back every time.”
In Ian’s own words, “The number of friends that you meet on the road is special – a whole bunch of likeminded people. When you go out on a Sunday morning club run and get chatting to the guy running next to you, you don’t know if he’s a bricklayer’s labourer or if he’s the CEO of a company.” Details like job titles and status are unimportant on the road, as for what is important, “You just want to know what his marathon PB is and what his time trial time was on Tuesday. That’s what I like so much about running. It’s just so special.”
Favourite Oceans Memories
When I asked Ian about his favourite memories at Oceans he was quick to respond, “Running a silver – once you’ve got over the pain!” After taking a couple of moments to reminisce on those sub-4-hour triumphs, he elaborated, “I was always borderline silver medallist and I used to really have to scratch to try and break a 3-hour marathon so running a silver was always very special.”
His favourite part of the route, “That has to be the top of Chappies when you look back down to Sun Valley and see how far you’ve climbed.”
As for overall memories, “That would be running with mates, especially John Stark and Mark Raubenheimer.” Ian and Mark (who has 41 Two Oceans ultra medals with a PB of 3:41:21) will be starting the 2025 event together (along with fellow Pirate David Case). Sadly John Stark is no longer with us, tragically he had a heart attack after the Pirates time trial one evening in 2018 and died in Ian’s arms.
Ian’s daughter, Leigh and her husband, will also be running the ultra in 2025. Unfortunately, they were caught out in the cutoff mess in 2024 but will be back for another attempt to celebrate Ian’s special moment with him.
As for regrets, at Oceans Ian has just one, “I should have bought more photographs!” (advice that I am sure ActionPhoto will be pleased to hear).
A Running Icon
On the topic of regrets, Ian’s daughter Leigh said, “I ran the 1200m and 1500m in primary school, and when I moved to high school my big ‘teenage rebellion’ was to quit running. Dad was my unofficial coach, and what teenager wants to be coached by their parent? It’s the single biggest regret I have.”
As the father of teenage daughters I can empathise with Ian – running ultra marathons is easy work when compared to dealing with rebellious teenage daughters!
Leigh admits that keeping up with her dad is still beyond her powers, “Dad’s pace far surpasses mine and I’m not sure I’ll ever catch him in that regard. As I’ve come to learn, taking up marathons in your 40s is no easy task and I now have full appreciation and utter admiration (and sometimes disbelief) for the hours he put into his training.”
“The fact he’s starting his 40th Oceans this year after a cycling accident almost ended his running career in 2013 is testament to his talent and grit (and stubbornness). Dad’s sporting achievements are something quite remarkable that I respect even more now that I run myself. It’s an honour to share this milestone Two Oceans with him – although I’m pretty sure he’ll already be at Forries having a celebratory beer by the time I cross the finish line.”
Here’s there is some good news, Two Oceans Board member Allan Ryninks (himself a 34-time Oceans ultra finisher) has arranged for Ian’s family to be able to join him in the Blue Number Club (BNC) tent after the race – so hopefully all the old and new BNCs can join in with that celebratory beer for Ian’s 40th finish.
Whilst Ian might have held onto Fordyce’s bootstraps for most of his silver Oceans, famous running personalities were household friends rather than household names to Ian’s daughters. Ian’s second daughter Tracy (who claimed “I didn’t inherit the running obsession from my dad like my sister did” but does do the odd time trial and 10km race) sums it up nicely, “I remember being introduced to South African road running legends like Bruce Fordyce and not thinking much of it at the time, I mean, he’s just a friend of my dad’s. ‘Don’t you want his autograph?’ is what my dad asked me, and I said ‘No, dad, I just came to ask you for the car keys’.”
And then Tracy provides a lovely conclusion, “That’s just how it was – and still is – when your dad seems to know everyone, and everyone knows who your dad is. The running icon, Ian Benson.”
Old School Advice for Middle School Runners
I thought I would end this tribute article on a selfish note. Ian Benson is the epitome of the old school runner. According to daughter Leigh, “He’s so ‘old school’ that all he drinks on the run is Coca-Cola and for carbs he might have a baby potato or two, I don’t think he’s EVER had a sports gel.”
Therefore, I thought this ‘middle schooler’ could ask an old school prefect, “For someone who’s running their 20th Two Oceans ultra this year, what would your advice be to help them to get to double that number, 40, in two decades time?”
“Don’t get a high paying job overseas!” was his immediate quip followed by the more serious, “If you’ve got a stable home environment and a stable work environment, there’s no reason why you can’t carry on year after year doing the same thing.”
So there you go… According to Bruce Fordyce, if you want to be a good ultra distance runner, pick the right parents. But if you want to have a ultra long and fruitful ultra running career, pick the right spouse and job (and by the sounds of it, enjoying a few beers along the way doesn’t hurt either).
Mann!! What an profile – so deserving – wishing you your most memorable voyage on Saturday Ian
What a brilliant piece of work.Will keep this article in my special archive for inspiration.. Awesome
What a lovely article. Good luck this weekend Ian
What an inspiring article. Have an awesome 40th Two Oceans Marathon.
Wonderful article. I regretfully stopped running in 1996 having run only 11 Two Oceans including one silver and 3 Comrades. I have the utmost respect and admiration for Ian and wish him well on his 40th.
Fascinating and well written article. Wishing lan all the best for the big 40.
Ian guided and coached me with Ironman training all those many years ago and convinced me that I could do it. I also had some terrifying moments with him on the Fish River Canoe Marathon, including a nasty spill at the top of Soutpans, which resulted in a long, very uncomfortable swim! We also ended up in a tree at one stage, while the boat went through the pipes unscathed without us. In return, as my career has been in ultrasound scanning of sports injuries, I have over 140 images of Ian’s various injuries!!! He is unstoppable, indefatigable and indeed a legend, whose advice and encouragement I have been privileged to receive, but even more so, to have been able to call a friend for 38 years. I know we will all be with you, Ian, every step of the way!!!
This is a beautifully written piece. Thankyou!
What an inspiring article. I write this relaxing after a busy Two Oceans weekend and I was fortunate enough to be able to meet and congratulate Ian at the BNC tent after the completion of his 40th successful Voyage. Whilst an incredible achievement in itself, you have revealed to us, as readers, an amazing, well-researched, deeper story, Stuart.
Keep them coming! I would love to read more of these types of stories and you have a great way of telling them.