I asked 41-time Two Oceans ultra marathon finisher Mark Raubenheimer for a “few quotes, comments and / or anecdotes” on Ian Benson for the article I was writing on Ian’s 40th Two Oceans.
A couple of days later Mark sent me back an email saying, “I think I ended up going down a rabbit warren when you reached out to me. I wrote this as an article but am not precious about it so happy for you to use the content as you see fit.”
Pirates clearly have a tendency to go ‘overboard’ (although I understand this is known as ‘walking the plank’ in Greenside lingo).
I did use a few segments in my main article on Ian (Benson & Legends (Ian Benson’s 40th Two Oceans ultra marathon)) but I thought this would be an ideal guest blog. So here it is courtesy of Mark Raubenheimer…
Ian’s 40th Two Oceans Ultra Marathon Voyage
WOW, where have the years gone! Ian will be starting his 40th Two Oceans Ultra Marathon voyage on Saturday 5th April. It seems just the other day that I was training and running with Ian and the two Martins (Wood and Willis).
Having been asked to put a few words together, I jumped at the opportunity. Quite frankly, it’s currently far easier to write a few words about Ian than putting on my running shoes and doing a 10k run. Or so I thought. How do you put what Ian has achieved, as well as his influence on my (and others) enjoyment in running, into a few words? Pretty difficult, so I have used just one word which hopefully encapsulates Ian and his 40th voyage… PIRATES.
P – Principled: Throughout Ian’s running career, he has never shied away from voicing his opinion. Never one to suffer fools, there were many long training runs which flew by as we debated “topical items” such as the logistics and distance between water points, the grazing etiquette of cows, the requirement of wearing age group tags to be eligible for prizes, the necessity of qualifying runs, cut-off times (maybe this would be a different conversation now than when we were running 4min/k ☺), voluntary seeding vs timed race results, etc., etc.
I – Invested: Ian has invested a significant portion of his life to his sport (running, cycling, canoeing) and completing his 40th voyage will be a fitting reward for what Ian has put into his sport. Not only has Ian invested his time into his sport but he has also invested into our sport by offering advice to novices and spending many years on numerous club and race committees.
R – Reward: Achieving a 4th laurel on Saturday 5th April will be a deserving reward for Ian’s dedication, commitment and strength of character. Like any long run, you will always go through a bad patch which requires you to dig deep and push through. Running his 40th voyage has been exactly that, just amplified. Ian has shown what can be achieved if you stay focussed on your long-term goals and not get derailed by many temporary hurdles which inevitably arise along the way.
A – Assist: Such a great trait. Ian has always been available to selflessly assist, support and promote this wonderful sport, his fellow runners and Pirates, but, one of our more memorable moments which comes to mind was when the two Martins and myself agreed to assist Ian on one of the many Leppin Ironman events Ian completed. Martin Willis was the designated driver. Martin Wood rode a bicycle transferring buckets of water and ice between the car and yours truly who had the task of running the marathon leg with Ian offering him encouragement and refreshments along the way. 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 @$$& car and he will finish the run on his own!
Aside: Here’s how Ian remembers it…
“Mark Raubenheimer and I have been great mates for many years. In the days when you were allowed seconding at the Leppin Iron Man I had one friend on a bicycle with a basket full of ice and cold water and Mark running next to me with a bucket and sponge. It was a stinking hot day and he hadn’t been looking after his own nutrition, just thinking of me. I ran a 3.20 marathon to finish 8th and Mark ‘blew’ at 38kms!”
T – Thorough: An aspect which has ensured Ian’s success has been his thorough and detailed planning which he consistently applies to all his events. Personally, my running years with Ian were so easy, I would be told early in the week where and what we would do for our training runs, which event we would be running over the weekend and what pace we would be running. During the weekend race, Ian would know exactly what pace we should be running and give myself and whoever else was running in our group, km by km feedback on how we were tracking against our target pace. It felt like I was wearing a smartwatch long before Steve Jobs identified a market for smartwatches!
E – Example: Ian’s journey towards his 40th voyage is an example of how one can achieve amazing results if you are passionate, dedicated and prepared to be patient. Ian’s journey is also an example of how the idea of running being an individual sport is a misconception. Ian has been an example of how you can not only achieve your individual goals but also encourage and put yourself out there to be an example and inspiration for others to follow.
S – Steadfast: Ian’s unwavering loyalty towards Pirates and his fellow runners has ensured that Ian will always be an icon and an inspiration for anyone joining Pirates or venturing on their maiden voyage. Nothing is impossible, some things just take being a PIRATE to achieve! ☺
Congratulations Ian and safe travels on Saturday!
