Denver looks straight ahead to marathon glory

Denver van der Bergh completed the Two Oceans Marathon on Saturday, but the route the 46-year-old from Bridgetown took to the finish line was a lot a longer than the 5 hours, 55 minutes, and 41 seconds he took to run the 56km.

Denver says he suffered an abusive childhood that led to him abusing alcohol as an adult, and his life reached a point where he could no longer have fun without alcohol. He then started experimenting with drugs and in early 2020, he attempted suicide.

His life reached a turning point when the owners of the restaurant where he worked told him he could get fired or go into rehab. Denver chose the latter.

Rehab showed him there were unresolved issues from his past that he had suppressed and it taught him how to cope, he says.

“I was on the right path, whereas before I didn’t even have a clue as to where to begin and what the root of my problems was. How can you fix something when you don’t even know what is broken?”

He got out of rehab but soon realised that staying sober would be a hard race to run, especially since his job required him to work with alcohol daily. Going to sobriety meetings and working with his sponsor helped him stay the course, he says, adding that he also set himself a list of goals to prevent a relapse.

He bought a laptop, got his car licence and bought a car, but then the Covid-19 pandemic hit and the sobriety meetings stopped.

Denver says he overcame feelings of isolation at the time by developing a strict routine: he woke up early, had a good breakfast and did some exercise. Then he would watch a motivational clip on YouTube and do some form of relaxation exercise. He kept in touch with how he was feeling, and on bad days, he made sure to at least get up and make his bed. He kept busy by taking online courses to better his typing skills and knowledge of computer software. He also started running and set himself the goal of running the Two Oceans this year.

Denver is also in his final year of a business finance administration degree.

“The first thing they teach you when running is to never look down as you can draw so much more air when you look straight forward. Nowadays, I look straight ahead to a brighter future in life, and I no longer look down.

“I have never been happier in my life, and I am very fortunate that I got a second chance in life. I still have bad days here and there, but a bad day sober still is far better than a good day drunk or high. I thought it would be impossible, and look at me now. I have learned to love myself again and to care for myself. This, however, takes work, sweat, sacrifice, and self-discipline, but it is so worth it at the end of the day as you really put the effort in to better yourself.”