HE’LL attempt to run more than 1600km from Cape Town to Pietermaritzburg over 35 consecutive days.
Denver van der Bergh’s daring mission is his way of celebrating the fifth anniversary of his sobriety and help raise funds for the rehabilitation that helped make this possible.
The run will cover a total of 1680km via the N2, with the 48-year-old completing a marathon each day, culminating in the Comrades 90km Ultra Marathon, which he intends participating in later this year.
Van der Bergh's five year feat of sobriety comes after overcoming 25 years of addiction.
“I am proud of how far I have come and am determined to inspire others to believe that change is possible.
“Growing up on the Cape Flats... I kind of lost hope at a young age. I fell victim to a life of alcohol and drug abuse. This is a battle I fought for 25 years. I had a few early knocks in my life, I got robbed when I was young on my way to church. I lost my grandfather and I blamed myself for that. I basically lost my faith in God, in life and myself. I got introduced to the life of partying and all of that. Over the years I never thought I had a problem until one day I realised I did have a problem because I tried to stop but I wasn’t able to at the time. I found myself doing it on my own, that’s where I hit rock bottom. I didn’t see any way out.
“There’s a bad stigma around addicts. I was too scared to come out and say I have a problem, I’m doing drugs. I was scared it would bring shame to myself as well as my family because my parents were very well-respected in the church. That’s why I’m also doing this run because I want to try and break those negative stigmas. Just because I had a problem and made a mistake in life it didn’t make me a bad person because I am not a bad person at heart.”
During his lowest time, it was his company and colleagues who stepped in and gave him an ultimatum.
“They put it on the table saying I could either face disciplinary action or go to rehab. Rehab was the last place I wanted to go because there’s also a bad stigma around rehab. I think that’s the unregistered rehabs being involved in malpractice. You hear such a lot of bad stuff going on in these places. For me it was the obvious choice because it was either disciplinary action or rehabilitation. I was like this is my way out.”
When he arrived at Ramot Treatment Centre in Parow, his entire life changed.
“It was completely different to what I expected. In rehab I learned I do need help and I did have a problem. I changed my life around from there. I learned a lot of important life lessons. The first lesson I learned was the serenity prayer. That’s why I decided to call this run the serenity run because it helped me forgive myself. I had to forgive myself to move further. I had to accept the things I cannot change and move forward and be brave and try to overcome this adversity.”
He was also taught to dispute negative or irrational thoughts, like temptations to go back into environments which led to his addiction in the first place.
“Another thing was identifying triggers because a trigger doesn’t just happen. At first you get a thought or something happens. It’s like a process until eventually you find yourself sitting in the bar. So they taught me how to get rid of those triggers before it gets to a point where you are already in the situation.”
Other valuable lessons he has taken on his life’s journey include, waking up early, having a sit-down breakfast, going for a walk, doing some exercises, and doing artwork.
“That’s where the running also started because we used to have these walks through the neighbourhood in the morning. I used to race the guys back to the complex, the last stretch.”
When he got out of rehab, it would become a new hobby.
“I started running at the Rondebosch Common, I couldn’t even do one lap around that field. That’s why I want to start the serenity run at the Rondebosch Common because that’s where it all started for me in 2020.”
In the five years, he put himself through college, earning a business administration degree cum laude, and is now working as an intern at one of South Africa's top investment companies.
“There’s always hope, never give up, it's never too late, this is something that stuck with me always and has helped a lot. We are not all bad people, never give up on an addict, we need compassion instead of judgement. With most addicts, there were underlying issues they didn’t deal with.
"There’s a great, great world out there, after addiction. My days are so filled with joy, I’m at peace and I’m happy, I will never go back to that life again.”
Van der Bergh has launched a Backabuddy campaign where he hopes to raise R500 000 for the Ramot Treatment Centre, to help other people who may be facing addiction and need help but cannot afford it. So far the Celtic Harriers running club has pledged R10 for every km he completes. He is calling on corporates and individuals who would like to make a difference to come onboard and support his cause.
The journey will start from the Rondebosch Common at 6.30am, where he will run one lap around the Common Sport’s Ground. This will be an opportunity for fellow runners to join him for the first few kilometers, offering support and encouragement as he begins this monumental challenge.
To support Van der Bergh's cause visit https://www.backabuddy.co.za/campaign/serenity-run
Cape Times