In 2025, I started talking to Morné from MCC while I was still deep into competitive powerlifting.
At the time, I had been a powerlifter for 12 years. I competed at the WPC World Championships in Durban in November 2025 at 110 kg, with a 305 kg squat, 190 kg bench press and 285 kg deadlift.
Powerlifting was my world.
I was also a husband, a father of two daughters and Head of Sales at d6, travelling internationally about one week every month.
Then someone at work challenged me to do a Half Ironman in 2026.
Honestly, I thought they were crazy.
From powerlifting to endurance sport
My cardio at that stage consisted of a 10–15 minute walk or an easy bike ride as a warm-up.
I remember running 2.5 km on the farm and literally gasping for air.
And swimming?
I had never swum before.
When I started swimming lessons that November, I couldn’t even swim 25 metres without stopping to catch my breath.
I genuinely had no idea how I was ever going to finish a 70.3.
That was when Morné came in.
Starting from where I was
Morné met me exactly where I was and understood where I wanted to go.
He was incredibly patient with me. He took me week by week and day by day, teaching me things I knew absolutely nothing about.
I had no equipment.
No experience.
No idea what I was doing.
But I had a programme.
I had someone who knew what needed to happen.
And, most importantly, I had someone who made me believe I could do it.
My job was actually quite simple:
Show up. Do the work. Trust the process.
And believe me, sometimes just showing up was hard.
But I didn’t have to overthink it. I could trust the process, do what was on the programme and keep moving forward.
One year later
Fast forward a year…
I can now comfortably complete a 70.3.
I’ve completed the 108 km Cape Town Cycle Tour, several 10 km and 15 km running races and swimming events. I’ve also learned how to properly fuel my body for performance.
But more than the races, I feel like a completely different athlete.
A completely different person.
A whole new chapter has opened for me, and I’m incredibly grateful for the journey.
From one challenge to the next
I absolutely love working with Morné and MCC — so much so that I’ve already started thinking about a Full Ironman in 2027.
And apparently, I’m not the only one who believes in the programme.
I recommended Morné to my wife after she saw the difference the programme made for me, and he’s now helping her with her journey too.
Start right. Trust the process.
If you’re thinking about starting your own endurance journey, my biggest recommendation would be:
Go and speak to Morné before you start.
Start right.
Get a plan.
Trust someone who knows what they’re doing.
You don’t need to know how you’re going to finish.
You just need to be willing to start.
And then…
Show up. Do the work. Trust the process.
Thank you, Morné, for helping me open a completely new chapter.