Lockdown is not keeping Youssef Kanouni from running… he’s just doing it in his house.
The 46-year-old chairman of the Woodstock Community Policing Forum (CPF) runs to keep fit and has been doing so for 30 years.
Late last month, he ran a house-bound half-marathon, running a 25m distance to his front gate and back to make a 50m lap, which he then ran 440 times to complete 22km.
He completed his half-marathon in one hour and 53 minutes.
To beat the monotony of running from his passage to his gate and back, he listened to music and had his wife, Mushfiqah, cheering him on and recording his efforts on Facebook Live where his friends all over the world could watch.
“I received positive feedback from many people who watched me, saying that they like it and it is motivating them during this coronavirus crisis,” he said.
Covid-19 lockdown was not an excuse for people to turn into couch potatoes, Mr Kanouni said. “They need to stop sitting on the couch and watching hours of television.
“Even if they can take a short walk in the yard, it can help with their blood circulation.”
Neighbourhood watches and CPFs aren’t considered essential services during lockdown, but Mr Kanouni is still staying on top of his CPF duties, albeit remotely. “I still have constant contact with Woodstock police and law enforcement in the WhatsApp chat groups. I am in contact with the ward councillor Dave Bryant and even Premier Alan Winde.”
The Woodstock community was also still in touch with him, and he was glad to assist them in whatever way he could, he said.
A veteran of 10 Peninsula Marathons, 10 Two Oceans marathons and nine Comrades, he is now planning on doing the equivalent of a Two Oceans, a full 56km ultra distance, in his house.