6. The Hopeful Romantic – Roy Hein Ran the Comrades Marathon for the woman he loves, 61

Roy Hein could be considered a modern-day Prince Charming, because he took a risk to perform a selfless act for the woman he loves.

In our article The End And The Beginning (RW August 2016), writer Natasha Freeman describes how Tracy Todd dreamed of running the Comrades, but when a car accident rendered her quadriplegic, she lost her independence. Despite Hein having himself recovered from a crippling heart attack, he was so inspired by Todd’s fighting spirit (and her radiant smile) that he decided to run the world’s greatest footrace, the Comrades, for her.

The pair first met on an online dating site, and connected instantly. They spoke honestly about what they loved, their achievements and their disappointments – until one day, Todd shared her biggest regret: that she hadn’t run the Comrades when she’d had the chance. Without hesitation, Hein offered to run it for her.

Race day arrived, and with it mixed emotions. On the one hand Todd cried, because she so badly wanted to run the Comrades herself; and on the other, she prayed Hein would arrive at the finish safely, without any health complications.

But the encouraging text messages Todd sent throughout his race were all the support Hein needed to keep soldiering on. For the last 30 kilometres of the Comrades, he carried a touching tribute to Todd – a sign, with the words ‘For my friend, Tracy Todd’, and a photograph of Todd, smiling radiantly from her wheelchair.

Through Hein, Todd finally had the opportunity to ‘run’ the great ultra – and she also had Hein’s heart. The pair had fallen head over running shoes in love with each other, and to prove it, they shared their first kiss just five minutes after meeting for the first time. In April 2015, they were married.

In conclusion, the author writes: “If there’s one thing Hein and Todd’s triumph-over-tragedy story teaches us, it’s that love helps us get through it together.” Hein’s story certainly had the power to bring tears to our eyes here at RW.

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