“Forrest Gump” Andrew Lusk pushes through pain in Plett to Cape Town run

Ballito’s Andrew Lusk battled brutal terrain and tech failures on a gruelling 14-day run from Plettenberg Bay to Cape Town last month.

Known as Ballito’s “Forrest Gump,” the 33-year-old set off on August 1 with the aim of running 600km in 10 days to raise R100 000 for Rise Against Hunger, a charity that feeds vulnerable children.

Despite a history of completing long-distance inter-city runs, Andrew described this Garden Route trek as one of the hardest of his ultrarunning career. His 10-day goal stretched to 14, and the total distance dropped from 600km to 400km due to setbacks. He ultimately raised R10 000.

“The route destroyed me,” said Andrew.

“My legs were sore, and I struggled to sleep because of the pain.”

Technology, usually a reliable companion, failed him at critical moments. Twice, Andrew lost recorded distances due to glitches, forcing him to run extra kilometres in vain.

“When I set off, my phone did not record my time and distance, which meant the data was not saved. This happened again a few days later,” said Andrew.

For the first time, Andrew was accompanied by a support team, including his wife Delia and infant daughter, Hunter.

“I thought running with my family would be easy, but it was actually harder. I struggled to stay motivated, and I constantly worried about where we would stay the night. I felt very low,” he admitted.

Andrew relies on the kindness of strangers for food and shelter between towns, but he found hospitality in short supply in Worcester, Paarl and Cape Town, which negatively affected his focus.

Now back in Ballito, Andrew is not as down as he was weeks ago. He is recovering and already planning his next challenge, a run from Durban to Johannesburg in December, his fifth such journey.

“Running allows me to help others and I will keep running until I reach my 100k goal. I will not give up!” he added.

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