Weltevreden Park resident and regular Roodepoort parkrunner, Alois Saphir, reached an epic milestone at Len Rutter Park on Saturday, February 28, completing his 181st parkrun just a few days after his 80th birthday.

Alois, who arrived in South Africa from a small village in Austria 57 years ago as a 23-year-old armed with R168 in his pocket and a specialised plumbing certificate, has since built a successful life, though not without its challenges.

He survived post-war injuries as a child and 12 years ago, beat colon cancer.

“I took up running after my cancer treatment, mainly as a way to keep myself fit and healthy, but I’ve since developed a love for it,” he says.

“It’s addictive. I’m currently on a mission to complete all the parkrun events in Gauteng. I’ve done 16 different locations thus far, but these include some parkruns outside of Gauteng.

“I still have 10 Gauteng parkruns left to do.”

At 80, Alois is not taking his health for granted, and he shows no signs of slowing down.

“I’m still working to this day,” he adds.

In addition to parkrun, he is also a member of Run/Walk for Life.

Also read: Parkrunner celebrates 100th milestone achievement
According to daughters Colleen Ross and Barbara Pawlowics, their father is one of the most principled and dedicated people they know.

“His work-ethic simply does not have an off switch,” says Colleen, adding that in addition to running, his family is his whole world.

“He has taught us so much,” adds Barbara. “He has qualities that most of us can only aspire to.

“And throughout his life, he always put his family before anything else.”

Alois finished Saturday’s parkrun in 208th position in a time of 43.20 dressed in a celebratory tut and brandishing a huge birthday balloon.