Springs says farewell to one of its most celebrated heroes
In his lifetime, he had competed in more than 15 Comrades and 11 100km races.
Two weeks ago, Springs mourned the loss of an inspiring man.
Paul Ras set an example of courage and fortitude.
Ras, born March 26, 1937, died in the early hours of July 18 at the age of 82.
A resident of Pollak Park, Ras was a gifted athlete who played for the Springs Town Rugby Club and took up running at the age of 39 in his ongoing efforts to keep fit and healthy, and made waves in the running community.
In his lifetime, he had competed in more than 15 Comrades Marathons and dozens more endurance races.
However, tragedy struck Ras and his family in 1995 when he was involved in a serious car accident which saw him suffer severe injury to his left leg.
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He was later involved in a head-on collision where he suffered five broken ribs, a broken right leg and a crushed pelvis.
He recovered and the injuries didn’t dampen his spirit as he continued to pursue his passion for running, this time on crutches.
In a quote from December 8, 2010, the ever-determined Ras said: “I thought hard and long about it and decided that there was no way I was going to just sit on the side lines.
“I’ve been an active person all my life and a little accident wasn’t going to change all that.”
Later on, however, complications from his injuries forced Ras to undergo further surgery on his hip, removing the right side of it.
The surgery left a discrepancy in his legs; his left leg was now shorter than his right.
Ras was determined to continue running and had a custom-made running shoe which compensated for the discrepancy; he was swiftly back to running again, crutches and all.
He continued to run 5km and 32km races for Striders Athletics Club and daily on the streets of Springs throughout his life, despite his setbacks.
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The annual 21km Paul Ras Marathon is named after the legendary athlete.
Ras was revered by the running community and many residents who were awed by his perseverance and determination.
Ras continued to run until the age of 80.
It’s safe to say that Ras will be greatly missed by his family, members of the Striders Athletics Club and the Springs community, but his legacy will live on for a long time to come.
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