From school sports days to the ultimate human race, Durban North’s Jenna Challenor epitomises unstoppable spirit.
Countless fans who sat glued to their screens watching last year’s Comrades Marathon will find it hard to forget Jenna Challenor’s painful but determined finish. One that saw her, spurred on by an adoring home crowd at the Moses Mabhida Stadium, crawl over the finish line to claim fourth place as the first KZN woman to complete the race.
But, while the 41-year-old running sensation, wife to her best friend Brett and mother of three, suddenly saw her social status rise, nothing could have prepared Jenna for what would become the hardest eight months of her life soon afterwards, and certainly the toughest challenge she’s had to navigate in her sporting career.
An all-round sports enthusiast, Jenna was 10 years old when she found her running feet, but it wasn’t until she was 23 and had given birth to her oldest daughter Nicky, now 18, that she realised she wanted to make running her life.
“I gave up a career in teaching and took up photography, which I was already doing on the side, so I could focus more on running. Then I had two more children, 16-year-old Rylee and Tao, who’s 10. I loved running so much, that I ran – on sound medical advice – during all three pregnancies, right until the day I was in labour. Crazy hey!”
In 2013 Jenna packed her camera away to pursue a career as a full-time professional athlete and, with three busy offspring, she quickly became a pro at a life of eat, sleep, run, repeat.
Since then, she’s scooped three Two Oceans golds, run the Dubai and Prague Marathons, powered through the longest women’s marathon in the world – the Nagoya Women’s Marathon, and next to the Comrades, considers the London Marathon one of her greatest career highlights.
“It was World Champs 2017, and I ran for SA. There is something incredible about wearing that green and gold and representing your country. I stayed in the same hotel as world greats like Usain Bolt and Mo Farrah, and formed part of a team that included the likes of Caster Semenya. It was out of this world, and I’ll never forget it.”
In 2019, Jenna ran her first Comrades. “It was a race I felt like I’d waited my whole life to finally run,” she says, recalling how she used to watch Bruce Fordyce run year after year, and developed an insatiable desire to run it too when she was old enough.
“My dad died the year before, so I dedicated my run to him and wore a blue ribbon on my chest. I remember standing on the start line looking up and saying: I’m ready Dad, watch me from up there! All I wanted out of it was to fall in love with the race and enjoy it. And boy did I!”
Jenna came sixth and was over the moon. It was a feeling that took her back to her school sports days and the many cross-country races at Durban Girls’ College that were filled with excitement and competitive spirit.
“It reminded me of the day I put on my first pair of running shoes and simply fell in love with running. Not for anything other than how it made me feel … free, at peace and in control.”
Despite getting Covid in 2021, Jenna fought her way back to competitive health and took on the 2022 edition with incredible grit. It was a year that served up tragedy, proposals, crazy outfits, and a lot of unbreakable spirit. Jenna’s finish went viral as one of the most amazing moments of that race.
“I was going strong for the first 70km, and while it might have looked like I was cruising to a gold medal, my legs had other ideas. The last 20km were utterly brutal.”
As Jenna hit the tunnel into the stadium, she slipped, hurting her already weary legs. Managing to crawl to the side, pull herself back to her feet and get going again, she thought the worst was over, but less than 50 metres from the finish line, her legs gave out again.
“I was desperate to hang onto my position, and I was running for three friends who were undergoing chemo and fighting for their lives. I knew their battles were way bigger than mine, so I couldn’t give up. I also wanted my children to witness the power of never giving up.”
Unable to get back up, Jenna was left with no choice but to crawl her way over the line.
“Mentally I knew what to do, but physically my body would not respond. I remember thinking that I’d lost all dignity, so the least I could do was smile. And then I saw Brett and the kids who were in tears and I knew I had to get to them. It was so hard, so emotional, but so worth it.”
As the matriarch of a highly sporty family, hubby Brett is a former Springbok surf life saver and diverse super athlete, and all three kids excel at and are passionate about a variety of sports. But despite all being fit and healthy, Jenna and her family were soon on a bumpy ride after her last Comrades success.
“I got sick about three weeks after Comrades with a chest and sinus infection and just never recovered. After countless doctor appointments and blood tests, they found acute glandular fever, anaemia and Type B coxsackievirus.”
As an athlete who trains several times a day, Jenna was left bed ridden and barely able to function as a mother, let alone a runner.
“I was determined to keep fighting, but the harder I tried, the sicker I got. It’s been a roller coaster ride for sure, and I’ve had to take a step back, breathe, find myself and allow my body and mind to heal … slowly.”
Along with some long-term side effects, which include limited use of her left hand, comes the acceptance that she most likely will not be able to run this year’s Comrades. But, Jenna will not be defeated.
“I’m back to training every day, but with more focus on a full recovery rather than pushing myself to do something my body isn’t quite ready for.”
Jenna says being blessed with a supportive family and an incredible medical team is what gets her through every day.
“I’ve had a long career I’m very proud of. Running has given me more than I could ever have imagined. It’s also chewed me up and spat me out hard, but I can’t imagine life without it.”
Jenna would love to podium at Comrades and, with some luck, win it, but the most important thing she says, is that she shows up.
“The obstacles will always be there, but I’ll figure out how to get around them. I just have to keep my head up, my heart going strong and never stop believing because I’m not done yet.”
Details: Follow Jenna on Instagram and Twitter: Jennachallie
Jenna’s top tips for Comrades prepping and race day
- Don’t increase your mileage too fast in training. It will lead to an injury.
- Don’t try new things on race day. Test what you like to fuel with in training and use that on race day.
- Don’t wear brand new socks – a rookie error I made that resulted in huge blisters!
- Never think you don’t have to drink or fuel in a race, you do and start it earlier rather than later.
- Don’t try control everything. Learn to go with the flow.
- Invest in proper running shoes for training and wear them for race day.
- Listen to your body and be careful of injures.
- Find a balance between maintaining your best racing fitness and resting leading up to race day.
