{"id":19031,"date":"2024-04-04T13:33:16","date_gmt":"2024-04-04T11:33:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/getitmagazine.co.za\/joburg-north\/?p=19031"},"modified":"2024-04-04T13:33:16","modified_gmt":"2024-04-04T11:33:16","slug":"risk-reward","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/getitmagazine.co.za\/joburg-north\/blog\/2024\/04\/04\/risk-reward\/","title":{"rendered":"Risk & reward"},"content":{"rendered":"

We get up to speed with Gaven Sinclair\u2019s action-packed life and adventurous spirit, all driven by raising awareness for causes, from missing children to chronic disease.\u00a0<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Gaven Sinclair is cycling down a dirt road between villages, somewhere in Africa. With pedestrians, cyclists and people on Pikipiki\u2019s (small motorbikes) passing by in throngs, the little sand road bustles like a highway, even though it\u2019s lit by cooking fires rather than street lights. There\u2019s a full moon out, making it a beautiful night \u2013 when, suddenly, Gaven\u2019s bicycle light snuffs out. From the rising darkness, he can just make out the white of a fellow road user\u2019s eyes as he veers, panicked, to avoid a collision.<\/p>\n

It’s not the first time Gaven has come close to death. Far from it.\u00a0 The adventure athlete has wended his way from Cape to Cairo on bike, swum solo from Ilha (an island off the Mozambique coast) to the mainland, run 388km up the Mozambique coast in six days, and run from Qherberha to Cape Town in 30 days \u2013 and at different times, he has faced danger in the form of flooding rivers, torrential rain, malaria, and even murderous bandits. He\u2019s run out of food and money, and found himself all but crippled by blisters. He\u2019s slept in backpackers, campsites, police stations and on the side of the road.<\/p>\n

So, what drives him to take on challenges that would leave most people clinging to their couch? It\u2019s simple, really. He uses each extreme adventure as a platform to raise awareness for causes, from missing children to chronic disease.<\/p>\n

This is especially important for Gaven who, as a child, was diagnosed with dyslexia and ADHD. Later in life, a diagnosis of chronic fatigue was added to this list. \u201cI was labelled a problem child because I couldn\u2019t focus. My hands would sweat every time I met someone new, and I battled to communicate. This is something that\u00a0 many kids today struggling with the same issues can identify with. The problem is that when you\u2019re treated differently, your self-confidence plummets, and you begin to take what people say very personally. These kids need to learn that they have been given a beautiful gift, and they must be shown how to tap into it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gaven\u2019s compassion for kids recently led him to pen a teen\u2019s adventure book, The Golden Skull of Peru.<\/p>\n

As a child, Gaven found that one of his own coping mechanisms was to immerse himself in sport \u2013 which was the first step towards his current action-packed life. He has a hunch that his adventurous spirit is the legacy of his grandfather, who used to build boats. \u201cAs a kid, I expressed this by hopping on my BMX and exploring the world around me.\u201d As he grew up, tried his hand at corporate life and launched his own start-ups, that craving to see what lay beyond the bend didn\u2019t leave him. And after watching The Long Way Around<\/em>, a documentary about actor Ewan MacGregor\u2019s attempts to motorbike from London to New York, Gaven realised that the key to his own lack of fulfilment may lie in pushing himself to his limits. \u201cMy body struggles to produce dopamine (a hormone which helps produce feelings of satisfaction), so I need to challenge constantly. That\u2019s when I\u2019m at my most alive.\u201d<\/p>\n

That can\u2019t be easy for someone who lives with chronic fatigue \u2013 but Gaven approaches this condition pragmatically, carefully calculating how many calories he needs each day, working out rest and exercise requirements and, most importantly, crashing when his body tells him it\u2019s time to do so.<\/p>\n

And it\u2019s all worth it. Gaven says the lessons he has learned, and the memories he has made, are beyond anything he could have imagined. \u201cOne of my favourite occasions to think back on is the time I arrived at Lake Turkana in Malawi, sunburnt, out of money and food, and with a broken bike. The nomadic tribe living in the area advised me to board a boat with one of the locals \u2013 along with a herd of goats. The motor stopped working after a few hours, so we were all given buckets made from cut off milk bottles and told to bail out water. A little later, we had to get out on an island so that the goats could eat. I wasn\u2019t at all sure what was happening by this point \u2013 but, then, my skipper got out a fishing line, and soon we were all eating fish caught just minutes ago.\u201d<\/p>\n

That generosity is pretty typical of the spirit that pervades our continent, Gaven says. \u201cWherever I have gone, I have met the most amazing people, who have been all too eager to help me \u2013 especially when they find out I\u2019m doing this for a cause. They\u2019re a big part of what keeps me going when things get tough.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gaven\u2019s next venture sees him taking other intrepid adventurers on slack packing tours through the Transkei, while he prepares for another challenge: climbing K2 or rowing across the Atlantic. \u201cI\u2019ve run, cycled and swum, so it makes sense that the next chapter involves climbing or rowing!\u201d<\/p>\n

Details: vip.beepdsmart.com\/card\/gaven-sinclair-adventures<\/em><\/p>\n

Text: LISA WITEPSKI \u2022 Photo: MEGAN BRETT<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We get up to speed with Gaven Sinclair\u2019s action-packed life and adventurous spirit, all driven by raising awareness for causes, from missing children to chronic disease.\u00a0 Gaven Sinclair is cycling down a dirt road between villages, somewhere in Africa. With pedestrians, cyclists and people on Pikipiki\u2019s (small motorbikes) passing by in throngs, the little sand […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":113,"featured_media":19032,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[40,20],"tags":[6864,6863],"class_list":{"0":"post-19031","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-people","8":"category-personalities","9":"tag-adventure-athlete","10":"tag-gaven-sinclair"},"yoast_head":"\nRisk & reward - Get it Joburg North<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/getitmagazine.co.za\/joburg-north\/blog\/2024\/04\/04\/risk-reward\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Risk & reward - Get it Joburg North\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"We get up to speed with Gaven Sinclair\u2019s action-packed life and adventurous spirit, all driven by raising awareness for causes, from missing children to chronic disease.\u00a0 Gaven Sinclair is cycling down a dirt road between villages, somewhere in Africa. With pedestrians, cyclists and people on Pikipiki\u2019s (small motorbikes) passing by in throngs, the little sand […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/getitmagazine.co.za\/joburg-north\/blog\/2024\/04\/04\/risk-reward\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Get it Joburg North\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/getitjoburgnorth\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-04-04T11:33:16+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/getitmagazine.co.za\/joburg-north\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2024\/04\/Gaven-website-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1103\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Get It Local Media\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@getitjhbnorth\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@getitjhbnorth\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Get It Local Media\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/getitmagazine.co.za\\\/joburg-north\\\/blog\\\/2024\\\/04\\\/04\\\/risk-reward\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/getitmagazine.co.za\\\/joburg-north\\\/blog\\\/2024\\\/04\\\/04\\\/risk-reward\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Get It Local Media\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/getitmagazine.co.za\\\/joburg-north\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/a0a7343da285456f8363e2bfa99149c6\"},\"headline\":\"Risk & reward\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-04-04T11:33:16+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/getitmagazine.co.za\\\/joburg-north\\\/blog\\\/2024\\\/04\\\/04\\\/risk-reward\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":893,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/getitmagazine.co.za\\\/joburg-north\\\/blog\\\/2024\\\/04\\\/04\\\/risk-reward\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/getitmagazine.co.za\\\/joburg-north\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/19\\\/2024\\\/04\\\/Gaven-website-scaled.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"adventure athlete\",\"Gaven Sinclair\"],\"articleSection\":[\"People\",\"Personalities\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/getitmagazine.co.za\\\/joburg-north\\\/blog\\\/2024\\\/04\\\/04\\\/risk-reward\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/getitmagazine.co.za\\\/joburg-north\\\/blog\\\/2024\\\/04\\\/04\\\/risk-reward\\\/\",\"name\":\"Risk & reward - Get it Joburg North\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/getitmagazine.co.za\\\/joburg-north\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/getitmagazine.co.za\\\/joburg-north\\\/blog\\\/2024\\\/04\\\/04\\\/risk-reward\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/getitmagazine.co.za\\\/joburg-north\\\/blog\\\/2024\\\/04\\\/04\\\/risk-reward\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/getitmagazine.co.za\\\/joburg-north\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/19\\\/2024\\\/04\\\/Gaven-website-scaled.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-04-04T11:33:16+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/getitmagazine.co.za\\\/joburg-north\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/a0a7343da285456f8363e2bfa99149c6\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/getitmagazine.co.za\\\/joburg-north\\\/blog\\\/2024\\\/04\\\/04\\\/risk-reward\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/getitmagazine.co.za\\\/joburg-north\\\/blog\\\/2024\\\/04\\\/04\\\/risk-reward\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/getitmagazine.co.za\\\/joburg-north\\\/blog\\\/2024\\\/04\\\/04\\\/risk-reward\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/getitmagazine.co.za\\\/joburg-north\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/19\\\/2024\\\/04\\\/Gaven-website-scaled.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/getitmagazine.co.za\\\/joburg-north\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/19\\\/2024\\\/04\\\/Gaven-website-scaled.jpg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1103},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/getitmagazine.co.za\\\/joburg-north\\\/blog\\\/2024\\\/04\\\/04\\\/risk-reward\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/getitmagazine.co.za\\\/joburg-north\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Risk & reward\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/getitmagazine.co.za\\\/joburg-north\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/getitmagazine.co.za\\\/joburg-north\\\/\",\"name\":\"Get it Joburg North\",\"description\":\"Lifestyle Magazine\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/getitmagazine.co.za\\\/joburg-north\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/getitmagazine.co.za\\\/joburg-north\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/a0a7343da285456f8363e2bfa99149c6\",\"name\":\"Get It Local Media\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/getitmagazine.co.za\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/01\\\/avatar_user_113_1675168333-96x96.jpg\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/getitmagazine.co.za\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/01\\\/avatar_user_113_1675168333-96x96.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/getitmagazine.co.za\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/01\\\/avatar_user_113_1675168333-96x96.jpg\",\"caption\":\"Get It Local Media\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/getitmagazine.co.za\\\/joburg-north\\\/blog\\\/author\\\/larav\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Risk & reward - Get it Joburg North","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/getitmagazine.co.za\/joburg-north\/blog\/2024\/04\/04\/risk-reward\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Risk & reward - Get it Joburg North","og_description":"We get up to speed with Gaven Sinclair\u2019s action-packed life and adventurous spirit, all driven by raising awareness for causes, from missing children to chronic disease.\u00a0 Gaven Sinclair is cycling down a dirt road between villages, somewhere in Africa. With pedestrians, cyclists and people on Pikipiki\u2019s (small motorbikes) passing by in throngs, the little sand […]","og_url":"https:\/\/getitmagazine.co.za\/joburg-north\/blog\/2024\/04\/04\/risk-reward\/","og_site_name":"Get it Joburg North","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/getitjoburgnorth","article_published_time":"2024-04-04T11:33:16+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2560,"height":1103,"url":"https:\/\/getitmagazine.co.za\/joburg-north\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2024\/04\/Gaven-website-scaled.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Get It Local Media","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@getitjhbnorth","twitter_site":"@getitjhbnorth","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Get It Local Media","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/getitmagazine.co.za\/joburg-north\/blog\/2024\/04\/04\/risk-reward\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/getitmagazine.co.za\/joburg-north\/blog\/2024\/04\/04\/risk-reward\/"},"author":{"name":"Get It Local Media","@id":"https:\/\/getitmagazine.co.za\/joburg-north\/#\/schema\/person\/a0a7343da285456f8363e2bfa99149c6"},"headline":"Risk & reward","datePublished":"2024-04-04T11:33:16+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/getitmagazine.co.za\/joburg-north\/blog\/2024\/04\/04\/risk-reward\/"},"wordCount":893,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/getitmagazine.co.za\/joburg-north\/blog\/2024\/04\/04\/risk-reward\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/getitmagazine.co.za\/joburg-north\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2024\/04\/Gaven-website-scaled.jpg","keywords":["adventure athlete","Gaven Sinclair"],"articleSection":["People","Personalities"],"inLanguage":"en-ZA"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/getitmagazine.co.za\/joburg-north\/blog\/2024\/04\/04\/risk-reward\/","url":"https:\/\/getitmagazine.co.za\/joburg-north\/blog\/2024\/04\/04\/risk-reward\/","name":"Risk & reward - Get it Joburg North","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/getitmagazine.co.za\/joburg-north\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/getitmagazine.co.za\/joburg-north\/blog\/2024\/04\/04\/risk-reward\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/getitmagazine.co.za\/joburg-north\/blog\/2024\/04\/04\/risk-reward\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/getitmagazine.co.za\/joburg-north\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2024\/04\/Gaven-website-scaled.jpg","datePublished":"2024-04-04T11:33:16+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/getitmagazine.co.za\/joburg-north\/#\/schema\/person\/a0a7343da285456f8363e2bfa99149c6"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/getitmagazine.co.za\/joburg-north\/blog\/2024\/04\/04\/risk-reward\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-ZA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/getitmagazine.co.za\/joburg-north\/blog\/2024\/04\/04\/risk-reward\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/getitmagazine.co.za\/joburg-north\/blog\/2024\/04\/04\/risk-reward\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/getitmagazine.co.za\/joburg-north\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2024\/04\/Gaven-website-scaled.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/getitmagazine.co.za\/joburg-north\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2024\/04\/Gaven-website-scaled.jpg","width":2560,"height":1103},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/getitmagazine.co.za\/joburg-north\/blog\/2024\/04\/04\/risk-reward\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/getitmagazine.co.za\/joburg-north\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Risk & reward"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/getitmagazine.co.za\/joburg-north\/#website","url":"https:\/\/getitmagazine.co.za\/joburg-north\/","name":"Get it Joburg North","description":"Lifestyle Magazine","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/getitmagazine.co.za\/joburg-north\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-ZA"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/getitmagazine.co.za\/joburg-north\/#\/schema\/person\/a0a7343da285456f8363e2bfa99149c6","name":"Get It Local Media","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/getitmagazine.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/avatar_user_113_1675168333-96x96.jpg","url":"https:\/\/getitmagazine.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/avatar_user_113_1675168333-96x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/getitmagazine.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/avatar_user_113_1675168333-96x96.jpg","caption":"Get It Local Media"},"url":"https:\/\/getitmagazine.co.za\/joburg-north\/blog\/author\/larav\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/getitmagazine.co.za\/joburg-north\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19031","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/getitmagazine.co.za\/joburg-north\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/getitmagazine.co.za\/joburg-north\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/getitmagazine.co.za\/joburg-north\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/113"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/getitmagazine.co.za\/joburg-north\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19031"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/getitmagazine.co.za\/joburg-north\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19031\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19033,"href":"https:\/\/getitmagazine.co.za\/joburg-north\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19031\/revisions\/19033"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/getitmagazine.co.za\/joburg-north\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19032"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/getitmagazine.co.za\/joburg-north\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19031"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/getitmagazine.co.za\/joburg-north\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19031"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/getitmagazine.co.za\/joburg-north\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19031"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}