When I stood at the start of the 2022 Cape Town Marathon, it felt to me as if everything that I had done since 7 February 2017 – rejoining Weigh-less, starting to run, losing 80kg, going for therapy, writing a book, joining a running club, working with a coach – had all accumulated to one single point in time.

And when I crossed the finish line of the 2022 Cape Town Marathon, I realised that every now and then hard work is rewarded.