When not raising funds for the university, acting executive director of the UKZN Foundation, Steve Camp relaxes by writing books. The hobbyist author who already has some 22 titles under his belt ranging from children’s books to military history, recently penned the official definitive history of the Comrades Marathon, South Africa’s greatest ultra-marathon with co-author Brad Morgan. ‘In Your Stride: 100 Years of the Comrades Marathon,’ was completed at the end of 2021 in time for the centenary of this iconic sporting event.
“The world’s oldest and greatest ultra-marathon, the Comrades Marathon is a South African institution that is internationally recognised for the body-sapping challenge it poses and the camaraderie it fosters among its thousands of participants from all over the world. Researching its history was fascinating. The race was born from an idea dreamed by First World War veteran Vic Clapham, who wanted a living memorial to those South African soldiers killed in the Great War. Clapham, who had endured a 2 700 kilometre march through sweltering German East Africa, wanted the memorial to be a unique test of physical endurance. Thirty-four runners entered the first race; it peaked at more than 20 000 athletes; and on Sunday, 28 August 2022, the 89 kilometre route was once again ran from Maritzburg to Durban with a capped field of 15 000 entrants, all keen to test their endurance in the ultimate human race,” said Camp.
The book, In Your Stride captures the story and the images of this remarkable event, spanning 100 years, and appeals not only to runners but to those captivated by the triumph of the human spirit.
“Writing books has been a hobby of mine for as long as I can remember. Even at school, I would spend hours in the library and in bookshops, browsing the shelves and dreaming of one day writing my own book. After a day in the office, I find it relaxing to spend time researching a topic that interests me, delving into the archives, paging through old newspapers, talking to the experts and hunting down relevant pictures and illustrations. You never know what you will find,” he said.
Camp has written a number of children’s books, mainly on environmental topics as well as one on the architecture of Pietermaritzburg (Historic Pietermaritzburg), the history of South African manufactured landmine-protected military vehicles (Surviving the Ride), and one to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Dusi Canoe Marathon (Adventures on an African River), also with Morgan.
He is not only a man of letters, he described himself as a social sportsman who likes adventure. He is one of only a handful of people to have competed in all five of South Africa’s ‘big five’ events. He completed 10 Comrades, 17 Dusi Canoe Marathons, 14 Cape Town Cycle Tours, 19 Midmar Miles and one Cape to Rio Yacht Race. He has also ran seven Two Oceans. He is part of an elite group of international runners to have run a marathon on all seven continents, namely, the Great Wall of China, London, Inca Trail, New York, Sydney and Antarctica Marathons.
