Heart defect does not stop youngster from living life to the fullest
‘On the jumps, for a split second, it feels like I am flying’
Fifteen-year-old Nathan Botha set his sights on participating in – and completing – this year’s 35km FNB Magalies Monster MTB Classic. The race took place on 2 June at ATKV-Buffelspoort.
What made this aspiration so exceptional is the fact that he was diagnosed with coarctation of the aorta – a congenital heart defect – when he was just two years old.
Amanda Botha, his mother, explained, “This condition causes the the aorta to narrow, restricting the amount of oxygen-rich blood that travels to the lower parts of the body. When he was diagnosed, he had to undergo a four-hour operation to repair the coarctation. He recovered from the surgery within a week. He was placed on blood pressure medication for a year to stabilise the blood flow in the repaired aorta. Since then, he has been visiting a paediatric cardiologist on an annual basis, and in 2017, a 46mm aneurysm was discovered on the ascending aorta. Currently, he is on blood pressure medication to prevent the aneurysm from getting bigger.”
She added that the cardiologist performed a Stress ECG to establish the heart rate zones Nathan can exercise in. “His coach is aware of his medical condition, and he adjusts the power zones accordingly. He trains with a heart rate monitor that sends data to the coach for evaluation. Mountain biking is the only sport Nathan is allowed to participate in, and he has learned to listen to his body. He knows exactly when to stop training. We made sure that he had the required nutrition before, during and after the event., and took his training roller along so that he could warm up before his race. He also has an app on his phone called MySOS that will alert us if he is in trouble or needs medical attention. The app will also provide us with his geolocation,” Amanda said.
“I started participating in mountain bike races in 2016 and completed this race in a time of 3:54:19. I enjoy going as hard and fast as I can on the mountain bike, pushing it to its limits.
For a split second on the jumps, it feels like I am flying, and, in that moment, nothing else in the world matters. It’s just me, my bike and the gravel under my tyres,” he said.
He has just completed the FNB Magalies Monster MTB Classic, a 35km race that took place at ATKV-Buffelspoort on 2 June.
He added that he has his eyes set on participating in – and completing – the Full Monster race when he is old enough, and said, “I am taking on the shorter distances in preparation for the Full Monster, which I will definitely do one day.
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