Finding a balance between academics and mental wellness forms a integral part of Prof Darren Lortan’s daily life.
The Head of the Department of Mathematics and the Coordinator of the UPSET Articulation Project at the Durban University of Technology (DUT) has taken to ensuring wellness is equally as important as his career.
Prof Lortan shared that after a neck injury had prevented him from performing any exercise other than walking, for six months, he was persuaded to try the parkrun.
“I thought I would find it boring. How wrong I was,” he chuckled.
Prof Lortan thoroughly enjoys participating in parkruns, either locally or internationally, which is now ingrained as an integral part of his life.
After a long, hard day’s work, it became evident for Prof Lortan that it was necessary to take part in some form of exercise, like parkruns. Despite the Westville parkrun being closer to his home, he chose the North Beach parkrun as it has the prettiest promenade on which to run.
“I have made a commitment that if I happen to be near a parkrun on Saturday, I would run the event in every village, town or city where it is hosted. I think I have run 10 different parkruns in South Africa (Amanzimtoti, Ballito, Delta Park, North Beach, Point, Rondebosch, Thousand Hills, Umhlanga, Winterton, Wits University), and one in Seewoog, Germany. The latter was more of a walk through a snow-filled forest! I have also realised that weight loss affects one’s ability to improve pace,” he added.
The spirited Prof Lortan has now completed more than 250 parkruns, a feat which he is immensely proud of.
“It is unnecessarily stressful navigating Mathematical Sciences, Community Engagement and Articulation. Some view them as mutually exclusive, while I see the connectivity. Running provides a healthy dose of endorphins. The parkrun takes place along our beautiful promenade, which is tantamount to a double dose of endorphins,” he said.
He has completed five sub 30-minute parkruns with a personal best of 29:16.
“I completed my first parkrun in November 2017. I walked the parkrun for the first two months, trotted for three more until a cousin of mine, Nerina Meth, decided to assist me with improving my pace,” shared Prof Lortan.
Sharing one of his recent parkrun overseas in freezing conditions in Germany, he relayed that after two failed attempts to participate in a parkrun abroad due to flight schedules (both in the beautiful city of Galway in Ireland), he finally found himself a parkrun in a village in Germany, on a Saturday that he was grounded.
“It had snowed the evening before, but I was keen to trudge through snow. While the milestones (50th, 100th and 250th parkrun) are memorable, the parkrun in Seewoog, Germany is the most picturesque,” he expressed.
Besides himself, Dr Noor Ally from his department is a regular park runner, and he had made a point of being with Prof Lortan on the day he ran his 250th parkrun, which he successfully completed on 10 August 2024.
Prof Lortan gave a glimpse into his busy, academic journey at DUT, saying that he manages the day-to-day affairs of the Department, and has indicated that staff are particularly proud of their relatively new Higher Certificate, which represents a culmination of his favourite academic interests, namely Mathematical Sciences, Community Engagement and Articulation.
“Mathematics is my first love, and I have enjoyed teaching it to students who are not fond of it, often for reasons which have little to do with the subject,” he said.
Prof Lortan happily shared that he had counted at least 25 members of DUT staff who regularly run the North Beach parkrun. “I think making T-shirts for those staff would be a good marketing exercise,” he said cheerfully.
In terms of Prof Lortan’s physical fitness levels, he started walking and then running when it felt safe to do so. “At some point as I learned how to breathe in sync with my pace (courtesy of Dr Ally and his wife, Lisa Ally) I began to improve my times. Eventually chasing new personal bests became an obsession until another injury slowed me down. My fitness level has improved. During the week I run to ensure that the endorphins are being released regularly,” he said.
The dynamic runner was born with a heart defect and as a child was afflicted with rheumatic fever throughout primary school. This limited his participation in physical exercise at school, and he eventually resigned himself to accept that neither walking nor running would be for him.
“By the Grace of God, and the people He used to nudge me along, my personal narrative has changed. I have completed more than 250 parkruns, five of which were run in under 30 minutes. The Mathematics Department will hear from me each time I improve my personal best,” he shared.
As a result of participating in parkruns, Prof Lortan has completed a Two Oceans Half-Marathon, and was on the verge of running the second when lockdown occurred. “I plan to return to races and a half- marathon, so that I have something to enjoy when I retire. A parkrun is free. It’s an event that does not require one to be fit for participation. Anybody who considers themselves unfit can walk as slowly as they need to, together with about 600 other people, about half of whom walk the event. And it’s a great way to have a conversation on a Saturday morning,” reiterated Prof Lortan.
His advice to future runners at DUT is that there are many other runners who could offer more advice than I can. Among them, people who have completed multiple marathons and continue to do so.
“All I can offer is an invitation to come for a walk along the promenade on a Saturday between 8 am and 9 am. There are people who slowed down to walk with me in the beginning, and I have walked with others whose pace is significantly slower than mine and will do so for/with anybody who asks. Try it once, and if it tickles your fancy, come as often as you can,” he shared.
Pictured: Professor Darren Lortan
Waheeda Peters
