Running This Race Called Life

Risa Dreyer, 28, is the youngest director at Dr. Weder, Kauta & Hoveka Inc.

She has run multiple marathons, including the Two Oceans and the Comrades repeatedly. Her philosophy about endurance running and how that applies to her life in law and the laws of life makes it very clear why she is at the top of her game at such a young age.

“Endurance is more mental than physical. It is about reaching your maximum capacity. In any profession, you also reach a point where you feel like you’ve had enough and can’t go on.

Endurance is keeping on beyond that point and proceeding to the next stage.

Sometimes this job gets tiring and there are some difficult patches, like the current economic times we are all facing. Work is more difficult or it’s more difficult to source. For me, the main thing is to push through all of those different stages.

The best reward in my job is client feedback. I love working with people and helping them. From a 90-year-old who is really desperate to do a will and a testament to millionaire developers – I love the contrast.

In my final year at university I did my first Two Oceans Ultra Marathon. I haven’t stopped since. I also participate in every single marathon in Namibia when I’m able to.

It’s a passion. If you’ve got a passion for something, it drives you and inspires you. It has to do with accomplishing something and moving forward. The feeling you get at the end of a marathon, completing something, that’s really rewarding.

Long-distance running taught me self-discipline and about myself as a human being. It has taught me that everybody, regardless of age, colour or sex, we are all just running this race we call life. The nice thing about running is that we help each other and when you step onto the track or the course, everybody is friends. You don’t know the person from anywhere, but you just start chatting and motivating each other during the difficult times.

In life, you should always try to help people along the way, regardless of who they are or where you are or whether they can offer you something in return.

We are all just trying to do our best.”