Two Oceans medal in her sights: Meet the remarkable woman who runs with crutches

She’s in constant extreme pain and has lost the use of one of her legs. In fact, she is just about paralysed on her entire right side, head to toe.

But four years ago, Nita Avis decided enough was enough, she needed to give her life meaning … and started running. With crutches.

With a little hop and a jump she now runs for charity, to inspire people and to make a difference.

A freak accident 10 years ago, in 2015, when she fell during a cycling training session for the then 94.7 cycle race in Joburg, changed Avis’ life forever.

“I hurt my right leg and almost overnight lost the use of it. I was diagnosed with a rare neurological disease called CRPS (Complex Regional Pain Syndrome), a chronic pain condition. Only 7% of the world has it,” explains Avis, of Honeydew in Roodepoort.

“It’s the most painful disease or injury or ailment one can have … on the McGill pain scale it’s at the very top. Because of it I’ve developed muscular dystrophy and paralysis. I am in constant extreme pain.”

There is no cure.

In 2021, Avis had a decision to make … give up or get up. She chose the latter.

“The pain killers and meds caused my teeth to crumble, my kidneys and liver started to hurt, my brain became foggy. My pain jumped from an 11 out of 10 to a 20 out of 10. I stopped taking the meds. I couldn’t anymore.

“I said ‘enough!’

“I started doing fun walks with my crutches … and then slowly started running.”

‘That first run was amazing’

Avis was soon running short distances at races around Joburg, and then a social media post changed her path.

“I saw something on Facebook about running for the month of September, to bring awareness to dementia and alzheimer’s disease and that’s when something went off in my head … I realised this was for me.

“I decided I was going to run every day during September for my grandmother who had dementia.

“Everyone laughed at me. I did 1km in an hour, that’s how slow I was, one crutch in front of the other … but I did it.

“I then started training and entering races, the first one in the Cradle of Humankind four years ago, and doing other charity runs.

“That first run was amazing. It was 5km and it took me about two hours, but I knew then running would be a part of the rest of my life. The pain in my body afterwards was extreme, but I’d never felt stronger or more alive.”

‘The UniCorn’ is born

On her head that day was a set of big pink headphones, with a unicorn horn on them. She wore the headphones at all her next events and soon became known as The UniCorn.

“When I started the running, I didn’t have anything specific in mind and I didn’t know where it would take me. It grew and grew, and a friend said that if I was going to do it fulltime, and run for charity. I needed to go public and create a brand.

“People were already talking about spotting the unicorn at races … and so I became The UniCorn (with a capital C to distinguish here from other unicorns), because it’s something you rarely see and is a mystical creature, and I think running with crutches in extreme pain is something almost mystical … and then uni means one, and I run with one leg.”

Things started getting a little more serious in the latter stages of 2023 when she joined Joburg running club RunZone. It provided her with a running home and support.

“Early last year I ran my first 10km race, and followed that up with a few others, and even did a 15km run on my own in training.

“Next, I want to do a 21km, a half marathon … hopefully the Two Oceans in 2027, but I’ve got lots of work to do before then. It’s not easy.”

Watch her go:

Besides the constant pain, running with crutches hurts Avis’ hands, shoulders, arms … her whole upper body, and then there’s her “dead leg” which she has to keep up.

“We’re trying to design something to keep it up, because my muscles in my thigh are very weak,” she says.

“People who just use crutches for walking get plenty of injuries … and now I’m running. It’s a struggle at times, but I know I just have to get stronger.”

She does use specially made crutches, supplied to her by Wheelchairs on the Run, and they’re constantly tweaking things to make them better and more comfortable. “I’ve got four racing pairs that I alternate,” she says of her “babies”. When you’re doing up to 300km a month they’re bound to take a beating.

Besides wanting to run the Two Oceans half-marathon, Avis has other dreams … she says there’s a Guinness World Record attempt on the horizon, but isn’t willing to elaborate right now, and maybe one day, a chance to compete at the Paralympics. “Unfortunately, there are no categories into which I fall, but maybe one day,” she says.

As a single mother of a 14-year-old girl, life is busy. “I have to adapt. I can’t always run when I want to … sometimes training happens next to the hockey field, or in a mall or in a parking lot. I run where I can. And believe me, I’ve had many people giving me funny looks,” she says.

“Some days are better than others. This week I’ve been sick so my pain has gone through the roof.

“But I have to keep going. Next month I’ll be running for MS (multiple sclerosis) and then for cerebral palsy. It’s my life now, I’m dedicated fulltime to charity running.

“If anyone wants to get in touch, I’m available. I’m ready to run, I’m ready to inspire, I’m ready to make a difference.”

Nita Avis, or The UniCorn, lives by the slogan “What’s your excuse?” And she’d be right.