Reiger Park athletes to take on gruelling Deadly Dozen World Championship

Two personal trainers from Reiger Park, Boksburg, a community often associated with gangsterism, are preparing to represent SA at the 2026 Deadly Dozen World Championships after turning personal struggles into a journey of discipline and fitness.

David Koela Foster, 42, and Reginald Rashid Ayer, 41, competing in the 40-44 age category, qualified for the international competition on leaderboard merit. This means they qualified because their overall ranking and accumulated points were high enough, not because they won a single qualifying competition.

They say this achievement was never part of their original plan.

Their goal was simple: become healthier, test their limits and complete one of the world’s toughest hybrid fitness races.

Speaking to TimesLIVE, Foster and Ayer said when they started their fitness journey, their initial goal was to finish the challenge. “Becoming international qualifiers was never part of the plan,” Foster said.

Before stepping onto the fitness stage, Foster was fighting a personal battle away from the spotlight.

He said he struggled with depression at a time when mental health was rarely discussed, especially among men. “I was suffering in silence. I reached a point where I tried to take my own life.”

Foster said surviving that period changed the direction of his life.

“I survived by what I believe was the grace of God. During my recovery, I realised that if I was still here, then God still had a purpose for my life.”

He turned to prayer, made healthier lifestyle choices and focused on becoming a better example for his son. “I didn’t want my story to end in tragedy. I wanted it to become a story of hope,” said Foster.

For Ayer, a former aspiring professional soccer player, his path changed but eventually led him to helping others become healthier and stronger through fitness. “Growing up in Reiger Park was challenging, but it also shaped who I am today,” he said.

“I choose to remember the strength of the community, the friendships and the many good people who worked hard every day. My parents never gave up on me, even when I made poor decisions as a young boy. Their discipline, guidance and belief helped shape the man I am today.

“I’ve always loved a challenge. Every new challenge is an opportunity to grow,” he said.

Foster credits Ayer with introducing him to functional fitness competitions, including Hyrox and Deadly Dozen.

The two describe their relationship as a brotherhood built over years of friendship, honesty and accountability.

Ayer said their bond had helped them push through difficult moments. “We celebrate each other’s victories, but we’re also willing to have difficult conversations when improvement is needed.

“Neither of us gives up easily, and that shared determination, discipline and trust has made our partnership stronger every year,” added Ayer.

Their qualification to the Deadly Dozen event, which takes place on September 5–6 at the National Sports Centre, Crystal Palace, London, came as a surprise.

Foster said he discovered they had qualified while driving home from the gym. “When I saw the email, I honestly thought there had been a mistake. I closed my inbox and checked it again later because I couldn’t believe it.”

Their achievement was followed by another challenge — finding the money to travel overseas.

The pair believed their dream had ended because of the costs involved. “We really struggled to get support because we come from poor backgrounds where financial stability is a factor. But our family has pulled through for us. With their support we will make it to London.”

The Deadly Dozen Championship Course is a hybrid fitness race that combines endurance running with strength-based challenges.

The pair will complete 12 rounds of a 400m track run, each followed by a different weighted exercise station known as a “Labour”.

The race tests both cardiovascular endurance and muscular strength, with athletes competing individually, in pairs, or in four-person relay teams.

For the championship course, athletes start with a 400m lap before entering the infield to complete the first Labour.

This sequence continues for 12 rounds before competitors complete the final challenge — 20 Devil Presses — to cross the finish line.

The 12 Labours include exercises such as farmers carry using 24kg kettlebells, deadlifts, weighted lunges, dumbbell snatches, burpee broad jumps, goblet squats, front carries, push presses, bear crawls, clean and presses, overhead carries and devil presses using 10kg dumbbells.

Both athletes say competing internationally is about more than personal success. “We’re representing everyone who’s ever had to overcome difficult circumstances and proving that people from communities like ours belong on the world stage,” Foster said.

Ayer said their biggest motivation was inspiring young people who feel trapped by their circumstances. “If our story can change the direction of just one child — if it can steer one young person away from drugs, gangsterism or hopelessness — then we’ve already won. That would be our real trophy. Everything else is simply the cherry on top.”

TimesLIVE