The Ink Link: The Ultimate Human Race and Tattoos

The Ink Link is an ongoing project at CN&CO that showcases the diversity of tattoos. One of the great things about tattoos is that they challenge the commonly held belief that “what you see is what you get”. Too often, people think tattoos belong only to “certain types” of people. Through the Ink Link stories, we’re showing that tattoos have deep meaning and significance for people from all walks of life.

If you or someone you know would like to be featured, please get in touch with us.

This edition of the Ink Link is dedicated to Nato Amaral, a close friend of CN&CO’s Blake Dyason.

Blake met Nato in 2014 during the Unogwaja Challenge, a charity initiative that forged a lifelong bond between them. Nato, a family man from Brazil, is not only an outstanding athlete but also someone with a huge heart and a great sense of humour.

In 2025, Nato returned to South Africa with his wife and friends to run the Comrades Marathon. During the trip, he joined Blake on a Table Mountain hike. It was on this hike that Blake noticed Nato’s tattoos again and was reminded of their deep meaning—stories worth sharing here.

Nato’s First Tattoos

Nato got his first two tattoos within a week of each other in 2015, both deeply connected.

The first, on his left calf, is the Unogwaja Challenge logo—a hare inside a circle with the event’s name below it. Nato took part in this challenge in 2014 and 2015. The initiative involves cycling from Cape Town to Pietermaritzburg (around 1,650 km in 10 days), followed by running the 90 km Comrades Marathon the very next day.

The challenge is held in honour of Phil Masterton-Smith (nicknamed Unogwaja, meaning “the hare”), a former Comrades winner. In 1933, unable to afford train fare from Cape Town to Pietermaritzburg, he cycled the distance in 10 days and then finished 10th in the Comrades the following day. Phil later died in World War II, but his story lives on and continues to remind us that we can overcome challenges and chase dreams.

For Nato, taking part was about more than a sporting event—it was about values, bonds, and giving back. Each year, the initiative raised up to R2 million for charity. His tattoo is a permanent reminder of those experiences and friendships.

The second tattoo is the Comrades Marathon logo, surrounded by laurel branches, with his permanent race number (48418) below it. Nato earned his Comrades Green Number in 2011 after 10 finishes. Since his first race in 2001, Comrades has changed his life, opening doors to friendships, travel, and recognition of his passion for the event. In 2008, he became the Comrades Marathon Brand Ambassador for Brazil, and in 2023 he received the prestigious Spirit of Comrades Award, given annually to only three individuals worldwide.

Double Green Number Dream

By 2015, when he got his Comrades tattoo, Nato had already run the race 12 times. He knew that one day he wanted to achieve 20 finishes—earning the rare Double Green Number—and become the first athlete from the American continent to do so.

In June 2025, that dream came true. After his 20th Comrades, Nato updated his tattoo by adding another laurel branch (each laurel symbolises 10 finishes) and refreshing the artwork with stronger colours and sharper detail. He often said that running from 11 to 20 Comrades is far tougher than completing the first 10, making this achievement even more meaningful.

At 53, Nato shows no signs of stopping. When asked if he’ll keep running the Comrades, his answer is always “yes”—as long as he feels strong and can finish within the 12-hour cut-off.