Author: Modern Athlete

With a solid win in the Dis-Chem Half Marathon in
Johannesburg in January, to retain the title he won here in 2012, Elroy Gelant
has started the year in the form he hopes will allow him to compete with the
best at the World Half Marathon Champs in Copenhagen, on 29 March. Having
finished third at the SA Half Marathon Champs last September, the
Potchefstroom-based star is expected to be part of a strong SA team in Denmark
alongside Stephen Mokoka, Lusapho April and Gladwin Mzazi, and they’ll be aiming
to repeat the team gold medal that Hendrick Ramaala,
Abner Chipu and Mluleki Nobanda won for SA in 1999 in Palermo, Italy.

The win at Dis-Chem is actually
just the latest in a string of great results for Elroy over the past year. He recorded
a unique ‘double’ at the SA Cross Country Champs in Potch by winning both the
12km and 4km events, and made it to the final of the 5000m at the IAAF World
Champs in Moscow, finishing 12^th. He also narrowly
missed Shadrack Hoff’s 18-year-old national 5000m record of 13:14.16, clocking
13:15.87, so once the World Half Champs are out of the way, his focus will
shift back to the track ahead of the Commonwealth Games in Scotland in late
July, and in the lead-up to Copenhagen he also aims to do well at the World
Indoor Champs from 7 to 9 March in Sopot, Poland.

Elroy says he appreciates the
competitive atmosphere on the different circuits and surfaces, and picks out
last year’s Track World Champs as his highlight thus far, running alongside the
likes of Olympic champion Mo Farah and former World Champ Bernard Lagat. “You can feel the tension and everyone looks so
focused. I just remind myself of my plans and I don’t worry about anyone else. God
provided me with a talent to achieve great heights, and athletics is my soul. I
can’t imagine life without it. Also, athletics has made me tough, disciplined
and a respectful person.”

SPORTING YOUTH

Elroy grew up in Pacaltsdorp, near George, and was
very active in his school days. “I was always the all-rounder. I played rugby
and cricket in school, and started cross country in Grade 3, going on to
represent the South Western Districts and winning a medal when I was only nine.”
At North West University in Potchefstroom, he initially specialised in the 800m
and 1500m, but his current coach, Jean Verster, and former SA middle distance
great Hezekiel Sepeng, helped him move up to the 3000m and 5000m, and he has
subsequently also excelled on the road. “I knew I could show what I’m capable
of in 10km and 21km after doing them for endurance training,” he says, “and
after Rio 2016, I plan to step up to marathons.”

Currently holding down a
full-time position at North West University as a Human Resource Assistant in
the Department of Human Capital and Client Services, Elroy still manages an
intense training programme while representing the Traumeel NWU-Pukke team in
all three running disciplines. “It’s not easy! I wake up at 4:30am every day to
train and get home by 6am to shower before work. After hours, I train again
before 5pm, and it’s tiring, but what keeps me motivated are the goals I
continually set myself.” Added to work and training, Elroy also has to fit in hitting
the books, as he’s currently registered for a Diploma in Sports Science, having
already completed his B.Com and Honours in Human Resource Management and Labour
Relations.

A typical day in the week sees
him doing a 15 to 18km run in the morning and afternoon for endurance, with two
days a week set aside for afternoon sets of eight 1000m bursts. Elroy also
focuses on tempo runs and hill sessions to work on his speed, while Sundays are
for long runs ranging from 20 to 25km. He is just as dedicated when it comes to
his diet: “We hit 120 to 160km a week, putting a big demand on our bodies, so it’s
important to get the right nutrition in order to thrive and recover.”

BIG GOALS FOR 2014

Elroy says he wants to make 2014
a successful and injury-free season, and is aiming for top-eight performances
at the World Indoor Champs and Commonwealth Games, and his long-term goal is to
get to the Rio Olympics in two years in the 5000m. Before the showpiece in
Brazil, he also wants to compete at next year’s World Cross Country Champs in
China. “My 12^th position last year in Moscow is my stepping stone to
Rio, and I want to make the country proud!”

(Strap) FEATURE

Ask Gill about about 2013 and she answers quite
frankly: “I’m not one for excuses, but I did not realise how much 2012 and the
lead up to the Olympics took out of me. There were still some good results –
African Champ, European Cup podium, top 10 in Yokohama – however, I expected so
much more of myself,” says Gill. “I do take great heart, or maybe relief, in
scrolling through the London 2012 results and noticing that it was not just me
who failed to make an impact on the circuit last year. I think people
underestimate how much an Olympic year takes out of you and the difficulty in
coming back the following year from such a high. However, it has made me hungry
again. While I felt deflated at the end of last season, I feel ‘uber-motivated’
now! I can’t wait for the 2014 season and to express my full potential.”

NATURAL ATHLETE

Gill (32) grew up in Pietemaritzburg and soon proved a
gifted runner and swimmer, in keeping with the family trend. Her father,
Kenneth Curr, had run the marathon for SA in the SA Games in the 1970s, then gone
on to ultra-marathons and competed at numerous World Triathlon Championships,
while her mother Margaret earned SA colours for the 100m, 200m and 400m. Older
sister Rowena was also a talented triathlete, so it was no surprise that Gill
also got into multi-sport at the tender age of nine, and when she was just 13,
she finished fifth in the 13-15 age group at the 1995 World Tri Champs in
Mexico, going on to represent her country many more times.

After school, Gill moved to Stellenbosch University for
five years to study law, and while there she met her future husband, Mark, a
cricketer at the time and also originally from KZN. Having completed her
studies, she moved back to Pietermaritzburg and subsequently became the youngest
female lawyer to appear in the High Court in South Africa. Then the opportunity
arose to go work in London, and it was here that Gill found herself racing on
the elite ITU circuit. However, balancing a demanding legal career with tri
training and competition was proving too much, so at the end of 2010 she
decided to put her legal career on hold in order to turn pro.

OLYMPIC HIGHLIGHT

The move paid off handsomely when Gill was selected to
represent SA in London, and she says the Olympics have definitely been the
highlight of her career thus far. “I finished 19^th out of 55 girls,
and I was really pleased with that, as I had only been racing for 18 months as
a full-time athlete.” Looking ahead, she says the long-term goal is getting to
the Rio 2016 Games, but for now she is building up to the Commonwealth Games in
August while also focusing on getting more great results on the ITU circuit.

“I’ll be 34 come the next Olympics, so I’ll probably
have to think of packing it in after that, but I might as well make the most of
it while I can! When I do retire, I have the option to return to law, but I
think I’d like to give back to the sport a bit before I do that, somehow get
involved in triathlon to help other athletes, and see where that goes.”

RUNNING FUTURE?

Gill is also considering a switch back to road running
once she retires from triathlon. “I haven’t run many flat road races for a
while, but I’m capable of a low 34 for 10 kays off the bike, so I’d like to
think I can run a low 33 straight. I love running, it’s my favourite discipline
of the three, and I think that’s where I will end up. But for now I get to do
what I love, which is swimming, cycling and running, competing in triathlons at
the highest level while travelling to the most awesome cities all over the
world. I’ve got this short window, just a couple of years in my life to do it,
and I’m just loving it.”

This is going to be a ‘consolidation year’ for 21-year-old
trail star Kane Reilly. He did well on the SA trail running circuit in 2013 and
was selected for the SA Team for the World Mountain Running Champs in Poland
last August, but the Stellenbosch University B.Comm student says his studies
suffered as a result, and his three-year degree has become a four-year plan as
a result. “My main priority this year is to finish my degree. I’ve only got a
few subjects to finish up, but I want to get them done, and that’s why I have
only picked three target races for 2014 to focus on.” This will see Kane lining
up for the ProNutro AfricanX Trailrun in March, teamed up with his good friend
and World Champs teammate, Thabang Madiba, followed by the SA Long Distance
Trail Champs at the Outeniqua Traverse in June and the Otter African Trail Run
in September. “I enjoyed the 2013 Otter and felt I was close to getting it
right, so this year I want to put into practice what I learnt last year.”

HARD WORK PAYS

Kane took up running at school at Bishops in Cape Town,
but says he only got serious about it in Grade 11. “I did well in the southern
suburbs schools scene, but when I ventured into the club cross country races, I
was being smoked by some of the club runners. So I came out to Stellenbosch in
2009 and started working with Jacques van Rensburg, and within a year I was running
in the same Western Province team as those guys.” That improvement also allowed
Kane to chase down his first big running goal, to break the school’s 3000m
record, and in Matric he shattered the old mark of 9:02 with a stunning 8:45!

Since then, he has enjoyed much success, but there
have also been some disappointments, like finishing fourth in the Jonkershoek
Mountain Challenge Marathon in Stellenbosch last May. The event served as the
SA Mountain Running Champs and the top three men and women would be selected
for the World Champs in Poland, so Kane gave it everything and with just 5km to
go was in the lead. “In my mind I had already won it… I was not celebrating
yet, but I was getting a bit emotional, because that feeling of being an SA
Champ is a phenomenal feeling! But it all changed in the last kilometres, and I
was very disappointed to only get fourth, because it’s every athlete’s dream to
represent your country.”

So when he was offered an extra slot in the team if he
could cover his own expenses, he jumped at the chance, and then AJ Calitz had
to withdraw from the team anyway, so he was in… but in Poland things just
didn’t work out for Kane as he finished 307^th. “I was over-trained,
had a few niggles going into the race, and I was taking life far too seriously.
Then on race day I also suffered stomach problems, but I’m not going to blame
that for my poor performance… I reckon my head just wasn’t in the right space.
Still, I figure that if I can get through 42 kays in that state, I can get
through any race!”

PROFESSIONAL APPROACH

Looking ahead, Kane says that if he qualifies for the
2014 World Champs at Pikes Peak in Colorado, USA, he is not yet sure if he will
be able to go. “I’m not completely ruling it out, but I would need to go train
in the Drakensberg, then head to the US to acclimatise, so I will have to see
how my studies go first.” Even if he doesn’t get there, Kane has a long-term
vision for his running, starting with turning professional straight after he
completes his degree. “A lot of older guys have told me to take the opportunity
while I can, before I need to start working, because it’s an opportunity that a
lot of people never get. Thankfully my parents support me fully in this, as do
my sponsors, Salomon and GU.”

For now, however, he is just focusing on not making
the same mistakes as 2013. “Last year I learnt that burning out can happen
easily if you’re not careful. I went through a stage of being overly
competitive, but now I am running for the love of doing it, not just to be on
the podium,. I know that if I’m enjoying all aspects of my life, then the
podiums will come. That’s my New Year’s Resolution, I suppose.”

We arrived in Iznik on an overcast Saturday afternoon,
reeking of the scented hand-cleaner that Turkish minibus crews dispense to all
passengers. We had not planned to run here – we only learnt of the race after
making our travel arrangements – but for runners who travel, costly changes to
flights and hotel bookings are a small price to pay to race through one of the
world’s most historic towns. Iznik was originally known as Nicea, and was
renamed when it was captured by the Muslim Seljuks in 1075. As Nicea, Iznik was
an important centre of the Christian Byzantine Empire, and was described as the
third Holy City of Christendom. Iznik was also the capital of the young Ottoman
Empire, and produced the world’s most coveted ceramics during the 16^th
and 17^th centuries.

And so we arrived as participants in the two-day
festival of running comprising four events, three starting together: The 130km
Iznik Ultra run around the beautiful lake, the 80km Orhangazi Ultra halfway around the lake, and the tough 42km Mountain
Marathon, which climbs over a thousand metres. For lesser runners like me,
there is a 10km run through the town, held the following day.

Early the next morning, I headed to the town centre
where the longer events start and finish. Only the four race helpers were there
to watch as a lone runner emerged from the dawn mist. A smile flitted briefly
over her weathered face as she crossed the finish line, then she disappeared…
a most understated ending for someone who had just spent 23 hours running 130km.
But then this was Bakiye Duran, Turkey’s female ultra pioneer, whose recently
published biography is aptly entitled Courage
is Solitary.

NOISY START

Later, Debbie and I wandered up to the start of the 10km,
the town centre was thumping and a joyfully raucous marching band threaded
through the milling spectators. It came to a halt behind the field of nearly
300 runners from 17 nations waiting to begin. Above the buzzing din, a chanted
countdown began, indicating the seconds: “iki…
bir… sıfır!”… and the stampede began! We started near the back, as we
always do, and Debbie soon allowed me to drift ahead. A woman looking like an
advert from a running magazine gear section kept pace in my vicinity, and she
glanced so frequently at the large contraption on her wrist that she failed to
notice the huge banner warning of the steps leading down past the 14^th
century Green Mosque. Narrowly averting
disaster and recovering her stride with great aplomb, she consulted her wrist
contraption less frequently as we ran past the Iznik Archaeological Museum.

In the side streets, local farmers waited patiently
astride their muddy tractors for the runners to pass. I suspect they were
enjoying the distinctly un-Turkish spectacle of semi-naked people running in
public. Cutting through the town walls at the Yenisehir Gate, a short stretch
of gravel road brought us to the lakefront road leading to the turnaround near
the halfway mark. We passed the palace of Constantine the Great, where the Nicene Creed, core of the most widely
shared Christian orthodoxy, was drawn up in 325 AD, and when I swung round the
turn, I saw Debbie was not too far behind, looking good (as always).

NOISIER FINISH

We headed back down the lakefront, took a final left
turn past the deserted gardens of the Talya Caf?, and cruised comfortably up a
gentle tree-lined incline to the finish in the centre of town. The marching
band formed a guard of honour for the runners and
the crowd completed the carnival atmosphere. Although the band greeted all female
finishers with heightened gusto, Debbie received a particularly ear-shattering
welcome. Only later did we understand the reason for this: She had finished
first in her age category.

At noon we joined the fun of the marvellously
colourful prize-giving, including a stirring performance of sword and shield
dancing. Back at our hotel the manager was standing at the front door. “Number
One!” he said, greeting Debbie with a cheerful smile. Later, at the restaurant
opposite the Aya Sophia, the waiter looked at her… “Number One!” he beamed,
throwing in free cups of Turkish coffee. When we checked out the next morning,
a warm sun was lifting the morning mist. We’ll have to come back, I thought, as
the taxi went over a bump in the road, and, next to me, Number One’s medals
jingled softly in her bag.

Run in Iznik

The event is held in late April, an ideal time to
visit Turkey, and Iznik is easily reached from Istanbul by ferry, across the
Sea of Marmara. Go to www.iznikultra.com for more info.

The phrase ‘can’t be done’ simply does not feature in
the vocabulary of the dynamic Lee Wyser, founder of the Guts 2 Glory
Foundation. She is a winner of numerous national and provincial titles in body
building and fitness competitions, as well as an experienced runner and
triathlete, and for years she has been raising funds for athletes who require
prosthetic limbs or wheelchairs in order to participate in endurance sports or
body building. Her current goal is taking a group of disabled athletes to the
5945m summit of Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain on the African continent –
including a wheelchair athlete!

“My
sister Kimmy is brain damaged and I guess I have always had a passion for
disabled people. In high school a friend’s mother worked at St Giles Home and
when I had the time, I would help the disabled folk swim or play basketball and
other sports,” says Lee. “Then one Saturday, I got the shock of my life when my
youngest son Taylor injured himself on his quad bike at the beach. A life guard
phoned me and said he was taking my son to hospital with a suspected broken
back. On arriving at the hospital, I saw the look on my son’s face and for his
sake, I had to remain strong. I have never prayed so hard in my life, and made
a deal with God that if my son’s life was spared, I would dedicate my life to
disabled people. Today, Taylor is a healthy, active young sportsman – I call
him my miracle son – and I am carrying through on my end of the deal.”

Not
long after Taylor’s recovery began, Lee began running with Ntsikilelo Mdladla, a single-leg amputee
from Khayelitsha Athletics Club who lost his leg in a shack fire in 2007. They met
at the Gun Run race in Cape Town, where Ntsi had done the 10km on crutches. “On
that day I promised Ntsi that I would help him get a prosthetic leg and
hopefully make the 2012 Paralympics. That was the birth of the Guts 2 Glory
Foundation. Every weekend for two years, if we weren’t running races, we were
competing in body building competitions, and two years later Ntsi had a
prosthetic and a blade sponsored by Medi-Clinic. My dream is to raise funds for
disabled athletes and underprivileged athletes and help them to make their
dreams come true! I am truly blessed to be involved with all the athletes and
sponsors of Guts 2 Glory!”

NO LIMBITS, NO LIMITS!

Fast
forward to 2013 and Lee came up with the idea of taking a team of eight South
African disabled athletes up Kilimanjaro in February 2014, led by SA
Paralympian and single-leg amputee Heugene Murray. “The aim of our Ampt-a-manjaro
No limits Kilimanjaro Expedition is to break the limiting
belief that a disabled team could never conquer Mount Kilimanjaro, and through
this, we want to raise funds for other disabled and underprivileged athletes,”
says Lee. “Our
goal is to make this climb an annual event and provide 1000 amputee children
with prosthetics every year through the African Leg Project.”

Also part of the expedition to Tanzania will be
American triple amputee and Ironman finisher Rajesh Durbal, who not only agreed
to come out for the expedition, but also to run the Kilimanjaro Marathon a few
days after the climb and ride the Cape Argus Pick n Pay Cycle Tour once back in
SA, and then also do a fundraising and motivational tour of South Africa to
raise awareness of disabled sport. At the time of writing, the team was not yet
sure if all the climbers would be able to go for the palnned summitting on 27
February, in which case Lee says another expedition will be arranged for later
in the year. “We did think about postponing the whole trip until September, but
Rajesh had already booked his flights, accommodation race entires and
motivational talks, so we decided to go ahead now in February, even if just
Rajesh, our team captain Heugene and I climb, along with the camera team and
support crew. Then we will arrange a second expedition in September for the
rest of the group to go, because I promised them a trip to Kili in 2014, but
after that we definitely want to try make it an annual trip in February.”

To find out more about the Guts 2 Glory Foundation,
follow the team’s progress or pledge your support for their fundraising
efforts, visit www.guts2glory.co.za.