Author: Modern Athlete

WHY GO

Red Barn has it all if
you’re keen to run trail or mountain bike in the Jozi area: Safe venue (electric fencing and extra security on weekends), varying terrain and 25km of world-class trails and single-track designed for
the USN Mountain Bike Cup, no less. There is also an Acrobranch aerial cable
setup for kids and various other outdoor options.

 

WHAT YOU GET

Situated upon the edge of an extensive stand of
eucalyptus trees, the well-maintained, multi-use trail meanders in and out of
the plantation and through agricultural fields and grasslands spreading onto
the wooded Kaal River course. Keep in mind that you’ll be sharing the venue
with riders, but folks are doing this all around the world without getting
grumpy. You can plan to run at least two to three hours, so it’s well worth a
visit.

 

WHERE TO RUN

Start at the Big
Red Barn, where you can check out a large-scale map showing the full network of
trail options. Signage is based on IMBA (International Mountain Biking
Organisation) code: Green circles denote casual riding, blue circles denote intermediate,
while black diamonds denote advanced. If you’re looking for an easy route, head
out of the gate and to your right along the entrance road, looking out for the green
circle signs onto the single-track to your right after 500m. Once you’re on the
single-track, you will start winding your way through the eucalyptus stands, moving
closer to the Kaal River. Keep right until you reach the banks (2km) and then
follow the course left, occasionally dipping off onto a quick little
‘jakkalsdraai’ into the surrounding grasslands. Watch out for riders,
especially along the wooden stiles and bridges spanning the dongas here and
there.

 

Approximately
4km into your run, keep left to traverse along some ploughed fields. This takes
you up towards the opposite fence, and you’ll cross the main entrance gravel
road. Follow the fence line through a few straggly cypress trees, then drop
back down towards the river at around 7.2km. You cannot really get lost, as you
have the fence lines, access road and river course to use as navigational
handrails. For this very reason, I did not stick to a specific route, and ended
up doing an enjoyable run just shy of 12km.

 

RED BARN FAST FACTS:

TERRAIN: Single-track,
gravel road

MAP: www.thebigredbarn.co.za
or at venue

ACCESS REQUIREMENTS: Permits for sale at venue

FACILITIES: Shop, ablutions, etc. on site

CELL RECEPTION: Full signal

BEWARE: Speeding
mountain bikers

TIME OF YEAR: Year round, thunderstorms in summer

 

GETTING THERE

The ‘Big Red
Barn’ is an antique hay barn which has been salvaged and restored on Sunlawns
Estate, a 200ha farm just on 15min from Centurion. Look for the turn-off onto
the M18 off either the N1 or R21; the ‘Big Red Barn’ is located equidistant
between these two highways – look out for the signage after around 15min. GPS
COORDINATES: 25 55 52.10″ S / 28 14 02.18″ E LOCAL INFO:
www.thebigredbarn.co.za

 

STAY HERE

Check out www.lekkeslaap.co.za for literally
thousands of B&Bs, self-catering and other accommodation options in the
immediate area.

 

In the past few years, energy gels have become the
preferred choice for most long distance athletes because of the consistent
texture and the fact that they are easy to consume. They are digested and
absorbed quickly, resulting in a quick and easy surge of energy during a race,
plus they’re easy to carry on you on the road!

 

Energy gels are essentially concentrated sports drinks
which contain about 80 to 100 calories each, and all energy gels need to be
taken with water to ensure that they’re digested properly. There is a huge
variety of tastes and textures on the market today, so it is worth testing a
range of gels during your long training runs in order to find a product that
works for you. Here’s what to look for in a gel:

?        
Carbohydrate: 80-100 calories in
the form of 70-80% maltodextrin and 30-20% fructose. This combination creates a
complex carbohydrate, which has been shown to digest very quickly. Maltodextrin
has little or no flavour, even at high concentrations, which helps energy gels
to not be overly sweet.

?        
Amino Acid Blend: Helps to combat
muscle fatigue, assimilate the conversion of carbohydrates into energy, and
helps with mental focus.

?        
Electrolytes: Sodium and potassium
are important to balance the electrolyte levels in your body. Potassium also
reduces cramping and improves overall fluid movement in the body’s cells. Both
of these electrolytes are lost through sweat during exercise and should be
replaced throughout your run or race.

?        
Caffeine (optional): Caffeine is great for
improving performance and speeding the absorption of carbohydrate, but too much
can upset the stomach. Play around with energy gels that contain caffeine and
ones which do not, to determine which option is best suited for you.

 

WHEN TO TAKE THEM

The timing of when you should take your gels is an
individual choice. Each athlete processes carbohydrate at a different rate.
This variation in absorption rate has to do with how well your stomach reacts
to the energy gel. When running at high intensity for a long duration, your
body often diverts blood away from the digestive tract to the legs to help your
legs continue to move. Sometimes your body may shut the gut down completely, or
it may just slow down the digestion and absorption process.

 

By taking the energy gels early in your race, when your
body is unlikely to be under great stress, you have a better chance of
processing the sugars faster. It would be best advised to take your first
energy gel somewhere between the first 30-45 minutes of the race. Because the
digestion process will be slowed or halted the further you get into the race,
you need to be careful not to overload your stomach. I would suggest waiting
about 45-60 minutes between gels before taking another one.

 

It is important to consume approximately 250ml of
water with every energy gel sachet, but if you are consuming some form of
energy drink in combination with energy gels, it is important to reduce your energy
gel intake. You should then consume one energy gel sachet only every 90-120
minutes.

 

Your digestive system is trainable, so if you consume
energy gels during training, particularly if you do it at set intervals that
correlate to when you will take them during your big race, your body will learn
to keep the digestive process running and you will digest them more readily.
This is why it’s critical to practise your exact fuelling strategy as often as
possible! Also, energy gels may be a little sweet for you, and your stomach
rebel from consuming large quantities, so you should be testing your stomach’s
tolerance to different makes and flavours in training. Then, when the big race
comes, you won’t be trying something new, and you’ll know you can race hard!

 

I thought you might be interested in a runner’s story,
to give you an idea of my journey through weight-loss and how running has
helped me get there. I am not sure if running fixed my spirit, or whether I saw
the damage my spirit had sustained, and that made me run. What I know is that I
feel better because I run.

 

I have learnt so much about myself through running. I
have a mental toughness I didn’t have before. There is a physical benefit, too:
The weight lost and the increase in physical strength. After years of
physically battling the weight, my spirit was weak and defeated. Repeated
failures had left me demoralised and embarrassed.

 

The strangest thing about running
was that it wasn’t a physical thing for me. Through life circumstances and
various catalysts, I was able to connect with myself, someone I had buried deep
inside, the young girl I once was, with hopes and dreams. It was the mental/spiritual
connection that got me running again, so for me it was never just physical, although
I do enjoy the physical side of running, now.

 

I had run at school – under duress
– and then again some in 2008/9, but that is when I had an aneurysm, which literally
stopped me in my tracks. That, combined with a number of other setbacks, left
me emotionally battered.

 

Running might well have been a ‘poor
man’s’ expression of a mid-life crisis for me, because at 40 I started to run
seriously. I do have to qualify ‘seriously’ here, because I am no great athlete
– I am not going to break any winner’s tape – but every day that I get out
there and run is a personal victory for me. I like myself better when I run,
and apparently I am easier to live with too!

 

Running is a solo sport, so they
say, but I have met the most amazing people on the run, and through this
running journey I have become richer. My son once asked me if I am sorry I
didn’t do this earlier, and whilst part of me wishes I had, I also know I
wasn’t ready.

 

Just more than three years later
I still get goose-bumps on runs, when it all comes together and I am filled by
the wonder of running, and a deep sense of gratitude to my body for forgiving
me the many past transgressions and allowing me to run.

 

You cannot fake running, you have
to do the work, and it keeps you honest. And that’s why these words by an
unknown author also speak to the runner in me: “Be confident. Too many days are
wasted comparing ourselves to others and wishing to be something we aren’t.
Everybody has their own strengths and weakness; it is only when you accept
everything you are, and aren’t, that you will truly succeed.”

 Share Your Story

In 1993, Argentina discovered an itchy, swollen rash
on her right leg, and experienced bouts of fever, nausea and pain that kept her
from walking, or sleeping more than two hours at a time. This condition persisted
for five years and had the doctors stumped, until eventually they suggested
amputation as the last resort. “For me, amputation seemed a relief. After years
not being able to walk by myself, it would be freedom,” says Argentina. “All I
had to do was wait for my mother to travel from Mozambique to Joburg to sign
the operation papers.”

 

However, by a fortunate turn of fate, her mother was
delayed due to problems with her visa, and while Argentina lay in the
Johannesburg General Hospital, waiting for her operation, two sisters from the Universal
Church of the Kingdom of God paid her a visit. “I was having a crisis of faith,
but then Fiona and Margaret came to pray for some patients. At first I felt
like they were showing off their faith, but they told me that I needed to
believe. I let them pray and there was a sense of peace afterwards. After years
of not being able to sleep through a night, I did. Something had changed…”

 

The next morning, she was confident enough to attempt
to walk to the bathroom by herself. Fiona and Margaret returned later to take
Argentina to visit their church, where members prayed for her. “I told the
hospital to book me out, despite my serious pending op, and four weeks later I
was walking comfortably. The swelling had gone down and only scar tissue
remained!”

 

WALKER TO RUNNER

Many sceptics told Argentina that the pain would
return, but instead of listening to them, she took up running! “I noticed a
neighbour running every morning and I asked him to teach me to run. I thought
that if I’m healed, I’d be able to catch onto running. It was my new dream.” So
she joined Rand Athletic Club (RAC) and decided to take on a 5km walk, which
she did wearing socks and sandals because her foot was still swollen. She was
tired when she eventually finished, but with a new sense of strength that saw
her build up to alternate between walking and running and after three months,
she finished her first 10km in 55 minutes.

 

In 1995 she ran her first 42km at the Soweto Marathon
– the first ever black woman from RAC to compete in the race, with an
impressive time of 3:45. Next Argentina pushed on to the City to City 50km in
1996, where she finished in 4:45, and after that, it was a natural step to Comrades
1997, but Argentina admits she had no idea what she was getting herself into. “I
remember reaching halfway and figured we were finished, so I asked someone
where I could get my medal. They laughed because I was only halfway!” She
pushed on, though, and finished in 10:30. Today she has 16 Comrades medals, with
a PB of 8:30:17, and has also conquered the Two Oceans 15 times, with a best of
4:53. She set her marathon PB of 2:54 in 1998, and also conquered the New York
Marathon in 2010 in a time of 3:18.

 

PODIUMS AND MEDALS

In 2002 Argentina finished third at the SA Cross
Country Champs in Bloemfontein and was selected for the SA team, and today has
five gold medals in various age categories at SA Champs in her collection. She
also gave Masters Athletics a try and is a regular on the podium in events from
1500m up to 10 000m, including the 2000m steeplechase. This year, she
travelled to Brazil for the World Masters Athletics Champs and finished the
marathon in sixth position in the 40-45 age category, with a time of 3:50.
(Today, she puts her running experience to good use as ASA development coach to
young athletes from the age of 10 in cross-country and track.)

 

On top of her comeback from nearly losing her leg,
Argentina says her results in the past two years are even more special, since
she had to overcome yet another setback after being involved in a car accident
late in 2011. “I had head and spine injuries, and I suffered from blackouts, but
after months of pain and treatment, I was back in 2012 and finished Comrades in
10:20. I don’t know how I get back so quickly, I just know I have had the
strength and support to keep coming back!”

With the clock stopped on 49:25, Anel fell to her
knees in the road, holding back tears of happiness as it sank in that she had
not only achieved her goal of beating the 11-year-old SA Junior Girls’ Record
for 10km, but she had taken more than a minute off the previous mark of 50:37!
“I trained for the record, and I believe in myself, but I didn’t think I would
break it by that much. My 10,000m PB on the track is only 50:04, so I didn’t
expect to go under 50 minutes, and yes, I was very happy!” says the youngster
from George after dominating the women’s 10km at the SA Road Race Walking
Champs.

 

What made it even more special was that her parents,
Chris and Ria, were there to see her break the record. “They’re my biggest
supporters and are at every practice and race. My Dad even gets up at 5am to
ride his bike alongside me!” Also watching was her coach, Carl Meyer, on hand
to see her shatter the record set by another of his athletes, Lee-Anne Watts in
2002, just before he was himself due to start the men’s 10km. Despite warming
up for his own race, he was keeping an eye on Anel’s splits and updating the
commentator on Anel’s record chances. “Carl started coaching me this year and he
is a great race walker himself, with an amazing knowledge of the sport,” says
Anel.

 

NATURAL WALKER

Anel’s talent for race walking was first spotted by
Jurgens Kriegelaar in 2006. “I did athletics in primary school and one day in
grade five I was running the 1200m at the local grass school field when he saw
me doing something funny when my legs got tired. He asked me to stay a bit
longer after practice so his wife, Marie, could watch me too, and she
immediately said I really have talent for race walking.” The Kriegelaars were
spot on about Anel being a natural race walker, and with the help of their
coaching, she was soon making a name for herself.

 

She won her first race, the 3km development race for
juniors at the 2006 SA Race Walking Champs. In 2007 she won a bronze medal at
the SA Primary School Champs, then took home gold at the 2008 Champs in he last
year in primary school, plus added gold medals from the South Western District
as well as Western Cape Champs. That saw her decide to give up netball and
focus exclusively on race walking in high school, and in March 2009 Anel set an
SA Record for the under-17 5000m, then bettered it in April, and again in July,
and again in March 2010. In February 2011 she set a new national mark for
under-16 3000m, followed in March by an under-17 SA Record for the 5000m, then
an SA Junior Record for 20,000m (1:44:42) in April 2013, and most recently the
SA Junior Record for 10km on the road. And in the process she wracked up more
provincial and national titles than space allows to be listed here.

 

AIMING HIGH

Having just finished high school, Anel will be
studying teaching at the University of Johannesburg. Her choice of tertiary
institution was very much swayed by the fact that her coach is based in
Johannesburg, as she has great hopes of making still more progress in walking.
“Next year I will be preparing for the World Junior Champs in the USA, and I
have also qualified for the Walking World Cup in China, but my biggest dream is
to go to the Olympics. Rio 2016 may still be a bit too early for me, but I’m
still going to try to qualify. The Olympics has always been one of my main
goals, right from when I started walking.”

 

Despite having come from a running start, Anel is now
completely dedicated to walking. “I feel most comfortable when walking, in my
zone. I can’t run anymore, because it just doesn’t feel right! Walking is my
passion, and I can’t imagine not doing it. If I have a rest day, I just want to
train. Like during exams, I just want to get out there and walk!”

 

THAMAR CLARK

Nickname: Posh

Age: 31

Self-given Unogwaja Title: Executive
Director of Ideas

 

About me: I am a Digital
Editor at Women’s Health in Cape
Town. I love running because there is no better way to feel free, be inspired,
enjoy nature and feel the vibe of a city. The endorphins help, too! I am a
dreamer, adventure freak and digital whiz. I have just completed a 5 500km
cycle tour through Asia. The treatiest thing about me is that I am a dreamer! My
favourite quotes are: “Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find
out how far one can go…” (T.S. Eliot) and “All people dream, but not
equally… the dreamers of the day are dangerous people, for they dream with
their eyes open and make them come true.” (Lawrence of Arabia)

 

Goals:

?        
To inspire others to live life to the full.

?        
To enjoy even the small moments in life.

 

Charity I support: The Sports
Trust – SMS race 694 to 42030 to
donate R30 to Thamar’s cause.

 

RICHARD CLARK

Nickname: Becks

Age: 34

Self-given Unogwaja Title:
Uphillrunner

 

About me: I am a freelance
3D animator from Cape Town. My sports are road running, trail running, road
cycling and mountain biking, because it’s my medicine. I love it! I am an
adventurer and competitive athlete who is always up for a new challenge. The
treatiest thing about me is I am the house husband. My favourite quotes are: “Some
people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen.” and
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t
do than by the ones you did do. Explore. Dream. Discover.” (Mark Twain)

 

Goals:

?        
To run a sub-3-hour marathon.

 

Charity I support: The Starfish Foundation – SMS race 672 to 42030 to donate R30 to
Richard’s cause.

DAVID WILLIAMSON

Nickname: Ginger
Wizard

Age: 33

Self-given Unogwaja Title: The Tan
Line

 

About me: I work in sport
event/travel management. My sport is hockey: I do my best to get in the way of
fast-moving hockey balls, because it’s surprisingly rewarding! I get to wear
cool kit and I get to do daft things on a daily basis. I have great teammates
and great times. I am a little bit eclectic and have lots of random interests.
The treatiest thing about me is literally my ability to consume vast amounts of
treats! My favourite quotes are: “Training is like fighting with a gorilla. You
don’t stop when you’re tired. You stop when the gorilla is tired.” (Greg
Henderson) and “The question isn’t who is going to let me; it’s who is going to
stop me.” (Ayn Rand)

 

Goals:

?        
Take in and enjoy every moment, even the suffering
during this year’s Unogwaja.

?        
Finish the Unogwaja Challenge!

?        
Find more adventures to take along the way rather than
just watch them on the Discovery Channel.

?        
Work towards an Ironman in 2014/15.

 

Charity I support: Wildands –
SMS race 682 to 42030 to donate R30
to David’s cause.

 

MIRANDA SYMONS

Nickname: M

Age: 34

Self-given Unogwaja Title: Comrades
Queen

 

About me: I am a physiotherapist
from Cape Town. My sport is running (and cycling and swimming and playing
hockey!) because I love the feeling of pushing my body and seeing how far it
can go. Running is my favourite sport, mostly because I run with very cool
people – runners are awesome! I absolutely love Comrades! It is my favourite
day of the year. The treatiest thing about me is no matter how far, long or
deep the sporting challenge is, I smile the whole way through it. My favourite
quotes are: “Just play. Have fun. Enjoy the game. The rest will take care of
itself.” (Michael Jordan) and “Toughen up, buttercup.”

 

Goals:

?        
To run 10 Comrades Marathons and get my permanent
number (53177).

?        
To inspire people to follow their sporting dreams and
achieve more than they thought possible.

 

Charity I support: The Pink
Drive – SMS race 712 to 42020 to
donate R30 to Miranda’s cause.

All information and images supplied by Nutreats and extracted from their
#TreatyProfile Unogwaja edition weekly features. To find out more about the
weekly profiles and the Unogwaja Challenge 2013 Team, go to www.nutreats.co.za.