Author: Modern Athlete

LEGENDS HAND IN HAND

One of the
most memorable sights of Comrades 2012 was when two of South Africa’s all-time greatest
runners, Bruce Fordyce and Zola Pieterse,
finished hand in hand in 8:06:09 and hugged on the line. Bruce, the nine-time
winner and undisputed King of the Comrades, had mentored Zola in her training
ahead of her first Big C, and they ran the last 25km together.

 

Zola says
the Comrades was her toughest race yet, as she was in unknown territory after
the 56km mark – her longest races before this were the 50km Loskop and 56km Two
Oceans ultras. “My energy levels were depleted by the time I got to 60km, but
with the help of Bruce, I pushed through to Durban. I experienced the Comrades spirit and
there is nothing like it in the world!”

 

This was Bruce’s 30^th Comrades medal and he
announced afterwards that he will now retire from the Big C – but there may
still be one run left in the tank… “This will be my last Comrades, although I
am thinking of giving it go again when Comrades turns 100. I will only be 68
then.” And what a way to bow out, pulling in alongside Zola when she needed it
most in Pinetown.

 

LIFE BEGINS AT 40

The 2012
Comrades saw two runners join the select 40-medal club, and both did so without
having missed a year since their first run! They are now tied third on the list
for most Comrades finishes with Clive Crawley and Riel Hugo, behind Dave Rogers
(45 medals) and Kenny Craig (42 medals).

 

This was a
big year for Barry Holland. Having provided crucial
training advice to Modern Athlete readers in the months leading up to the race,
he then set off on his 40^th consecutive Comrades, leading a special
Barry Holland sub-10:30 bus home in 10:23 and embracing his wife, family and
clubmates on the line. “It was a fantastic run, and words cannot describe
running and finishing with my family,” says Barry. “There was a huge commitment
from everyone, because we all go through rough patches at different stages, but
we had a shared belief that we’ll finish together.” He is also thankful for the
spectators and fellow runners who congratulated him on his feat. “The reception
was amazing. People saw the four stripes on my number and shouted ‘Go Barry!’
which was a great feeling!”

 

Barry says
he is planning to run two more with his wife, who is now on 18 finishes. “Maybe
I will look beyond that, but that’s a decision for later. I guess I keep coming
back every year because I love the dedication one needs for Comrades. I’ve
always said that training is harder than the run. I love that commitment people
make and the camaraderie I share with my running mates!”

 

Despite
having run the Comrades 40 consecutive times, Louis Massyn says every race he has run is different from the last, and this one was extra
special. With four yellow stripes on his number, Louis enjoyed great support
from runners and spectators alike, and he says the atmosphere when he entered
the stadium was the best feeling he has experienced in his long Comrades
career. “It was emotional for me. It was the best race of my life and the
cheers took me home! I’ve gotten so many phone calls, e-mails and Facebook
messages – the support has been great!”

 

Even though
he went through a bad patch when he reached Field’s Hill, Louis recovered in
Pinetown, finding a running mate and finishing with him in 11:23. “I was
buggered, but you have to push on. Now I want to keep going from here. I’ve
been lucky because I’ve been injury-free all 40 years. For me now, it’s
breaking the record for the most Comrades runs. Being a part of the greatest
ultra on earth is so rewarding!”

 

PACED TO PERFECTION

In a race
as long as Comrades, many athletes rely on pacesetters to get them home for
their target time or before the final cut-off gun is fired. This year, Modern Athlete had two pacing buses in
the race, aiming to come home in sub-11:00 and sub-12:00 finishing times.

 

When Jackie Campher’s sub-11:00 bus reached halfway in 5:27, he
says he knew they could push through to the finish and make it home on time. “The
runners kept asking me questions before that, like what time we’ll be at
halfway and what time we’ll finish – and if I’ve done this before,” says
Jackie, but after that everybody settled down. When the bus came home in
10:51:34, the runners went crazy, cheering and hitting the ad boards. “People
thanked me then. It is something you can’t describe as people you don’t even
know hug you!”

 

Jackie
applauded the atmosphere and camaraderie in the bus as runners helped each
other through the rough patches, “Everybody worked together, especially at the
water tables. There was a lot of chatting and joking and the vibe was great. It
also helped that I had some runners from my club in the bus, and my son,
Steven, was also in the bus helping when I had to pull off now and again! Another
highlight was passing through the Modern
Athlete Smile Zone in Pinetown and Sean Falconer
said ‘Jackie, you are a legend!’ With that, Steven gave me a pat on the
shoulder and it brought me to tears!”

 

When
legendary sub-12:00 pacer Vlam Pieterse had to pull out of the race with one
week to go it looked as if there would be no sub-12:00 bus… which literally
left some runners in tears! But then Vlam’s mate, Hardus ‘Spike’ Laubscher, came to the rescue, just two days before the race, by
agreeing to take over the driving duties. “It was scary taking over from Vlam,
because he is a legend. I didn’t know if I had it in me, but my confidence grew
because I could see how many people depended on me for a finish.”

 

Using
Vlam’s pacing chart and being met at several points along the way by Vlam and
his family, Spike led an enthusiastic bunch home in 11:47. “It was so lekker!
As much as I helped them, they helped me. There were locals, about 20 Americans
and a woman from Puerto Rico. Some were worried,
asking me things like what to eat and drink, but I told them not to worry and
we did it. With just a few kilometres to go, I told them that they must taste
their medals and many burst into tears! It was the best feeling ever getting
into that stadium and crossing the line together!”

 

When South
African Ludwick Mamabolo crossed the finish at this year’s Comrades, the
country rejoiced. After seven straight years of foreign runners winning the
coveted Comrades crown, the man from Limpopo
had made his winning break in Pinetown and crossed the line in a winning time
of 5:31:03, the first South African winner of the Big C since Sipho Ngomane in
2005. He seemed a worthy winner, too, having finished as runner-up in 2010 and
seventh last year, and being the grandson of one of South Africa’s all-time greatest
runners, Titus Mamabola. He was followed home by another local runner, Bongmusa
Mthembu, with foreign runners taking the next five positions, including
two-time winner and holder of both Up and Down course records, Russia’s Leonid
Shvetsov in fifth, and three-time defending champion Stephen Muzhingi of
Zimbabwe in sixth.

 

But just
two weeks later, Ludwick was back in the headlines for all the wrong reasons as
news broke that methylhexaneamine had been found in his post-race urine sample.
The South African Institute for Drug-Free Sport (SAIDS) announced that all top
10 men and women had been tested, and Ludwick had tested positive for this
banned stimulant, while a second athlete had been found to have elevated
testosterone levels (this athlete was yet to be named at the time of going to
print, as the sample had been sent to Germany for extra testing).

 

According to Khalid Galant, CEO of SAIDS, methylhexaneamine can
give an athlete a heightened sense of euphotria and energy, and can mask
fatigue levels. “It has been one of those substances that some athletes
have been testing positive for over the last two years. It is starting to
become in sports supplements and certain energy drinks,” Galant said.

 

Ludwick
immediately denied the allegation that he had cheated, and vowed to fight to
clear his name. “I didn’t take any banned substances. The stuff that I use
is what I have normally used throughout the years I have been running Comrades.
I am confident that I will be found not guilty.” If he is found guilty, he
could be stripped of his race title and will lose his R300 000 prize money,
as well as lose out on all the lucrative sponsorships and endorsements he would
have been offered as the Comrades winner. He could also face up to a two-year
ban. And that would also see runner-up Bongmusa declared the winner.

 

After the
race, the humble winner from Polokwane was given red-carpet treatment when he
travelled home to Limpopo, and the people of
Segopye, where he was born, cheered their new hero through the streets. Their
pride and excitement could be short-lived, however, depending on the outcome of
Ludwick’s defence against the doping charge. At the time of going to print, a
date still had to be set for Ludwick’s independent tribunal hearing, so that he
could be given an opportunity to defend himself. He also still had to announce
whether he wanted his B sample tested as well, but given his protests about
being innocent, this seemed the likely course of action for him to follow.

 

ELENA DOES IT AGAIN!

In the
women’s race, Elena Nurgalieva was always favourite to win and extend her
incredible Comrades record, but she first had to see off the determined
challenge of Brit Eleanor Greenwood.
The two were still together past the halfway mark, but then Elena pushed the accelerator
and in Pinetown broke away and gradually pulled just over a minute clear of her
challenger. She crossed the line in 6:07:12, taking 34 seconds off her previous
best for the Down Run, set in 2003, and added a tenth gold medal to her
collection. Eleanor duly came home second in 6:08:24, with Marina Zhalybina
(formerly Bychkova) a distant third. The first South African woman to finish
was Kerry Koen, sixth in 6:45:45, with Melanie van Rooyen finishing ninth and
Julanie Basson tenth.

 

As with the
Two Oceans in April, Elena ran Comrades without her twin sister Olesya, who
became a mother a month ago. Having run most of their South African ultras
together, Elena says that her sister and nephew were always on her mind on race
day. “I spoke to Olesya right after the win! She is very proud of me. I kept
thinking of her and my nephew on route and it helped me push!” Elena also
congratulated Eleanor on her run and for making the race really competitive. “The
race was hard because the girls started fast and solid,” says Elena, “but I
pushed on and it feels so great that I broke my own record!” For now, she says
she is not committing herself to another Comrades just yet. “I want to focus on
family now, but you never know what will happen. I can plan another run, so we
will have to see.”

 

BACK IN THE PACK

The cold,
windy conditions early in the race did affect a number of runners, and out of 13
667 runners that set out from Pietermaritzburg, just 11 894 had crossed the
finish line by the time the 12-hour cut-off gun was fired. As always, the
emotional scenes of both triumph and despair within the Ultimate Human Race
contributed to the aura of the day, and no doubt there are already many runners
dreaming of Comrades 2013. As soon as their legs are not so sore any more, that
is.

TOP 10 MEN

1. Ludwick Mamabolo (Mr Price Sport)                              5:31:03

2. Bongmusa Mthembu (Mr Price Sport)                            5:32:42

3. Leboka Noto (Nedbank/Lesotho)                                   5:33:31

4. Marko Mambo (Mr Price Sport/Zimbabwe)                     5:33:40

5. Leonid Shvetsov (Nedbank/Russia)                               5:35:20

6. Stephen Muzhingi (Formula 1 Bluff Meats/Zimbabwe)     5:38:06

7. Lephetesang Adoro (Formula 1 Bluff Meats/Lesotho)     5:38:30

8. Gift Kelehe (Samancor Chrome)                                    5:38:39

9. Claude Moshiywa (Nedbank GN)                                   5:39:11

10. Petros Sosibo (Phuma KZN)                                       5:40:37

TOP 10 WOMEN

1. Elena Nurgalieva (Mr Price Sport/Russia)                       6:07:12

2. Eleanor Greenwood (Nedbank/Great Britain)                   6:08:24

3. Marina Zhalybina (Mr Price Sport/Russia)                       6:30:54

4. Joasia Zakrzewski (Nedbank/ Great Britain)                    6:33:41

5. Devon Crosby-Helms
(Nedbank/USA)                            6:39:59

6. Kerry Koen (Bonitas CG)                                               6:45:45

7. Irina Vishneyskaya (Nedbank/Russia)                             6:47:20

8. Natalia Volgina (Nedbank/Russia)                                  6:51:07

9. Melanie Van Rooyen (Richards Bay)                              6:52:36

10. Julanie Basson (Toyota
CG)                                        7:00:46

 

LONG LIVE THE KING!

Ask most South Africans what pops
into their head when they think about the Comrades Marathon and more than
likely the name Bruce Fordyce will be mentioned. He won the race nine times
between 1981 and 1990, including eight consecutive wins, at the same time as
the race became a nationally televised ‘institution’, and unsurprisingly was
soon dubbed the Comrades King. This year will see Bruce running his 30^th
Comrades, and he says his preparation went well: “I can’t wait! I structure my
year around Comrades – that’s why I keep coming back. I am expecting to get in
under 7 hours 30 minutes so I can get my silver this year.”

Bruce took on Comrades for the first
time in 1977, placing 43rd and steadily worked his way up the placings until he
claimed second place in 1980, just behind winner Alan Robb. In 1981, Bruce
grabbed his first Comrades win in 5:37:28, and would go on to win it the next
seven years as well. His ninth win came in 1990. In 1986, Bruce set a Down Run
record of 5:24:07, which stood for 21 years before finally being broken in
2007. His 1988 Up Run record of 5:27:42 stood until 1996. While Bruce dominated
the race in the 80s, he says that he had some tough competition to beat,
notably Alan Robb, Johnny Halberstadt and
Bobby de la Motte (who was runner-up three times to Bruce between 1984 and
1987).

Last year, Bruce only just missed a
silver medal by 31 seconds, but he’s confident he’ll get it this time!
“Obviously I’m less competitive these days, but now it’s me against the clock.
I don’t care about who I’m running against. This year, I intend to enjoy
myself. Last year, I killed it. It’s a pity when runners overkill it and forget
to enjoy the ride,” he says.

 

TRIED AND TESTED

In the last two weeks before
Comrades, Bruce follows a strict routine in training, running 10km in the
beginning of the week, then tapering down to 8km, 5km and resting on the two
days before the race. Every year, he drives over the course before the day to
remind himself of what lies ahead. “Comrades is another sort of animal
entirely. You have to be prepared for anything and you have to be familiar with
the route,” he says.

 

Bruce is also said to be a Tim
Noakes disciple, following a strict protein diet with his training. “Back in
the day, I could eat anything and I wouldn’t be bothered, but it’s different
when you’re in your fifties. When I was running I felt heavy, so I started
eating differently and I’ve lost weight,” he explains. Bruce describes his
healthy lifestyle very simply: “If it looks delicious, don’t eat it!”

 

Throughout his career, Bruce says he
stayed injury-free thanks to his knowledge of his body, “I know how I work and
I don’t do stupid things to harm my body. Through my training, I’ve found it
important to change my running shoes to adapt. I use heavy shoes for a quality
session and change to lighter training shoes for another run. Also, you have to
warm up properly for a worthy session.”

 

COMRADES WISDOM

Bruce points out the top of Field’s
Hill, overlooking Durban’s skyline, as
well as Polly Shorts as the stand-out sights on the route. “The day is so
special, but memories like that are quite moving. When you grab sight of the
sea in the last 20 kays, it’s great!” His passion for the race is unyielding,
encouraging novice runners to pursue their Comrades dream. “Just join a running
club with a reputation for running Comrades and by process of osmosis, you’ll
be running it. You’ll hear all the stories from members and you’ll be inspired!”

 

Unsurprisingly, Bruce’s guidance is
often sought by fellow Comrades runners, including recently by former South
African middle-distance track star Zola Pieterse (n?e Budd), who is taking on
her first Comrades this year. “Zola asked me for advice because she was unsure
about a lot of things. She wanted to know how to taper in the last weeks and I
gave her advice and told her what I do, cutting back on mileage and going for
short, quality runs.” For every Comrades competitor, even Zola, the King’s advice
is straightforward. “Start slowly! It’s a hilly race, so much so that you’ll
think the Down Run is up for the first 50km or so. The best advice I can give
is to enjoy it and take it all in.”

 

 

ALL HAIL THE QUEEN!

 

In 1983, a petite, barefoot 16-year-old
Zola Budd clocked an amazing 8:39.00 for 3 000m and turned heads around the
world. Then in 1984 she broke the 5 000m world record in Stellenbosch, moved to
Great Britain
and suddenly she was representing her adopted country in the Los Angeles Olympics,
where a famous clash with Mary Dekker of the USA
became one of the biggest talking points of the Games. Years later, Zola would
win two World Cross-Country Champs titles as well.

 

Now known as Zola Pieterse, the
former track star has recently moved up to ultra-marathoning, having run the
Old Mutual Two Oceans 56km in April, and is now taking on the gruelling 89km of
the Comrades. She says she knew she had to challenge herself: “I was at last
year’s Comrades Expo and it was then that I decided to take it on. Comrades is
a part of South African culture. I’ve always watched it on TV, and as an
athlete you’re always drawn to it,” she explains.

 

ADAPTING QUICKLY

Despite cold and wet conditions at
Two Oceans, Zola enjoyed the distance, clocking in at 4:29:51. She then also
tackled the 50km Loskop Marathon,
coming in fifth woman overall and first master in 3:40:03. “My body has adapted
quickly to the distances and the preparation has been good! For Comrades, my
aim is to finish in eight hours. For me, the real race starts at 60km! If your
body can survive until then, you can push through,” she says.

 

Zola never thought she’d take on
Comrades, having never seen herself as “a marathon runner,” even though it was
always at the back of her mind. But this year, she is spending as much time as
possible training, having used Loskop and Two Oceans as her key training runs
and spending three times a week on core work in the gym, as well as
complimenting her training with swimming and cycling. She also commends Bruce on
mentoring her through the Comrades process, giving her tips to follow before
the big day and on the route itself. “He has been a huge help to me. He told me
not to go in too hard, too soon, and taught me a lot about tapering down in
May. Bruce just told me to learn to read my body and pace myself when
necessary.” Zola also says Bruce told her to “keep it simple” on the day.

 

Zola has her own advice for would-be
Comrades novices: “It takes patience! Wait until you’re ready and properly
trained to take it on.” She also recommends working up slowly from 10km races,
through half marathons and then marathons, until you’re ready to push on
towards the Ultimate Human Race. “And don’t neglect your speed work and quality
sessions.”

 

HOME SUPPORT

While the former barefoot starlet
will be wearing shoes on Comrades day, she is a committed ambassador for
barefoot running and minimalist shoes. She has been promoting Newton
shoes for the past year and has been introducing the South African market to
the benefits of minimalist shoes and a less aggressive heel-strike. She is
based in South Carolina
in the USA
and travels to South Africa
every few months. Her homesickness is apparent, but she believes that she and
her family will come home some day. “We still have a business and our home in
Bloem, so coming back is always a possibility. There is also heaps of support
from the country!” she says.

 

Her children are attending school
abroad, but are coming over in June to watch their mother’s maiden Comrades
run. “It’s nice that I’ll have my family here on the day! It will be the
greatest motivation to see my kids on the way to the finish!” And with the
famous, much-loved name ‘Zola’ on her race number, there’s no doubt that all
the spectators and fellow runners on the route will recognise her and also
cheer her on.

 

JACKIE CAMPHER

SUB-11:00 BUS DRIVER

Jackie is
driving the Modern Athlete bus for
the second year and will be starting in Batch G, so look out for his Modern Athlete pacesetting flag if you
want to make sure of your Bronze medal. “I look forward to seeing you all in my
bus! As the start is very congested in Pietermaritzburg, I have included six minutes
in my pacing chart from the time the gun goes off till we cross the starting
line. At some stages we might be a minute or so ahead of schedule, due to the
downhills, but we will use this later for a walk break,” says Jackie. He plans
to go through the halfway mark between 5:25 and 5:27.

VLAM PIETERSE

SUB-12:00 BUS DRIVER

The
legendary Vlam is one of South Africa’s most experienced pacesetters and has
over the years successfully brought home many a sub-12:00 Comrades bus. Due to
injury, he could not run last year, and he is therefore even more determined to
run a great race this year and proudly lead home the Modern Athlete Sub-12:00 Bus. “Join me right at the back of the
starting line and we’ll have a great run together. Use the runners and supporters
around you – they are the ones that make a difference. Tell jokes, sing a song,
it will make the kilometres go by quickly. And if you do fall behind the
sub-12:00 bus, remember you have 12 hours exactly to finish, so don’t stop
before the 12 hours are over!”