Author: Modern Athlete

It was a star-studded elite men and women field that lined up, aiming
for important ITU points in an Olympic year, and of course also the title of
South African Champion. With warm conditions and a typically strong wind, the
stage was set for a challenging race.

 

Among the big South African names were Richard Murray, Erhard Wolfaardt
and Hendrik de Villiers, all three with their sights set on the two spots for
triathletes in the South African team going to the Olympics in London later
this year. The women’s race saw Kate Roberts, who has three African Triathlon
World Cup titles to her name, and Andrea Steyn, the undefeated BSG Energade Tri
Series champion, lining up. The strong presence of international competitors
from Germany, Poland, China, Finland, Belgium, Morocco and France meant the
locals had their work cut out for them.

 

THE RACE IS
ON

The men were first to head out on their 1.5km swim, braving big breakers
to get behind the waves. Young Henri Schoeman led the men out the water,
followed by Frenchman Frederic Belaubre. They left transition turning into a
strong headwind for the first of four laps of 10km on the bike. The chasing
group of German Franz Loeschke, South Africans Wicus Weber and Wian Sullwald,
and the Moroccan Mehdi Essadiq, all worked hard for the first 5km to catch up
with the leaders. The lead group then remained the same for the rest of the bike
leg, steadily pulling away from the chasing groups.

 

The race was well supported and there was a great atmosphere as the
excitement mounted during the run. Loeschke took the lead in the run and the
rest of the field simply could not catch him. He won the race in a time of
1:57:26, followed by Belaubre some 30 seconds behind him. The first South
African to cross the line, and claim the South African title, was 18-year-old
Wian Sullwald in third place, doing extremely well in his first Olympic distance
race. “I really would like to get a podium at Junior World Champs. It will be
quite tough, but fortunately there is still some time to train for this,’ said
Sullwald after the race.

 

WOMEN’S RACE

In the women’s race, Mari Rabie was first out the water with Kate
Roberts in second position. They worked together on the bike course, hoping to
open a gap between themselves and the chasing group, but after one lap they
were caught by the chasing group consisting of South Africans Carlyn Fischer,
Vicky van der Merwe, Gillian Sanders, Corinne Berg and Andrea Steyn.

 

All African Games Champion Carlyn Fischer entered transition first and
quickly led the rest of the field out onto the run course of four laps of 2.5km.
She was followed by Belgian Katrien Verstuyft, Kate and Gillian. With about 1km
to go, Sanders laid down the gauntlet and pulled away from the group. She held
onto her lead to win the race in a time of 2:12:08, followed by Fischer in
second place and Verstuyft in third.

 

“There were two titles up for grabs today, so that made it extra tough,
and with the foreign girls racing it made it more exciting,” said Sanders. “I’m
still in my winter training, and I didn’t taper for the race, so I am very
pleased with the result. I stopped my law job a year ago to train for the
Olympics and try to get into the squad. I have some races coming up and will
know by the beginning of June if I made the team.”

 

The ITU Triathlon Premium African Cup was superbly organised with great
racing and nail-biting finishes, living up to its reputation as one of the best
races on the calendar.

 

 

TOP 10 MEN

1. Franz Loeschke               1:57:26             Germany

2. Frederic Belaubre            1:57:53             France

3. Wian Sullwald                  1:59:13             South Africa

4. Anton Ruanova                1:59:34             Spain

5. Mehdi Essadiq                1:59:46             Morocco

6. Wikus Weber                   1:59:57             South Africa

7. Erhard Wolfaardt             2:00:02             South Africa

8. Henri Schoeman              2:00:39             South Africa

9. Etienne Diemunsch          2:01:17             France

10. Sylwester Kuster            2:02:29             Poland

TOP
10 WOMEN

1. Gillian Sanders                2:12:08             South Africa

2. Carlyn Fischer                 2:12:27             South Africa

3. Katrien Verstuyft              2:12:41             Belgium

4. Kate Roberts                   2:13:09             South Africa

5. Sarah Fladung                 2:13:37             Germany

6. Andrea Steyn                  2:14:11             South Africa

7. Kaisa Lehtonen                2:14:33             Finland

8. Vicky van der Merwe        2:14:44             South
Africa

9. Yi Wang                          2:15:03             China

10. Yi Zhang                       2:16:30             China

I have to
say that I really enjoyed this year’s Addo. It was my fifth: Two 100-milers and
now three 50-milers, as we old-schoolers still like to call them, despite the
distances varying a bit. I just have to keep coming back to this wonderful
race. A lot of folk run an event once, tick it off and move on. Somehow that
tends not to happen at Addo – at the start, year after year, it’s the same old
faces in among the new ones.

 

A COMPLETE EXPERIENCE

With Addo,
the distance isn’t that important, it’s the journey. A first look at the
profile demands a second one. There are two very tough climbs, but for the most
part this is an enjoyable, varied though extremely challenging route. Though
tough, this race is a pleasure to run – everything is sorted for you by Nadia
and Estienne Arndt and their team. Registration the day before is easy and the
route is clearly marked. The checkpoints on this race are very special, as are
the people you will find there. Be prepared: Despite having lost your freshness
many kilometers back, they will love you unconditionally. As you approach, you
are hailed as champion, and treated like one until you leave. Everything you
need is laid out like a kid’s party.

 

Medical
backup is on hand – I, for example, was spotted along the road to Addo bidding
what I had hoped was a private if protracted farewell to my recently-gulped
chocolate milk. Within a few minutes the nurse came cruising by to ask if I
needed help. Now that’s backup.

 

And
everyone who finishes this race, at Zuurberg or at Addo, is a hero. The winners
have trained like demons and nailed that trail to claim their place on the
podium, but nobody who completes the course has had an easy day, and everyone
who does is rewarded.

 

A DAY TO REMEMBER

So what
made this year’s race special for me? Certainly not my time, at just under 13
hours my slowest yet for the distance. No, it was the coming together of many
of the things that epitomise trail running that made it a golden day. For me it
was the companionship I found along the way. I relish running alone, and I had
plenty of time for that, but enjoying the early part of the trail with a dear
friend, greeting familiar faces at checkpoints, and making a new friend as the
kilometres passed by, added to the richness of my Addo experience. A hug from
my fianc? at Zuurberg and help from a team-mate on the last gruelling section
to Addo were highpoints.

 

Addo had
texture, it had flavour, it had scents and sounds and spirit and feeling, it
had warmth and vigour, it had effort, pain, joy and freedom, and this is what
running on trails in wild places does for many of us. If we train hard, keep
our focus and are lucky on the day, we have all this and a shot at the podium. We are still exceptionally fortunate if,
back in the pack, we rediscover that the real world is to be found in places
and on races like these, and in the voices and hearts of our friends. T-Shirts
and goodie bags and medals and all those other things are great, but it’s the
physical, mental and spiritual engagement with the environment that is the
essence of trail running for me.

The thought of arriving for a
triathlon with sub-13-degree waters, insanely bumpy roads, a run route
resembling a courtyard maze and four different races on the same course, is a
daunting one to say the least! The cause of this anxiety was the 11Global, an
international Olympic distance triathlon hosted at Big Bay, Cape Town.

 

As if that wasn’t enough, to add a
little spice to our usual race day preparation, it was also our last outing for
the season as a complete team. Team Revolution Racing is a group of friends,
empowered through different sponsorships, who go out and race as hard as
possible while being the best brand ambassadors we can be. There are more races
this season, but not all the team members are able to participate, so we wanted
this to be our best collective showing.

 

ITU
SPRING CUP

The first race of the day was the
ITU Sprint Cup, which played host to the biggest field of international
triathletes in SA since 2008. Among the male superstars was national Ironman
hero Raynard Tissink as well as local star Richard Murray. In the women’s
field, another local, Vicky van der Merwe, was hoping to do us proud.

 

Hot racing was promised and hot
racing was given! A 750m swim was not enough to separate the contenders and
that meant that extra effort in the cycling was needed for the double 10km
out-and-back loop. This being a draft-legal race meant that no substantial gaps
were going to develop on this leg, so the outcome was going to be decided
during the 5km run.

 

Richard Murray clocked 2:40min/km
splits for the last 3km to tear the finish line tape and win his first race of
the season, with fellow South African Erhard Wolfaardt coming in third. Carlyn
Fischer made sure that our anthem was the only anthem to be played during the
medal ceremony with a stunning 14-second win in the women’s race!

 

11GLOBAL

While the pro’s were doing their
thing out on the course, we were getting ready for our race, the 11Global
Olympic Triathlon, which is double the distance of the ITU Sprint Cup. The
Atlantic Ocean always promises freezing temperatures, but this you can prepare
for. What you can’t prepare for are thick kelp forests, and the feeling of your
hand pulling through them!

 

All the energy I put into trying to
contain my nerves for the swim is most times unwarranted as it is usually over
before I know it. Also, for an ex-Durban boy like me, swimming at Big Bay
presents an opportunity to catch a wave in and overtake a few competitors. If I
had known as a youngster that an Orca wetsuit would have made catching waves so
much easier, I would have made sure that my parents spoilt me with one way back
then!

 

A short run up the beach, an
inevitable dizzy spell and a few sips of water later, we were onto the bike
leg. This consists of four out-and-back loops on the road connecting Big Bay
and Melkbos, arguably the bumpiest road in the Western Cape. For once, Mother
Nature was on our side and we were blessed with a gentle sea breeze.

 

As the run leg approached, the
temperature began to soar. My GU-enriched body would now have to endure two
laps of the shade-less holiday residential area, but I faded badly after a big
effort on the bike. A peak through the results shows that I was probably the
only athlete amongst my team and rivals to not endure it well, with great
results registered by all within the team!

 

Special mention has to go to our
captain, Wane Rossouw, who saved his best performance of the season for this
race, going on to podium in his age group! Another mention has to be made of a
close friend and bitter rival, Andrew Slot, who not only finished with a podium
for the second week in a row, but also made sure that if I am to have any hope
of beating him, I am going to have to enlist the help of a very expensive coach
as well as upgrade every piece of equipment I own. Still, I fear it may not be
enough! I hope Asics bring out running shoes with wheels soon!

 

The 11Global is a great race and
Table Mountain and Robben Island serve as magnificent backdrops. As for
Revolution Racing, we will be back in full force next year to claim a few more
XXL shirts on the podium!

Becoming a marathon runner in three months is
a tough ask, but with the right preparation and gear, it can be done. Jenny
White, Sammy-Jane Thom, Saret van de Walt, Lizette Kellerman and Nele Baader,
who come from a wide variety of backgrounds, have been selected from hundreds
of applicants in response to an open invitation from the sport bra brand
Triumph to take up the Triumph Triaction challenge – first running the Old
Mutual Two Oceans Half Marathon this month, followed by the Pick n Pay Knysna
Marathon in July.

 

READY, SET,
GO

None of the women have ever run more than 10km and all have followed a
rigorous training programme under the watchful eye of personal trainer, Steve
Atwell of Embark, a lifestyle coaching company, which he set up specifically to
coach and mentor beginner athletes, providing them with the confidence to
become athletes.

 

All five budding marathon runners have undergone an assessment at the
Sports Performance and Exercise Centre in Cape Town. This centre also provided
the women with the services of a dietician, chiropractor, podiatrist,
biokineticist and physiotherapist.

 

To follow
their progress, take a look at their blog at www.facebook.com/triactionSA.

GREAT GEAR
FOR GIRLS

MR PRICE MAXED ELITE RANGE

Mr Price Sport has a new range of women’s Maxed Elite gear which is in
store now. We tried the Ladies Maxed Elite shorts and vest and found both to be
very comfortable, and especially suited to a runner’s needs. And on top of
that, they’re great looking too! The shorts are light, made of stretch nylon
for ease of movement, laser punched for breathability, and have reflective detail
on the back. The nicest thing about the vest is that it can be used for running
or any other sport you choose – we used it for running as well as in yoga classes.
The range comes in a wide variety of colours and styles and is available at
selected Mr Price Sport stores.

 

THIS MONTH
WE TRIED: PREGNANCY YOGA

By Michelle Pieters

I’ve been lucky enough to keep running and swimming throughout my
pregnancy. But at close to eight months now, baby and I both felt we needed a
new challenge, so I signed up for my very first pregnancy yoga class! I’d been
to a few yoga classes before falling pregnant, but I’d never really been bitten
by the yoga bug, and I have always gone back to my faithful triathlon training.
So at my first class, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but can now with all
honesty say I’m hooked!

 

Prenatal Yoga is a form of yoga that takes into account the changing
needs of a woman’s body while she is pregnant. Yoga during pregnancy assists
and strengthens the muscles and joints as they change with the influx of
pregnancy hormones. You can start at any stage of your pregnancy and the
benefits are numerous: It keeps the core strong, assists you to maintain
correct posture, and can help relieve some of those pregnancy aches and pains.

 

During the class there is a lot of focus on the breath. I found it a
slower-paced workout than regular yoga, but it still left me challenged,
sweating and feeling a bit sore in some places the next day! Look out for a
complete article on how athletes can use yoga during pregnancy in next month’s
edition of Modern Athlete.

There is already a nip in the air and before we know it we will be
wearing sweaters and struggling to get out from under the duvet! And we will
put swimming training on hold, as we mostly perceive it as cold, unpleasant and
unnecessary during autumn and winter. Well, think again! Here are just a few
advantages of winter swim training:

?        
Honing your technique will not only impact on your
swim time, but in all likelihood your bike and run, too.

?        
It’s much warmer in the gym than outside!

?        
The pool is safe on dark mornings and evenings.

?        
It gives you the opportunity to focus on technique
without the pressure of a looming event.

?        
You get the chance to include a significant other who
is left out during the season because your pace and goals don’t match.

?        
It is the perfect time to wean yourself off swim
‘toys’ that are illegal for triathlon anyway!

?        
It will build your confidence so that you don’t have a
panic attack at the thought of a non-wetsuit swim.

 

NEW APPROACH NEEDED

When you get into the pool this
winter, remember to change your mindset. Every session must be about improving
technique and have specific focus points. Many swimmers believe that
improvement in technique is achieved from swimming more. The problem with this
plan is that you will quickly plateau and just become good at struggling. The
key is to think about improving efficiency, because that is what makes you fast
in the water – and what saves energy for the bike and run.

?        
Use metrics other than time and number of laps
completed to measure your improvement.

?        
Aim to reduce your strokes per length at a variety of
intensities.

?        
Do drills, but only if you know why you are doing them
and what the specific outcome will be.

?        
Think of your sessions as practice, not training. Practise
the ability to focus for longer and to execute good technique, no matter what
the effort.

 

PRACTICAL SESSIONS

1. Count your strokes: Work on
increasing the distance covered per stroke to improve your feel for the water
and stroke efficiency. Take as few strokes as possible from wall to wall
without using more effort. If you are at 30 strokes or above for 25m, try
decreasing your stroke count by one or two per 25m each week. Decreased stroke
count means increased efficiency, so a stroke count of 12 to 15 is far more
efficient than a stroke count of 35. Multiply these stroke savings over a 1.5km
or even 3.8km swim and you’ll see how much energy you will save!

 

2. Golf drill: This is a fun drill to do with
stroke count and speed. Count the number of strokes you take over 50m and add
that number to your 50m split time. Now, as in golf, try to decrease your score
by either swimming faster or taking fewer strokes.

 

3. Seamless breathing: Think about
performing the breast stroke with the least disruption to your balance.
Efficient swimmers rotate to breathe rather than lift. Practice swimming while
focusing on ‘hanging your head’ – relax your neck and allow the water to hold
your head. Proper head alignment is key as our legs drop to counter-balance a
lifted head, ultimately creating more drag and a slower swim.

 

4. Increase your ability to focus: When
swimming, notice how long it takes before your mind wanders and you stop
focusing on your session. Switching off from the purpose of the session is
counterproductive. Improvements in technique only happen when we train our
neuromuscular pathways to execute the stroke accurately every time. If we lose
focus, our stroke deteriorates and we are practising and enforcing poor
technique. Extend your ability to focus until you can focus for the length of
time that your proposed triathlon swim is going to take.

 

TOTAL IMMERSION

These swim sessions are simplified versions of Total Immersion workouts.
To make serious gains and lifelong improvements, consider signing up with a
Total Immersion coach and doing a workshop. These workshops will help you
become the swimmer and triathlete you strive to be. For more info, e-mail [email protected]