Author: Modern Athlete

With a colourful history of more than 75 years, Collegians Harriers in Pietermaritzburg has left a rich legacy in the South African running community with its contribution to the success of the iconic Comrades Marathon. And though the club is one of the oldest in the country, the approximately 240 members at Collegians Harriers are by no means over the hill! – BY CATHARINA ROBBERTZE

From the word go, Harriers was set for great things, with several prominent citizens from Pietermaritzburg supporting the newly formed Maritzburg Harriers Athletics Club in 1933. Some of its first members included the legendary Bert Bendzulla, Skonk Nicholson and Piet van der Leeuw, with Dave Piper and Gordon Baker joining the club in later years. After becoming a sub-section of the Collegians Club in the 1950s, the club adapted its identity and has been known as Collegians Harriers ever since. A lot can happen in 75 years, and this club is a prime example of it. From hosting races and time trials for many years, to saving the Comrades Marathon, Collegians Harriers has taken it all in its stride.

HISTORY WITH THE COMRADES
The club had the rare honour of being instrumental in the success of the most iconic road race on the global ultra distance calendar, the Comrades Marathon. After taking over the organisation of the race in 1948, Collegians was in charge of the road between Maritzburg and Durban until 1981. As you can imagine, organisation of this huge event wasn’t easy: Logistical problems in the 1950s and political problems in the 1970s meant they had their hands full! Collegians then played a vital role in negotiations to transform the Comrades into a truly international race, open to both men and women, and people of all races – the first major event where this was allowed in South Africa.

As hosts, perhaps the club’s crowning glory came in 1979 when one of its top athletes, Piet Vorster won the Comrades in a time of 5:45:02, establishing a new record time for the ‘up’ run.

But it wasn’t only their organisation of the race that was important in the continuous existence of the Comrades, it was also the club’s realisation and acceptance that the race had become too big an event for a single club to organise. In 1981, Dave Barron, chairman of Collegians Harriers at the time, said: “We have barely enough members and support to run club affairs and Comrades is too important for us to allow selfish pride to interfere with the future of the race.” With this, a dedicated Comrades Committee was established and the future of the race was once again safe.

HERMAN’S DELIGHT
You can imagine that a club that can put on a 90km ultra would be able to produce a world class time trial and it seems only fitting that one of the oldest clubs in the country can boast one of the oldest time trials on the circuit. Herman’s Delight is a weekly time trial that has taken place every single week (bar the week between Christmas and New Year) for the last 50 years.

This time trial was started in July 1960 and named after Herman Delvin, one of the club’s stalwart committee members. Herman was hit by a truck in 1958 while out on a training run and lost his leg. This put an end to his running career, but he was still a firm believer in the inclusion of speed sessions in training. In 1960 he persuaded the club committee to stage a flat-out weekly time trial. Of course, watching his clubmates suffer gave him much delight, hence the name, Herman’s Delight!

Herman passed away in 1996, but the time trial still takes place every Tuesday evening at 5:30pm, starting from the clubhouse. With a choice of three distances, 2.8km, 4.4km and 7.3km, there is something for everyone. The ‘Silver Spoon’ is awarded every month to the person with the best percentage performance improvement on the longer course over two consecutive months. And to add a bit of fun to the normally serious efforts associated with time trials, once a year the club puts on the Bill Butler Memorial Handicap Run/Walk, which coincides with the club’s annual prize giving. Runners can start the 10km event at any time they wish, but they need to try and finish it as close as possible to 6pm…. without wearing a watch!

Herman’s Delight TT records:
2.8km – Ndodi Mzobe – 8:32.
4.4km – John Mkize – 14:31.
7.3km – Sbonela Duma – 23:10.

GREAT EVENTS
Collegians are the proud organisers of three races, the Umgeni Water Marathon, Braaiketts Longest Day and the Duke of York.
• The Umgeni Water Marathon offers three distances, 42.2km, 32km and 15km, and is held at the Midmar Dam Resort in Howick. This marathon has consistently proven to be one of the fastest in KZN over the past 13 years. Arnold Motsoeneng and Gwen van Lingen currently hold the course records at 2:26:28 and 2:55:08 respectively.
• The Braaiketts Longest Day is a 12-hour track race that takes place on the grass athletics track at Collegians Club, where participants who complete more than 80km receive a medal. It has grown from 47 participants at the inaugural race in 1996 to 87 in 2010.
• Another oldie at the club is the Duke of York 16km ‘Flying Scramble’. In 1926 a floating trophy was donated by the Duke of York Lodge to the then Pietermaritzburg Athletic and Cycling Club for the race and the first run took place in 1927.

COLOURFUL MEMBERS
Various athletic stars and even more colourful characters have graced the roads as members of Collegians Harriers. A few of these include Bert Bendzulla, who was the Natal 800m champion and record holder for several years. He was also a member of the club’s Comrades organising committee for many years and stayed involved with the race for years after it was passed to the Comrades Committee. Skonk Nicholson, an iconic figure in schoolboy rugby circles in Pietermaritzburg and coach of many Springbok rugby players at Maritzburg College. In his younger days he was the South African 1 000 yards record holder and South African Varsities Champion. Mike “Buthy” Arbuthnot founded the Midmar Mile in 1974 and has swam every year since then. He hardly misses a time trial and is a life member of the club.

MEET THE ELITES
Though every member is an important part of the club, there are always those who stand out with incredible achievements.
• Kerry Koen, who recently joined Nedbank and finished 11th in last year’s Comrades, was Collegians’ sportswoman of the year in 2008 and has been made an honorary life member.
• Muzi Madikwa finished this year’s Comrades in a brilliant time of 6:30:46. In 2007, just two months before Comrades, Muzi was hit by a car while cycling to work and had to spend three weeks in intensive care. Despite this he still managed a time of 8:04!
• Other remarkable members include the twins Sarah Gray and Kirsty Scott. Sarah has been nominated as the Collegians sportswoman of the year for 2010. Besides running she competes in endurance mountain biking events and swimming. Both sisters help with vast amounts of administrational work at the club.

THE SOUL OF THE CLUB
While elite athletes are important to all clubs, it is the middle of the pack runners who are the life and soul of any club. Amongst the Collegians ranks, here are a few stand-out members.
• Club captain Clive Willows is the club’s greatest motivator and always willing to help runners achieve their goals.
• Jannie Kruger is the all-round enthusiast. When you ask him for training tips, you might be kept busy for quite some time!
• Bev Douglas is the ‘consistent one.’ She never misses a time trial and come rain or shine, she is there to record everyone’s times.
• The club’s most capped Comrades runner is Terry Peterson, who finished his 28 Comrades this year. His wife, Belinda, is no slouch and has run 18 Comrades.

LET’S PARTY!
Every club needs a place where they can relax after a run and solve the world’s problems while enjoying a ‘boerie-roll’ and a beer. At Collegians they have Herman’s Haunt, the clubhouse located on the property of their mother club, Collegians. Every Tuesday you can be sure to find a number of club members at their pride and joy enjoying the fresh air of KZN. The clubhouse was renovated approximately five years ago as the facilities had become too small for club requirements.

Sundowners are enjoyed every Tuesday while a ‘braai nite’ is held every second Tuesday of the month. Other events such as a club weekend away keep things interesting for members. Their last weekend coincided with the South Coast Marathon and went down a storm.

Club members also find time to remember their less fortunate running mates and the club has recently launched an initiative where members can donate their second hand running shoes to those who cannot afford to buy their own shoes. Meanwhile, the club newsletter, Round Up, appears every second month and keeps members up to date with the comings and goings of their club and co-members.

“What makes Collegians Harriers different is the fact that we are the oldest club in Pietermaritzburg and we have a partnership with Collegians Club, which means we have access to a wide variety of sports facilities,” says Andr? Booysen, club chairman. This paired with the strong traditions and lively social life means that members get everything they can ever want from a running club.

CLUB CONTACT DETAILS :
Telephone: 082 318 5137 (Andr? Booysen)
Email:   [email protected]
Website: www.collegiansharriers.co.za
Clubhouse: Collegians Club, 381 Boshoff Street, Pietermaritzburg, KZN.

The Vibram FiveFingers shoes are funky, eye-catching and super lightweight, but can you run in them or are they a gimmick? I put them to the test and concluded that they can be a great training tool. – BY SEAN FALCONER

I arrive at the track and one of my clubmates gives me a quizzical look, then jogs over to ask, “Why you wearing spikes? You turning professional?” No, I answer, I’m testing these new shoes, and I lift a foot to show her that my sleek, low-profile black shoes are not track spikes, but the latest Vibram FiveFinger Speeds, the lace-up version of the sock-like shoes with the individual toes and super-flexible thin rubber soles. “Cool, I’ve heard about them. Tell me what you think!” she says, leaving me to my running and note-taking.

Conventional running shoes are traditionally ‘built up’ to provide cushioning thanks to their foam rubber midsoles, and many of us modern runners with our soft feet and pampered joints need all the cushioning we can get. They tend to encourage heel-strike (the heel hitting the ground first) because of their higher, cushioned heels. But there is a new line of thinking, that our feet are over-protected and ‘lazy’, thus contributing to common running injuries, and that we need to get back to running barefoot to strengthen our feet and make them more biomechanically efficient.

When running barefoot, we tend to naturally land on the forefoot, directly below our centre of gravity. This results in optimum balance and stability, less impact, and greater propulsion. FiveFingers actually encourage forefoot striking by having the heel and forefoot on the same level. Some wearers complain of sore feet at first, but this is natural, given that the muscles, tendons and ligaments in your feet and lower legs are working harder, and the discomfort soon disappears as your feet get stronger.

MY EXPERIENCE
I started by wearing the shoes around the house and found them comfortable, but my toes did have some initial separation issues! Seriously though, I started by running on soft grass, then changed over to a hard-packed grass athletics track, then a tartan track, and finally I headed out onto the tar. On soft grass, I was still heel-striking naturally, but when I went on to the grass track, I naturally started running more on my forefeet. Hell, I just wanted to go faster, because it felt like I should be up on my toes, giving it gas!

What I really liked was how stable they felt – when I looked down I could see the forefoot stretch with my foot and the separated toes spreading to give me a wider footprint. That’s when the funky toe design really made sense! (Funnily enough, the only time the shoes felt genuinely weird was when I was driving and my big toe slipped off the accelerator pedal.)

Overall, I was seriously impressed by the shoes – they delivered on their promise. Yes, my feet were a bit sore afterwards, but ironically, not where I expected. I thought the bottoms of my feet would feel it most, specifically the heel and arch area, but instead I felt it most on the top of my right foot, just behind my smaller toes. That is obviously the area of my particular foot most protected by my conventional running shoes. You do need to give your feet time to get used to these shoes – very few runners can just go run a half marathon in them straight away. Many runners thus initially use their FiveFingers only for track work or shorter distances, but some make the full switch and eventually discard their normal running shoes.

CHOOSE YOUR MODEL
The Speed and Bikila are the two main running models, offering slightly more rubber outsole padding and grip. I chose the Speed because I found it easier to get my foot into the laced nylon mesh upper – I have naturally high tops of my feet, so I struggled to get my foot into the Bikila, which has a tight-fitting stretch upper and velcro strap (the upper does stretch a bit with time). The Speed retails for around R1400, while the Bikila sells for about R1500 at select Due South, Sportsmans Warehouse and other stores. (Prices may differ from store to store; other styles range in price from R900 to R1300). For more info and a handy store locator, visit www.vibramfivefingers.co.za, or call 021 511 1943.

Between stressful jobs and trying to spend quality time with loved ones, exercise is often the first thing that falls to the bottom of our priority list. In a series of features on how to balance a busy career with running, Modern Athlete speaks to busy professionals to find out how they manage to fit sport into their hectic schedules. This month we chat to Fiona Nay, personal trainer, model and actress in the local soapie Rhythm City. – BY CATHARINA ROBBERTZE

What is your background and how did you get involved in your industry?
After school I worked at a bank, where I realised sitting behind a desk is definitely not for me! I left the bank, worked overseas as a fitness instructor on some of the largest ships in the world, travelled the world and gave seminars on health issues. At the moment I am acting in an e.tv soapie called Rhythm City. I am also involved in some advertising work and am one of the faces for the Urban Goddess clothing range.

What is the most exciting thing about your job?
Travelling, learning about different cultures and meeting interesting people. I’m constantly surrounded by ambitious, energetic and happy people. I get to fulfil my dreams and get paid for it!

What is the biggest challenge in your job?
Uncertainty; as soon as one project finishes you have to look for another one, and usually there are almost 300 people who are auditioning for the same acting part. It means you have to be at the top of your game all the time.

How long have you been running?
Since primary school! I used to be a top runner at school.

What motivated you to start running?
It’s always been in my blood. My dad, Derrick, played professional football and my uncle was a brilliant runner who trained with top runners like Bruce Fordyce.

How many hours a week to you spend running?
I try to run four to five days a week for 30 to 40 minutes.

How do you fit running into your busy life?
I make time for it. I know how important it is physically and mentally, and I can’t go without the endorphin rush!

Who do you train with?
My fianc?e Andisa Kani.

Has running influenced your career and work ethic?
Definitely. If you look good, you feel good. As an actress and performer it gives you that much more confidence.

What are your proudest moments in running?
It might be a long time ago, but I am very proud of winning some races when I was at school and receiving medals!

And in your career?
Landing a role in Rhythm City. It’s all about getting your foot in the door.

Have you run any big races?
I mostly just run to stay fit. At school I was very competitive, but now I just enjoy running. It helps me get rid of stress. It’s my meditation.

What is the first thing you like to do after a run?
Sit on the lawn, catch my breath, drink lots of cold water, and stretch.

What could you not go running without?
My socks! I don’t know how some people run without socks.

What is the best advice you’ve been given with regards to running?
To pay attention to my posture, to run with the right shoes and to not overdo my training.

And the worst?
Sweat as much as you can because that will make you lose weight!

What is your favourite meal after a race?
Chicken, potatoes, veggies and salad.

What would you say to someone who says that they don’t have the time to start running?
They should re-evaluate their lifestyle. I had a client who trained with me three to four times a week for an hour. He was a father, husband, CEO and workaholic, and still made time for exercise. There really is no such thing as not having the time.

What are your future running goals?
I would like to join a running club and start participating in races again. There is no better feeling than completing a race.

What is your life motto?
Just do it, don’t live your life in fear.

We have all experienced it; a shortness of breath and sometimes even a feeling of gasping for air. Usually it is because of one simple reason: we are unfit or have pushed our bodies to the limit! For some people, though, this has nothing to do with either, as they suffering from exercise-induced asthma, a condition that can limit your running if you are unaware of it, but once it has been diagnosed it should not keep you from performing at your best. – BY CHANTELLE WEHMEYER

Exercise-induced asthma (EIA) is the sudden constriction of the bronchial passages occurring within a few minutes of strenuous exercise. This form of airway obstruction can even occur soon after finishing physical activity. It affects 12-15% of the general public and can affect anyone at any level of exercise participation. Approximately 80-90% of asthmatics will also have EIA while 40% of people with allergic rhinitis, atopic dermatitis or eczema will also suffer from EIA.

EIA exists in both mild and extreme forms. Not everybody suffering from EIA comes to a wheezing halt at the side of the road. Mild EIA includes the following symptoms:
• A sudden decrease in performance.
• Inconsistent performance.
• Energy loss after a workout.

The difference is that following a bout of exercise in so-called ‘normal’ individuals, early bronchodilation occurs. This, however, does not occur in patients with EIA; bronchoconstriction only occurs 6-8 minutes after exercise while lung function continues to decrease, with the peak effect about 15 minutes after exercise. Lung function usually returns to normal within two hours.

COMMON PROBLEM
EIA seems to be a common problem among runners. This is because there is increased breathing during exercise, causing cooling and drying of the lining of the air passages. Normally, people breathe through their nose, which acts as an air filter. It controls the temperature and humidity of the air before it reaches the lungs.

When you exercise, your body requires more air, and the rate of breathing therefore speeds up. You start breathing through your mouth, gulping down more air. The air that comes through your mouth, however, has not been filtered, warmed or humidified by your nose. This means the air that gets to your airways is cooler and drier than usual and irritates inflammatory mast cells in the lungs, releasing chemicals that constrict airways. If you have a form of asthma, your extra-sensitive airways do not respond well to cool, dry air. Your airways react: the muscles around the airways twitch and squeeze tighter, meaning that there is less space for the air to pass through, making you wheeze, cough and feel short of breath.

WHAT WORSENS EIA?
Exertion above 75-80% of predicted maximum heart rate (calculated as 220 – your age) usually induces EIA. Factors that can affect the timing of onset and severity of EIA include:
• Environmental conditions such as temperature (worse in cold temperatures), humidity, air pollution and pollen.
• Underlying infections of the respiratory tract.
• Type, duration or intensity of the exercise.
• Lack of warm-up.
• The time elapsed since the previous exercise session.
• Activities such as running and cycling which require high-intensity exercise are most likely to cause EIA.

SYMPTOMS OF EIA
The symptoms of EIA include one or a combination of the following:
• Coughing.
• Wheezing.
• Chest tightness.
• Chest pain.
• Prolonged shortness of breath.
• Extreme fatigue.

HOW DO I CONTROL IT?
Fortunately, with medication, monitoring and management one can participate in sport and achieve high performance levels. Many people only require pre-exercise treatment, whereas those with persistent asthma require daily anti-inflammatory therapy plus pre-exercise treatment. Warming up is one way to lower the risk of bronchospasm, as is working out in warmer weather or indoors. Those with mild symptoms can sometimes simply push through the spasms.

Taking medication prior to exercising is important in preventing EIA. Individuals who can tolerate continuous exercise with minimal symptoms may find that a proper warm-up may prevent the need for repeated medications. So you may be able to ‘run through’ your EIA either by warming up with short bursts of exercise, or by continuous exercise which does not bring on a severe attack.

Long-term anti-inflammatory medications such as inhaled steroids can reduce the frequency and severity of EIA. Inhalers do not cure the disease, but rather open the bronchial passages, making breathing easier. There are 3 common types of medications:

• A short-acting bronchodilator can prevent symptoms and should be taken 10-15 minutes before exercise. It will help prevent symptoms for up to four hours.
• A long-acting bronchodilator needs to be taken 30-60 minutes prior to activity and only once within a 12-hour period. Salmeterol can help prevent EIA symptoms for 10-12 hours. This should only be used to prevent symptoms and should never be used to relieve symptoms once they occur, because it does not offer quick relief.
• Cromolyn or Nedocromil need to be taken 15-20 minutes prior to exercise. This also should only be used as a preventative measure. Some individuals use one of these medications in combination with a short-acting bronchodilator.

HANDY TIPS
All the ordinary asthma medicines used in the medically recommended way and dosage are acceptable to sporting bodies. Good control of your asthma, whether by breathing in a ‘preventer’ treatment or by avoiding the causes of asthma, can have a tremendous effect on EIA. Also, stress, illness and a general run-down condition will increase incidences of EIA.

Keep your inhaler close by when working out. If your asthma is well controlled, your airways will be less sensitive to exercise. Remember, it is also important to have strong breathing muscles. Exercise is therefore an important part of managing EIA!

Modern Athlete Expert
CHANTELLE WEHMEYER
Registered biokineticist in Edenvale, Johannesburg.

Her running career may have been cut short by illness and injury, but Monica Drӧgemӧller packed an incredible number of wins, podium placings and records into an eight-year golden spell in the 80s and 90s. – BY SEAN FALCONER

Top runners and athletics statisticians alike will tell you that winning the 56km Two Oceans Marathon is very, very hard. You need the speed of a top marathoner as well as the endurance of a top ultra-distance runner – and you also need everything to go your way on race-day! Little surprise then that only 17 out of 53 male and female winners in the 41-year history have been able to claim a second title. Furthermore, only six of those – two men, four women – went on to win the race a third time, and only one was able to claim a fourth title, making Monica Drӧgemӧller the undisputed Queen of the Two Oceans.

She won the race for the first time in 1988, then returned to record three straight wins from 1990 to 1992, one of only three runners to win three on the trot. Amongst currently active runners, Elena Nurgalieva and Marco Mambo each have three wins and could equal Monica’s record, but for now she remains the most successful Two Oceans winner of all time. She is also the only runner, male or female, to have won the Peninsula Marathon four times, and her 1990 course record of 2:37:19 still stands 21 years later, as does her 1987 SA 30km record of 1:53:01.
 
SPORTY GENES WITH NATURAL TALENT
Born in 1959 in Pietermaritzburg, the youngest of four sporty children, Monica was a keen runner at school, specialising in the 1500m and cross-country. She earned Natal schools colours for athletics, and later, while studying to become a pharmacist at Potchefstroom University, she earned Western Transvaal colours for hockey. “I found that practical classes clashed with running training, so hockey became a better outlet, but I still ran when I could,” says Monica. Having completed her studies, she moved to Cape Town to begin working. “I wanted to stay in the Cape, and was lucky enough to get a position in the pharmaceutical industry with Beechams, which later merged with Smithkline, and I’ve been there 27 years now.”

Soon after arriving in Cape Town, she began jogging round Rondebosch Common, then a friend suggested she join a running club. “He gave me details for Celtic Harriers, but I am very shy, so it took me nine months to pluck up the courage to go to them. I’m glad I did, because I found it a great way to meet new people and get to know the city. Celtics really made me feel welcome, which was wonderful because I didn’t have any family here.” At first she only joined the club runs, but Monica soon graduated to races – and right away she showed great potential. “In my first half marathon, I remember Allister Walker saying round about halfway, ‘If you carry on at this pace, you’ll finish under 90 minutes,’ so I decided to give it a try and did 88 minutes.” From then on she regularly finished in the top placings.

DEBUT MARATHON SUCCESS IN SUB 3 HOURS
In 1984 Monica entered her first marathon, the Peninsula, but admits she had no idea how to race the distance. “I was so inexperienced that I just ran it as I felt and battled towards the end, but I knew I was in the lead and was determined not to walk.” Winning in 2:55:38 saw her selected for the Western Province team for the South African Marathon Champs in Port Elizabeth just 28 days later. “You had to break three hours just to make the team, and I went to PE more afraid of not breaking three hours again, than of any of the other girls!” Despite her nerves, she ran a PB 2:50:28 to finish second. Then at the 1985 Champs, Monica took another three minutes off her PB, finishing in 2:47:33, but disappointingly ran out of steam to drop from second to fourth in the last kilometre as her provincial teammates Liz Eglington and Barbara Webb passed her. “I had nothing left and couldn’t do anything about it. Still, it was great to have three Western Province runners in the top four.”

In 1986 Monica focused on the half marathon, bringing her time down to 1:15:56, but in 1987 she returned to marathons, finishing third in the Peninsula (2:52:34) and then second in the SA Champs in Stellenbosch, this time lowering her best to 2:40:08. Later that year she won the Winelands Marathon in Stellenbosch in 2:44:02.

UP TO ULTRAS
Early in 1988 Monica won the Peninsula for a second time, clocking 2:45:14, then decided to tackle the Two Oceans. “They had a car prize for a new course record, and my coach Len Keating said he reckoned I could break it, so I entered.” After an epic duel with Celtics clubmate Liz Eglington, Monica came home in a then course record 3:44:29, while men’s winner Thompson Magawane shattered the men’s record as well, and both drove off in their smart new black Volswagen Jettas. “I had a little beetle and had always liked small cars, so the car wasn’t my big incentive. It was all about pushing boundaries and seeing what I could do. The Jetta was very fancy, though, so eventually I sold the beetle.”

Next Monica won the Port Elizabeth and Stellenbosch marathons (2:50:58 and 2:42:01 respectively), but then came a slump in 1989 due to anaemia (low iron levels). Happily, by the end of the year she was winning the Stellenbosch Marathon again in 2:44:42, followed by her PB 2:37:19 in the 1990 Peninsula. “When I hit 21km in about 78:50, I knew I was on for a good time, but I wasn’t sure I would be able to sustain it. In the last 10km I was overtaking people I didn’t normally beat, and that spurred me on,” she says.

A few months later Monica returned to the Oceans, leading from start to finish to win in 3:42:39, but says the weather really affected her. “In 1988 there were a lot of people on Constantia Nek, which helped pull me up the hill, but the rain kept them away and that made it a harder race – and I was also feeling the effects of that 2:37.” Monica then won the 1990 Knysna Marathon (2:48:29), followed by her record fourth Peninsula win in 1991 (2:43:13) and a third Two Oceans title in a time of 3:50:23, again leading from start to finish.

GREEN AND GOLD
Following her superb 2:37, Monica was awarded Junior Springbok colours, which she would be wearing at the 1991 SA Marathon Champs in Durban. She finished second in 2:45:26, but says she didn’t feel right. “It felt like my body was asleep, and I had also felt it at work – I always felt cold, and I often wore three jerseys and extra socks. I was diagnosed with an underactive thyroid, so I started taking Altroxin and things improved, but I am still disappointed about that race, because I would have liked to run 2:37 in SA colours.”

A year later she finished fourth at the 1992 Marathon Champs in 2:41:35, then started preparing for another Two Oceans, but now she picked up an injury – it was the start of Monica’s sciatica problems, which would later be diagnosed as a slipped disk in her spine. “I decided to start and see how I felt up till Hout Bay, then decide whether to carry on. Fortunately my hamstrings held up and I went on to win, but what made it special was that I didn’t know I could finish.” Her winning time was 3:49:16, and part of her winner’s purse was an entry plus air ticket for the Berlin Marathon that September, where she finished 28th in 2:53:41.

RACE RUN
Unfortunately, that was effectively the end of Monica’s competitive running career. There were a few comebacks dotted through the years, even a few race wins, but her back kept flaring up again, and it was only in the late 90s that she finally found some relief through yoga. “At first I was petrified of doing a head-stand, but the first time I did it, the ease of being in that position was really great. If I could have my peak running years again, I would combine yoga with my running.”

A torn meniscus followed in 2006 – a freak accident when she twisted her knee while waiting to board a flight to Kenya for a conference – and she is currently having problems with her ankle, but she still tries to get a bit of running in. “I have good patches, like last year when I felt up to following one of my long-time dreams, to do the Inca Trail in Peru. It’s a four-day hike and I found it a wonderful experience, very spiritual. The Incas have always fascinated me, and I was also spurred on by the sudden passing of fellow runners Lindsay Weight and Lynne Spence. That made me realise that you only have so much time and you need to do what you want to while you can.”

“I was totally in love with running, I wanted to see what my body could do, but in retrospect I probably should have been a bit cleverer. One always thinks this is never going to end, that you can just push, push, push… But running will always be part of me, despite my injury problems. Once a runner, always a runner!”

MULTIPLE TWO OCEANS WINNERS
4 WINS
Monica Drogemoller (SA) Female 1988, 1990, 1991, 1992
3 WINS
Elena Nurgalieva (Russia)  Female 2004, 2005, 2009
Marco Mambo (Zimbabwe) Male 2004, 2005, 2008
Angelina Sephooa (Lesotho) Female 1997, 1998, 1999
Siphiwe Gqele (SA) Male 1983, 1984, 1985
Beverly Malan (SA) Female 1982, 1983, 1985
2 WINS
7 men, 4 women