Author: Modern Athlete

I am supporting one of our development runners. He has an A seeding for Comrades and I believe he has huge potential. I would like to get him a supplement/multivitamin. I don’t think his normal diet is nutritious enough given his financial status. What do you recommend?  – LUCY KEWLEY, KLOOF, KZN

ANSWER
In terms of a general multivitamin I would suggest going with reputable company brands such as Pharmaton, DS 24, Bonvit or All Vit +M (by Georen), Centrum or the Solgar multivitamins for example.

One multivitamin that I really like is Ultra Guard Forte from Sportron, but it can become pricey. I would recommend supplementing with a nutritious meal replacement shake/porridge. I-Vuma or Nestle Nutren Active, for example, are meal shakes that contain all the necessary vitamins, minerals and macronutrients to fully sustain our diets if they were the only source of food we could tolerate.

Modern Athlete Expert
CHRISTINE PETERS
Dietician at Sunninghill Medical Centre, Johannesburg. Member of Morningside Country Club with eight years running experience, including three finishes in the Two Oceans Marathon.

Have you ever wondered how the distinctive red and white stripes on the vests of members of Westville Athletic Club came about? Well, blame it on a bottle of ‘Lion Ale’ beer! While downing a bottle of Lion Ale, a group of ten enthusiastic runners made the suggestion that the red stripes on their new club vests be the same red as those on the Lion Ale label. Today, Westville Athletic Club in KwaZulu-Natal has grown into one of the most successful, respected and recognisable clubs in the country. – BY MICHELLE PIETERS

In the late 80s the following article on Westville Athletic Club appeared in the Daily News: “It is amazing how some clubs seem to find the time to compete successfully in the Polly Shorts league, put on excellent races, have full teams running cross-country, have successful time trials, yet also seem to find the time for extramural activities. Take Westville Athletic Club, who is leading the league, as an example. They have taken the time to create a club environment, which involves the entire family unit. They recently held an ‘Extravaganza’. The production involved rehearsals twice a week for a minimum of three hours and produced a slick, hilarious show that has seen Sun City clamouring for the cast to appear at the Super Bowl! The chairman and partner, resplendent in tutus, did a piece from Swan Lake.” The article ended with the statement: “This show underlines that Westville Athletic Club is certainly serving their members and the community of Westville proudly.”

Today, 36 years after the club was started in 1974, Westville Athletic Club is still serving its members with pride.

THE START OF SOMETHING SPECIAL
The club was formed by the following ten runners, all elite athletes, who trained together and all belonged to different clubs in the Durban area:
• Steve Atkins – Comrades gold medallist and member of the Gunga Din Trophy team. Steve’s mother made the first Westville running kit.
• Dave Green – Top ten Comrades finisher.
• Chris Hoogsteden – Top ten Comrades finisher.
• Norman Hosken – President of the Natal Amateur Athletics Association.
• Derek Kay – The world 100-mile track record holder.
• Richard Logan – A great all round sportsman.
• Derek Preiss – First in the 1974 and 1975 Comrades Marathon and member of the Gunga Din Trophy team.
• Dave Rogers – Comrades gold medallist and member of the Gunga Din Trophy team.
• Bruce Scott – A specialist in track and cross-country.
• Norman Wessels – Member of the Gunga Din Trophy team.

These young men formed a strong bond while running and by early 1974, decided to form their own club. Norman Hosken suggested that the new club adopt the same horizontal stripes – but in a different colour – as Celtic Harriers in Cape Town. They decided Westville would be a good place for a new club, as there were no running clubs between Durban and Pinetown. The newly-formed club stretched its running legs for the first time at the Savages Marathon in 1974. They made an impressive debut, walking off with both the individual and team honours!

THE CLUBHOUSE
Starting out, the members of the club were known to use garages, phones, letterboxes and even car boots as their clubhouse. It was a proud day in March 1985 when Westville Athletic Club moved into its own building. It needed a lot of work, and at that stage, both fundraising and member sponsorships were vital. Over the years many alterations were made to the clubhouse, and today Westville club members are proud of their 123 Maryvale Road address.

THE WESTVILLE BOYS
It is not often that an athletic club is started by mostly elite runners, and this club has more than a few achievements to boast of:
• Derek Preiss is one of the more well-known founding members. He was only 19 when he came sixth at the SA Marathon Champs. In 1974 he had a pre-race meal of chicken, milk tart, chocolate, fried eggs and toast before tackling the Comrades. He won the race in 6:02:49! Though he vowed to never run Comrades again, he was back the following year, claiming a second victory in a time of 5:53:50. On top of that,
he won the Two Oceans Marathons in the same years.
• Another consistent, top-class runner of this era, and founding member, was Dave Rogers. Dave has run more Comrades in Westville colours than any other member and completed the race in top positions from 1974 to 1994.
• Steve Atkins was another elite athlete best remembered for winning three gold Comrades medals.

The new millenium found some new blood in the men’s running at Westville. Noteable achievements at Comrades include the following men who won silver medals: Andy Daly, Brett Chettleburgh, Cliffie Robbertze, Paul Worsnip, Paul Eichert and Mike Martin.

WESTVILLE’S WONDER WOMEN
Westville women are strong contenders, not only at Comrades but also at various road races in KwaZulu-Natal. They won the team prizes in 32 races during 2008.

Today the Westville ladies still make their club proud and regularly win various team prizes.
• Gill Tregenna is a grandmaster with a green Comrades number. Today she still runs in the shorter distances and achieves a podium finish at nearly every race she runs. And if that is not enough, she also has South African colours for swimming.
• Sanet Beukes, who achieved gold at Comrades, is an honorary life member.
• Westville’s best performers in the Comrades Marathon were Sanet, Rentia Denissen (Poolman) and Liz Chelin. The veteran ladies have done the club proud by achieving the first place veteran’s team category at Comrades four years in a row.

SOCIAL FUNCTIONS
Westville Athletic Club is well known not only for social events, but for the innovative way in which these events are staged. Many functions such as karaoke evenings, a July Handicap Day, a barn dance, the Odd Ball Olympics and Interclub Soccer matches have been held.

These days, many social functions are held throughout the year, culminating in the year end function, a highlight on the club’s calendar. “We love our social evenings and go all out to put on the best event at our year end function,” says Michelle Wilmans, club secretary. Not much running gets done the next morning as most members choose to party the night away.

The club, with its more than 300 members, has a strong focus on Comrades. A carbo-loading evening is held a week before Comrades with a traditional Aches & Pain party after the big C. Prizes for the first man and woman home in the different age categories as well as the last person home and the oldest runner are handed out at this function.

TIME TRIALS
Time trials are an integral part of Westville Athletic Club. In earlier years free ice-cold beer was given out at the finish and on many evenings, more than 70 runners showed up for the time trials.

Numerous time trial leagues have been introduced over the years. The Westville men have won the Veterans and Seniors Inter Club titles on a few occasions. The Highway Ladies Time Trial League has been going for the last 15 years and Westville ladies have won it 12 times and drawn once.

Westville is known for its very tough time trial route that is run on Tuesdays at 17:45 from a track at the clubhouse. Up to 80 athletes gather at the weekly time trial. “Many are visitors as we welcome new faces,” says Michelle. The only time that time trials are cancelled is when a public holiday falls on a Tuesday.

WESTVILLE RACES
Westville has always had a good presence at most road races. The club was one of the first to erect a canvas shelter at a race. In September 1982 a beach umbrella in the famous red and white colours was erected and members could enjoy a beer after the race at a cost of 5c!

The club proudly presents its own race, the popular Illovo 15km Christmas Challenge. This event was started in 1986 when the club decided to shorten their annual December run from 21km to 15km. The fact that the club’s colours were red and white and that the festive season was around the corner, resulted in the birth of the Christmas Challenge.

Running clubs embraced this theme and many have used it for their own end of year celebrations. Today it is one of the most festive races on the calendar; many clubs run in buses and a trophy is awarded to the bus with the best spirit.

A well-known face at many road races is that of Alen Hattingh, who has been involved in running for over 30 years. An accident years ago left him paralysed, but you won’t find a more committed and passionate man than Alen, who is a well-loved race referee in KZN. He has served on the Westville Athletic Club’s committee for many years and has held the position of chairman, cross-country captain, road captain and so the list goes on.

CLUB RUNS
In the early days a highly-competitive spirit entrenched itself within the group of founding members. They trained to win! As the years went by a more social nature developed within the club with a strong focus on family involvement. 

Currently, many groups meet at various venues around Westville. Some of these groups have been going for 20 years and include the A Team, the B Team, the Checkers Team and the Kloof Team.

Next time you are in Durban and feel like a good run and an even better social afterwards, join the bunch of runners at the Westville Athletic Club!

CLUB CONTACT DETAILS:
Phone: 031 266 5252
E-mail: [email protected]
Web: www.westvilleac.co.za
Clubhouse: 132 Maryvale Rd, Westville

Additional Sources: Westville Athletic Club Booklet compiled by Alen Hattingh, Yvette Arendse, Gill Tregenna, Rod Dorrofield, Moira Collier, Basil and Helen Henderson, Eddie Viljoen and Harry Chapman.

 

Between stressful jobs and trying to spend quality time with the family, exercise is often the first thing that falls to the bottom of our list. Modern Athlete speaks to various high-powered professionals to find out how they manage to fit sport into their hectic schedules. This month we chat to Professor Tim Noakes, Director of the Research Unit for Exercise Science and Sports Medicine (ESSM) at the University of Cape Town, Co-Founder and Executive Co-Director of the Sport Science Institute of South Africa, and author of the world-renowned Lore of Running. – BY SEAN FALCONER

How did you get involved in sports science?
Through running and my training in medicine in the early 1970s, I realised that medicine was more involved in disease than health promotion, and there was little interest in sports medicine. Thus, if you were an injured athlete, you were left to your own devices and medicine had very little interest in helping you. I was challenged to see whether I could change those attitudes.

Proudest moment in your career?
Being awarded the Order of Mapungubwe by the State President in 2008.

How long have you been running?
41 years. I started running to train for rowing in 1969, and then decided that I wanted to run the Comrades Marathon.

How many hours a week do you spend running?
I run two to three hours per week and usually walk for a further one to two hours on the weekends.

What is the biggest obstacle to your running?
With age it becomes increasingly difficult to run every day. Running every second day is preferable.

Has running influenced your career and work ethic?
I think running has actually defined my career. Finishing the Comrades Marathon at a pace that three years earlier I had been unable to sustain for two miles and sustaining that for 56 miles showed me that if you are prepared to work at something, you can achieve things that you never thought possible. I also learnt that the brain is clearly the crucial determinant in setting your achievements.

Tell us about your racing career.
I ran regular marathons and ultra-marathons up until 1990 and then decided to stop. During the last four years of my running career I had also done some triathlons and cycling races. In 2006 I ran the Chicago Marathon with my daughter.

Proudest moment in running?
Finishing 66th in the 1973 Comrades Marathon in 6:49.

Do you have running role models?
Dr George Sheehan, who wrote some of the best books on the psychology of running in the 1970s. He captured the running experience in a way that no one has been able to do since.

I could not go running without my…
Garmin Forerunner. At my age I want to ensure that I don’t increase my heart rate above certain limits.

What do you think about when you run?
I often plan a talk that I have in the next few days, because I can repeat the ideas and eventually get them into the right sequence.

What is the best advice you can give to fellow runners?
Don’t run too much when you are young; rather spread your running career out over your entire life. Also, don’t run too many ultra-marathons, and do triathlons and cycling events as well.

What would you say to someone who says they don’t have the time to start running?
Running is going to extend your life, so investing a small amount of time in running will give you more time to enjoy life.

What are your future running goals?
I plan to run the Two Oceans Half Marathon every year for as long as I can.

My greatest ambition is to…
Convert the scientific world to our idea that the brain regulates exercise performance.

I started running last year with the intention of doing the Comrades Marathon this year. When running marathons I used to feel numbness in my right foot. At times it felt like pins and needles. Sometimes when I went for a run of 30km or more, I didn’t feel anything, but on the next short run I felt discomfort! I cancelled my longest training run of 56km so that I wouldn’t aggravate the problem, and bought a new pair of Asics (Cumulus 11) in September last year. I bought another pair of Asics (Nimbus 11) before Two Oceans with the intention of wearing them for the Comrades. What is causing this sensation in my feet? – HAMID SANGLAY, CAPE TOWN

ANSWER
Experiencing a sensation of pins and needles on the right foot only is usually a type of paraesthesia. Any type of numbness or pins and needles sensation is usually a neural problem. This means that a nerve may have been pinched or injured in some way.

Start by having your biomechanics assessed. If you are a pronator in a neutral shoe, this could be the cause. Another cause could be incorrect lacing, narrow fitting shoes or incorrect sizing of shoes. If you’re experiencing this between the third and fourth toes, or the second and third toes, you could have a Morton’s neuroma tumour. This is treated with metatarsal pads, correct shoes and perhaps corticosteroid injections into the area. If the neuroma is large enough, it could be surgically excised.

If you are experiencing it on both feet and not in one specific area, it may be important not to rule out systemic disorders such as diabetes.

 

Modern Athlete Expert
NATASHA GALLOWAY
Podiatrist in private practice at Dunvegan Medical Centre in Edenvale, Johannesburg.

 

I am experiencing a pain in the back of my knee joint. It started just after I did a 48km run. I feel it constantly when I walk or run. – JOHNNY MAKENA 

ANSWER
It is difficult to give you good advice with so little information. Let’s presume it is a tendonitis of your hamstring tendons (especially if the marathon was mostly uphill and you didn’t twist the knee or fall during the race.) This causes your hamstrings and calves to work harder than on downhills or level surfaces.

If you had an underlying imbalance between the flexibility and strength of your hamstrings and quadriceps, it causes the hamstring tendons (tendons are the attachment of muscles to the bone) to overwork and form an inflammatory response. This is probably what’s causing your pain.
 
Icing the area for five minutes followed by heat will promote circulation to the area and alleviate pain. Anti-inflammatories for five days after meals will speed up recovery. A proper stretching and strengthening programme needs to be incorporated into your normal training routine

It is also a good idea to go and see a sport physiotherapist who can loosen the muscular tissue around the back of the knee. Lastly, consult a sports biokineticist for a Cybex test to determine your quadricep/hamstring ratio and retrain it to alleviate an imbalance, if necessary.
 
Modern Athlete Expert
DAVID VAN WYK
Sport physiotherapist with private sport and orthopaedic practices in Elarduspark and Faerie Glen, Pretoria. Member of AS Eagles Running Club, sub-45min 10km runner.

Let’s face it; 89km is no walk in the park, not for those who have run Comrades before and not for those who are braving it for the first time! The race will take its toll on your entire body – especially your feet. Just imagine how many thousands of steps you will take on your way to Durban! Thousands of runners will leave Durban with some sort of foot niggle. Here are a few common foot problems you might experience. Natasha Galloway, podiatrist, has some great home remedies as well as long-term treatments to help you with a speedy recovery.

BLISTERS
They come in all sizes and can be painful. Blisters are caused by excessive pressure and/or friction.
Treatment:
• If the blister is painless, try not to break it open. Rather leave it alone.
• If the blister is painful, drain it and immediately dress it with an antibiotic ointment. Remember, a blister can easily become infected, so it is often better not to pop it.
• If the blister is over a pressure area, apply a doughnut-shaped pad over the area to protect it when wearing shoes.

BLACK NAILS
Almost every runner gets black toenails at some stage. Black nails are mainly caused while running downhill when the toe repeatedly hits the front of the shoe.
Treatment:
• If the toenail hurts too much, especially the day after, see your podiatrist.
• If the toenail is not painful, do not force it off! It will fall off on its own as the new nail grows out.

Tip: Remember to always keep your toenails short.

ACHILLES TENDINITIS
The Achilles tendon is the tendon that attaches the calf to the heel. A painful Achilles tendon could be caused by biomechanical abnormalities, incorrect shoes or a sudden increase in training.
Treatment:
• Ice the area.
• Anti-inflammatory gels and ointments may help to decrease the inflammation locally.
• A heel raise will help to keep the tendon from overstretching.
• A physiotherapist will help with the use of ultrasound treatment and a good stretching programme.

PLANTAR FASCIITIS
The muscle that forms the arch of the foot is your plantar fascia. Inflammation of this area will cause pain in the arch. Biomechanical abnormalities, incorrect shoes or overuse of this muscle due to over-pronation are the main causes.
Treatment:
• Ice the area by rolling your foot over an iced water bottle. This will help decrease inflammation.
• Anti-inflammatory gels and ointments can be used locally.
• Calf muscle and Achilles tendon stretching can be done.
• Have your running shoes assessed.
• Arrange for a biomechanical assessment to be done if no improvement is seen.

CALLOUSES
Callouses on the feet are mainly found in areas where the shoe creates the greatest pressure. They are a good indicator of where you are putting pressure on your feet, and also reveal a lot about your biomechanics. A podiatrist can reduce these more efficiently but here are some acute treatments to try at home:
Treatment:
• Use a pumice stone on callous to reduce the thickness.
• Use a good foot cream to soften the callouses.

BURNING FEET
Burning feet are a common complaint and can either be local and minor or more serious. There are many causes for burning feet and therefore it is better to get your feet assessed professionally. Below are some home remedies to try.
Treatment:
• Soak feet in ice-cold water to relieve the burning sensation.
• Apply topical anti-inflammatory creams and gels over the burning area.
• Try and wear soft and well-cushioned shoes.
• Soft orthotics or innersoles can help in the long term.

Visit the South African Podiatry Association’s website for further information: www.podiatrist.co.za.

Modern Athlete Expert – NATASHA GALLOWAY
Podiatrist in private practice at Dunvegan Medical Centre in Edenvale, Johannesburg.

Having never raced anything longer than a marathon and been in the racing wilderness for ten years due to illness and injury, American legend, Alberto Salazar, appeared from nowhere to win the 1994 Comrades Marathon. And the devout Catholic and reborn Christian knew exactly who to thank for his amazing Lazarus act. – BY SEAN FALCONER

Halfway through the 1994 Comrades, Alberto Salazar hit the wall. Hard. The American with one Boston and three New York Marathon wins had been leading the race since 21km, at record pace, but with 48km done he was feeling bad. By 55km he was in really bad shape and his pace faltered, his thoughts dominated by the lure of bailing – but then his faith took charge to complete what his body was struggling to do.

“What happened was a miracle. I truly believe that,” says Salazar. “With 20 miles (32km) to go I was ready to drop out. There were no squeezies at the water points and I was running out of energy. I had Gu sachets taped to my water bottles every four miles, but that just wasn’t enough. I remember walking a few steps, but then I remembered that I was doing the race for God, so I started praying. What kept me going was that ongoing dialogue with God, and he led me to the finish.”

Alberto dug deep into his reserves and eventually won in 5:38:39, just over four minutes ahead of local hero Nick Bester, who put in a remarkable late surge to climb from fifth to second. But the day belonged to the American, who once again tasted victory after believing that his competitive running career was over. No surprise then that Alberto ranks his Comrades win as his greatest. “Comrades is in my top three along with my New York and Boston wins, but if I had to pick one race, I would put it first. Winning Comrades was more satisfying than anything I’ve done. And without a doubt the hardest thing – mentally, physically and emotionally. Nothing compared to it!”

FRONTRUNNER
Born in Cuba in 1958, a young Alberto immigrated to the USA with his family. At school and college he shone on the track and in cross-country, winning several state and national titles. He was known for his hard front-running and brash confidence – some called it arrogance – and he gave everything he had in both training and races. That won him many races, but also landed him in trouble in the 1978 Falmouth 10km race. He collapsed with a temperature of 42?C and his condition was so serious that a priest was called to administer the last rites, but thankfully he survived.

In 1980, Alberto ran and won his first marathon in New York, in what was then the fastest ever debut time, 2:09:41. A year later he retained his title in a world record 2:08:13, but the course was found to be 148 metres short and the record was not ratified. In 1982 he won the Boston Marathon, winning an epic sprint finish against Dick Beardsley before collapsing and being taken to hospital, where he was given six litres of water intravenously because he had not drunk during the race. Later that year he was second in the World Cross-Country Champs, and won a third consecutive New York.

In 1983 he twice broke the US 10km record, finished fourth in the World Cross-Country Champs and was national 10 000m champion, but he finished last in the World Champs 10 000m while suffering from bronchitis. Then he was beaten for the first time in a marathon, finishing fifth in Rotterdam, and the following year he finished a disappointing 15th in the Los Angeles Olympic Marathon. Battling recurring injuries and illness, his rapid decline continued, until eventually he was barely able to jog. By the end of 1984 his racing career was finished.

WASHED UP
Many thought that Alberto’s massive effort to win Boston had done so much damage to his body that he was never the same runner again. However, the root cause of his problems was his lungs. “Before the World Champs in ’83, I got a really bad cold that turned into severe bronchitis, which precipitated asthma. But I didn’t know I had asthma until the early 90s, when I was wheezing on easy runs. Basically, I’d lost 40% of my lung function. It just got a little worse every year – there was really nothing I could have done about it.”

But back in the 80s, not knowing why his running was going backwards so fast, Alberto desperately increased his mileage and intensity to try to regain his former racing levels, until his body just gave in. “I had a lot of injury problems and needed several surgeries on my knees and hamstrings. I just could not run well any more, and it was frustrating and depressing.” Then came the turning point in 1993, when a doctor suggested he try Prozac (an antidepressant) to lift his mood. It did more than that – it made him feel so good that he began enjoying his running again.

BACK FROM THE DEAD
Soon he felt ready to race again, but he knew he no longer had the speed to be competitive in marathons, so his thoughts turned to ultra marathons. “My friend Joel Laine, who is now the race director of the Paris Marathon, told me about the Comrades. It sounded like a good challenge, so I entered.” When the news broke in South Africa, most pundits immediately wrote off his chances of doing well, since he had never run an ultra before, and had not been heard of since the mid 80s. But when asked what his goal was for the race, he simply said, “I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t think I could win.”

Alberto says that Comrades was nothing like what he was used to back in the US. “What I remember most was that we started in the pitch dark. I was used to knowing who I was racing and seeing them at the start, but here I only knew a few of the runners, and I couldn’t see any of them! At the gun, the guys took off like it was a 10km race and I was panicking about being left behind. I had planned to run just behind the leaders, and then hopefully pull away in the final miles, but later the leaders started coming back to me and by 21km I had taken the lead. I’d done exactly what I didn’t want to do, but I decided to just keep going.”

He says the South African journalists on the media truck didn’t seem to take kindly to having a foreigner leading ‘their’ race. “They were yelling to me, ‘Bester is coming’, or ‘Fordyce is coming’, but at halfway, the press truck pulled up next to me and they heard me praying, and I think that swung their attitude. They cheered me home in the end.” Unfortunately, he didn’t get quite the same reaction from the US media. “Some of them called me a religious nut, and wrote that it was contradictory for me to talk about running for God and at the same time take Prozac to be able to run. I didn’t let that get to me, though, because I’m more concerned about what God thinks. Some people will always find fault with whatever you do, especially when it comes to faith.”

NEXT CHAPTER
Alberto planned to run more ultras, but a freak injury put paid to those plans. “Six months after Comrades, I was doing bounding drills on grass when I stepped in a hole, twisted my foot and tore my posterior tibial ankle tendon, although I didn’t know it at the time. So I kept running and wound up rupturing my rector femoris quad muscle, then had to have pins put in my foot, and had a heel bone replacement. I thought I had opened the door to a new ultra-marathoning career, but you know you’re done when you’re still limping two years after surgery!”

That saw him shift his focus to coaching and today he heads up the Nike Oregon Project, which aims to once again produce world-class US marathoners, since no US man has won Boston or New York since 1983. The success he has already achieved saw him named 2009 Coach of the Year by USA Track & Field. He lives with his wife, Molly, and three kids in Portland, Oregon, near the Nike headquarters and training facilities.

However, life continues to throw curve balls at him – but more miracles, too. In June 2007 he suffered a heart attack, aged just 48, and had no pulse for 14 minutes. “Your chance of surviving in good health if you go more than five minutes without a pulse is not good, and God could have saddled me with major physical or mental problems, but he didn’t. I can’t believe how blessed I am that this miracle took place. My health is pretty good now. I go for regular stress tests, my cholesterol levels are low and my arteries are wide open. I still jog about four miles a day, still with a noticeable limp, but I feel great. Clearly God still has plans for me.”