Author: Modern Athlete

We have so many athletes in South Africa hitting the roads and trails to raise money for or awareness of important, deserving causes, and we want to give them the publicity they deserve for their efforts.

Running for the Kids – By Zoe Papadakis

I am a KZN-based trail runner and when I tackled my first ultra-trail run in August, the 50km Umgeni River Run, I decided to run it to raise funds for Child Welfare Durban and District, so I put out a call for family, friends and members of the public to ‘sponsor a kilometre.’ It was such an incredible, liberating, amazing, tough and challenging adventure, and it was insanely exciting to place second in the race, but there were times that I wanted to just stop, cry and give-up… until I thought about the amazing support everyone had shown to my fundraising campaign, and that kept me going.

I want to share the reasons why I did this, in the hope that it might engage the public to support the initiative. I recently came on board with the organisation as a brand ambassador, and got to know more about what they do. The organisation manages over 4500 different cases involving children that have been at risk. They have several Child and Youth Care Centres that care for 260 children, and nine Community Family Homes, catering for 54 orphans (including siblings). These children have been through so much, and their stories are truly heartbreaking, yet they still manage to smile, to have hope, and to love.

These kids need love, and direction, and this is what Child Welfare is trying to provide. They rely on the public for funding, to provide so many different services to the community, and it is always a struggle to generate enough to do so, and to cloth, feed and care for these kids. This is why I thought it would be ideal to use my running as a fundraiser for them. I think of these children when I am tired, when I don’t want to go out and do a 35km training run, when my body hurts and I want to give up. Because they inspire me with their zest for life, with their strength… and in some way, I hope that my running will not only help with their funding needs, but will also inspire the kids not to give up on their dreams.

For more information, go to https://cwdd.org.za or contact them on [email protected] or 031 312 9313

A Bike for Every Child – By Craig Caldwell

I am a childhood cancer survivor of 30 years, having been diagnosed with osteosarcoma (bone cancer) at the age of 13 when growing up in Vanderbijlpark. That’s why I became involved with CHOC Childhood Cancer Foundation, and besides helping with Camp Quality, a camp for children with cancer, I take part in cancer walks, ran the Comrades Marathon, and ran from Joburg to Durban, all to raise funds for CHOC. I also created the comedy show Laughing Matters and roped in other comedians to back my cause.

Earlier this year my friend, radio presenter and fellow comedian Sean Stevens received a donation of 17 bicycles to give to a worthy cause, and we decided to look for a reliable place to donate them to. Through my fundraising work, I have had dealings with Louise Coxen, Director of Polokong Children’s Village in Sebokeng, which has five houses accommodating 50 kids permanently, and another 350 kids are fed daily through an outreach programme. So we set about asking on social media for more old bikes to be donated, as our intention was to give every permanent child a bicycle.

We knew it would be difficult, considering the current economic climate, but people like Christo and Michelle Viljoen of Bernies Joint in Koedoespoort, Pretoria took up the challenge. Christo and I have been mates from way back in the 80’s, and he said he would deliver 50 bikes. He and Michelle then hounded people for donations and bikes, and on 23 June, Christo, Michelle and the crew from Bernies as well as a group of car fanatics hit the road to Old Vaaltonians Sports Club for the handover.

In Total 76 bicycles were handed over, the majority being brand new – and we still had Sean’s 17 bikes to look forward to! (He was busy with work commitments at the time.) This meant we could give every child a bicycle, and allow them to keep their bike when they leave the home, and we are now in the position to give a new child that enters the home a bicycle as well! It was amazing to see how the crew and friends of Christo and Michelle opened their hearts and wallets and made many children’s dreams come true.

Multi-stage trail running events continue to grow in popularity throughout South Africa, but understandably, they are usually substantially more expensive than single-day running events, as the entry fee often covers accommodation, meals and transport. This means there are some runners who simply cannot afford these races, but thanks to sponsors like RCS Group, a few trail newcomers got to enjoy the spectacular beauty of the recent RCS SOX three-day trail run in the Garden Route area of the Southern Cape. – BY SEAN FALCONER

With a CEO who is an avid runner and has completed the Old Mutual Two Oceans Ultra-marathon, and with many other runners amongst its staff, it comes as no surprise to see that financial services provider, the RCS Group, has thrown its support behind running in a big way. The group sponsors the three-day SOX event, and also sponsors the Gugulethu Athletics Club in Cape Town.

As CEO Regan Adams explains, “RCS has always had a strong connection with the running community, and we have a long-standing relationship with the Gugulethu Athletics Club, which encourages running in disadvantaged communities. We understand the importance of staying active and connecting with nature, and what better way to do this than with one of South Africa’s most beautiful trail runs? We were therefore pleased to invite some of our Gugs members to Knysna and expand their running experience. That’s what we’re about, making things possible for people.”

SIGNED UP TO RUN
That saw RCS sponsor the entries and race participation of Peter Tsawayo, Coceka Qomiyana, Nceba Mabulu and Imran Paya, all going in the team section, and Phumeza Bobotyane running as a solo entry. Imran and Peter were already experienced trail runners, with an impressive record of trail race wins or podium finishes. Imran (40) has been running for nine years and boasts best times of a 2:36 marathon and 6:36 for the Comrades. Meanwhile, Peter (36) has been running for 16 years, and has bests of 29 minutes for 10km and 1:07 for the half marathon. When asked what the RCS sponsorship meant for them, Imran says, “The sponsorship could have gone to someone else, but here I’m the one who was chosen to go. Words can’t justify how honoured and grateful I feel for that.”

On the other end of the experience spectrum, it was a first foray into trail running for Coceka (35) and Nceba (28). Coceka has been running for seven years and has done a 3:55 marathon, and she says running “gives me a special moment to talk to myself.” After two years of running, Nceba can look back on a marathon PB of 3:37 and openly admits to being addicted to running, “but it’s a healthy addiction that makes me feel strong. The thing I love best is that running has taught me that I can do things I never thought I could do!” They also expressed huge thanks for the RCS sponsorship: “I always wanted to participate in a big trail run, and RCS has made it possible for me,” says Nceba.

ENJOYING THE TRAILS
As regular contenders in both road and trail runs, it was no surprise to see Imran and Peter setting the pace on day one, and they led from start to finish in the 30km stage, completing it in two hours 45 minutes. With a healthy lead in the bag, they could take their foot off the pedal a bit on day two and conserve energy for the final day, so they took 2:50 for the next 30km – not that much slower, but running within themselves. They then led the entire 20km of stage three, coming home in 1:39 for an overall time of 7:14:15 for the 80km distance, and the 2017 SOX title.

“I was very happy with my second SOX stage race, because it was very well organised, from our travelling to our accommodation, and we did well, even though we got lost a bit along the way. We could have run faster, but since we were in the lead after the first day, we took it easy the other two days. We enjoyed the run so much because we had prepared and trained hard for the three days, and our sponsor, RCS, gave us everything so we could enjoy every moment,” says Peter.

A bit further back, Coceka and Nceba came home 14th team overall, and sixth in the mixed category, with a combined time of 10:21:38, having both thoroughly enjoyed their first trail experience, while Phumeza finished in 12:26:48. “I must say, it was a memorable experience,” says Nceba. “Running on three consecutive days of tough trails was not easy, and required good mental strength, but if given an opportunity, I’ll definitely run it again!” Echoing his thoughts, Coceka says, “Running SOX was an experience of a lifetime. I feel like a new person after going deep into those forests, crossing those rivers, and climbing those hills, and I am stronger than before. Thanks to RCS for giving me the opportunity to run this amazing event!”

While water can keep you hydrated on the long run, sports drinks give back the carbs, sodium and potassium lost in long-haul, high-intensity events. – BY CHRISTINE PETERS, REGISTERED DIETICIAN

When you exercise, you produce heat, which your body controls through sweating, but you can then steadily become dehydrated, especially if running in high heat or humidity. As little as 2% dehydration can affect your athletic performance, so athletes are told to drink regularly and top up on fluids. Now, if you are running for less than 60 minutes, water should be enough to stay hydrated and save kilojoules, but if running longer than 60 minutes, sports drinks are recommended.

Therefore, sports drinks are recommended for endurance athletes trying to reach peak performance, especially if sweating a lot, because they provide fluids to cool down your body and replace what you lost in sweat, carbohydrates for quick energy, and sodium and potassium, the chief minerals lost in sweat.

Of course, fluid needs vary from person to person, and according to the type of activity and the length of time that you are active, but as a general rule of thumb, runners should:
• Drink one to two cups of sport drink four hours or less before exercise.
• Keep fluids with you when you run and sip regularly to replace water lost through sweat, but let your thirst guide you.
• Post-run, eat your meals and snacks and drink as you feel you need to, but especially drink up to 1.5 cups (375 ml) of fluid if you have not produced any urine, or only a small amount of bright yellow urine.
• Water is always a good option post-run, but you can also drink milk or chocolate milk, 100% fruit juice or another sports drink.

What to Look For
1. Water: Make sure your sports drink is not carbonated, so it is easy to drink and doesn’t make you feel full.
2. Sodium: The white powder on your clothes or skin is the salt you lose in sweat, and this loss can lead to muscle cramps, so sports drinks should contain at least 300 to 700mg of sodium per litre. Athletes prone to cramping may require more.
3. Carbohydrate (sugar): Sugar keeps blood glucose from dropping and helps fuel active muscles and the brain, so 30 to 60 grams of carbohydrate per hour of activity can improve endurance, power output and delay fatigue. To prevent stomach problems, make sure your drink has no more than 80 grams of carbohydrate per litre, as that is generally the limit of what your body can easily absorb.
4. Flavour: Drinks with flavour are easier to swallow, especially when you’re tired.

Most importantly, experiment with a new sports drink in training first before using it in a race, as you don’t want to find out mid-race that something doesn’t work for you, or disagrees with your stomach!

About the Author
Christine is a registered dietician based in the Johannesburg area.

Some 23 years ago, Youssef Kanouni followed his running dreams from Morocco’s northern mountainous region to the foot of Cape Town’s Table Mountain. The quiet man with an iron resolve not only fell in love with the Rainbow Nation and decided to stay, but also found true love here. – BY PJ MOSES

Elana Meyer’s silver medal in the 10,000m final at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics had the whole of South Africa cheering, but it also inspired a young man watching in Casablanca, Morocco. “I came to South Africa as a 21-year-old in 1994 to further my running, because Elana’s medal-winning run in Barcelona inspired me and made me look at South Africa with different eyes,” says Youssef.

He arrived in Cape Town with an impressive running CV, having been part of a golden generation of emerging young Moroccan runners that saw him training alongside Hicham El Guerrouj, who would go on to win two Olympic gold medals and still holds the 1500m World Record. “We trained at the same camp and were from an identical background with a similar upbringing. He showed us what was possible with hard work,” says Youssef. “I was a good school athlete and competed at the Moroccan National Champs. I ran middle distance on track and also ran cross country, winning many races.” Another close running friend was Khalid Khannouchi, who later broke the Marathon World Record twice.

Running Activist
Raised in a devout Muslim family by parents he adored, Youssef was taught to always do his best in life, and as much good as he can. This philosophy still affects everything he does today: A family man and activist, he splits his time between his training and working on various projects in the poorer communities. He’s a police reservist, an activist for low-cost housing, and a charity runner for the Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF). He says he is a firm believer that sport can change the lives of young people and that they can be so much more than their circumstances allow them to be. “I want to teach them that if you can’t do it with a book, you can do it with your legs. The power of a nation comes from its youth, so if we look after the youth, we will have a stronger nation.”

On the road, Youssef boasts a marathon PB of 2:36, and he also took on the big ultras a few years after arriving in SA, with a best of 4:18:42 at the Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon in 1997 and a 7:56:03 at Comrades in 2001 amongst his early highlights. However, he lost the passion for the sport later in 2001 when his mother passed away, and it took him 10 years to rediscover that fire in his belly. That happened in 2011 when he saw some old friends training around Rondebosch Common, and all the old instincts kicked in again. “When I came back I was a little chubby, so I had to do a lot of training to get back to who I was.”

His comeback was greatly helped by finding love on the road with fellow runner Mushfiqah, and they were married six months after meeting at a race. Youssef says their shared active lifestyle has been a blessing for both of them. “She has been my rock, and I think I have been an inspiration to her. I helped to coach her to her first marathon finish, and it took her just two months to go from the half marathon to the full.”

On the Comeback
Having regained his fitness, Youssef posted a brilliant 4:01 in the 2012 Two Oceans, and 4:02 in 2013, just missing out on a coveted silver medal. In 2012, he also set a Comrades PB of 7:22:22, and more highlights were to follow. “One of my proudest moments came at the 2015 Western Province 100km Championships, where I finished in second place.” However, he does not just run for himself: Youssef recently joined the Western Province Pacesetters and loves helping others achieve their running goals. “I always speak to my passengers, because I want them to feel happy in my bus. They must know it is going to take hard work to achieve their goals, but that I will help them to do it – and I always let them cross the line in front of me, because it is not about me.”

Looking ahead, Youssef says his next big goal lies overseas. “I am going to run the Istanbul Marathon in November, but that is just a step toward my ultimate goal of winning the Palestine Marathon.” He also wants to get his Comrades permanent number, needing just two more finishes, but this has unfortunately been put on hold because the 2018 race date falls within the Muslim holy month of Ramadaan for the next few years. A plea by Muslim runners to move the race date has been unsuccessful, but he remains hopeful. “We hope that when the 2019 race comes along, the powers that be will have a heart and move the race to a date that will accommodate Muslim runners. For now, all I can do is train hard and be ready.”

Eight years ago at the South African Youth and Junior Championships in Germiston, Antonio Alkana failed to progress to the semi-finals in his specialist 110m hurdles race. Naturally, he was bitterly disappointed… but fast forward to 2017 and he is now the African and SA Record Holder, a 2016 Rio Olympic Games semi-finalist, and recently got engaged. And he’s all smiles these days. – BY REGGIE HUFKIE

At the 11th African Games (formerly known as All-Africa Games) in Brazzaville in Congo in 2015, Antonio Alkana, or Tony as he is known to close friends, introduced himself to world hurdling when he snatched the gold medal in a personal best time of 13.32 seconds, winning his first major title, with a new Games record for good measure. Later that same year, he competed at the IAAF World Championships in Beijing, only just missing out on a spot in the semi-finals, but it was a clear indication that he was on the right track.

Then in May 2016, at the Diamond League Meeting in Rabat, Morocco, he clocked a 13.28, taking 0.04 seconds off his best, and only just missing Lehann Fourie’s African and SA Record by 0.04 seconds. A month later, at the 20th CAA African Championships in Durban, Antonio was once again in the spotlight as he flew over the hurdles to win the title in a new championship record of 13.43, and that led to one of his lifelong dreams coming true, being included in the 2016 Rio Olympic Games team.

In Rio, he went on to make it to the semi-final round, but his 13.55 on the day was only good enough for seventh position in his heat, thus bringing his Olympic journey to an early end, but having picked up invaluable experience of racing at the highest level. “I went into the Olympic Games with a time that could have put me into the final, but in competition it just didn’t work,” he says. “I didn’t perform as well as I would have liked, but I have been a bit inconsistent, so the main goal is to be more consistent, and that experience will help me going forward. But most important is that I really enjoyed the experience of going up against the best in the world in Rio, and look forward to doing it again.”

Attitude of Success
Antonio (27) attributes his success to the work he has done with coach Marcel Otto at the Bellville Athletics Club in Cape Town. “My coach and I worked hard to get where I am now. We worked on speed for a few years, and then focused on technique, but there is still room for improvement,” says Antonio, adding that he is confident that the great athlete-coach relationship he and Marcel have is still going to bring them both great success. “Training is a lot of hard work, but I have the hunger to improve every year, even if it’s just 0.01 seconds. It’s still an improvement, and I trust my coach and his guidance to get me there.”

That confidence took a small knock in April this year at the SA Championships, when Tiaan Smit snatched the national title from Tony in Potchefstroom, but Tiaan was subsequently found to have used a banned substance and was banned for four years. Meanwhile, Antonio bounced back from that disappointment more determined than ever to do well, and that saw him finally surpass Lehann’s African and SA Record at the European Classic Permit Meeting in Prague, Czech Republic in May, replacing the old mark of 13.24 with his massively improved 13.11. “To be honest, it didn’t come as a surprise at all. I could feel it in the warm-up, and I had been running times like that in training, so I just had to perform on the day. My coach had told me I was going to be the one to break the record, and in training you could see I was a lot stronger than last year, so we knew it would come this year.”

After that it was time for the IAAF World Championships in August, and Antonio went to London boosted in confidence by his new record. He once again made it to the semi-final round, but fell short by 0.36 seconds, clocking 13.59 when he needed a 13.23 to progress to the final. Nevertheless, it was still one of his best major championship performances, and he says just makes him want to chase further success on the track. “My long-term goal is to work towards podium finishes and medals at the Commonwealth Games, World Championships and Olympics. That would be amazing, and it won’t come easy, but with hard work, belief and trust, I think it can happen.”

More to Come…
Antonio’s sporting journey started in humble beginnings at Silversands Primary School and Malibu High School in Blue Downs, a suburb on the Cape Flats. His breakthrough came at the South African High School Championships in Rustenburg when he was in Matric – he finished fourth in that race, but says it boosted his confidence massively and laid the groundwork for greater things in his career. Another important factor in his success is the ongoing support of his parents Edward and Gail, who attend most of his races when finances allow, but otherwise sit nervously glued to their TV set when he is racing.

“I grew up in Brentwood Park in Blue Downs, and I’m still living there with my parents. Our community was quite small and almost everyone knows each other, so I had a good, fun and peaceful upbringing,” says Tony. He recently became engaged to long-time girlfriend Bronwin Houston, with whom he has a son, Logan, and he says he couldn’t do what he does without her love and support. “She supports my passion for the sport, and that means a lot, because I enjoy what I’m doing.”

All in all, Antonio has come a long way from that disappointed youngster in Germiston who had been eliminated in the preliminary heats at nationals, but instead of giving up, he opted to work harder, and that recently paid off with a new sponsorship from Nike. But there is no time for resting on laurels, he says. “I can always look back at my races, see what I did wrong, and work on how to perfect it, then get better. I just want to make it into the final of a major competition and whatever happens, happens, because it is so unpredictable in a final, and anything can happen in a technical race like the 110m hurdles.”

Modern Athlete receives many letters or pics from runners with a story with a bit of a difference, and we try to publish as many of them as we can, like this contribution from South African Expat Dr Paul Firth, who lives in Boston in the USA. We suspect he rather enjoyed the warm weather at the Comrades this year!

In January 1991, I was in the back of a pick-up truck, riding past a small hospital in south-western Uganda. As a Cape Town medical student hitch-hiking across Africa, I wanted to go in and look round the hospital, but I knew I would not really be able to offer the patients much, either to relieve their suffering or cure their ills.

A quarter century later, Mbarara Hospital is still there, and has been growing slowly but steadily. And I now live in Boston in the USA, where I work at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), delivering anaesthesia for children in the Paediatric Haematology-Oncology Department. The MGH is not only helping children survive cancer in the US, but now is also helping to start a children’s cancer clinic in Uganda, thanks in part to the fundraising running of many of the doctors and staff at MGH.

Since 1998, the Mass General Marathon Team has raised over $10 million to support the paediatric haematology-oncology programme at MGH, as well as other projects. The funds raised are directed to cancer care and research initiatives that enhance the quality of life for the hospital’s youngest cancer patients. This is for a cause dear to my heart – helping children and their families overcome the burden of childhood cancer – because in my job as an anaesthesiologist, I am fortunate to work in the MGH Paediatric Cancer Clinic. I say fortunate, because I get to work alongside heroes – these children facing the massive challenge of beating cancer, and their families who suddenly face the reality of their child being diagnosed with a life-threatening disease.

It is a privilege to help these heroes rise to overcome the painful challenges of surgery, anaesthesia, chemotherapy and radiation for their child. And through running, I can help them still further, fighting kids’ cancer, one step at a time.

I ran my first marathon in Cape Town in 1992, and have now done more than 30 in total, including the Boston and London Marathons. I’ve also done the Comrades Marathon three times – twice when I still lived in South Africa, clocking 8:57:54 in the Down Run of 1993 and then a 9:37:31 in 1995, in another Down Run. I ran Comrades again this year, almost 25 years after my first, and I came home in 11:49:31 – much slower than in my younger days! Of course, it may also have been down to the difficulty of training through the Boston winter, which makes doing the peak training from January to March rather difficult, as you can see from a few of my photos!

I run to help raise funds both to support families with a child going through the marathon of cancer care – and to ensure that for other children and parents in another part of the world, a diagnosis of cancer does not mean a diagnosis of slow death. It’s a long and arduous process to train for and run a marathon, especially through a freezing winter, but it’s my friends and family who keep me motivated to keep doing this, and I want to thank everybody who made donations to support the children and their families battling cancer.