Author: Modern Athlete

When two young athletes merge not just their love for running but their love for each other, the proverbial sky is the limit. Especially when both are truly gifted athletes with the potential to one day go to the Olympic Games – and especially when they will do anything to help each other achieve their running goals.

While looking for articles about inspiring South African runners for this edition, I put out the call to a few of my contacts in the club and provincial structures to ask for suggestions about good stories that our readers would be interested in hearing. One of the suggestions I received was to interview two young runners from Celtic Harriers in Cape Town, Anthony Godongwana (25) and Thozama April (24), who share a most inspirational bond that goes far beyond just being running mates.

I soon found myself driving to the Khayelitsha Stadium on a Sunday afternoon to meet up with this inspirational couple, who met through running when both were juniors running for the Atlantic Athletic Club (AAC) and were selected to represent Western Province. Both are elite athletes who regularly win races or fi nish in podium positions in the Cape, and both have received provincial colours on numerous occasions, across all the running disciplines. Both have also enjoyed success at a national level, being selected for national training squads or representing South Africa – and both have big plans for their running careers.

But it is their approach to getting there that is so inspirational. You see, while Anthony is unemployed, he regularly earns money by racing road races. That money doesn’t just get spent, though – much of it goes towards Thozama’s ongoing studies in sports management and personal training, either to pay for studies directly or to help with transport costs to get to classes and pay for lunches during the days spent in class.

LEARNING CURVE
Thozama has already finished two years of her sports management diploma through Northlink College in Panorama, but put it aside in 2009 to do a personal training course at FET Principals in Tokai, thanks to a bursary she was awarded by Body Excel. The problem is that living in Khayelitsha and travelling to Panorama and Tokai for classes takes some doing…

“Transport was hectic! I took the bus each day, so had to wake up at five in the morning to be able to catch the bus at 6:30. Classes would start at eight, and sometimes I would be late because the bus was late. And when it was raining, I had to stand and wait at the bus stop too,” says Thozama. “She had to take the bus, because the taxis cost too much,” adds Anthony. “The bus costs about R265 per month, where the taxis are about R25, R26 per day!”

Thozama’s plan was to go back to College in 2010 and finish her diploma, then to do her honours as well, but that has changed thanks to her selection for the SA national cross-country training squad, which will be getting together in December/January to train in Pretoria. She and Anthony will be going up for two months, and then plan to stay on, with her enrolling in Pretoria University to continue her studies through the High Performance Centre.

EARLY YEARS
Anthony was born in the Transkei and moved to Cape Town when he was young, along with his mother, brother and sister. Thozama was born in Queenstown in the Eastern Cape and moved to Cape Town when she was nine years old to live with her grandparents and help with the family. She has two sisters and a brother, with her mother and one sister now back in Queenstown. It was thus her grandmother who watched over her early running career.

“When I started running, my grandmother didn’t want me to run – she was worried about my safety because I was getting back late from training, and it’s not safe for young girls to be out alone. But Anthony would pick me up at home to go to training and take me home again afterwards, and we would meet after school to train together. Luckily, after seeing my potential, my grandmother let me run.”

“Anthony has really helped me so much. He helped me write my training programme, and it’s thanks to him that I have run 35 minutes for 10km. Also, my grandmother is a pensioner, so we couldn’t always afford lunch, and Anthony helped me with money, and also gave me money towards school and college.”

When asked if it is diffi cult for young black girls to get into sport, Thozama says, “Our parents don’t encourage kids to do sport, and they don’t support the kids by coming to watch them play or run. My friends that I grew up with don’t do sport. Some are working while some are just doing nothing, and they’re not in shape because they just watch TV. That’s not right.”

Another obstacle is the traditional view that girls should not be playing sport; they should be at home, getting ready to raise a family and do the cooking… but Anthony doesn’t buy into that. “I am happy that Thozama runs. We met through running and we love running together – and she is doing so well.”

BREAKTHROUGH YEAR
This past year has been a great one for Thozama. Not only did she run new PBs in the SA 10km and 21km Champs, she also fi nished seventh in the overall points standings for the Spar Ladies’ Series Grand Prix, which was a big focus of her year, seeing her travel to the Spar races around the country to rack up the points.

Her other focus was cross-country – she fi nished eighth in the SA Champs and was selected for the national training squad. “I was challenging for third during the race, but the altitude affected me and I dropped back to eighth,” she says. Now she is preparing for the interprovincial cross-country meet in January, aiming to make the top six so she will crack the final nod for the World Champs squad, which will be announced after the race. Anthony will also be running in the meet, but as an individual entry.

Balancing all the big races in 2009 was challenging, though. For example, in September she ran the SA 10km Champs race in Stellenbosch one Saturday morning, finishing 12th, then flew up to Gauteng the same day so she could run the Pretoria leg of the Spar Ladies Series, finishing 11th. That same month saw her running in the SA Cross-Country Champs. Talk about a hectic programme.

HIS STORY
While this past year has largely been about Thozama’s running, Anthony has also been in good form, regularly finishing on the podium. He’s so humble though, that I almost finished the interview without him mentioning anything about his running, or his SA record, or training in Kenya as part of an SA development squad… So I sat him down again and got him to tell me more about his running.

He burst onto the scene in 2001 while running for Midas Spartans (1999-2000) and then for AAC, making the Western Province Youth team for the 2001 SA Champs in Bellville, running the 2000 steeplechase and the 3000m. In the steeplechase final, he broke the national Youth record, winning in 5:52 (and also claimed fi fth position in the 3000). That win saw him selected for the SA team for the Southern Region Champs in Mauritius later that year, where he finished second. Next he was off to Hungary for the World Youth Champs, where he fi nished eighth and set another SA record (5:45).

In 2002 he moved up to the 3000m steeplechase, winning the SA Junior Champs, which saw him selected for the World Junior Champs in Jamaica, where he finished tenth in his heat and didn’t make the final. Then in 2003 Anthony achieved further success, fi nishing eighth in the 8km senior race at the SA
Cross-Country Champs in Bloemfontein. This performance, along with his good showing in the ABSA Series track meets, saw him added to the 4km team for the World Cross-Country Champs in Switzerland, where he fi nished 78th.

Then in 2004, having moved to Celtic Harriers, Anthony was picked to go to Kenya along with a group of fi ve other young, promising steeplechasers, to train with the best track athletes in Kenya.  Unfortunately, things went a bit awry after that. In accordance with his Xhosa culture, he had to undergo
initiation rites and spent six weeks in the bush in Transkei, which badly affected his running.

He says he feels he was discarded by ASA when his times dropped a bit and adds that repeated requests for help with training kit and shoes fell on deaf ears. Since then he has made the Western Province squad each year, but has enjoyed no further national success.

HER STORY
Thozama’s athletic career began in school when she realised she had athletic potential, participating in the 800m and 1500m on the track and in local fun runs. She initially ran for New Balance Khayelitsha for two years, then moved to AAC for two years, where she met Anthony. They then moved to Celtics together in 2004.

In 2005 Thozama made the Western Province track and field team for the SA Champs in Durban. She finished eighth in the 5000m, but admits that she wasn’t in top shape and could have done better. The same year she went to the SA Cross-Country Champs in Bloemfontein and fi nished in the top ten for the 8km. She also went to the SA 10km Champs in Durban and made the top 20.

In 2006 she represented Western Province in the SA 21km Champs in Durban, fi nishing 16th, and went with her College team to the SASSU national track and fi eld champs, also in Durban, where she won the 5000m. That saw her selected for the national student squad for the Southern African University
Champs in Pretoria, where she fi nished third in the 5000m. Later that year, she ran in the SASSU Cross-Country Champs in Pretoria and fi nished sixth, winning selection to the SASSU national squad
due to go to Russia, but unfortunately couldn’t go because her College didn’t have the funds to send her.

Since then she has made the Western Province squads each year for track, road and cross-country, but 2009 has really been her year, with PB times in the SA 10km and 21km champs and selection to the national training squad for cross-country.

FUTURE PLANS
Besides moving to Pretoria so Thozama can further her studies and concentrate on making the World Champs team for cross-country, the couple have clear goals for their running. Anthony recently took a stab at the marathon distance, running 2:24 in the Puma Peninsula Marathon, and sees the marathon
as his future.

“I believe I can run sub-2:10. I ran 2:24 into a strong wind, without doing anything longer than an hour in training runs. I just wanted to see if I could run marathons. I plan to move up to 42km in about two years, when I’m 28, and my goal is to run for South Africa in the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games marathons. But for now I’m going to concentrate on track and cross-country.”

Thozama is also focusing on track and cross-country, with the World Cross-Country Champs her big, immediate goal. However, she also wants to go back to the track to concentrate on the 5000m and try to break the 15-minute barrier, and make the SA team for the World Champs, Commonwealth Games and Olympic Games.

And what of their future together? Well, they’ve been dating for ten years and when asked about marriage plans, the couple both giggle delightfully and shyly answer that they’re thinking about tying the knot in 2012. No doubt they’ll still be running together long after that as well.

HUMBLE THANKS
At the end of the interview, I asked the couple if they had anything else they wanted to add to their story. Typical of their humble nature, they both immediately said they wanted to thank everybody that has helped them get this far. “Firstly, I want to thank God for giving me my talent,” said Thozama. “And I want to thank Gill Taylor at Sports Science – she helped me a lot last year when I was struggling with my iron levels. And Patrick Cox of Celtics and Desmond Zibi in Port Elizabeth, who are our two training advisors. But most of all I want to thank Anthony for everything he does for me.”

Anthony simply smiled shyly at Thozama, put his arm around her shoulders, pulled her closer and canted his head towards hers, as I pointed my camera at them for a few pics for the article. This is a couple very much in love.

She’s won nearly every elite short and middle distance race in the country and is the undisputed queen of the Women’s SPAR Grand Prix Series, but Ren? Kalmer has now taken on long distance road running and proven that she is a force to be reckoned with over longer distances as well. Not only did she win her debut marathon in Soweto in November, she did so in spectacular fashion by smashing the course record.

A year ago, on the morning of the 2008 Soweto Marathon, Ren? Kalmer went out for her usual long training run of about two hours (approximately 30km). When she got back, she relaxed in front of the TV, to watch the live broadcast of the race. And that was when she realised it: the pace she had run in her training run was nearly exactly what the female runners in the race were doing. The only difference was that they were running an extra 10km. That day, the seed – to run the 2009 Soweto Marathon – was firmly planted in her head.

Ren? did not want any pressure before the marathon and kept a low profile about her entry into the race, which has one of the biggest total prize purses (R807 000) in the country. When she lined up on 1 November, she had a simple race plan: to run at 4min/km and stick with the female frontrunners. If she felt good at 10km to the finish, she would go for gold. But things did not turn out that way.

They turned out even better. Ren? found herself leading from start to finish, and in doing so, walked away with R110 000 in prize money – R100 000 for finishing as the first woman in 2:44:06 and an additional R10 000 for beating the 2001 course record of 2:45:37. Not bad for a first marathon! It was also an unexpected early birthday present – she turned 29 on 3 November, two days after the race.

CHAOTIC START
“I didn’t realise how big the Soweto Marathon was. At the start, there was a bit of chaos and pushing and I did not see the other girls. I thought I was behind and ran to catch the group of runners ahead of me,” says Ren?. “At the 6km mark, I saw Poppy Mlambo’s boyfriend next to the road and asked where she was. When he said she was behind me, my whole game plan of sticking tactically with the girls went down the drain. I kept running my own pace and felt remarkably comfortable up to the 32km mark.”

She found the last 8km especially challenging and had to motivate herself to stay positive and push through the pain and tiredness. “I tried not to think about the distance and kept telling myself there were only 30 minutes of running time left.” With 8km to go, she was on target for a sub-2:40 marathon. “I finished in 2:44:06. That just shows how hard the last 8km were.”

Though she realised she was on her way to winning her debut marathon, the last thing on her mind was breaking the record. Her parents were – as always – next to the road to support their daughter. Their friends, who watched the marathon on TV, phoned and told them Ren? was in line for the record. “When I saw my parents in the last few kilometres, they encouraged me to keep working hard because I was in line for the record. That was the first time I realised it. I must admit, I was so tired I did not care about the record. I just wanted to finish,” says Ren?.

And when she ran into the stadium, the applause and cheers of the crowd were so deafening and overwhelming that she thought her closest rival, Poppy, was catching up to her! “The crowd went crazy. I have never heard anything like that. It was such an emotional finish. I enjoyed every second of it,” says Ren?, who definitely felt the distance in her legs the next day. “I was very sore and had to go down steps backwards.”

DIFFERENT STROKES
Ren? has always been a multi-faceted runner and has excelled at track, cross country and road events, and has been SA Track and Field Champion in the 1500m and 5000m events numerous times. She had already made her mark as a junior when, in 1997, she won a total of six titles: SA Junior and Senior 1500m, SA Junior and Senior Cross Country, and SA Junior and Senior 10km road races. What made her achievements so remarkable was that she ran in the u/17 category, but her times were faster than the girls in the u/19 category.

Since then, she has competed at the IAAF World Championships, the IAAF World Cross Country Championships, the All African Games, and last year the Olympic Games.

Ren? has a different love for all distances. “There is something very special about track running. Nothing comes close to the adrenalin of running around the track while 90 000 people in the stands go crazy. Road events are more tactical and you have more time to ‘recover’ when something goes wrong in the race. Cross country is very tough but it makes you unbelievably strong,” says Ren?, who was also the SA 10km champion in 2007 and came second at the SA Half Marathon Championships in the same year.

She admits that running distances from 1500m up to half marathons (and now even marathons) might be controversial to some coaches who believe an elite athlete has to specialise. “I have had some criticism because I don’t specialise in one distance, but I feel I am blessed being able to run different distances. I also enjoy the variety; it helps me stay motivated all year round because there is always something to work towards.”

This year saw her start competing in international road races for the first time, including the recent Great South 10 Mile Run (16km) in Portsmouth, where she placed fourth in a time of 55:23. “For the last ten years, I have been competing in only track events (800m, 1500m, 3000m and 5000m) overseas. Now I am enjoying the international road races so much. It is a new challenge and a lot less stressful than track events. I love it!”

She placed tenth at the Freihoffers 5km in Albany, New York, finishing in a time of 16:14 and followed it up with a fifth place in the Mini 10km (33:28), also in New York. Her best international road performance up to now was when she finished 15th at the recent World Half Marathon Championships in Birmingham. She bettered her PB by 80 seconds, finishing in 1:10:37. “I am so happy with my performance,” she said after the run.

HIGH MILEAGE
Her training for longer distances has not changed much from her previous programmes. High mileage is nothing new to her and she has always done a lot of it. “My coach and I have always believed that if you have the endurance, you can race any distance.” Her training consists of early morning training runs at 5am with Coach Gerrie Coetzee, when they run anything between 8km and 15km. The afternoons are reserved for quality work. “We are a big training group and meet at the Ruimsig Athletic Stadium in the West Rand. You will find anyone from primary school kids to Comrades runners training there,” says Ren?, who works half-day at Provox Centre for Public Relations and Communications.

She believes that Gerrie, a teacher at Ho?rskool Roodepoort where she matriculated, is the best coach in the country. “He does not miss a training session and runs with me every morning. He dedicates so much of his time to training; even the slowest child’s programme gets worked out for him or her individually.”

Her half-day position allows for physiotherapy sessions and an afternoon nap before a second training session at 4pm. These sessions include hill work, fartlek or track work. “On Sundays, I only train once a day; a long run of about two hours. On Fridays, I don’t do any quality work. I only do two jog sessions in the morning and evening.”

She usually covers about 140km a week, but upped her mileage a bit in her preparation for the Soweto Marathon. “I was a bit worried about my mileage because I was overseas for about three weeks before the race. I was nervous about the marathon because you never know what could go wrong on the day.”

CHILDHOOD DREAMS
She has loved running since she can remember. She was nine years old when Teacher Maggie Fourie told everyone in the school to try cross country running. “I was an exemplary student and listened to Teacher Maggie! I finished 42nd in my first race and loved it. I started training and every year I improved a little. When I was 13, I started with my coach, Gerrie, and the rest is history. Gerrie is so dedicated and committed, and I soon realised that with those two qualities, I would go far in life.”

Since the age of 11, she dreamt of running at the Olympic Games. 18 years later that dream came true when she competed in Beijing last year. She placed seventh in the 1500m final in a time of 4:08.6. “It was an amazing experience which exceeded all my expectations. It made all the sacrifices worthwhile. And what made it even more special was that my whole family and my coach were there to support me. They share in my dreams and sacrifice a lot for me.”

FAMILY TIES
Ren? comes from a very close-knit family and is the oldest of three kids. Her parents make sure they don’t miss any of her races. Dad, Christo, helps Ren? with the business side of running and mom, Elouise, makes sure they are always there for Ren?, even if it’s just at a local fun run.

Her sister, Christine (23), shares Ren?’s passion and talent for running. Christine is on an athletics scholarship at the University of Arkansas in the USA, where she is studying civil engineering. “I can’t wait for her to come home at the end of the year so we can train together.” Her brother, Herman (27), and parents try not to miss any of her races, and Ren? describes them as the most amazing and supportive family.

DISAPPOINTMENTS
Ren? had to deal with disappointments from a young age, but always managed to overcome them and come out stronger on the other side. In 1998, she was the number one ranked junior athlete in the world over 1500m (4:09min) when she picked up a stress fracture a week before the World Junior Championships. She could not compete in the finals and had to withdraw from the Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur.

One of her biggest disappointments came in 2005 when she fell ill with the Coxsackie virus, which attacks the lungs and heart and leaves one feeling exhausted all the time. For a long time, she was only able to jog and could not put any effort into training. It was a difficult time for an athlete used to competing at a high level, who now had to start from scratch, running at 6min/km. “When I was sick, I learned to not take things for granted, and that any achievement is a grace from God. I also used that time to do things I could never do as an athlete, but the hunger to race competitively was always within me.”

In 2007, she was back on track and moved from Bloemfontein to Johannesburg to start teaching. She also started training with her old school coach, Gerrie. “We started with small goals and did things step by step. When I started winning again, it was such a highlight; something I used to take for granted.”

She knows she sometimes misses out on the fun stuff in life. She can’t go party every evening or go away for a weekend, because she has to concentrate on training. “I don’t regret anything and if I had to do it all over again, I would choose this exact path.” The hardest part of running is when things don’t work out as planned, especially when she has to lay off because of injuries. “I read a lot of autobiographies of sportspeople and that gets me through tough times. I realise it’s not just me going through difficult times.”

Ren?, a qualified accountancy teacher, misses the kids she taught for two years. “There was never a dull moment in my class. Running can be a very selfish sport because it is all about you, but with teaching I felt as if I meant something in the kids’ lives.”

LOOKING AHEAD
She is definitely not setting her sights on distances longer than the marathon. “I don’t think I will ever run something as crazy as the Comrades Marathon. I am also too competitive to go out there and just do it for fun.”

She has been invited to run a 15km race in Australia at the end of November and a half marathon in December in Japan. “It all depends on how I recover from the marathon. My ultimate goal is to run the Olympic Marathon in 2012. I would also like to race an international marathon next year. But saying that, there is still a lot I want to achieve on the track,” says Ren?.

“I will run for as long as I enjoy it. Running is like a good drug. It is addictive and makes me feel good. To achieve my goals is the cherry on the cake!”

BEST TIMES

FAST FACTS

THE QUEEN OF SPAR
Ren? recently pocketed R50 000 for finishing tops at the 2009 SPAR Women’s Challenge Grand Prix Series. The five 10km races in the series are held in Cape Town, Johannesburg, Durban, Pretoria and Port Elizabeth, with top-placing runners accumulating points from all the races to be in contention for the series title. With four wins from four races and 122 points, Ren? finished way ahead of her rivals, despite having to miss the last race in Johannesburg because she was overseas, representing South Africa at the World Half Marathon Champs in Birmingham.

The 2009 Grand Prix Series was Ren?’s second victory. In 2007, she also won first prize in the series. The Spar races are very close to her heart because her love for racing probably started at one of these runs. “My first Spar race was in 1994 at the age of 14. That’s when the racing bug bit me, or maybe I was just impressed with the t-shirt and goodie bag! What makes these races even more special is that they are all about women.”

Since I was a boy, I’ve been watching Comrades on TV every year and dreaming about ‘one day’. After my school years fl ew by, I started working, got married, had kids and the dream always stayed as ‘one day’. In August 2008, I again had the ‘one day’ thought, but this time, for who knows what reason, I hung onto it for a couple of days and finally made the gut wrenching decision to do the Comrades Marathon. That meant I probably needed to become a runner first.

I went to my local club in Alberton to find out what running and particularly, running the Comrades, was all about. The chairman was awesome and I did my fi rst 4km run on 3 September 2008 and my first 10km race (The Citizen Gerald Fox) on 19 September. This race was followed in quick succession by my first 15km race, the Porters Auto Germiston Callies on 28 September and my fi rst 21km half marathon (Carnival City) on 19 October. I think I trained a little more than the average novice, clocking 840km from November to January.

I completed my first 32km race in February 2009 and fi nally, ran and completed my first marathon, the Cape Gate Vaal Marathon in March. I was hoping for a D seeding for Comrades (under four hours for the marathon), a goal I had worked hard to reach. My running partner pulled me a little faster than I planned, but I felt good and stuck with him as far as I could. At 36km, I had to let him go, but managed to finish in a great time of 3:27. In the seven months preceding this race, I had become a runner and
had qualified to start the 2009 Comrades Marathon with a C seeding.

After the Old Mutual Om Die Dam 50km Ultra, I started thinking that there was an outside chance for a Bill Rowan and my coach confirmed it, so I set my heart on it. By now, most experienced runners would be spotting the big BUT, and here it is. After the Easter 100km run, I felt a little pain on the outside of my knee. It was ITB (Iliotibial Band Syndrome). I tried to run my final 60km six weeks before Comrades but was told to bail at 38km. I spent the last few weeks before Comrades rehabilitating my knee, but ITB does not go away in a few weeks. I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to finish Comrades let alone run nine hours.

On the Monday before Comrades, I realised that my ‘one day’ had become real and that’s when the nerves really set in. It became even more real when we stopped at the Wimpy in Harrismith on the way down to Durban and saw all the runners and supporters making their way down to KwaZulu-Natal. Before I knew, it was Saturday evening and the start was less than 12 hours away. I would have happily taken up an offer to postpone Comrades by a few days or weeks at that point. I woke up at 2am, got dressed, double and triple checked that I had everything and drove up to Pietermaritzburg with friends. There it lay in front of us, the City Hall and the starting blocks filled with thousands of crazy runners. It was over so quickly. One moment, it was 4:30, then 5am and then 5:25; the Final Countdown, Chariots of Fire, cock’s crow and Bang!

As we went up and out of Pietermaritzburg, with that long climb in the dark, all that went through my mind was, “How long will the knee hold and how sore will it get?” When I got to the top of Polly’s, I started to pray. “Please Lord,” I begged, “Make my knee hold”. The physio had told me to try and run with a straight leg on the downhills to reduce the friction, so I waddled down Polly’s, being passed by lots of runners. The knee was holding, but I kept on praying and before I knew it, we had reached the top of Umlaas Road. Through Camperdown, the crowds were ten times bigger than I ever thought and I will never forget that feeling. I got to Cato Ridge and have never been so happy in my life to see my family. I felt love for the local crowds through Harrison Flats, I was still on pace and the knee was holding.

My next goal was halfway, knowing that my family would be there. But the wheels came off when I started climbing Inchanga. My knee let me know that I still had ITB. I had been scheduled to take my second Vooma, but thought I would do it when I saw my family. Sadly, my family didn’t make it to halfway and I hit a wall. I started walking more than what I needed to and I lost about 15 minutes from 40km to 50km. This was by far the hardest part of Comrades for me.

I finally saw my family in Hillcrest. They offered me everything; sandwiches, sweets, fruit, you name it, but I didn’t feel like any of it. In retrospect, I know I should have taken something. Strangely, I got my rhythm back and fl ew through Hillcrest and down fi elds in sub 6s and realised that I could still get the Bill Rowan if I could maintain around 6min/km. I did the 25km to 45th Cutting in 2:30 and felt strong knowing the nine hour bus was still behind me!

Little did I know, another hindrance would be thrown in my path. On the highway, with about 5km to go, the ‘lights went out’ My eyes started to close as I was running and I felt like I was going to faint. Yes, I know I should have had more Voomas and some food along the way; I’ll remember that for next year! Then came the heartbreak. When I heard the nine hour bus coming from behind, I knew I would not be able hold on because I could hardly stay upright. I saw a lady next to the road eating a hot dog and without thinking, I just asked her if I could have half. She willingly obliged and gave me the whole
hot dog. That was the best hot dog I’ve ever had. I saw a half empty Powerade on the side of the road and without stopping to think about or even care for the germs, I just downed it.

By the time I had collected my wits again, I realised the Bill Rowan was gone and my legs were rock hard. I walked the remaining 4km to the stadium. As I got onto the grass, I decided that, stiff legs or not, I would run the last 100 metres to the end. I cried from the pain, the disappointment, the relief and the overwhelming pride. That was before I even crossed the finish line. I really bawled when I crossed the line and if that was not enough, I broke down when my wife put her arms around me.

Although I had fi nished 30 minutes slower than I wanted to at 9:29, I had realised a childhood dream. I had finished the Comrades Marathon, the ultimate human race and I have the medal to prove it. I have no doubt in my mind that I’ll return for next year’s race, more focused, tougher and better prepared.

The month of August was a quiet one for me. A week of leave and two weeks of bronchitis shoved my training to the furthest corner of my mind. After my personal triumph (completing the 8km Discovery Walk the Talk), I was keen to try any race, but there was one hidden element that I did not factor in, the one setback that accustomed runners know about, namely, life. It seems that no matter how good your intentions are, life gets in the way.

Let’s backtrack a little to the point just after my 8km achievement walk. Giving myself a few days to rest was my only objective after the walk and so, I did not frequent the gym, did not hit the road, did not tighten my takkie laces. By the second week of August, I was keen to pursue my training routine once again. I went to the gym every day, pushed myself to 30 minute run-walks and even went to a step class, where to my absolute joy, I found I could keep up. My fi tness was definitely improving.

The one bane to my running career was my constant eating. Running, I thought, is supposed to help you lose weight, but with my constant eating, there was a defi nite new and unsightly bulge creeping over the top of my jeans. It’s okay, I told myself, my body will adjust. I thought about what I was eating and how it was either helping or hindering me. Dairy, I found, was poisonous to my system. I have suffered from severe attacks of sinus since I was a child, and with my new hobby, it seemed my sinuses were always dry and painful. Dairy had to go.

My second setback was an ulcer. A simple, tiny hole in my stomach which led to heartburn and chest pain, and I decided coffee and alcohol were the next items on my ‘do not eat’ list. Then, my final sacrifice. Though I was loathe to give it up, I knew that sugar was a slow killer, hardening my arteries and collecting pools of fat around my organs and so, I decided to give it up.

Despite my best efforts on the health front, a difficult year, too many late nights and some very bad habits caught up with me. I got bronchitis. For two weeks, running and any other physical activities were off the cards. Every night, I went to sleep hoping to magically be cured by morning, and woke up the next day with what felt like a humpback whale sitting on my chest. I downed cough syrup, antibiotics, cortisone and anti-histamines in a desperate attempt to recover.

In my 30 years of life, one thing I’ve learned is that people can talk themselves into almost anything. I would like to tell you that my new eating habits stuck, but I feel ashamed to lie to you, my committed audience. I have had some sugar, three cups of coffee and cheese in the last few weeks. Every night, I would feel hunger pangs grab my stomach. Every morning, I felt a deep sense of loss for my fi rst cup of coffee. Chocolate called to me in a seductive voice and I succumbed. I managed to convince myself that being sick means empty calories, that an illness is a good reason to do no exercise at all. I told myself these myths in my most persuasive tone, and managed to convince myself.

August is now at an end and my lack of training and compulsive eating have led me to a variety of conclusions. The first is that eating a lot is not a bad thing as long as I make the effort to use that energy. My second is that if I’m serious about this running thing, if I really want to change my life, then I need, literally, to change my life.

Next week, I begin my new training schedule. Even as I write this, I feel an almost imperceptible internal groan. Not another mid-year resolution! And yet, somehow I feel that this may be achievable. My simple plan? 20 minutes a day. 20 minutes a day on the treadmill is achievable. Why, you ask, is this achievable
when my other goals have fallen so far by the wayside? Frankly, my belief in myself stems from all of you reading this article. It is the stories of other runners, and my realization that I cannot let down the readers who have been following my stories that make me believe I can do this.

I believe in myself and I thank you, all of you committed readers, who believe in me and are spurring me on to meet my goals. You are my inspiration.

One of the biggest problems with learning a new skill is that nothing seems to happen quickly enough. As an emerging runner, I often hear myself complaining that my legs aren’t getting strong quickly enough and that my stamina isn’t building quickly enough. I have made progress though and now have the experience of another race under my belt, as well as having joined a running club, a real first for the girl who thought she could do it all on her own.

My story begins at the end, or the end of my last article at least. It was after writing my last article that I began to think about myself in a different way. The challenge that I had set out was beginning to snowball and I was starting to feel the pressure to actually accomplish what I had said I would. Without a coach, a running programme or even a friend to motivate me, my wellintentioned plan was starting to dissolve.

And so, I set out to achieve two things. The first was to run The Citizen Gerald Fox Memorial Run around the zoo. This would be my fi rst 10km run. As race day crept nearer, I began to panic. How on earth was I going to accomplish this? Luckily for me, all the resources were in place at the Modern Athlete office for me to get the advice I needed.

I approached one of our experts, Hilton Hort, for advice. Hilton started his running career later in life (a little like me actually) but had done amazing things and clocked amazing times since he fi rst hit the road. With his years of experience, I knew he was the right person to ask. His advice to me was amazingly simple. “Run two, walk one.” It was that easy. All I had to do was break the race up into manageable chunks.

On the morning of race day, I drove to the Johannesburg Zoo feeling calm, repeating my goal to myself. All I had to do was finish. Once I had gathered my race pack and t-shirt, I trotted off to the start, full of Sunday morning enthusiasm. The air at that start line was electric. People were milling around each other like worker bees, dressed in their club colours, some with earphones already plugged in and pumping, others laughing with friends and me, soaking it all in.

Suddenly, the race had begun. We were off. And then the funniest thing happened. I had been focusing so intently on my new strategy, breaking the race up into running parts and walking parts, that before I knew it, 2km had passed. As I looked down and saw the painted ‘2km’ on the tar, I started to feel really confident.

Hilton’s strategy was working. The route was spectacular, encompassing lots of flat roads and downhills (great for a beginner) and not too many uphills. The big and beautiful houses of Houghton made for a welcome distraction en route and my iPod, programmed with the most upbeat songs I could fi nd, kept me focused on putting one foot in front of the other. The end was in sight. I crossed the finish line, a little sore, a little chafed and more than a little relieved. 10km was behind me. Mentally, I began to calculate. The difference between my very fi rst race and my second was huge. I had gone from 10.3 minutes per kilometre to 8.9 minutes per kilometre, and that over a longer distance. To reach my ultimate goal, I would need to run each kilometre in 5.2 minutes. I still had quite a long way to go, but when I looked at where I had come from, I began to believe that I could achieve it.

Thus came the second thing I had set out to achieve. I needed help with my running and without joining a club or paying a personal coach, it was never going to happen. Since paying a coach was out of the question, my second option was joining a club for their morning runs. The prospect of early morning exercise loomed before me and every time I thought about it, I groaned. And yet, I could see no other way to get my fitness building back on track.

That first morning was the worst. My alarm going off was as enjoyable as what I imagine being trapped under a walrus must be. But, in the back of my mind, I knew there were people waiting for me. And so, I dragged on my tracksuit pants, fastened my hair back and, bleary-eyed and bad-tempered, made my way to the club. I had decided to start out with the walkers, as I was certain I couldn’t hold my own with one of the running groups.

As we began our walk, I began, as I usually do, to chat away happily to my friend and fellow walker.  After 20 minutes of this nonstop diatribe, our leader turned around and, jokingly, asked if I ever stopped talking. I laughed and replied, “They don’t call me Little Miss Chatterbox for nothing!” “That’s okay,” he smiled, “Let’s see if you’re still talking in a few kilometres.” We decided to intersperse our walk with  some running and by the end, I was breathing hard and red in the face. I was certainly not so chatty anymore.

Although it’s only been a few weeks, I’m still getting up bright and early for those walks. I even tried a run last week (which I discovered, I am defi nitely not ready for) and strangely, I’ve even begun to look forward to them. The feeling of achievement you get after you complete your exercise for the day is  empowering and has left me with the feeling that, as the song says, ‘things can only get better.’

The mystique of the Comrades Marathon captures the imagination of South Africans every year. The organisers call it The Ultimate Human Race. It certainly is the only foot race of nearly 90km in the world that attracts around 13 000 participants yearly. In addition to the runners, some 300 000 spectators provide support along the route. It is difficult to understand why so many people run Comrades, because anyone who has tackled this epic challenge will testify to the gruelling nature of it. How then can its popularity be explained? In my view, Comrades offers ordinary people like you and me the opportunity to do something truly extraordinary. It offers a real challenge and South Africans love a challenge. The race belongs to the masses as much as it belongs to the 100 or so hopefuls who believe they stand a chance of winning.

EARLIER YEARS
In my late 20s and early 30s, I completed seven Comrades marathons with two silver and five bronze medals. I didn’t run again for nine years. Between 2002 and 2004, I returned to complete numbers eight, nine and ten. After receiving my permanent green number for completing ten runs at the age of
45, I decided to hang up my running shoes. Until 16 February this year! A good friend and old running partner suggested we give Comrades 2009 a go, given the fact that we both turn 50 this year. I started training the very next day.

The harsh reality was that we had a mere 14 weeks to race day, and only eight weeks before we had to run a standard marathon in under five hours to qualify. The biggest risk was over training causing injury or illness due to our over eagerness to get fi t quickly. My training went reasonably well and I managed to qualify in time. My friend was less fortunate. He pulled a hamstring and had to withdraw. I followed three simple yet strict principles in training to minimise the risk of injury: I never trained on sore legs; I scheduled weekly visits to the physiotherapist for a sports massage; I employed a walk-run strategy.

SELF DOUBT AND NERVES
The weekend before race day, I questioned my reasons for wanting to run Comrades again. Surely, I didn’t need to prove anything to myself or anyone else. I also started doubting my ability, especially since I’ve battled to run long distances ever since my knee scope four years ago. Was I too old? Had I done enough training? Those who claim to know reckon a minimum of 400km from January to race day is required. I did a mere 384km. I only did one marathon race, three half marathon races and two 20km
training runs.

I didn’t find satisfactory answers to my questions, but on the spur of the moment I decided to ask my friends, family, loved ones and business connections to pledge funds to the Starfish Foundation (which does amazing work with AIDS orphans). The condition was that I would fi nish and earn a medal. My dream was to raise R100 000. The fund is currently sitting on R120 000 and money is still pouring in!

The day before the race was registration at the huge expo in Durban. At the green number counter, the gentleman who assisted me noticed that I was doing my first run in my green number and greeted me with a warm smile, a fi rm hand shake and a “Welcome to the Club, Ren?!” The moment was a lot sweeter than I ever expected. I can’t explain why. Maybe because this was one club where money couldn’t get you in. Another exhilarating experience was my visit to the Starfi sh stand at the expo. The ladies there were ecstatic to hear how my fund raising exercise was progressing. They gave me an orange wristband and insisted that I wore it on race day.

RACE DAY
The 30 minutes before the start of the race were awesome and humbling. Over the sound system,  Ladysmith Black Mambazo’s rendition of Shosholoza blasted. All 13 000 runners joined in. By the time the national anthem followed, my whole body was covered in goosebumps and I battled to hold back the tears. Finally, fi ve minutes before the gun, the well known sounds of Chariots of Fire fi lled the chilly
early morning. Then I knew; this was special. I was one of 13 000 South Africans of all races and creeds, all walks of life, some rich, some poor, all with a common goal to get to Durban in less than 12 hours. I realised we were all equal and that social status meant nothing. We were in this together, and we respected each other as athletes, co-runners, human beings. The lady in front of me turned around with a big smile and said, “You know all the words and the tunes. You sing well.” I acknowledged her kindness and silently hoped that my running would also be on par!

I battled from the start. It is dark and cold at 5:30 at the end of May in Maritzburg. For some reason, all my muscles felt tight. I couldn’t fi nd a comfortable rhythm and my breathing was erratic. I bumped into people in front of me. I urgently needed a toilet. I wasn’t happy. Matters improved somewhat after an hour on the road. The field was more spread out, which allowed me to get into a comfortable rhythm. My goal was to run the fi rst half of the race at around 7min/km, which would get me to Drummond (halfway) in 5:15. Anything under 5:30 would have been fi ne. That would leave me with 6:30 for the second half. The problem with the down run is that the fi rst 21km happens to be more uphill than downhill. I went through 10km in 1:15 and 20km in 2:30. I was averaging 7.5min/km – slower than planned! Even more worrying was the fact that my left hip fl exor felt very tight. In fact, it felt as though the muscle was going into spasm.

This was very disconcerting. I was mentally prepared for setbacks, but not so early into the race. I stopped briefl y at a water station and got hold of a block of ice the size of a cricket ball. I applied it to the tight muscle and it seemed to work. Passing the Ethembeni School for disabled kids around 35km at the foot of Inchanga, provided fresh food for thought. Most of these kids are unable to run. The privilege of being healthy and able to be part of this great race was once again imprinted on my mind. For a couple of hundred metres, the pain eased off a bit.

TOUGH TIMES
I went through Drummond slightly behind schedule in 5:32, but I was already severely fatigued. I battled to convince myself that I had enough gas in the tank to do another 45km in under 6:30. To make matters worse, the fi rst 8km after Drummond is a long, nasty climb commonly referred to as the back of Botha’s Hill.

I walked most of it. My only hope was that I would be able to capitalise on the long, downhill 20km stretch between Hillcrest and Pinetown. But I had to get there fi rst.

I managed to pick up the pace slightly once I reached Hillcrest. My enemies were the pain in my knees and quads caused by the downhill pounding and the hip fl exor spasms that persisted. I had to dig deep, focus on rhythm and breathing, ensure my fl uid intake at the water points was suffi cient, and visualise
myself getting to Durban in one piece. I considered bailing a number of times, but the orange Starfish wristband around my left wrist reminded me of my noble cause, raising funds for poor, less fortunate kids. The uniformed boys of Kearsney College between Botha’s Hill and Hillcrest provided another example of the massive disparity between the ‘haves’ and the ‘have-nots’ in our country.

Although I moved more freely now, I couldn’t help thinking that this was just not fair. Bad patches don’t last, is what most experienced runners believe. The problem was that my whole race thus far had been one long bad patch! The toughest section between Hillcrest and Pinetown, the 4km long, steep downhill
known as Field’s Hill is particularly painful. My legs were jelly by now, and my 104kg frame didn’t make matters easier on my knees and hip joints. My only consolation was the fact that all the runners around me were taking strain as well.

I reached Pinetown feeling groggy and very sorry for myself. The race was turning into a war zone. Disillusioned runners who had simply had enough were standing, sitting and even lying all over the place. I still had 21km ahead of me and I realized I had to make a decision to continue or not; simply feeling sorry for myself was not helping at all. By now, the KZN humidity and heat were becoming another complicating factor and on top of all, my nose started bleeding. A plug made from toilet paper had to prevent the blood from running freely, not a pretty sight! Nevertheless, I took a firm decision there and then that I wouldn’t give up. If I failed to fi nish, it would not be because of a conscious decision on my part. In fact, the only other way I would leave the race would be on a stretcher. I decided to run tall, to lift my chin, to pull back my shoulders and remind myself I had a right to be here. I was an athlete. A champion.

REACHING THE FINISH
With 18km to go, I reached the dreaded Cowie’s Hill, the last big hill on the down run. I decided to walk the full 1.2km. I sent an sms to my fi anc?, my kids, family and some friends, saying, ‘On Cowie’s, 18km to go, 2:50 to 12:00 cut off. Going to be close.’ I had to run at a pace of 9.5min/km to finish in under 12 hours, which was more than my average running pace of 7.53min/km. That sounds good on paper, but on tar in the Durban heat after slogging it out for 71km, I was still unsure I would finish.

I reached 45th Cutting (12km to go) after ten hours of running. My fianc? was standing next to the road cheering me on. With all the courage I could muster, I told her I would fi nish in time. It was 15:30. It was muggy. I was hot and tired and my nose was still bleeding. I was now in extreme ‘vasbyt’ territory. All the runners on the road were quiet. Everyone was focused on simply putting one foot in front of the other, moving forward at all costs. I reached the 5km-to-go board on the stroke of 11:00. Only severe
cramping or some other unforeseen disaster could prevent me from finishing in time. My nose miraculously stopped bleeding and when I saw the 1km-to-go board with 27 minutes to cut off, I knew Comrades 2009 was in the bag!

I can’t explain the relief and elation when I entered the stadium with a big smile, punching the air in sheer delight. It felt as though the thousands of frenzied supporters were all shouting for me. I finished in 11:41. It was a hard day at the office, to say the least. The Ultimate Human Race? Pretty inhuman, if you ask me.