Author: Modern Athlete

Not having enough time is a symptom of modern living. 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. In a series of features on how to balance a busy career with running, Modern Athlete speaks to various high powered professionals to find out how these great leaders manage to fit sport into their hectic daily lives. In this issue, we chat to Redi Direko, presenter of the Redi Direko show on Talk Radio 702 and 567 Cape Talk.

What is your background and how did you get involved in radio?
I studied journalism and communications at RAU (now the University of Johannesburg). I also have an honours degree in English Literature and have been a broadcast journalist for nine years. I worked as a reporter for a number of years and joined the Gauteng radio station, Kaya fm, where I produced and
co-presented the afternoon drive show. That was followed by five years at the SABC as a current affairs anchor and producer.

Who are the most interesting people you have interviewed over the years?
Thabo Mbeki, Tony Blair, Colin Powell, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela.

How long have you been running?
Five years.

What motivated you to start running?
I lived in Cape Town and did not know anyone in the city. It was a beautiful part of town and I had no social life. One spring afternoon, I longed just to be outside. I went out for a walk and after about two minutes, I found it so boring that I started to jog slowly. I haven’t stopped since. When I moved to
Johannesburg, I joined the Rand Athletics Club.

How many Comrades have you done?
Two; last year was my first Comrades.

How do you fit running into your busy life?
I do it first thing in the morning at 5:30. I can’t imagine starting my day any other way. If I put it off till later in the day, I get so busy and hectic that it’s a battle to hit the tarmac.

How many hours a week do you spend on the road?
It depends on what I am working towards and on the race calendar in my area. On average, I run between 50km and 60km a week; made up of a long run on a Sunday and the rest of the distance is covered between Tuesday and Friday, with a rest day on a Thursday. When I am training for Comrades and Two Oceans, I run six times a week and increase the distance to between 60km and 90km a week; not every week though!

Who do you train with?
I meet a group of runners at the Virgin Active at Old Eds in Houghton, but some days I run with the man in my life, Brian.

What is your favourite road race?
I do 90% of the races in Gauteng, but my favourite race is the Deloitte Pretoria Marathon. It is scenic, but tough, tough, tough…

What do you see as the biggest obstacle to your running?
I haven’t identified any obstacles. I love running and I am too committed to it to see any obstacles.

Has running influenced your career and work ethic?
Not quite; more than anything I have always been driven and focused in my work. But, I have more energy now that I have something else that I am passionate about, besides my career. As a life lesson, I use the metaphor of running; in the same way that I need to pace myself when I run, I pace myself in other areas of my life.

What is the best and worst advice you have been given with regards to running?
So many runners are experts on how one should run. The funny thing is some runners don’t even know you or how you have trained. Come race day, they want to offer some advice. I ignore it. The best advice has come from Brian, who is also a runner. When I went out for my first road race he said, “Run your own race.” It has worked for me. I have also learnt that sometimes resting is the best thing I can do for myself.

Proudest moment in running?
Completing my first Comrades in 2008. I had no intention of running this ultimate human race until a month before the race. I was experimenting and wanted to test how far my body could go. I just wanted to see if I had what it takes to finish 89km. Clearly I did. I finished very strongly and felt relaxed. Although the race was hard, I was not falling apart at the end; I was strong and on my feet. I finished in 11:38 and this year, I took an hour off my time and finished in 10:39.

And in radio?
There have been so many. I have been at this for so long that it is hard to single out one moment. Every day I get to occupy and participate in a wonderful platform where we take our gloves off and talk. It’s really a lesson and an eye opening experience.

Most embarrassing or worst moment in running?
I fell once while jogging; it was during peak hour traffic and people were up and about. Nobody came to help. Instead, when one falls, those looking on seem to feel more embarrassed than the person who has fallen. It’s crazy.

And in radio?
I don’t really get embarrassed easily. Sometimes I give out incorrect information or make an error of judgement; it’s not a big deal. When someone points it out to me, I simply correct it, laugh at myself and
move on.

The thing I love most about running is…
It calms my spirit.

After a run the first thing I like to do is…
Stretch!

My greatest ambition is to complete…
As many Comrades as I possibly can.

Do you regret anything?
Absolutely not! Life has been a fulfilling journey.

I don’t enjoy being beaten by…
I compete against myself so I am not concerned with how other runners are doing.

I enjoy training most with…
My best friend and partner, Brian.

Who are your running role models?
My friend, Sue Harrisburg. She has just turned 50. She looks amazing and is such a committed runner.

What is your favourite meal after a big race?
After Comrades, I can’t swallow anything but dry brown bread, but after marathons and ultras, jungle oats or eggs will do.

I could not go running without my…
Lip gloss. Seriously! I put it on a kilometre before I reach the finish line.

What would you say to someone who says that they don’t have the time to start running?
If anything is important to you, you will make time for it. We all have 24 hours a day available to us and we choose how we utilise this precious resource called time. I am a very busy person and throughout my career I have juggled different jobs and projects at the same time. I make the time for exercise.

My favourite race is…
Yet to come! I am running the New York Marathon in November. Ask me about my favourite race when I return.

Best time…
10:39:19. I took a whole hour off my previous Comrades time.

Life motto…
It’s never too late to become what you might have been.

Comrades times

Two Oceans times

Not having enough time is a symptom of modern living. Between stressful jobs and trying to spend quality time with the family, exercise is often the fi rst thing that falls to the bottom of our list. In a series of features on how to balance a busy career with running, Modern Athlete speaks to various high powered professionals to find out how these great leaders manage to fit sport into their hectic daily lives. In this issue, we chat to Pieter Schoeman (although he goes by the name Peter), Sales and Marketing Director: City Lodge Hotels.

WHAT IS YOUR BACKGROUND AND HOW DID YOU GET INVOLVED IN RUNNING?
I attended hotel school and have a diploma in hotel management. I managed different hotels for 12 years, the last one being The Courtyard in Rosebank. I then got promoted to the group Sales and Marketing Manager and have been Divisional Director for nine years. Altogether, I have been with the group for 15 years.

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN RUNNING?
I’ve been running for fi ve years (mostly half marathons).

WHAT MOTIVATED YOU TO START RUNNING?
I just wanted to get generally fi t and keep my weight in check as I attended a lot more business lunches and dinners.

HOW DO YOU FIT RUNNING INTO YOUR BUSY LIFE?
I consider running ‘me time’. It’s very much a part of my morning regime; so I religiously get up at 4:30 and go for a run at 5:00.

HOW MANY HOURS A WEEK DO YOU SPEND ON THE ROAD OR IN THE GYM?
I spend about 6.5 hours on the road and in the gym.

WHAT DO YOU SEE AS THE BIGGEST OBSTACLE TO YOUR RUNNING?
Having a late night in the middle of the week… and then having to get up at 4:30 to get ready for my run!

HAS RUNNING INFLUENCED YOUR CAREER AND WORK ETHIC?
Definitely. Through running I have learned to pace myself and to have patience; things that I found difficult to do before I started running.

WHAT IS THE BEST AND WORST ADVICE YOU HAVE BEEN GIVEN WITH REGARDS TO RUNNING?
The best advice has been to run within your own ability and to trust your body; if you feel tired or stressed your body will tell you. Listen to it. The worst advice has to be from runners saying you have to push through the pain. Sometimes you can’t push through the pain, especially when it’s something like a stress fracture. I have learned it is better to take time off and get back on the road when you are completely recovered from an injury.

PROUDEST MOMENT IN RUNNING OR BUSINESS?
Finishing my very fi rst half marathon in a time of 1:57.

MOST EMBARRASSING MOMENT IN RUNNING OR BUSINESS?
I once sneezed just as I took a big sip of tea. I sprayed it all over Sol Kerzner’s white suit at the Table Bay Hotel in Cape Town.

THE THING I LOVE MOST ABOUT RUNNING IS…
The freedom of mind, body and soul once you are in the zone; nobody can take that away from you.

MY GREATEST AMBITION IS TO COMPLETE…
The Boston Marathon.

AFTER A MORNING RUN THE FIRST THING I LIKE TO DO IS…
Hit the shower.

I DON’T ENJOY BEING BEATEN BY…
Sean Bradley (my best friend).

I ENJOY TRAINING MOST WITH…
I like training on my own. I travel a lot and don’t always have the same people around to train with. I have become comfortable with going out for a run all by myself.

WHO ARE YOUR RUNNING ROLE MODELS?
Anybody older than me and who looks like they are having fun. It inspires me to keep on running.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE MEAL AFTER A BIG RACE?
Seafood.

I COULD NOT GO RUNNING WITHOUT MY…
iPod; I train alone and therefore love music.

WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO SOMEONE WHO SAYS THEY DON’T HAVE THE TIME TO START RUNNING?
I used to say that! Since I have made time, I have never looked back.

MY FAVOURITE RACE IS…
The Knysna Forest Half Marathon.

BEST TIME…
1:47 at the Knysna Forest Half Marathon.

LIFE MOTTO…
Live life to the fullest and be kind to all.

FAVOURITE QUOTE…
Appreciate all the good things and people in your life.

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. In a series of features on how to balance a busy career with running, 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 Tim Du Plessis, editor of Beeld newspaper.

What is your background and how did you get involved in journalism?
I am a born and bred Gautenger, but spent part of my youth in the old Western Transvaal. In the summer holiday of my first year at university, I worked at Beeld as a student reporter and instantly
fell in love with journalism. After completing my studies, I joined Beeld’s full-time staff. Later, I completed an honours degree in journalism at the University of Stellenbosch. I’ve been a journalist
now for 33 years. My fi rst (very brief) editorship was at The Citizen and then at Rapport, where I stayed for nearly eight years. I’ve been the editor of Beeld since February 2009.

Who is the most interesting person you have interviewed over the years?
I interviewed Thabo Mbeki in October 1988 in an office at the Kremlin in Moscow, in the old Soviet Union. That was when the ANC was still banned in South Africa and the USSR was still a proper
communist country. The interview lasted for four hours.

Why are you so passionate about journalism?
I became a journalist in 1976 believing we have a mission to make the world a better place. I still have the same passion after all these years. We, as journalists, are supposed to stand up for the small guy, relentlessly expose injustice, hold up a mirror to society and above all, be a counter-balance to power-hungry and corrupt politicians – a species of which we have an abundance in this country.

How long have you been running?
I started running in December 1998. I never exercised before that.

What motivated you to start running?
We have a history of heart disease in our family. Once a year, I go for a cardiac evaluation and since 1981, I have been hearing the same refrain from the cardiologist: “You are fi ne, but you must get exercise.” I finally got around to it at the age of 44. I’m 55 now.

What was your very fi rst run like?
Dreadful. I nearly died, and that after only running for three minutes and walking for twenty minutes!

How do you fit running into your busy life?
A (fi t) colleague gave me a copy of Prof. Tim Noakes’ running programme for ‘couch potatoes’. It’s a 16-week schedule that combines running and walking to the point where you are fit enough to run four times a week for between 20 and 40 minutes. I modified the schedule to four 35-minute runs per week. I run in the mornings because of my work schedule – at a daily newspaper, I work until seven. It’s easy
to get up in summer, but really hard in winter. I try to be disciplined about this.

Who do you train run with?
I run alone – lots of talking takes up too much oxygen!

Have you done any road races?
No, I just run to keep fit.

What do you see as the biggest obstacle to your running?
As I get older, I can see my body taking more strain, even though I follow a moderate running schedule. All types of niggling injuries are starting to crop up. Maybe I should follow my girlfriend’s advice and start doing yoga!

How has running helped your career?
Because I have a demanding job, I really enjoy the stress relief I get from running. Sometimes, I get the impression that I have more energy than some of my colleagues who don’t exercise.

What is the best advice you have been given with regards to running?
At first, nobody told me about the importance of stretching. I picked up some injuries and went to sports physician, Dr Jon Patricios, who showed me some stretching techniques. These days, I stretch religiously.

What do you think about when you run?
I think about story ideas and articles for the paper as well as catchy lines to add to my weekly column. Sometimes I ‘write’ a full column in my head while running. And sometimes at the start of a run, I ‘file’ a problem in my head, be it personal or professional. Often, I finish the run with a solution.

Proudest moment in running or business?
I derive a lot of pride and satisfaction from being involved in the daily grind of producing a well-regarded newspaper, surrounded by talented and passionate journalists.

Most embarrassing moment in running?
No real embarrassments, but one morning at 6:12 in 7th Street in Linden, Johannesburg, a lady stopped me to ask for help with a problematic bra strap she could not reach. I obliged, she thanked me and walked away as if it was the most natural thing in the world! Imagine the paparazzi picture of a newspaper editor fumbling with a woman’s bra at dawn in the leafy suburbs of Jozi! Afterwards a friend said that she had asked me because she probably knew runners were decent people who wouldn’t
harm her.

And in business?
Every time I have to  print a retraction or a correction.

The thing I love most about running is…
That feeling of achievement and satisfaction once you catch your breath! And of course, the fact that you can run anywhere in the world.

After a morning run the fi rst thing I like to do is…
Drink two glasses of cold water.

My greatest ambition in running is…
To always keep going.

I don’t enjoy being beaten by…
Competing news outlets!

Who are your running role models?
Anyone my age who does more running than I do.

What is your favourite meal after a run?
Fresh fruit in season, muesli with honey and plain yoghurt, and a slice of brown toast with ham or cheese.

What is your favourite place to run?
The Promenade in Seapoint, Cape Town. I also enjoyed running along the Elbe River in Dresden in Germany, Hyde Park in London, the Tier Garten in Berlin, in the French countryside and in the suburbs of Accra, Ghana.

I could not go running without my…
Sweater and gloves in winter.

What would you say to someone who says that they don’t have time to exercise?
Lame excuse! If you really want to, you can always make time.

Favourite quote?
‘If you’re going through hell, keep going’ – Winston Churchill

Life motto?
Be kind to yourself and to others. In that order. And always look on the bright side.

In 1992, Elana Meyer won an Olympic silver medal and helped put South Africa back on the sporting map, after years of isolation. It transformed her into not only an iconic South African hero, but also one of the most feared competitors in world running. However, Elana’s silver was just one chapter in a long and illustrious world class running career. 

When Elana Meyer arrived in Barcelona for the Olympic Games in 1992 – South Africa’s first Games since 1960 – she was considered the country’s best hope for a gold medal, but she had only a small amount of international racing experience. In fact, she had only run her first race outside of South Africa a short while before heading to Spain, at the Unity Games in Dakar, Senegal. It was all still so new to her.

“It was amazing to get to Barcelona. I kept telling myself, ‘It is true, it is true. I am here.’ It was very emotional because I had waited such a long time. I had actually qualified in 1984 for the Olympic 3000, but we couldn’t go. Zola took the British route to get there, but I didn’t have a British grandfather,” says Elana. “Instead, I was still a rookie in international racing in 1992.”

She was inundated with sometimes unbelievable questions from the media. “Even though my name was high in the international rankings, a lot of people didn’t believe our times from South Africa – they thought the tracks were short over here. People also asked me really funny questions, like do we grow up in the bush!”

INSTANT FAME
By the end of the Games though, the world knew who Elana Meyer was, and how fast she could run, after she won the silver medal in the women’s 10 000m final. However, it was what happened after the race that left such an abiding memory. Elana embraced gold medallist Derartu Tulu, from Ethiopia, then the two runners draped their flags over their shoulders and ran an historic victory lap together, to a standing ovation from the packed stadium.

To begin with, Tulu’s victory was the first ever by a black African female athlete at the Olympics, but it was the shared joy of the black and white Africans, united by sport, that was seen as a victory for a new South African nation, which was approaching its first democratic elections.

“A lot of people remember that race for different reasons, but often it is for the victory lap,” says Elana. “Everyone here was watching the Games and wanted us to bring back gold medals, but we didn’t have that many good performers. Coming back was a positive experience, because we were accepted by all South Africans – it wasn’t just seen as a performance for white South Africa.”

GLOBAL EDUCATION
That first year back in international competition was quite an eye-opener, says Elana. “Whenever I arrived in a city, there would be a press conference and they would ask me political questions. I knew it would be better to say something, unlike Zola in the 80s. I knew that I couldn’t just say ‘I am an athlete and I’m not going to go into the political side.’ That would just have made it more difficult for me, so I tried to answer the questions as honestly and informed as I could. That went on for first one or two years, because everything was very focused on politics and the participation of SA athletes, but after that we were pretty much accepted like other athletes.”

It wasn’t all smooth sailing, though. “When I went to Europe to compete ahead of the Games, Liz McColgan was the reigning World Champion and could dictate who ran against her, and she didn’t want to race me before the Games. So while I got to race internationally, it was not the ideal preparation because I couldn’t do the races I really wanted to. Also, while I was in Oslo or Stockholm, it was hard to stay focused because there were rumours that we wouldn’t be going to the Olympics because of the riots back home in Boiphatong.”

STARTING YOUNG
Elana was born in 1966 in Albertinia in the Southern Cape, the second of four children. She discovered her talent for running at an early age, but truly burst onto the running scene when she was just 13-years-old – when she won the Voet van Afrika Half Marathon in Bredasdorp in a time of 1:27:35! Unfortunately, she was soon disqualified…

“My neighbour in Albertinia told me of this cool race in Bredasdorp, so I went and ran it. The longest I’d run till then was about 10km in training. I won the half, but got disqualified because I was too young, and didn’t have a licence number and didn’t belong to a club.”

She started running when she went to primary school, doing mostly short sprint distances – because she would get a chocolate if she did well in races. Then, when Elana was about nine or ten, her school held a 3km fun run and she decided to give it a try. “I did quite well, and realised that I really liked the longer runs, so I tried to run the 5km from our farm to town without walking, but there was one mother of a hill, so it was a challenge. I remember the joy of achieving that goal, and I remember enjoying the feeling of freedom that I got from running.”

Elana focused on the track until she was in Matric, but then started doing the odd road race. That year, she went to Knysna and won another half marathon, but the track was still her priority. “My main focus was track for most of my career, especially in the isolation years. Zola was still faster than me, so my main goal was to be the fastest in SA, moving up from the 3000 to 5000, and later to 10 000. The good thing was that there were still challenges within SA, but by about 1990 I was winning comfortably in SA. So I started racing the international girls ‘on paper’ by comparing my times to theirs. I knew my competition and that kept me going through the isolation years.”

Elana also used these years to pursue her studies. She was awarded her B.Comm and B.Comm (hon) degrees, as well as her Higher Education Diploma from the University of Stellenbosch. She then enrolled for a Masters degree in marketing, but that had to be put aside when South Africa’s isolation from world sport ended and Elana suddenly had the opportunity to take on the rest of the world. “I always thought someday I would finish my Masters when I was pregnant, but I don’t think that’s going to happen now!” she laughs.

WITHOUT EQUAL
Between 1992 and her retirement in 2005, Elana performed consistently well on the world stage, breaking six world records, winning a World Cup title and winning the World Half Marathon title in 1997 (after coming back from a ruptured Achilles injury suffered in the 1996 Olympic Marathon). She set 23 South African records and won 30 gold, 14 silver and five bronze medals at SA Championship events.

Respected South African athletics statistician, Ri?l Hauman, believes that there is little doubt that Elana is the best female distance runner produced in South Africa. “Meyer’s domination of the road running scene in South Africa is without peer and she is the only SA woman to win a global road title. Also, between losing a mile race to Zola Pieterse in Bloemfontein on 18 February 1991 and finishing fifth over 1500m at the Nice Grand Prix on 15 July 1992, Meyer won 51 straight victories over a variety of distances and on all three surfaces. As far as is known, this is an unprecedented ‘streak’ in the history of women’s distance running.”

Elana was a prodigious racer, running up to 50 races in a single year. “I loved racing more than training, so preferred the shorter distances. I really enjoyed the half marathon, because it was short enough to really race it. In the marathon, I always felt I had to try and hold myself back, but in the half I could go for it. Also, the half doesn’t take too much out of you, so there’s no need for months of preparation or a long rest period after the race.”

GIVING BACK
Since retiring from international racing, Elana has focused on using her vast experience to add value to organisations and institutions. Her two most popular offerings are interactive inspirational programmes: Success and Balance, based on her life story and running career, and Achieving Excellence, in which she translates the effort and dedication that enabled her to break the world half marathon record into achieving success in business. As a qualified life coach, she also offers extensive one-on-one follow-up sessions for in-depth personal growth.

In 2007, Elana joined forces with the JAG Sports and Education Foundation, which focuses on education and sport development at a grassroots level, by encouraging young South Africans to dream, and to transform their dreams into achievable realities. As CEO, Elana is responsible for the running of the Foundation and for implementing education programmes which promote physical health, emotional wellbeing and personal achievement in under-served communities.

She is driven by a belief that she has a responsibility to give something back, because she received so much from sport. “The biggest teacher in my life was my sport, and that’s why I truly believe that sport is an incredible vehicle to use with kids for education, personal development and to empower them. What you learn through sport gives you such valuable tools that you can transfer to other aspects of your life.”

COMEBACK PLANS?
So does she miss her racing, and does she harbour any desire to make a comeback? “No, I have no drive to do that. I trained hard for many years, including Saturdays and Sundays. After many years like that, I exhausted all my competitive juices and spirit. There’s nothing about races that I miss – that’s been replaced by the rewarding work I’m currently doing with the Foundation.”

“People still ask me why I don’t run any more, because I can still win! But I retired with a feeling of having had a great career. I travelled the world, experienced a lot of highlights, and I feel fulfilled. I had a long career and achieved a lot of my dreams, and I really enjoyed it. Towards the end of my career, I was a bit scared of what would happen next. I loved the training, the travel and the opportunities, but being part of JAG means I’m still close to my passion. I have such a full and rewarding life now with my partner Jacques and my son Christopher, and spending time with them means more than anything.”

TYPICAL DAY
Elana is currently expecting her second baby, a daughter this time, and is loving every minute of being a mother. “The best performance of my life is, without doubt, Christopher. And the biggest gift now is my second pregnancy, because I’m older. I’ve been really lucky and am now even luckier that I can hopefully raise Christopher with a baby sister as well.”

She still gets up early every day for a run, anything from 30 minutes to an hour, depending on her schedule, and often with Christopher in the baby jogger. She says that she hasn’t run with a watch for years now; she just goes out nice and slow. But obviously not that slow…

“I still sometimes pass people on the run, even with the baby jogger. It was quite funny the one day when Christopher was still quite small. I was running just behind an international triathlete here in Stellenbosch and he kept looking behind to see if he had shaken me off. He even tried accelerating, but there I was just behind him. I saw him again a while later at the Totalsports Challenge and he came up to me to tell me that he couldn’t believe that he couldn’t drop this woman with the baby, but only later found out who it was running behind him!”

ELANA’S PBS

ELANA’S SA RECORDS

*    Also a world record
**  Also a world veteran (35+) record

Cape Town’s biggest running club offers a great mix of well-organised and safe club runs that cater for every level of runner, and offer incredibly scenic races, fun monthly socials and a great mix of people. And all this happens in one of the most beautiful parts of the country, surrounded by Cape Town’s mountains, forests, vineyards and sea.

In 1977, a group of University of Cape Town graduates decided to start a new running club. After finishing their studies, they were no longer members of the UCT running club, so they decided to form their own, and the name they chose reflected their collective background – Varsity Old Boys, or VOB. The club colours they chose were the same royal blue and white colours of UCT, but instead of the horizontal stripes (hoops) that UCT uses, the new club opted for vertical stripes on the vest. This makes them one of the most distinctive clubs in the Cape – and not just because there are so many VOB runners to be seen at most races.

Today the club is officially known as acsis VOB, after the investment company that has been sponsoring the club since the beginning of 2009.

VOB has shared clubhouse facilities with the False Bay Rugby Club in Constantia since 1981, and regular activities at the clubhouse include at least six different club runs per week, catering for all levels of runner, as well as many socials. There are change rooms with shower facilities and all runners are invited to join the VOB members for a run and a post-run chat in the pub.

It’s an ideal setting for a running club, says club Chairman Richard McClarty. “The mountain and the vineyards are right on our doorstep and we’re in a sports complex with a Virgin Active gym on our grounds as well. It’s a great place to run – beautiful in summer, and in winter we can run in the suburbs where it is well lit.”

HAPPY CLUB
When asked what makes VOB a great club, Richard says that it is because, “We cater for all runners, from the elite to the slowest, and newcomers are always welcome. We really look after our new people – I made that my goal when I became Chairman. Your membership must be looked after, and there are all sorts of characters and personalities that need to be catered for.”

Richard attributes the success of the club to its loyal members. “We have a good base of stalwarts that have remained with VOB through the years. About 20 of the founder members still meet every Tuesday for a group run and then a bit of socialising in the clubhouse. Most people who leave do so only because of work transfers or going overseas. We’ve had very few issues over the years, and always try to work out any problems so nobody leaves unhappy. We care for our members and don’t like to see them leave.”

That’s not quite how it started, though. In the early years, VOB was more focused on elite and faster runners, but this led to a difference in opinion and a change of focus in the early 80s. When a large group of senior members broke away, the club lost its committee and its way for a short while, but a new committee was soon in place with a new attitude, namely, that it was more important to create a happy club, which catered to the average athlete rather than trying to make a name for the club by ‘buying’ elite athletes that had no long-term loyalty to the club.

In short, they wanted to create a club that people wanted to belong to. And it worked. “Today we’re the largest running club in the Western Province, with 733 members,” says Richard. “I think that makes us the second largest club in the country, with only RAC in Johannesburg bigger.”

CLUB RUNS
There are official VOB club runs most days of the week. Tuesdays and Thursdays are for group runs, Wednesdays see the running of the weekly time trial, the Jog Squad for beginners meets on Mondays and Wednesdays, and there are two Sunday running groups, plus a trail running group.

The Tuesday and Thursday group runs start at the clubhouse at 18:00, with various pacing groups led by experienced group leaders. The pace groups range from 4:15 to 6:15 min/km, and most groups train for about an hour, stopping for water along the way. There is also an informal group known as the “Five-Thirties” who start their run at 17:30 on Tuesdays. Every Tuesday evening, there’s also an interval training group for strength and speed, doing sessions that include 1000m, 400m and hill repeats.

On Sundays, the Cool Sunday Running Group meets at a different location each week for a long run at about 5:20 min/km, over varying distances. The Sunday Stars is the other weekend group, also meeting each week at a different location for a run of between 12km and 18km. This large group is aimed at both social and serious runners, catering for anything from 5:00 to 6:30 min/km. Each runner is encouraged to bring 1.5 litres of Coke with them, as there is a Coke stop every 3km.

Then there is the Trail Runners group, which makes the most of the pristine mountain and beach trails of Cape Town. Most runs feature longer or shorter, faster or slower routes and groups, so everybody is welcome, and it’s a very social group that sometimes has a post-run breakfast get-together.

The Jog Squad meets every Monday and Wednesday and has been going since 1984, helping countless non-runners become runners. New groups are started each year in January, May and September, and there are beginner, intermediate and advanced groups. The Jog Squad’s programmes have controls built into them to prevent runners from doing too much, too soon, and ending up with an injury.

VOB RACES
The club presents three races each year, all in the Constantia green belt area and on the slopes of Table Mountain, making them some of the most scenic and popular races in the province.

First on the calendar is the Constantia Village 15km in March, where one can “breathe in the grape-scented breeze” as the entry form states. Sponsored by the Constantia Village shopping centre, which is right next to the clubhouse, the race offers terrific prizes and giveaways from the tenants of the Village. This year, the race attracted a record field of over 1 800 finishers plus a further 200 in the 5km fun run.

Next up is the wonderfully scenic New Balance Table Mountain 16km in June, an absolute must-run for any mountain lover. Starting at the Constantia Nek parking area, the course winds up the bridle path to the back table of the mountain, then circles around the dams before flying back down to the Nek. The views of the southern Cape that you get along this route will simply blow you away, but dress warmly if the weather looks dodgy, because it can be hot down at the start and bitingly cold on top of the mountain. Unfortunately, due to the run being in a nature reserve, entries are limited to just 250, so preference is first given to all athletes who ran the previous year, before being opened up to the general public. All profits from the race are donated to the Table Mountain Parks Board.

The third race is the Constantia Valley Grape Run Half Marathon, presented by Sportsman’s Warehouse, in October. It runs through the historic wine farms of Groot Constantia, Klein Constantia and Buitenverwachting, as well as taking a turn through Tokai Forest, so it’s a tough, challenging course, but arguably the most beautiful in the Western Cape. This race has grown in popularity each year since the first running in 2004, so the club now has to cap entries at 1 500 to protect the farms and forest from being trampled. Both course records were broken this year, with men’s winner Sibusiso Mbingeleli running 1:09:19 and women’s winner Thozama April clocking in at 1:25:34. There were also a few famous faces in the pack, with multiple-Comrades Marathon winner Vladimir Kotov claiming the master men’s category win, and former Comrades runner-up Bob de la Motte also lining up during a visit to SA from Perth. 

GIVING BACK
While the VOB clubhouse is located in Constantia and most of its members are residents of the more affluent areas of the southern suburbs, the club has also attracted many members from the more financially-disadvantaged sections of the community. Many of these athletes are young, enthusiastic and talented, and have been identified as being the nucleus that will make VOB an athletic force for many years to come.

For that reason, the club has established its Development Team, a satellite unit based in Khayelitsha with 23 members who often feature amongst the top places at local races. The runners are looked after by a dedicated team manager who also serves on the club committee. Furthermore, for the last ten or so years, the club has had a Chairman’s Fund, financed mainly by donations, which has been used to provide for the basic needs of financially-disadvantaged members.

SOCIAL SCENE
When asked about the club’s social scene, Richard’s eyes light up. “We’ve got the VOB Booze Box! It’s our tradition to have the club gazebo and Booze Box at big races, organised by the club captain. In years gone by, other clubs would come to us at races to buy drinks from us. We were a regular shebeen!”

The club’s socials are just as popular, with members from other clubs also joining regularly. These include the annual end of year Dinner Dance at the end of November, with this year’s theme being Arabian Nights, and the VOB Pub Run in early December.

CLUB CONTACT DETAILS
Club Secretary: Charlotte Kettlewell – 021 761 8887 (14:00 to 17:00), [email protected]
Chairman: Richard McClarty – 082 871 2240, [email protected]
General info: 088 126 7231
Club house: Tuesdays and Thursdays 17:30 to 18:00
Website: www.vob.co.za

Most injuries are a response to an imbalance in the body. Correct the imbalance and you are on your way to pain-free running! And all it takes is a few leafs of the Yellow Pages in your running shoes.

In a perfect world, you would be able to bend equally far on the right and left, your shoulders and hips would be parallel, your legs would be the same length, all your bones would be correctly aligned and your muscles, as well as connective tissue, would have equal tension.

Unfortunately, few of us live in this perfect world, especially us runners who try to juggle a busy career and family life with daily training. We all have to deal with daily stresses at work, at home and on the road, often leading to a disruption in the natural equilibrium of our bodies. And when the body is out of balance, more often than not, injuries follow.

But there is a solution, says Fourways-based, Johannesburg physiotherapist and kinesiologist, Adrian Stevens. He believes that the body’s nervous system responds to emotional, physical, nutritional and energetic stresses in a predictable manner.
“Only when the body is in balance, can one expect fewer injuries,” says Adrian.

He compares the human body to a triangle, with each side representing a different part of our lives.

• One side represents the structural aspect, such as the camber of the road we run on, the type of shoes we wear, the position we sit in at our desks, and the physical injuries we have picked up over the years.
  
• The second side represents our biochemistry, such as possible allergies, supplements we take, nutrition and medication.
  
• The third side represents psychological aspects – how we think, feel and react.

“All these things are connected,” says Adrian. Practically, it can be explained as follows: you are training for Comrades, but a couple of weeks before, you run on a severe camber and start feeling a slight twitch in your calf muscle. At the same time, you are stressed at work, which causes your adrenalin levels to increase. Your brain and spinal cord release neurotransmitters depending on how you think and feel. If you are stressed, it can have an influence on, for example, your hormones and digestion. The membranes around your brain and spinal cord also control tension of the cranial bones in your spine and the posture of your spine.

Now combine the emotional stress you feel at work or home with the slight niggle in your calf muscle and you will have thrown your whole body out of its natural equilibrium. Loading your body in different ways can lead to many problems. “Injuries are a response to an imbalance. If you run with an imbalance, it will cause certain muscles to become tighter and others to become looser – resulting in your body moving further and further away from equilibrium,” says Adrian.

BALANCING ACT
Adrian has developed an Integration? Technique which is aimed at achieving a structural, biochemical, psychological, energetic balance, and overall optimal health. “Manipulating the nervous system helps the body release the bad habits and postures that are the result of repeated and long-term stress. This approach to healing integrates the nervous system to return to optimum function and facilitates the body’s ability to heal itself.”

Adrian does not treat patients in the traditional manner of physiotherapy. He follows a more holistic approach to healing and believes in ‘curing the cause, not the complaint’. He knows and understands the frustration of a nagging injury. As a young student studying physiotherapy, he battled with back problems and became frustrated because the techniques he was learning were not helping him. He tried acupuncture and also read a book called The Body Doesn’t Lie by John Diamond. It’s one of the first books written on kinesiology and promotes the concept that the body is a self-healing organism that needs to be working at its optimum. “Through our nervous system and muscle testing, we can find out what is wrong with the body and what the best ways are to correct it.”

In 1995, Adrian also met Ron Holder, a well-known kinesiologist who has worked with former world record holder Elana Meyer as well as former world champion high jumpers, Jacques Freitag and Hestrie Cloete. Years ago, Ron also helped Zola Budd overcome a hip injury caused by her running style. Initially, Ron was the one who used Yellow Pages to build up wedges for shoes in order to correct imbalances.

“Ron had to go to Europe and some of his patients who had wedges in their shoes started coming to me. I had to learn fast and came up with a concept as to how the wedges work. Ultimately, all credit must go to Ron. He was the developer of the Yellow Pages wedges.”

HOW IT WORKS
Adrian integrates complementary medicine with his treatments. This includes acupuncture, body alignment and kinesiology, which help the body recover from illness and injury by restoring its energy balance. Kinesiology is a way of getting your body back in line.

The cornerstone of Adrian’s treatment lies in balancing the body by relieving unnatural pressure from muscles. He performs an initial test by asking you to push your arms up against his. “This is an easy and quick way to establish on which side of the body your stresses lie,” says Adrian. In a follow-up test with your shoes off, you reach as far as you can down the side of one leg, then the other. If an imbalance exists, the one arm usually travels further down than the other. Adrian looks for a muscle that tests weak and tries to ascertain why that muscle is not functioning properly.

A small layered wedge made from the Yellow Pages helps to correct these posture problems, so Adrian experiments with different thicknesses of wedge until he finds the right balance, making tiny adjustments until happy. He then tapes the wedge together with masking tape and fixes it to the bottom of the insole of your shoe. The wedge, which fits into the shoe of the weak leg, helps to change the behaviour of the muscles. Only when you are balanced, can you use your body effectively. With time and as your body adjusts, Adrian takes the pages out bit by bit to make the wedge thinner. “The body will start healing itself as soon as it’s in balance and there is no longer more stress on one side than the other,” says Adrian.

“When you run with the wedge, your footfall corrects the biomechanics of your body. The wedge stimulates the nervous system in the foot, which helps with your balance. As you run and walk, the loose muscles will become tighter and the tight muscles will become looser. These wedges are not uncomfortable, but have to be hard to cause a change in the nervous system.”

EASY RUNNING
While running with the wedge in your shoe, you will probably feel your gait is smoother; this is because you are no longer wasting energy trying to keep yourself upright and in balance. After a while, the wedge might start irritating you because it is over-stimulating your nervous system and needs to be lowered.

“We all tend to have a kink in our armour. When we are under stress, we will injure or weaken in the same pattern. Runners need to remember that when they are injured, the most important thing is to fix the underlying problem and not just concentrate on the injury,” says Adrian. Only looking at the symptom or injury will give temporary relief, but the same or another compensatory injury is likely to follow if postural imbalances are not corrected. Once you are balanced, you will experience many happier and pain-free miles on the road, states Adrian.

A legend of the 80s and 90s, Matthews ‘The Flash’ Temane, was one of the fastest finishers our country has ever seen. He received Springbok colours 12 times and, in 1987, he held the prestigious honour of being the fastest man in the world over the half marathon with a time of 60:11. Modern Athlete recently caught up with Matthews, who is still running today and plans to do the Comrades Marathon next year.

MATTHEWS TODAY
He still wears it: the trademark white, shell necklace he wore years ago when he blitzed his way to endless podium finishes at local and international road races and track events. “I am still wearing that exact same necklace. I took it off once after fellow runners said I could not win without it. I proved them wrong. I did what they asked and took it off – and still won,” chuckles Matthews, who today runs for Vaal Reefs Marathon Club.

Speaking to Matthews, you quickly realise how humble he is despite his prestigious sporting accolades of the 80s and 90s. He proudly shows a book he has kept over the years featuring all the articles that were written about his achievements. Matthews is not a man who likes change; not in work and not in sport. He has been working at the same company for the last 25 years and is currently a supervisor at the hostels of the AngloGold Ashanti mine in Orkney, North-West. Twice a month on weekends, he returns to his childhood home in Hammanskraal outside Pretoria where he was raised by a mother who motivated him to pursue his love and talent for running.

HOW IT ALL STARTED
As a young boy Matthews, the second of seven children, ran 10km to school and back every day. Running was not his first love. He lived to play soccer until a group of runners from school challenged the soccer players to a race around the field. Little did they know then that they would come up against a future world champion runner posing as a soccer player. Matthews outran them all and his soccer team managed to win. “That day, I realised I could run fast. I was 17 years old. My mom encouraged me to take up running and our school headmaster offered to coach me. He used to take me and a group of the boys to a mine in Westonaria and we would run there.” As a 19 year old, he dreamt of beating Matthews Motshwarateu, aka ‘Loop en Val’. His dream came true when he ran against him in the former Bophuthatswana. They ran on a grass track and Temane won the 5 000m in a very fast time of 14:28.

“I had great respect for Loop en Val,” says Matthews of this talented athlete who was sadly gunned down and robbed of R30 in 2001. Loop en Val was a great runner who won numerous track and cross country titles. He was also the first South African to break 28 minutes for 10 000m.

Matthews started his career in 1981 as a recreational officer at the Vaal Reefs Gold Mining Company in Westonaria. “It was nice for me to work for the mine because the people I worked with also ran. They liked running just as much as I did,” says Matthews, who ran at a time when mining companies’ running clubs did a lot to develop the rich talent amongst the black running community. Matthews’ career started taking off and in 1981, at the Goldfields Championships in Carletonville, he managed to win the 800m, 1 500m, 5 000m and 10 000m – all in one day. It was also the first time Matthews had ever run on a tartan track.

Later that year, he placed third in his first national race over 5 000m. His running ability was rewarded in 1982 when he received Springbok colours for the first time. Matthews is one of the few athletes to earn Springbok colours in all disciplines: track, cross country and road. On his 26th birthday, at the sixth HERALD-OPEL Street Mile in Port Elizabeth, Matthews set a personal best of 3:46:80 for the street mile, out-sprinting blonde Springbok Johan Fourie (3:47.9) and Victor Radebe (3:47.5). Our country had something special; he was a world champion in the making!

A WORLD CHAMPION
Matthews peaked towards the end of the 80s and in 1987, he achieved the ultimate, a PB and a world record in a time of 1:00:11 run at the Ohlsson’s SA championships in East London. He remembers that world record as if it was yesterday. “I fainted when I crossed the finish line. When I came by, I saw my coach, Richard Turnball, and he told me I just broke the world record! I could not believe it,” says Matthews, who after the race admitted he was dead scared of Zithulele Sinque, who came second.

Before he broke the record, he notched five wins in 15 days. One was in a 12km cross country event, two in 15km events and two in half marathons. His form held and in the same year, he broke the SA record in the 5 000m (13:25.1), this time at the Coetzenburg Stadium in Stellenbosch. In 1989, in East London, Matthews set a course record of 1:04:50 at the South African Half Marathon Championships, something he is still very proud of today. “I loved running short distances. Marathons were never really my thing.”

Despite this, he represented South Africa in the marathon at the World Athletics Championships on 12 August 1995 in Gothenburg, Sweden. His first international experience was not what he had hoped for. He finished 45th in a time of 2:31:24, almost 20 minutes off the pace. “It was my first international race and not a nice experience. Everything was new and strange to me. The weather was cold and I did not enjoy the race,” recalls Matthew, who has a personal best of 2:14 for the marathon.

RACE TACTICS
He gave it his all in every race and saw each one as a challenge. “I used to out sprint my competitors, often coming from behind. I studied them and knew Johan Fourie was only good at sprinting the last 400m, nothing further. I realised I had to kick over the last 600m to beat him and made sure I trained fast 600m sprints.”

Johan, who regularly raced against Matthews, recently spoke about his admiration for Matthews’ finishing pace. “He had an unbelievable kick towards the end of a race and he has beaten me many times.”

GREATEST COMPETITORS
On the track, it was definitely Johan Fourie, Deon Brummer and Henning Gericke. “They were all friends and all trying to beat me.” Johan and Matthews were known for their battles in the mile race. “Johan was very good at the mile, but I was a little better at the longer track distances because I had a stronger kick over distance,” says Matthews.

On the road, his greatest competitors were Xolile Yawa, a former Berlin Marathon winner and nine time SA 10 000m senior champion as well as Zithuele Sinqe, a 2:08 marathoner and Two Oceans marathon winner in 1996 and 1997.

TRAINING METHODS
Quality training was the cornerstone of his regime and he still roughly follows the same training principles today, says Matthews.

At his peak, he ran about an hour every morning at a relaxed pace of between four and five min/km. Tuesday and Thursday afternoons were dedicated to track work. These sessions included speed sessions, sprinting flat out for 200m, jogging for another 200m, sprinting for 400m, jogging for 200m and finishing the set with 600m sprint followed by a 200m jog. He would repeat this three times in one session.

On Wednesday afternoons, Matthews hit the gym or did hill training, a normal hill session was five repeats up an 800m incline. He believed in respecting his body and never pushing it beyond its limits.

“I always listened to my body. If I felt tired, I did less training and if I felt good I did a bit more. Weekends were always reserved for longer runs of about two hours but I never did too much mileage because I knew it would make me slow.”

COMRADES
Matthews decided to try his hand at Comrades as he started slowing down over time. In 1999, he finished in a time of 7:12 and in 2000, in a time of 8:28. “I was never very good at long distance races. In my first Comrades I went out very hard trying to run in the front, but I quickly got very tired. My body did not know how to handle that kind of pain and I had to run and walk to the finish,” he grimaces with a smile.

A SAD LOSS
His mom passed away in 2007 after a heart attack and it took its toll on Matthews. He struggled through a difficult time in which he lost interest in running. “After my mom’s death it constantly felt as if there was a heavy weight on my shoulders. I was very close to her and took her to all the big races. I still lived with her and she looked after me because I am not married.” Over time he slowly started putting the pieces together and today running is part of keeping his mother’s memory alive.

THE ROAD AHEAD
He loves running purely for the joy he gets from it. “Athletes these days run for the money. They don’t try and chase fast times. They rather go for a podium position because there is so much prize money at stake,” says Matthews.

These days he trains with friends from the Vaal Reefs Marathon Club. They run together on Tuesdays and Thursdays. On the other days, each one follows his own programme. Matthews likes to stick with what he knows and runs about an hour each morning. He includes some hill repetitions or 800m track session twice a week in his programme. He proudly shows the Oppenheimer Stadium in Orkney where he still does a lot of training. As Comrades is his goal next year, he has started increasing his mileage on weekends. “Once or twice I have asked a friend to drop me in Potchefstroom. I run back to Orkney about 50km away.”

He loves sport and his only regret is that he never had a chance to compete at the Olympics. “I will never stop running. I want to run until I am very old. Soon, I will be a master and I would like to do well in the older category. We will see what happens in next year’s Comrades,” says Matthews. He is clearly content, happy and still very much in love with running. The only thing missing in his life is a wife. “I just have not found the right one but I am desperately looking,” laughs Matthews.

ACHIEVEMENTS

• Won SA 5 000m title seven times (1982-1983 and 1985-1989)
  
• Won SA Cross Country Championships four times (1984 and 1986-88)
  
• Won SA 10km title four years in a row (1985-1988)
  
• Won SA 15km title (1985 and 1987)
  
• Won SA 21.1km title in (1985, 1987 and 1989)

PERSONAL BESTS ON THE TRACK

PERSONAL BESTS ON THE ROAD