Author: Modern Athlete

Well known endurance junkie Hilton Murray is already a legend thanks to his previous running feats, but in late September he added another one to the list as he went after a slew of age group records in his first six-day circuit running event. – BY SEAN FALCONER

In 2014 Hilton Murray made jaws drop when he completed the Ten10 Challenge, running the 89km Comrades Marathon distance each day for nine consecutive days to get from Johannesburg to Pietermaritzburg, and then ran the 89km Comrades on the 10th day! This remarkable feat made him an overnight sensation in SA running, and then in 2016 he was once again in the spotlight as he pushed disabled student Anita Engelbrecht in a jogger pram in the Two Oceans and Comrades ultras, to allow her to experience the thrill of finishing the country’s biggest races. But he wasn’t done yet…

Having recently turned 50, Hilton decided the time was right to head to Pietermaritzburg for the Capital Classic six-day circuit race, with the intention of not only ticking off a bucket list item, but also chasing down a few 50-54 age group records. “I posted on Facebook that I was going to try do six 100 milers in six days, because like most of my previous big runs, I was once again doing this to raise awareness for a good cause, this time for the PinkDrive’s More Balls Than Most campaign for testicular cancer. It was a bit of a publicity stunt, because I wanted to generate as much publicity as I could for the charity.”

The ‘six-day seed’ had been planted way back in 1996 when Hilton did his first Washie 100 Miler and overheard two runners talking about a six-day event. “They told me Washie is actually easy by comparison, and that planted a seed – but it took me 20 years to do my first one.” To prepare for his six-day debut, Hilton ran a few ‘shorter’ circuit races, starting with 173km at his first event last year, “just to get into it,” as he puts it. Then four weeks after his Comrades run with Anita, he did 100 miles in a 24-hour event in Johannesburg, and that was followed by the ORAK 12-hour in the Cape, where he did 83km while pushing Anita in the jogger! “That was actually tougher than Comrades, because there were no downhills to rest on, but it was excellent training for the six-day.”

Round and Round We Go
So, with his wife Lizet seconding him, Hilton started his quest in Pietermaritzburg, with the first goal to better his Comrades best of 9:12. He duly passed the 89km mark in 8:47. “My next aim was my 100-mile PB, and I made that in 16:45, about three hours faster than my previous best! That also set a new age group record for the distance.” Next he went after the 24-hour record, which stood at 181km. It now stands at 182km. “After that the goal was two 100 milers in two days and the 48-hour record – the previous record was 301km, and I did 325km. It’s actually the second longest distance in SA for 48 hours, because only Johan van der Merwe has gone further, doing 334km.”

But then the real mental slog began, says Hilton. “Suddenly, after two days of chasing record after record, the next one was a whole four days away! I had spoken to SA six-day record holder Eric Wright, who set the bar at 816km, and he warned me that the third day is the toughest, and to make matters worse, it rained that whole night and the temperature went down to eight degrees. That night I really struggled, as I had lost all my body fat by that stage, and at one point I had to go into my caravan and wrap myself in my duvet for an hour to warm up again before I could continue!”

Target in Sight
The big record that Hilton was gunning for was the 50-54 age best for six days, which stood at 651.8km, and for the next few days he was always on track to do it, but things were not going smoothly. “I stopped for a sleep on the fourth day and an hour or so after I got going again, my shoe just collapsed. I knew immediately it was a problem, because I felt pain behind my big toe. I put my other pair of shoes on, but they were heavier, off-road shoes, and my knees immediately felt tender, so I asked Lizet to go back to the guest house to fetch more shoes.”

“Unfortunately, the only other shoes I had with me were brand new 12 and a halves, while I normally wear a 13. I actually couldn’t get my foot into the one, so I decided to lie down for a few more hours, feet in the cold air, and it worked. But then 50km after changing shoes, my shin started hurting badly, so I decided to slow down and manage the situation. From then on, every time I started after a break, it took me about 15 minutes for the first 1km lap just to try warm my leg up!”

Despite these problems, Hilton cruised along and finished on an astounding 706km, improving the 50-54 record by some 55km, and posting the eighth-longest six-day distance of all time by a South African. And then came the next chapter of his already incredible week… getting home again. You see, Hilton had begun the trip by driving from Cape Town to Pretoria to go fetch the 4×4 trailer camper that he sold to his brother earlier this year, then picked Lizet up in Joburg on the way down to Maritzburg (she had gone up for two days for work). When the race finished around midday on Saturday, they packed up the camper, had a late lunch and finally got into bed at 5pm.

Hilton was awake again at 4am, unable to sleep further, and after visiting some family, the couple hit the road for Joburg at 11am. “We had six and a half hours to get to the airport so Lizet could catch her flight back to Cape Town and be back for work on Monday, and we only just made it by 15 minutes. I had forgotten that we were pulling the trailer uphill now! Anyway, I then headed to Pretoria, spent some time with my family, and on Tuesday I drove back to Cape Town. The original idea was to stop over and sleep halfway, but the pain was too much and I just drove right through. Then I spent the rest of the week on my back!”

So What ís Next?
Typically, Hilton laughs when asks if he has now ticked the six-day off his bucket list. “Actually, Johan van der Merwe sent me a message about a big six-day race in Eastern Europe, and I immediately said I have to go do it! But a six-day is very hard on your body, so I will probably only go back for one more, and one more 48-hour, but not in the same race again – you set yourself up for problems if you race the first two days too hard. That said, looking back now, if not for the shin problem, I think I could have gotten close to the SA record. I mean, for the last day and a half I actually did very little running. Then again, maybe next time I will end up walking again…”

Balancing work and family with running can be a tricky situation for most, but thanks to her job, marathoner and sporting tours manager Marie Howarth also juggles regular overseas trips to exotic races. – BY RACHEL PIENAAR

Marie Howarth is a runner with a dream job. She works as the Sporting Tours Manager for Penthouse Travel, based in Cape Town, and gets to lead tour groups of runners to various overseas Big City Marathons and exotic races that the company has entries for, including the London, New York and Berlin Marathons. As a result, in between putting the tour packages together and looking after the tour groups while overseas, she gets to run these races herself, but she’s come a long way from her first tour to the UK in 2004.

“I was quite the couch potato when I took that London Marathon group over, and it was quite an eye-opener for me, because everyone just assumed that I was running. When I told them that I wasn’t running, they wanted to know why,” Says Marie. “Then when I looked at the marathon, I realised why, because you see all shapes, sizes and ages taking part. There is no specific type of runner, everyone was at different paces and fitness levels, and it showed me that anyone can run.”

THE LOVE AFFAIR BEGINS
That trip inspired Marie to start running, and soon after returning, she signed up to Durbanville Athletic Club. Four months later she ran her first race, and a year after her first trip to London, she was back, ready to take on her first marathon. Even though her running experience was still limited and that first marathon proved a bit of a painful experience, she still looks back on that run fondly.

“That first London Marathon was by far the best memory for me. I had only previously done just the one 21km, so in a way I went into the marathon blind. I think I did a really good time, but afterwards I was absolutely finished. I remember going back to the hotel room and falling asleep, but I hadn’t taken any painkillers or anti-inflammatory pills, because I didn’t realise you need to take them. I literally could not move, and I kept waking up every few seconds in agony!”

The next day we were due to leave, but I took about three hours to get out of bed and get dressed, because every time I moved it was so painful! By the time I got downstairs, there were quite a few clients waiting in the lobby to say goodbye to me – they all thought they’d see me at breakfast, but by the time I came down breakfast had long since passed, because I took so long to get going. I looked like I was in so much pain, and they asked what painkillers I had taken, but I just said, ‘No, I didn’t know I needed to do that!’ Everyone laughed because they thought it was so funny.”

Since that 2005 London Marathon, Marie has run multiple overseas marathons, including the Berlin and New York City Marathons. Back home, she also stepped up to the ultras and has run the Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon three times (2008 to 2010, with a best of 6:38:14), and also completed the Comrades Marathon twice in 2008 and 2010, with a best of 11:15:35.

MAKING IT WORK
In a given year Marie normally takes tour groups overseas up to five times, while colleagues take other groups, and she manages to keep control of her life by staying well organised for each trip. “It’s a combination of extra work before and after the events, and I also organise and put plans in place for my children, because I am a single parent. While I am away, I am always conscious that although plans are in place, that circumstances can change.” she says.

In between the wonderful travel opportunities afforded by her job, Marie still holds down normal working hours at the travel agency, which means that she has to fit her training runs in around her work schedule while also allowing family time. That sees her training weekdays between 4am and 5am, and while she does a number of local races as well, she tries to dedicate her weekends to spending quality time with family and friends. In terms of making time to run, she says, “You just get on with it, don’t you? If it is something you are passionate about and it is something you want to do, you make a plan and prioritise your time. This job can be exhausting at times, but the benefits far outweigh the negatives. I love my clients, my job, my running and my family.”

After a few years of struggling with injuries and setbacks, sprinter Alyssa Conley is back on track. Fresh from a great 2016 season, including numerous titles, medals and personal bests as well as her first Olympics in Rio, she is already building up for the 2017 season, with the World Champs and the long-standing SA women’s 100m record firmly in her sights. – BY KYLE DEELEY

When a barefoot Alyssa Conley won her first race in grade one at Wilhelmina Hoskins Primary School, her teachers immediately began calling her Zola Budd, after the barefooted teenage prodigy of the early 80s. Born and raised in Riverlea, south of Johannesburg, Alyssa enjoyed great success throughout her primary school years, including her first selection for South Africa, at the tender age of 12, for the 2005 Schools Games. Even though she lined up in the 100m against older, more experienced under-14 girls, when the gun sounded she took off like a lightning bolt and won the race in 12.05 seconds, setting an SA age record that still stands.

CHOOSING ATHLETICS
Alyssa moved on to Mondeor High School, where she eventually had to choose whether to focus on athletics or not. “I continued running throughout high school, but also played badminton at the same level as my athletics. Eventually I had to decide which one to pursue, and athletics came out on top”, explains Alyssa. That looked like the right decision as she was once again selected to represent her country in athletics at the 2007 World Youth Games, and then in 2009, in her first year studying at the University of Johannesburg, she competed at the 2009 World Junior Championships as well as the African Junior Champs.

However, 2009 would also prove to be a major low-point in her career. “Later that year I competed in a 200m race and upon crossing the finish line, fell and tore my right hamstring. After seeing a doctor and a physio, I was told I had a third-degree tear in my hammie, putting me out for three months and ending my season,” explains Alyssa. The following year proved to be just as bad. “My running in 2010 was horrendous. I competed at various events, but wasn’t able to achieve anything,” she says.

“After seeing up to 15 different doctors, physiotherapists, orthopaedic surgeons and even psychologists to determine what was wrong with me, it was UJ’s own physiotherapist, Ellie Young, who discovered that my right hip bone was abnormally shaped, otherwise known as a cam bone,” says Alyssa. This is a deformity of the femoral head at the top of the leg bone, which prevents the bone from rotating smoothly in the hip socket, and Alyssa had to go in for surgery to have the problem fixed. Her post-operation rehab took nine months, putting her out of running again until the 2011 season.

STOP-START COMEBACK
“In 2011 I made a comeback to the sport I so dearly loved”, says Alyssa, and by 2012 she was once again competing at the top level, claiming both the Senior and U/23 SA 100m titles. “My running had improved drastically compared to the year before and I felt really good, considering I had come off some really bad form.” However, disaster struck again when she was competing in Europe late that year, as she injured both her knees. Unsurprisingly, she was bitterly disappointed. “Nothing was going my way and there were no achievements. I was gutted with myself and decided to give the athletics thing a break. It was time to step back and fix things.”

Alyssa thus disappeared off the athletics radar for the whole of the 2013 and 2014 seasons, focusing on her sports management and sports psychology studies instead, but eventually she began to feel the urge to get back on the track. “In 2014, I realised that athletics was my life and I started running again under the guidance of my coach, Lethu Hamola. My training was going well until Lethu went back to Namibia to coach, leaving me with no coach,” says Alyssa. Fortunately she was then helped by Roger Hatengi, before finally meeting her current coach, 2001 World Champs 4x100m relay gold medallist Morne Nagel.

“We started working together at the beginning of 2015 and he said he needed a year to get me back to form. We worked for the whole of 2015 and bang, here we are in 2016,” says Alyssa. “I began running well again, and I had a healthy rivalry going with Carina Horn that pushed me to achieve even more. We were both in good form and both chasing Rio qualifiers and Yvette De Klerk’s 1990 SA 100m record of 11:06, and after running my first qualifying time for Rio, at the Pilditch Night Series, I knew I was back in action.”

Alyssa went on to beat Carina to the 100m title at the South African Senior Champs and also claimed the 200m title, set new PBs for both distances in Switzerland in June (11.23 and 23.00), then claimed a 200m silver medal with a new PB of 22.84 at the African Championships in Durban, where she also helped Team SA win gold in the 4x100m relay. And that was followed by the big news: She was going to the Olympics. “Hearing the news was a dream come true! Everything I had worked for had finally paid off and I was going to do what I had always wanted to do!”

DISAPPOINTMENT IN RIO
Alyssa went to the Olympics determined to soak in as much of the experience as possible. “Rio was amazing! The opening ceremony was one of the greatest things I have ever experienced, and the athletes’ village had a comfortable setting and all the services we needed. From shops to dining halls, doctors and medical staff to a laundromat and a gym, it was all there for us to use,” says Alyssa. “But just being able to meet athletes like Rafael Nadal, Usain Bolt and Sonny-Bill Williams makes you realise that the goal you have worked so hard to achieve is finally a reality. I also came within touching distance of Shelley-Ann Fraser Pryce, and just that is something I’ll never forget.”

Alyssa says she was focused on achieving big things in the women’s 100m and 200m events in Rio, but things didn’t quite go to plan. Running in heat seven of the first round in the 100m, she was a little unsettled by a false start by a fellow sprinter and then clocked 11.57 to end sixth in her heat and be eliminated. Three days later she ran in heat three of the 200m first round and clocked 23.17 to finish fourth, just 0.23 seconds too slow to progress to the next round.

“After not achieving in Rio, I have been very hard on myself – it took a good month to get over it. But I realised that I gained a lot from the experience and I know where I need to work harder,” says Alyssa, who has already begun training for the 2017 season, where she will be looking to qualify for the World Champs. “I am still unsure if I want to compete in the 100m or 200m. All I can do is work hard and fix my Rio results. I’m also going to be chasing that SA 100m record, and I would love to be the first South African woman to run 100m in under 11 seconds!”

The mighty potato has always been an aid to the endurance athlete and it has more benefits than we realise. All you have to remember is how you prepare your potato-based meal and what kind of potatoes can benefit you when. – BY SALOME SCHOLTZ, REGISTERED DIETICIAN

It may come as a surprise to hear that one medium-sized boiled potato with the skin contains about 45% of the daily recommended value of vitamin C, and as much or more potassium than bananas, spinach or broccoli. It also accounts for 10% of the daily value of vitamin B6 and trace amounts of thiamin, riboflavin, folate, magnesium, phosphorous, iron and zinc.

Regrettably, however, we tend to consume potatoes as oily fries, or potato chips, and baked or boiled potatoes are generally dressed in fats like cheese sauces, butter or sour cream. To get the most out of the power of this delicious veggie, it’s important to get rid of the frills. Instead, we can focus on the three types of potatoes that we South Africans are used to, and what athletes need to note if they’re fuelling for a long run or ride.

Keeps You Going
Most of us are familiar with white (or yellow) potatoes, new (baby) potatoes and sweet potatoes. All of these varieties contain roughly the same amount of vitamins and minerals, but potatoes differ from one another in their starch content and type, which affects not only how fast they’re digested, but how they act when cooked.
• Boiling usually results in a lower glycaemic index (GI), since starch can bind with water. The dry heat of baking, on the other hand, lowers moisture and concentrates the sugar in the potato. Keeping the skin on will also contribute to a lower GI as the fibre in the skin helps to decrease the rate at which the sugar is absorbed into the blood after digestion.
• White potatoes, whether you have them mashed, baked, as fries or potato chips, have a high GI, which means that their carbohydrates are quickly turned into sugar, which elevates your blood sugar levels quickly after they have been consumed.
• New potatoes are any potatoes which are gathered young, just before their sugars are completely transformed into starch. It is due to this that they have an intermediate GI.
• Rich in vitamin A and beta-carotene, the sweet potato offers complex carbohydrates (due to a higher fibre content) along with antioxidant nutrients. Boiled sweet potatoes also have a low GI.

Refuel, Replenish
It is important to fuel every 45 to 60 minutes during a long run or ride or run of 90 minutes or more, with around 30g to 60g (three to four new potatoes) of carbohydrate per hour. Out of the potatoes mentioned above, the new potatoes will do the best refuelling job, as they have an intermediate GI and are easier to consume and digest – due to their lower fibre content. The intermediate GI will not only provide you with a quick surge of energy, but will assure that you have sustained energy levels for longer. By adding a little salt, you can also help to replace sodium lost through sweat. New potatoes can also be consumed as your starch after the race to help with refuelling of your carbohydrate stores.

From elites to weekend warriors, many athletes do not know the rules of athletics that cover all the running disciplines, and this sometimes leads to a clash with authority, or fellow runners. This month we look at assistance to athletes in road races. – BY SEAN FALCONER

One of the most popular aspects of running is that it allows you to compete against fellow athletes, or the clock, or yourself – no teams or equipment, it’s just you and your legs, and how fast you can go. However, there are a few rules that govern the sport when it comes to the assistance an athlete may or may not receive, which could help them to run still faster.

Let’s start with pacesetting, which is a popular part of the South African running scene, especially in the large ultras like Two Oceans and Comrades, where volunteers carry flags denoting what their target time is and fellow runners can join their ‘bus’ and let the pacesetter ‘drive’ them along at a set pace. Strictly speaking, the ASA rules for road running prohibit pacing in road races:

ASA Rule 20.3: Physical assistance in Road Races
1. Pacing (non-competitive running), defined as someone running alongside another competitor to help him/her, is not allowed. To avoid pacing in road running meetings, the meeting organiser may employ separate or staggered starts. The timing of the starts will be determined by course logistics and will be set by the technical delegate in consultation with the course measurer.
2. The following is also considered as pacing and is not permitted:
(a) A pacesetter that is not a bona fide entrant in the race.
(b) An athlete that is about to be lapped, running with athletes in leading laps.
(c) Athletes that re-join the race after having temporarily retired.
(d) Athletes that do not start with the other athletes.
(e) Where staggered starts are not implemented, pacing is not allowed between age or gender categories when either runner wants to be eligible for any prize award.

That last one (2.e) covers male athletes deliberately running with a female clubmate, friend or partner to help her go faster, either by pulling her to a faster time, coaching/advising her, handing her water to save time at refreshment stations, or running directly in front of her to protect her from the wind. If that woman were to win the race or finish amongst the prizes, she would have done so with an unfair advantage over other female athletes who did not have a dedicated faster male pacer. Of course, this is hard to police in a race, where a female athlete could simply tag onto an unknown faster male athlete to gain the same pacing benefits, but when the pacer is obviously linked to the female athlete, the race officials will often tell them to run apart.

However, it is generally allowed for runners outside of the prize money or podium positions to be paced, as this is considered non-competitive social running, so, for example, the Sub-4:00 bus in a marathon, or the Two Oceans sub-7:00 and Comrades sub-12:00 get-you-home buses are left alone by race officials. These buses are not always popular with all runners, as they can grow quite big and thus block the road, but as far as we know, no pacesetters of these buses have as yet been warned or disqualified by race officials for illegal pacing.

On a related note, this is partly why there are also strict rules regarding athletes being given refreshments during an event, so that no athlete can get an unfair advantage over other athletes, especially in the case of elite or professional athletes who have coaches or support crew on the route:

IAAF RULE 240.8 Drinking / Sponging and Refreshment Stations
(e) The Organising Committee shall delineate, by barriers, tables or markings on the ground, the area from which refreshments can be received or collected… No official or authorised person shall, under any circumstances, move beside an athlete while he is taking refreshment or water.
(h) An athlete who receives or collects refreshment or water from a place other than the official stations, except where provided for medical reasons from or under the direction of race officials, or takes the refreshment of another athlete, should, for a first such offence, be warned by the Referee, normally by showing a yellow card. For a second offence, the Referee shall disqualify the athlete, normally by showing a red card.

As a result of all this, provinces such as Western Province have included a generic rule in their regulations to cover all such incidents:

WPA Rule 14.2: Disqualifications & Protests
14.2 Unfair Advantage
14.2.1 Any action that leads to a participant gaining an unfair advantage over other participants shall render the participant gaining the advantage liable for disqualification.
14.2.2 Where possible and when appropriate, athletes shall be warned before being disqualified, but this is not obligatory.

After a number of years struggling with various injuries, Yolande Maclean posted her best ever Comrades finish in 2016, and now she has her sights firmly set on earning a few more gold medals to add to her already impressive collection. – BY SEAN FALCONER

The 2016 Comrades Marathon women’s race will long be remembered for Caroline W?stmann’s heartbreaking implosion as her legs gave in during the second half of the race, allowing Charne Bosman to reel her in and go on to take the win, but in all that drama, another top run by a South African went relatively unnoticed. That was Yolande Maclean coming home fifth woman (and third South African) in 6:43:24, and while she did not get as much media attention as her run deserved, she was over the moon with her result.

“Before the race I said to my best friend that I wanted a top five for the first time, because I was running in memory of her father that passed away earlier this year from cancer. I was actually lying fourth till 1km to go, when Sarah Bard passed me, but I was happy with fifth,” says Yolande. “My main aim was to beat Colleen De Reuck and Kerry-Ann Marshall, and to improve on my 2015 time, when I was ninth in 7:01:49, so I put everything into it and trained really hard. I’m especially proud to have finished so high, since I work full time and was racing against some girls who are full-time athletes. They have more time to recover and sleep, or go to high altitude training camps, which all makes a big difference, so I am very happy with fifth. Now I know what will work in 2017, and I have already started preparing for that.”

INJURY HOODOO
The success of a fifth place in 2016 is a far cry from the injury-affected years Yolande has been through since 2007, when her consistent run of ultra gold medals was halted in its tracks. She had burst onto the South African running scene in 2003 by winning the Loskop 50km ultra in a new course record, finished fifth in the Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon 56km to claim a first gold medal, and then took ninth position and another gold at the Comrades Marathon. And she was still just 25, so no surprise that she was immediately labelled the ‘next big thing’ in SA female ultra-running… but that also had a few pundits questioning whether she was too young to be racing ultras so hard.

From 2003 to 2007, she was seemingly unstoppable: Five consecutive gold medals at Comrades, four golds at Two Oceans, a few more wins at Loskop, a City to City 50km win in 2005, plus various marathon victories as well. But then the warning of those pundits appeared to come true, as her knee gave in, and Yolande admits she may have over-raced a bit in those years. “When you’re pumped up like that, you don’t hold back, and the wear and tear showed,” she says.

“The reason I stopped running the Comrades after 2007 is because I picked up a tear in my meniscus. That required a small op, but the doctor actually told me I should never run Comrades again. I was out of running completely for six months, then started my rehab with cycling and gym, eventually getting back to running 10s and 21s, but doing it just for fun. I implemented strength work, concentrating on my arms and core, and mountain biking became a great off-switch from running.”

BACK TO SQUARE ONE
A few years later the competitive urge was still there and she entered the Jeep Warrior Black Ops obstacle race, only to tear ligaments in her foot, so she turned to cycling once again to regain her fitness. Then in 2013 she started the Old Mutual Om Die Dam 50km, but had to pull out due to a back problem. “It actually happened a few days before at work, so it was not due to training or racing, but because of walking into a door,” she laughs. “But it took me three years to get it sorted properly, and it flared up badly during longer runs.”

“I thought I could fix it myself by stretching and rolling, but I actually couldn’t sit for long, let alone run normally! Thankfully, just after last year’s Comrades, a chiro eventually diagnosed sciatica, a pinched nerve in the spine, and by October all the pain was gone. Since then I have been fine, but I now realise it had actually stopped my glutes and hammies from firing properly, so my quads had to do much more work – but that in turn has made me a much stronger runner down the line, and allowed me to run so well at Comrades this year.”

GOLDEN QUEST
Looking ahead, Yolande says her big goal is to win another three gold medals in her next three Comrades runs, to go with the seven she has from her seven runs to date. “It’s a big challenge, because there is new competition coming through, but it would be a cool achievement. I would also love to get a fifth gold at Two Oceans, especially after two 11th place finishes in the last two years, but it is often too close to Comrades to race it hard, and my main focus will stay with Comrades. Of course, I would like to do more trail running, and mountain biking, because I like new things and trying new stuff. I need to do different things, otherwise the same races every year become boring, and I will enjoy getting to work my body in different ways.
And I’m still going to pitch up at the Ironman one day…”

Now 38, Yolande just laughs when asked how she is feeling now compared to when she first set the ultra scene alight in 2003. “I actually feel stronger than ever. I think the body gets stronger the older you get, but it’s down to your lifestyle, diet, personal life and mental approach, a combination of many things. The only thing for me is the early mornings before work for training, which are the worst, but if you have that goal and dream, you will get out of bed. Some people struggle because they don’t have a goal. It’s the same with Comrades: I always tell people to make sure their reason for doing Comrades is so strong that they won’t quit, and they will keep going no matter what. You need to have to have that sorted before you even start training for Comrades.”

“Getting back to age, you shouldn’t let that block you, or listen to what people say, but rather listen to your own body. If you’re going to say you’re getting old, then it’s going to happen! So no, I’m not feeling my age, as you put it… but that doesn’t change the fact that I am not looking forward to running with my 40 age category tags in the near future, because they’re going to weight my vest down!”

They call him ‘Coach Linda,’ because he has helped so many runners get into running or improve their times, and he is also a regular pacesetter in races around Gauteng and at Comrades, helping others to achieve their goals. Now Linda Hlophe he is planning a pacesetting outing at the Old Mutual Soweto Marathon. – BY SEAN FALCONER

It should come as no surprise that Linda Hlophe is so respected as a runner, coach and pacesetter – and not just by those who have run with or under him, but even those who have just heard about him. That’s because the 52-year-old father of four and Department of Correctional Services official from Pretoria has 46 years of running experience and has been around the proverbial block a good few times! But it’s more than just having run for many years… Linda is one of those guys who can lead, motivate, teach and inspire, and his giving nature endears him to everybody he comes into contact with.

“I can see that people need help, so I try to help them,” says the softly-spoken, ever-humble Linda. “That is why I changed the name of my Zwakale training group to Project Zitande, which means ‘Love Yourself,’ and invited all runners from any club to join our group, for free. I tell them they can all make it, and that even the slowest runners can carry the group to the finish, so we all need to unite, work together, motivate each other, no matter what colour we are, or what club we belong to. The most important thing is to finish the distance we have started. To finish is a great achievement… then you have made your mark, then you are a winner.”

It is this attitude that has seen Linda become a popular coach to many runners -— beginners and experienced alike — and also contributed to him being recruited as a pacesetter. “I had run a few Comrades since my first in 2000 when my friend Madoko Ndhlovu asked me to join him as his ‘timekeeper’ at Comrades, where he was running as one of the pacesetters. When he began to have problems, he told me to take the flag. That experience helped me decide that it was no longer about my times or medals, but about leaving a legacy for others. I want to be remembered as Coach Linda who helped people.”

The Party Bus
That first time carrying the pacing flag has led to Linda taking on pacing duties in many races since then, including seven times at the Comrades, but this year was the first time he did it as an official pacer with Modern Athlete. He brought home a big sub-10:00 bus and was instantly engulfed in hugs, handshakes and requests for photos when he brought the bus home in 9:57, and his passengers in the sub-4:00 bus at the upcoming Old Mutual Soweto Marathon will undoubtedly be just as appreciative of his excellent pacing skills and the awesome vibe he creates in his buses. “We don’t keep quiet in my bus, we sing and motivate each other. I get runners to introduce themselves and talk, I ask where they come from and about their running. We all make friends.”

As a veteran of many Soweto runs and many pacing outings, Linda says he knows what he needs to do to bring the sub-4:00 bus home on time. “Some people say Soweto is too tough, but I want them to see how it can be run comfortably, and Soweto is one of the races that brings the people together. Also, some people are afraid of going into Soweto, but when they pass the heritage sites, they understand. I actually stop the bus to tell people about the heritage sites, like Vilakazi Street.”

Friends and Fans
It also comes as no surprise that when asked what his favourite part of running is, Linda replies that it is meeting new people. “I have made a lot of friends through the years, even guys from overseas, some of whom tell me they’ve heard about the old man, Linda, and that they must come say to him. I love meeting people at races, where I see the diversity of the people of this country. We are united in running, giving our hearts for running, and it is a joy to see people of every colour kissing each other after a race together, then sending mails to say thank you, sending mails to book tickets for next year’s bus.”

“Some of those runners never believed they could make it, and I love making it possible for them. But I have also really appreciated all of the athletes in my buses – they encourage me by putting their faith in me. And as a servant of the people, just like when God tells Moses to take the people to the promised land, I see myself in a similar role, able to do it because He has given me the strength. My dream, my vision, is to see people running marathons and the Comrades, taking part in running, because it changes lives, personality and behaviour, promotes health, and makes you a better person. That’s the legacy I want to create and leave behind.”