Author: Modern Athlete

The Achilles tendon is the one physical attribute that allows humans to walk upright and to run long distances, unlike our ‘near relatives’ among the great apes. That makes it one of the most important parts of the body we athletes need to look after. – BY SEAN FALCONER

According to ancient Greek mythology, the great warrior Achilles was dipped in the sacred river Styx by his mother Thetis so that he would be immortal, but she held him by his heel and it was not touched by the water, so his heel remained mortal. During the Trojan War, Achilles was seemingly invincible, killing many Trojan warriors, including Hector, Prince of Troy, but Prince Paris of Troy shot an arrow into Achilles’ heel and he died of the wound. As a result of this legend, the tendon connecting the heel to the calf became known as the Achilles tendon, and the expression ‘Achilles Heel’ came to mean a point of weakness.

Ironically, the Achilles is actually the thickest, strongest tendon in our bodies, which it has to be in order to handle the strain of connecting the heel to the powerful calf muscle. With each step we take, or hop or jump, the calf contracts and pulls on the Achilles, which in turn provides the elastic energy to push the foot downwards and allows us to move forwards or upwards. Thus the Achilles carries our entire weight with each step, and several times our weight when running, sprinting, or jumping.

Tender Tendons
In spite of the strength of the Achilles, it’s not surprising that Achilles injuries are fairly common in athletes, with the most common cause being overuse due to a sudden, large increase in mileage, or a sudden force being exerted on the tendon that results in a tear or rupture. Misalignment is another common cause of injury, with tight or weak leg muscles and misalignment of the knee, hip or back placing undue long-term strain on the Achilles, as can low arches and uneven leg lengths, while women who wear high heels for long periods can end up with shortened Achilles.

There are two common Achilles injuries:
• Achilles tendinosis (formerly called Achilles tendonitis) is a soreness that comes on gradually and continues to worsen until treated. It often starts with stiffness when first getting out of bed, and lightly pinching the Achilles with the forefinger and thumb will be sore. This is a common injury among middle and long distance runners.
• Achilles tendon rupture is a partial or complete tear of the Achilles that comes on suddenly, sometimes with a popping sound. Partial and full ruptures are most likely to occur in sports requiring sudden eccentric stretching, such as sprinting, but can also occur in middle and long distance runners.

Achilles Fix
Treatment for Achilles tendinosis includes rest, icing and physio, followed by strengthening exercises. Treatment for an Achilles rupture includes complete immobilisation, or surgery in the most severe cases. Avoid anti-inflammatory and painkilling drugs, because Achilles tendinosis is a degenerative injury rather than an inflammation and the drugs will mask the problem, which will then likely get worse as you continue putting force on the tendon.

To prevent an Achilles injury, warm up properly with dynamic stretching before working the tendon too hard, such as gentle calf raises, jogging, jumps, hops or skipping. Do daily strengthening with calf raises, starting slowly with just your body weight and doing three sets of 10 to 15. When this can be done without pain, gradually increase the number of repetitions and sets, and then add weight. Concentrate on a slow, measured lowering, and be sure to go all the way down for a full stretch of the Achilles.

Until recently Chris Britz held many of the SA Records at the various race walking distances on both track and road, with those records dating back to the late 80s and early 90s. His records have finally been beaten, but he continues to give back to the sport as a coach and administrator. – BY SEAN FALCONER

It was time for the 1981 inter-house athletics meet at Hoërskool Linden in Johannesburg, and Chris Britz and a few of his Matric mates were in the mood for some fun, so they dared each other to enter the 3000m race walk event. “I used to run cross country and middle distance, and had never done race walking before, but I actually found it quite easy. At that stage both the Transvaal junior champ and silver medallist were at our school, and I finished third, not too far behind them, so I did a few more walking races, but then went back to running.” Little did Chris know that this inauspicious start to his walking career would see him one day break multiple SA records and come agonisingly close to representing his country at the Olympics.

REPORTING FOR DUTY
Race walking once again came to the fore when Chris went to the Army for his National Service, being posted to the School of Armour in Bloemfontein, where the second in command was a keen race walker. “When it came to the unit athletics day, I signed up for the 1500m, 3000m and steeplechase, but nobody signed up for the race walking, so they asked who had done race walking before. Next thing I knew I had been ordered to enter, and I ended up lapping the second in command, won the race easily, and was sent to the Army Champs!”

After his two-year stint in the army, Chris went back to Joburg to study civil engineering at RAU (now the University of Johannesburg), and joined the athletics club, where he found himself training and competing with other leading walkers such as Stanley Valentine and Willie Vermeulen. He was still running at that stage, but found himself focusing more on race walking. “I was actually part of different generations of SA race walkers, as I competed in 20 SA Champs meets over 21 years – the only one I missed was due to the Race Walking World Cup being on the same weekend in 1995. Through the years we had some really strong competitors, like Stanley, Willie, Michael Brits, Riecus Blignaut and Johan Moerdyk, and we all pushed each other hard in some really tight races.”

The friendly rivalry in the race walking community led to faster times, and that saw Chris start to set SA records at most official distances. “It was always terrific to break an SA record, but probably the most exciting was the 10,000m in Roodepoort, at altitude” says Chris. Johan had broken the 10km road record a couple of months earlier, so I knew it would be a good showdown. We pushed each other all the way to 7000m, averaging 4:03/km, and I knew I had to get away, otherwise I would be in trouble, so I did three consecutive sub-4:00s!”

INTERNATIONAL DEBUT
Another highlight for Chris was finishing first in the 1992 African Champs 20km in Mauritius, in the first international competition that South Africans were allowed to compete in as the Apartheid-era sporting isolation came to an end. “I lost touch with the leaders when I dropped a water bottle going through the refreshment station. I shouldn’t have stopped to pick it up, because I battled for the next three kilometres to catch them again, but eventually I won the race, with Ricus and Johan taking second and third.”

Chris won the silver medal at the 1993 African Champs in Durban, then another continental gold at the All Africa Games in Harare in 1995, in spite of walking the last 7km with one shoelace untied. He also competed regularly in Europe, and says the international race walking circuit was like a big family. “On the track we were competitive, but off the track we often trained together and helped each other getting into races. South Africa is great for off-season altitude training for European athletes, so we helped the Germans and Poles to come out here, and they helped us over there. That’s how I became friends with Polands’s four-time Olympic gold medallist Robert Korzeniowski, and he pulled me to a new SA 5000m record in Polokwane one year while training here.”

DISAPPOINTMENT…
Unfortunately, the big one eluded Chris as he tried unsuccessfully to qualify for the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, in spite of breaking the SA 20km record in Green Point in early 1996. “Unfortunately, it was only a B Standard Qualifier, but ASA still selected me for the preliminary squad. However, when the team was presented to SASCOC, I was excluded due to not having an A Qualifier. The qualification window was still open, so I went to Germany and broke the record again, this time going a minute under the A mark, but I was still left out of the team.”

“That was probably my best performance, and it was very disappointing not to be selected, but I realise that I was still lucky enough to compete on the international stage. I had been in Springbok teams with guys like Johan Fourie and Deon Brummer, who really deserved international competition, but they missed out due to the sporting isolation. I was younger and still had five or six years of international competition, including four World Cups, the African Champs and the Commonwealth Games. I had wonderful opportunities, made great friends, and raced icons of the sport, so I can’t complain.”

MENTORSHIP ROLE
Having missed out on the Olympics and being in his mid-30s, Chris turned his focus to his career in the transport industry, but as the oldest member of his training group, he found himself in a coaching role when the venerable Oom David van der Merwe passed away. “He coached me when I was still in school and after the army, and when he passed away the younger guys turned to me for advice, so I said let’s give it a go.”

Chris went on to coach several walkers that won SA titles or qualified for World Cups and the Olympics, including Thami Hlatswayo, Marc Mundell, Wayne Snyman and Corli Swart, but it is his current protégé, Lebogang Shange, that has been making the headlines – notably for breaking all of his coach’s long-standing SA records! “Of course it is not happy news to hear your record has been broken,” laughs Chris, “but they are there to be broken. But they can’t take titles away from you, so I tell my athletes, if you want to collect accolades, go after titles. The fact that my records stood so long means that the sport had stagnated, and now it shows the sport is improving.”

Besides coaching, Chris is still involved with ASA, helping to steer race walking in the right direction, and he still competes at the SA Race Walking Champs for fun. “When I retired, I picked up a lot of weight, so I decided to keep walking. I have no major objectives, because I’ve done my bit after more than 20 years competing at senior level, and now I just do it for fun and my health.

The new KPMG running vest is the latest edition to the successful Modern Athlete #RunClean campaign.

The KPMG Running Club is the first road running club in SA to include an innovative, anti-litter pocket on its club vests in support of the #runclean campaign. The vests have been produced by in2sports, Modern Athlete’s sister company. The pocket is placed on the side of the vest and designed to hold empty water sachets or energy gel packs after they have been consumed by athletes during a run or walk.

This forms part of the ongoing awareness campaign to get South African athletes to pledge to #runclean at all running events, and the tag that comes with these vests explains how an athlete can pledge to #runclean:
• Think twice about tossing a water sachet on the ground during or after an event.
• Carry your water sachet in the anti-litter pocket until you can properly dispose of it.
• Promote a no littering rule at all times.
• Volunteer to help clean up at water tables at events.

Clubs! Corporates! Design and order your custom-made #runclean vests from in2sports! Contact [email protected] or call us today on 082 99 77 888.

SIGN YOUR RACE UP TODAY!
To register your race as a #runclean event and request FREE Garbie bins and bags to be delivered to your event, look for the sign-up link on the Modern Athlete runclean page on Facebook, or go to www.modernathlete.co.za/runclean.htm. Garbie will then arrange for the delivery of rubbish bins, liners and rubbish bags to your event, all free of charge, and Modern Athlete will publicise your event as a #runclean event.

We would love to hear about your efforts to #runclean, so send your letters, photographs or ideas to [email protected]

Think before you throw – #runclean

The new KPMG running vest is the latest edition to the successful Modern Athlete #RunClean campaign.

The KPMG Running Club is the first road running club in SA to include an innovative, anti-litter pocket on its club vests in support of the #runclean campaign. The vests have been produced by in2sports, Modern Athlete’s sister company. The pocket is placed on the side of the vest and designed to hold empty water sachets or energy gel packs after they have been consumed by athletes during a run or walk.

This forms part of the ongoing awareness campaign to get South African athletes to pledge to #runclean at all running events, and the tag that comes with these vests explains how an athlete can pledge to #runclean:
• Think twice about tossing a water sachet on the ground during or after an event.
• Carry your water sachet in the anti-litter pocket until you can properly dispose of it.
• Promote a no littering rule at all times.
• Volunteer to help clean up at water tables at events.

Clubs! Corporates! Design and order your custom-made #runclean vests from in2sports! Contact [email protected] or call us today on 082 99 77 888.

SIGN YOUR RACE UP TODAY!
To register your race as a #runclean event and request FREE Garbie bins and bags to be delivered to your event, look for the sign-up link on the Modern Athlete runclean page on Facebook, or go to www.modernathlete.co.za/runclean.htm. Garbie will then arrange for the delivery of rubbish bins, liners and rubbish bags to your event, all free of charge, and Modern Athlete will publicise your event as a #runclean event.

Your body needs natural sugars to get up in the morning, let you work through the day, and help you in training. But beware, there are negatives with sugar intake! To explain this, let’s start with a quick nutritional lesson: Simple carbohydrates (sugars) refer to monosaccharides and disaccharides. The monosaccharides include glucose, fructose and galactose, with fructose mostly found in fruits and veggies, which won’t cause too much weight-gain. Common disaccharides include sucrose (glucose plus fructose), lactose (glucose plus galactose), and maltose (glucose plus glucose). Complex carbs refer to starch, which gives you the natural energy to be able to run.

 

A healthy, balanced diet contains naturally-occurring sugars, because monosaccharides such as fructose and disaccharides such as sucrose and lactose are integral components of fruit, vegetables, dairy products and many grains. The thing we all have to watch out for are extrinsic sugars and syrups added during processing.

 

THE HAZARDS OF SUGAR

Quite simply, watch your intake, especially of processed sugar. Today, we’re swamped with products on the shelves that spike our sugar intake, especially the consumption of soft drinks, fruit drinks, desserts and candies, jellies and ready-to-eat cereals. And this is how that excess sugar affects your health:

1. High blood pressure: Emerging evidence suggests that increased intake of added sugars may raise blood pressure.

2. Blood lipids: When used to replace dietary fats, carbohydrates and sugar can increase triglyceride levels, a known risk factor for coronary heart disease, and lower levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (the good type).

3. Inflammation: A higher consumption of high-sugar beverages and foods is associated with evidence of increased inflammation and oxidative stress.

4. Obesity: Today there’s a significant increase of energy intake with increased sugar-sweetened beverages. However, evidence is inconsistent regarding the association between sugar-sweetened beverage consumption and obesity, due to the fact that obesity is a complex metabolic disorder and is not likely due to one nutrient or factor. In feeding experiments, when increasing the size of sweetened drinks, intake of solid food increased significantly as well. Remember that it only takes an extra 50 calories a day to gain 2.5kg in one year!

5. Nutrient inadequacy: Reduced intake of calcium, vitamin A, iron and zinc have been observed with increasing intake of added sugars, particularly at intake levels that exceeded 25% of energy.

 

SO HOW MUCH IS OK?

The World Health Organisation recommends limiting added sugar to less than 10% of total energy intake, and use the concept of discretionary calorie allowance, which can be determined by estimating the calories needed to meet nutrient requirements and then subtracting this amount from the estimated energy requirement needed to maintain weight.

 

Added sugar, especially in the form of high-fructose corn syrup in sugar-sweetened soft drinks and refined snacks, is what people should be concerned about. Over the past 30 years total calories have increased by an average of 150 to 300 calories per day, and about half of these calories are coming from added sugar in the form of liquid calories. To maintain a healthy weight and avoid disease, and at the same time meet nutritional needs, people should consume an overall healthy diet with physical activity. Women should eat or drink no more that 100 calories (six teaspoons) a day from added sugar and men no more than 150 calories (nine teaspoons).

We thought you might be interested in this story from the Boskruin Running Group in Johannesburg, because it is nice to see that we can make a difference to someone in need. There are so many initiatives underway within this group, from collecting running shoes for underprivileged athletes to collecting race medals for the Organization for Paediatric Support in SA, but this story about helping our friend Jan Alwyn still stands out. – Submitted by Shawn Combrinck

On Monday 15 August, Mornay Durant sent an e-mail to the rest of our Boskruin Running Group members with the subject heading ‘Boskruin Running Group: Make a running buddy’s birthday special.’ In the mail he wrote:

Dear Boskruin Running Group

Jan Alwyn is someone many of us know, or you will probably recognise him when you see him, as he is a younger man without much hair, a huge pair of hands and a heart of gold. He may not be the most eloquent person, and he may come across as a little rough around the edges at times, but Jan is always there with a huge smile, a good word for others, and contagious cheerful attitude. Jan is also a man with a set of challenges that many of us cannot even begin to appreciate, given our fairly privileged positions. He is someone who can do with a little help every now and then, because he works hard, when he gets work, but is not fortunate enough to have a steady job.

Jan was mugged recently returning from a run. What little he had, and it really was not much, was taken from him. At this time he does not even have a pair of shoes to run in. It is Jan’s birthday on 27 August, and Jan thinks that the best birthday ever would be going to the Spur… because he knows someone who once went there! Jan is also an avid rugby fan, but needless to say, never gets to go.

So here’s my request….

I would like to get Jan a pair of shoes, take him to the Spur and take him to the Lions rugby game at Ellis Park on the Friday evening before his birthday. But I would like to extend the invitation to all the Boskruin runners: If you would like to contribute a few rand towards shoes, that would be great. If there is money left over, it will be put toward his meal at the Spur. Whatever we can raise will be used to help make Jan’s birthday very special for him, even though for the rest of us it may seem quite ordinary. For Jan it will be something to remember.

I have season tickets to Ellis Park and will take him to the Lions versus Boland game the Friday evening from 17:00. We will go to the Spur at Northgate after the game at around 8:00pm. If anyone would like to contribute financially, it would be wonderful. But if you would like to join us and help make Jan’s birthday meal at the Spur memorable, that would be amazing. If you can’t make it, I will pass your wishes on to him, and if you have any other thoughts or ideas on making this man’s birthday something memorable for him, please let me know. Thank you for your consideration.

Regards
Mornay Durant

That mail motivated a number of runners to make donations, and on the 31st of August, Mornay was able to report back on ‘Jan’s Totally Fabulous Birthday Bash:’

Dear Boskruin Running Group

I just wanted to drop you a final mail thanking you once again for your participation and contribution toward making Jan Alwyn’s birthday something special, and to share some of the moments with you.

We got to Ellis Park nice and early on Friday, and Jan had no idea what was happening when we took him into the Lions fan shop. He was wearing an orange shirt, as that was the closest to a red shirt he had. I invited Jan to see if he could find a shirt that he liked, and was met with an expression you would normally associate with Christmas time on the face of a small boy. He added a Lions beanie and after paying, the shopkeeper encouraged Jan to take his orange shirt off and to wear his new Lions kit right there and then, which he duly did.

We have some great seats and Jan was mesmerised by the stadium and anticipation of what was to come. It wasn’t long before we were tucking into our biltong and dry wors, with Jan starting out reservedly, but later getting comfortably into the snacks. The Coke and popcorn guys did well from us too! At halftime the girls set off and returned with a tray of mini-donuts. These did not last long at all, either. By now Jan was grinning ear to ear, with the reddest cheeks you can imagine on a grown man. The rugby result was favourable for our Lions and we left the stadium satisfied… and still hungry, would you believe!

We made our way to the Northgate Spur where Werner and Michelle were keeping the seats warm. A short while later we were joined by the effervescent Karl-Heinz and the party was on. We gave Jan some of his presents, and I don’t think he could believe his eyes or ears. Werner helped him set up his TomTom running watch right there and then, and our runners’ diets were forgotten as double milkshakes, Don Pedro’s and wine glasses were refilled, followed by the food orders, including the famously ‘low calorie’ chilli popper starters. Jan ordered a double rib burger and did not say a word as he worked his way through it until it was all done. What a pleasure to see someone enjoy a burger that much!

As is customary at the Spur, we informed our waiter that we were celebrating Jan’s birthday. It didn’t take them long to rustle up a crew and they arrived with a tall ice cream and sparkler for the birthday boy. Seeing Jan dispatch his ice cream had us all ordering Pecan Nut Sundae’s, and to our surprise, Jan raised his hand for one too, as well as a round of Jaegermeisters for the thirsty partiers. Some of us did not finish our Sundaes, and Jan volunteered to deal with the leftovers instead of having it go to waste in the kitchen.

Jan’s birthday bash did not end there. Thanks to your overwhelming generosity, there was still a sum of money left over, so I called Jan on Tuesday to find out if he was busy. He said he was getting ready to ride his bicycle to Randburg Harriers Clubhouse to do track training with Clint. Jan cycles two hours each way to come run with us, because he now lives in Witpoortjie, where he is house-sitting after his previous accommodation arrangement came to an end. This is why we don’t see him as much lately, as a 5am run means a 3am start for him!

I drove to pick him up and took him to Sportmans Warehouse, where Jan chose a couple of technical running shirts, as well as a couple pairs of shorts and super comfortable Falke socks. We then drove to training, and I took the opportunity to take some photos of Jan sporting his new kit. He also mentioned two races in particular that he would like to enter in the near future, the SABS Jakaranda Marathon as well as a half marathon in Vanderbijl, and thanks to you, there was enough money left over for us to pay for these entries on his behalf, too!

All in all, we managed to get all of this for Jan:
• 2 pairs of Asics shoes. (We gave him the first pair at the Spur, and the second pair is being kept at Randburg Runner for Jan for when he needs it. We’re hoping that he will be able to run Comrades 2017 in the second pair.)
• A TomTom running watch (a nearly new unit donated by one of our group angels.)
• A Lions rugby shirt and beanie
• 2 technical running shirts
• 2 pairs of running shorts
• 3 pairs of Falke running socks
• 2 race entries
• And an amazing night out at the Spur!

Driving back to Jan’s place to drop him off, I realised how blessed we are. Some of us have so many material possessions, while others have so little. It reminded me of a post I read: “When you are blessed with abundance, don’t build taller walls, build longer dinner tables.” It was my privilege to share Jan’s birthday with him and a few other Boskruin running friends, and I know that I am the wealthier for it, as are each of you with your well wishes, your words of support as well as your contributions. I am proud to be associated with you, while humbled by your kindness and love for your neighbour.

Regards
Mornay Durant