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This Week’s Top Race Picks

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Following on with our weekly feature, we give you a sneak peek at some of the greatest events that are coming up. Trail Races for those die hard trail runners as well as road races for those road running junkies. We have got it all for you!

1. The Cochoqua 3-Day Trail Race
Amoija events is proud to bring you this gruelling 3-day stage race in the heart of Cape Town. Taking place from Friday, 23 September to Sunday, 25 September 2016. The picturesque Boschendal Wine Estate will play host to this year’s event. Runners will be challenged by some of the most rugged terrain and although distances might be shorter, watch out for that total ascent number…

2. KPMG Durban Relay 2016
KPMG Running Club is proud to bring you this exciting relay event! This race is a fantastic way to ignite team spirit and to put teamwork into action. Running teams of four and walking teams of three will compete in male, female and mixed categories in order to claim the title of the fastest relay team in Durban. This is a great opportunity for corporates, universities, clubs, schools and family and friends to battle it out. It all goes down on Saturday, 24 September 2016.

3. Capegate Clicks Charity Run
Gather the family and join in on the fun at this year’s Capegate Clicks Charity Run which celebrates its 10th year this year! The Capegate Clicks annual 5km Fun Run and 10km Race will take place on Saturday, 1 October 2016 and all proceeds from the 5km will be donated to the Clicks Helping Hands Trust. Join us with your pets and prams as over 3000 athletes take to the streets of Cape Town.

4. The Sportsmans Warehouse 15km & 5km Fun Run
The Sportsmans Warehouse 15km & 5km Fun Run will take place on Sunday, 23 October 2016 at the East Rand Value Mall in Boksburg. This race allows athletes of all ages and fitness levels to compete along a flat 5km and an easy, undulating 15km course. Boksburg Athletics Club along with Sportsmans Warehouse are excited to host you at this year’s event!

5. Old Mutual Soweto Marathon
The 23rd running of “The People’s Race” will take place on Sunday, 6 November 2016 and although entries are closed, we still need your support. The race will start at the iconic FNB Stadium in Soweto. The event comprises a Standard Marathon, Half-Marathon as well as a 10km. All entrants will receive a free, high quality technical T-Shirt with their entry as well as a commemorative medal on completion of the race.

For more information on these events, visit the Modern Athlete Events Calendar and ensure that you add these special races to your personal running schedule.

A Total Challenge

Runners Should Walk More!

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Four-letter words are considered taboo in polite company, and the word ‘walk’ is the ultimate four letter word for runners. The mere thought of walking during a race is enough to make some runners break out in a cold sweat, but including a bit of race-walking in your training may just be the key to racing success.

In a former life, I was a runner. I bought the shoes, read the magazines, ran the races and trained about 75km's per week. For my dedication, I ran times in the mid-17s for 5km. These days I’m perfectly content to zip through life as a race-walker, but occasionally I get a wild moment and enter a running race – just to see what will happen. And what usually happens is that I run in the mid-17s for 5km. No better or worse than in high school, but at least now I don’t waste my time with those 75km's per week of running.

Now don’t get me wrong; I treat the race just as seriously as everyone else. I’ll wear my favourite shorts and racing vest. I’ll lace up my best racing flats and take part in the same pre-race rituals as the other runners. I just don’t bother doing any more than about 4km of easy jogging per week – about 500 metres at a time – as part of my daily pre-race-walking warm-up.

How, then, can I run times that would place me among the top ten in most local fun runs? Natural ability? Hardly. Youthful energy? Please, I’m in my 30s now, for crying out loud. What then? I know you don’t want to hear it, but it’s the walking.

REAP THE BENEFITS
Race-walking is an unparalleled aerobic conditioner, yet it’s much easier on the body than running. By cutting back on their running mileage – and making up for the difference with quality race-walking workouts – many runners have remained injury-free and improved their running times dramatically.

Over the years I’ve taught dozens of injured runners to race-walk so they could train through their running injuries. Many of them have come back to me with stories of big PBs after weeks, or even months, of sharply reduced running training. I’ve also taught several ultra-marathoners to race-walk so they would have an advantage over their unenlightened competitors who inevitably must walk for long stretches during six-day runs. Again, huge PBs.

It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that race-walking is by far the best substitute activity for injured runners. But why wait for an injury? More than just being a very good for cross-training, race-walking is terrific crossover training. The two are similar enough that training for one will prepare one to achieve very
good results in the other.

This isn’t the case with most other sports. Triathletes, for example, couldn’t possibly train solely on the bike; they need to swim and run, too, because the individual disciplines are so different that there is very little crossover training effect among them.

Race-walking appears to be unique in that runners don’t seem to have to do much ‘re-wiring’ to convert their race-walking fitness to running fitness. Add to that the reduced chance of injury and you have the ‘holy grail’ that runners have been searching for – supplemental, low-impact exercise that can directly improve their running.

IT’S IN THE TECHNIQUE
The first step is learning exactly what race-walking is. When it first appeared in the Olympics in 1908 it really was nothing more than fast walking. But if you’ve ever tried fitness walking for speed, you’ve probably discovered that there’s a rather low threshold of pace beyond which technique can become
extremely awkward – so much so that most people can’t walk any faster than about a 7min/km pace, no matter how hard they try.

But race-walking is a different animal. It has evolved over the years from mere fast walking to become a speedy, fluid athletic event. Elite race-walkers can walk 5km in under 20 minutes, and a marathon in just over three hours. That’s faster than 4min/km!

The rules that prevent race-walkers from running are actually part of the reason why the technique is so efficient – and so much easier on the body than running. The first rule says that race-walkers must keep one foot on the ground at all times. Occasionally, an athlete may come off the ground a bit with each stride, but not so much that it can be detected by the human eye since judges are placed all along the course to watch for infractions. Because race-walkers stay so low to the ground, they’re much less likely to suffer the high-impact injuries that befall so many runners.

The other rule states that walkers must keep their knees straight from the moment the heel of the  advancing leg hits the ground until that leg passes directly under the body. That may sound a little strange, but the straight leg not only provides the leverage that propels race-walkers forward so quickly but also keeps the knee safe from many of the torsional injuries that runners commonly suffer.

GET THE FEELING
To get an idea of what race-walking feels like, simply stand in place with your feet together and your arms held by your sides with the elbows bent at 90 degrees. Now pump your knees forward and back while keeping your feet flat on the ground, with your weight on your heels. Each time you pull your knee back, your leg will straighten under your body just as it will when you’re race-walking.

Now all you need to do is add some stride length by stepping forward a bit with either foot each time you pump your knees. Just be sure to land on your heels, otherwise your knees will probably bend when your foot hits the ground. Concentrate on taking short, quick steps, rather than long, slow strides. If you do that, you’ll have an easier time keeping your knees straight, and you’ll expend much less energy. As you get stronger, your stride should get longer – but make sure the extra stride length is behind your body; keep it short in front.

Doing the knee pumps walk on a very gradual hill will make it even easier to pick up the technique. And once you have it, you can get faster by pumping your arms and driving your knees more vigorously to give yourself a longer, more powerful stride. Try it!

TRAINING TIME
Too much of a good thing can lead to problems, and where running is concerned that means injuries. There are a number of causes of running injuries, but running too many kilometres and running with a poor technique are the most common. Adding race-walking to your training programme may be a way to limit both of these risks while improving your overall fitness.

Stress and adaptation are the keys to success in an endurance activity like running. To improve as a runner, you must stress all the physiological systems your body will use during a race. Then you need to allow those systems to recover from the stress so your body can build itself up again, becoming stronger than it was before the hard training.

But too many runners push too hard on their easy days, pounding the same muscles day in and day out so they never fully recover. Without full recovery, you won’t be able to train as hard as you need to on your hard days. That’s where race-walking comes in. With race-walking you get a great cardiovascular workout without banging up your running muscles.

Get A Head Start

Get A Head Start

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When they say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, they're so right – especially if you're an athlete. Your body needs the energy of a good breakfast to give you the energy to run and to recover afterwards, whether you run early in the morning or later in the day.

As a dietician, I counsel several dedicated athletes, many of whom start out by saying that they know they need a balanced diet, and they know what is healthy and what they should be eating. But at the same time, they confess to a lack of understanding about how to eat to maximise the benefits of their exercise regime.

Some of these athletes tell me that their typical day involves skipping breakfast, grabbing a greasy toasted sandwich for lunch on-the-go, training on an empty stomach, binge eating at dinner and snacking on ‘junk' until bedtime. Not only does this erratic routine rob their bodies of the necessary nutrients for optimum health, but also the energy required for high-quality workouts. And it all starts with breakfast – or rather, the lack thereof.

PERFECT START
Breakfast is, without question, the most important meal of the day, as it gets you ready for action for the rest of the day and provides your body with the fuel it needs to perform at its best. And the secret to breakfast success doesn't just lie in knowing what to eat but also knowing how to eat.

The reason is simple: the timing, structure and combinations of your meals have a massive effect on your digestion, metabolism and blood-sugar levels, which determine your energy balance throughout the day. The more balanced your blood sugar levels are, the more efficiently you can fuel your muscles and avoid the risk of fatigue, which may lead to a weakened immune system and possible injury.

Remember that your body uses the glycogen stored in your muscles to provide the energy required for exercise and the body produces glycogen by breaking down the carbohydrates you eat. So carbohydrates are the vital fuel for training – and the more training you do, the more fuel you need.

Protein is just as essential in your diet, as it is needed for building and repairing muscle. New research shows that by adding a small portion of protein to a carbohydrate eaten after exercise, you can increase the uptake and restocking of fuel in the muscles.

As the cliche goes, what you put in is what you get out. Skipping breakfast is like forgetting to put petrol in your car, so be sure to support and complement your exercise regime with a quality eating plan. And don't forget to balance your carbohydrate and protein intake to ensure that you get the most out of your training and produce nothing less than a quality result.

PUT INTO PRACTICE
Consider these two common running scenarios: Joburgers who wake up at a crazy hour and exercise before work and Capetonians who have the luxury of a late summer evening to train after work. For the early birds, a recovery breakfast is necessary after their early morning training sessions, while the later risers, who train in the afternoons or evenings, should consider a fuelling breakfast.

THE RECOVERY BREAKFAST
Your muscles are most receptive to replacing depleted glycogen stores within the first two hours (but especially within the first 30 minutes) after a workout. Refuelling your muscles with glycogen not only helps immediately with the recovery of any damaged muscle but also wards off potential dips in blood sugar levels later in the day, which is a common cause of sugar cravings and energy lows.

Recovery breakfasts should ideally be a combination of quick-releasing energy foods (high-glycemic-index carbohydrates) and slow-releasing foods (low-glycemic-index carbohydrates) to supply both rapid refuelling energy for muscle recovery, as well as some slower, sustained release energy for blood-sugar balance over the next few hours.

Great recovery breakfast ideas:

  • Fruit smoothie: liquidise one cup of 100% litchi juice, one small banana, 1/2 cup yoghurt, two tsp mixed seeds, 1/4 cup raw oat bran and crushed ice.
  • One to two slices of bread with scrambled egg and 1/2 cup 100% fruit juice.
  • Toasted bagel or hot cross bun with peanut butter and honey, with 1/2 cup low-fat milk.
  • Low-fat muesli mixed with low-fat milk or yoghurt and honey.
  • Wholewheat ProNutro with low-fat milk and a piece of fruit.
  • Original Oat-So-Easy with cinnamon, raisins and milk.

THE FUELLING BREAKFAST
A hearty breakfast is important for people who exercise later in the day. It not only tames hunger and promotes structured eating throughout the day, but also provides the fuel needed for strenuous workouts.

Research had shown that athletes who ate breakfast, and then enjoyed an energy bar five minutes before a noontime workout, were able to exercise 20% harder at the end of an hour-long exercise test. This was compared to a scenario when they did not eat breakfast or a pre-exercise snack before the physical challenge. When tested without having breakfast but having eaten the pre-exercise snack, they worked only 10% harder.

Fuelling breakfasts should focus more on slow, sustained release energy (low-glycemic-index carbs) to supply a constant stream of fuel throughout the day, thereby avoiding drops in blood sugar levels and, in turn, energy dips.

Great fuelling breakfast ideas:

  • Fruit smoothie: liquidise 1/2 cup 100% apple juice, one cup berries, 1/2 cup yoghurt, two tsp mixed seeds, 1/4 cup raw oat bran and crushed ice.
  • One to two slices low-GI bread with scrambled egg and 1/2 cup low-fat milk.
  • Toasted whole wheat bagel or high-fibre banana bread with peanut butter and honey, with 1/2 cup low-fat milk.
  • Low-GI muesli mixed with 1/4 cup raw oat bran and low-fat milk or yoghurt.
  • Wholewheat ProNutro with low-fat milk and a boiled egg.
  • Slow cooked oats with cinnamon, mixed seeds and milk.

ALL-IMPORTANT
Remember, to reach that finish line; you need a head start with a wholesome breakfast. Also, beginning your day with breakfast is the best and easiest way to develop a proper, healthy eating pattern that will benefit your running. Whatever you do, don't skip that first meal of the day.

Ultimate Human Race

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Check out all the latest news and important info from the world’s biggest, oldest and most famous ultra, the Comrades Marathon. – BY DELAINE COOLS & THAMI VILAKAZI

HUGE ECONOMIC IMPACT IN 2016
Tourism KwaZulu-Natal has finalised its economic impact assessment of the 2016 Comrades Marathon, and the 91st edition of the world’s biggest and oldest ultra-marathon’s economic footprint on the KwaZulu-Natal region stands at more than R605-million!

CMA General Manager, Chris Fisher says, “The Comrades Marathon gives back to the communities in which it operates, to the Cities of Durban and Pietermaritzburg as well as the greater region of KZN. The Comrades Marathon as an event, has the single largest impact on the province of KZN by far. We are thankful to Tourism KwaZulu-Natal for the immense amount of work that they have put into the comprehensive economic impact report for our race this year.”

COMRADES PERCEPTION SURVEY
The CMA would like to thank the 3337 runners who responded to the 2016 Comrades Perception Survey. The results will be shared with our runners soon.

COMRADES HISTORY ALIVE & WELL
From novices to Quadruple Green Number holders, the new Comrades Museum has something guaranteed to peak your interest. Over 90 years of history has been encapsulated in a manner that brings the race and its heroes to life. Decade by decade, the story of the race’s progression is tied in beautifully with physical displays on the evolution of running apparel. The new exhibition has sourced never before seen items of Comrades memorabilia and combined it with the stories of runners and the race itself, encapsulating the essence that makes it The Ultimate Human Race.

DIARISE IT: 4 JUNE 2017
The 92nd Comrades Marathon will take place on Sunday 4 June 2017. It will be the 47th Up-run in Comrades history and will therefore once again start outside the Durban City Hall. Looking still further ahead, you can also pencil the 2018 race date into your calendar so long, as the date has been finalised: The 93rd edition of the Comrades will take place on Sunday 10 June. (The CMA has taken the decision to permanently position the race on the second Sunday of June, from 2018 onwards. It will still be on the first weekend in 2017 due to there already being several other large events in the KZN area on that second weekend.)

GET YOUR 2017 TRAINING PROGRAMME
The official Comrades Marathon Coach, Lindsey Parry, has devised a comprehensive training programme to get you on the start line of the 2017 Ultimate Human Race and to achieve your coveted Comrades medal. Follow this link to access the much-needed information and training tips: www.comrades.com.

WALL OF HONOUR GIFT IDEA
Why not give a gift of love to the Comrades runner in your family this Christmas? Over the years, this treasured Comrades memento has become a sought-after gift for Christmas and birthdays. And you can beat the Christmas rush by ordering a Comrades Wall of Honour plaque for your loved one today. Please contact roxanne@comrades.com for more info.

MY COMRADES STORY:
TIME TO FIND A FRIEND
BY JACOB MASIMLA

“I was running my 20th Comrades Marathon this year. I was not well trained, but managed to get through halfway in a sub-5:30. My goal was to finish in 11 hours. After halfway my knees gave in and I felt that one of my feet was getting sore. I then started cramping in my right leg and was forced to put more pressure on my left leg, until my left knee was overworked from all the pressure. I then tried to balance my weight in a way where I didn’t feel the pain so heavily on the one knee.

As I was running I met Piet Boesak, a long-time Comrades friend of mine, with the same problem. He was so happy to see me that he even forgot about his own injury. We there and then strategised on how we will take on the next half of our Comrades journey, and we started by identifying who will call when to run and when to stop.

On top of Cowies Hill I started getting light-headed, so I told my friend to carry on and that I will catch up with him. Normally when I get dizzy, it is the time when I know that I have to use the loo, and after 10 minutes I recovered. Back on the road I saw another runner with the same problem as mine and recommended that he go to the loo as well. As I hit the 3km to go marker, I stopped running, as I realised that I had one hour left. That’s when I told myself that I will walk the remaining distance. I finally finished the race ten minutes before the cut-off time, which also turned out to be the finishing time for my friend.”


SHARE YOUR COMRADES MARATHON STORY
Every person has a story to tell and Comrades Marathon runners in particular have the ultimate tales of courage, perseverance and endurance. We are calling on ardent Comrades runners to inspire the nation to take up the challenge of running the world’s most gruelling footrace, by sending us your Comrades Story in 300 words or less, and stand the chance to win a Comrades hamper. Please e-mail your story to delaine@comrades.com.

CSI NEWS UPDATE
The Comrades Marathon makes a positive difference to the lives of the less fortunate around us by supporting six official Comrades Charities, and runners are invited to support these charities through the Amabeadibeadi and Race4Charity initiatives.

GREATHEARTS ROCKED 2016 COMRADES
A message of thanks from the Starfish Charity: “Yay, what an amazing campaign Starfish had this year. A job well done by the 87 Greathearts who ran the 2016 Comrades Marathon in support of Starfish. Enthused to make a difference, they raised an amazing R670,000, having exceeded the fundraising target even before race day. Your efforts are appreciated! A special thanks to all the Starfish supporters and sponsors for making this event a huge success. To Roxanne and the CMA team, Nedbank for hosting our children, to Busby for providing 120 branded caps for the runners and children, and to the little cheerleading Greathearts from Ethembeni School.”

COMMUNITY CHEST HAILS NONTUTHUKO
“Comrades runner and Community Chest Comrades Ambassador Nontuthuko Mashimane is seen here at Masakhane Creche, having fun with some of the children she fundraised for by supporting by the Community Chest of Pietermaritzburg. She raised over R50,000 in her fundraising efforts for the Race4Charity initiative at the 2016 Comrades Marathon, and says she would like to encourage and inspire other runners who run the Comrades Marathon to run for the Community Chest, and together make the 2017 Comrades a life-changing experience, not only for themselves but for the early childhood children.”

To find out more about how you can make a difference, go to www.comrades.com/charities/amabeadibeadi or www.comrades.com/charities/race-4-charity

COMRADES MARATHON ONLINE
www.comrades.com
www.twitter.com/@ComradesRace
www.facebook.com/ComradesMarathon

Inspirational ‘Ouma’ Annatjie

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Proudly wearing her Great Grandmaster age category tags, 74-year-old Annatjie Berntzen of Cape Town lines up most weekends in a race, including trail runs, has a good chat with countless running friends and continues to amaze and inspire many a younger runner. – BY SEAN FALCONER

In the recent local elections, Annatjie went to vote and was happy to wait her turn to make her mark, but when the officials saw her age they immediately took her to the front of the queue, as is the norm with all voters over a certain age. Voting done, she headed home again and later that day, while chatting to her cousin, she mentioned the special treatment she had received, and the first thing her cousin said was, “But you still run like a young person, so why do you need to go to the front?” That’s similar to the reaction the diminutive pocket dynamo from Parow gets from many younger runners each weekend in races up to 21km long.

“Runners often call me Ouma and ask me when I started running, or what made me start. Some even ask me how I ran in my 20s, and when I tell them I actually only started running in my 60s, they usually don’t believe me. Some even ask to take their picture with me! I am just grateful that I am able to run, and I love that others tell me that I inspire them. In one race I was told by a big group of new runners that they used me as a target – they just wanted to get past the little old lady in red socks! At another race somebody saw me running as well as another 70-year-old woman from the Ommiedraai club, and actually put R100 in an envelope for each of us and gave it to the commentator to hand to us at prize-giving, just because he or she said we are so inspirational. I was so surprised!”

BITTEN LATE BY THE BUG
Born in PE, Annatjie grew up in Cape Town. After school she began doing administrative work for Spoornet in the 1960s, during which time she got married and divorced, before moving to Pretoria to begin working for the Department of Public Works (DPW) national office. The last 10 years of her working career were with the DPW in Polokwane, until her retirement in 2007, when she moved back to the Cape to be near family and friends. “My brother and sister both live in Cape Town, and I had been friends with Venita Nel for many years as well, and that also played a role in my decision to move back down.”

It was Venita who got the recently retired 65-year-old Annatjie into road running. “I arrived back in Cape Town on 1 October and later that same week Venita took me with her to do a 5km fun run at a race in Simon’s Town. I even took my little dog with me and we had a nice walk. I had never taken part in any sport, but for some reason in 2007 I started going to races regularly with friends, and as they ran their crazy 10km or 21km races, I started walking all the 5km fun runs, just for fun.”

“Then in 2009, when I turned 67, I joined Tygerberg NLK Athletic Club and decided that I was now ready to take on a 10km race, and I finished my first one in 1:29:28, just 30 seconds before the cut-off. That year I did all the 10km races, usually just coming in before cut-off, but finishing what I started for a well-deserved medal. Then I wanted to do 15 and 21km races as well, so in 2010 I did my first half marathon at the West Coast race, finishing in just under three hours. I also joined the 1000km Challenge Club in 2010, where the goal is to run 1000km in a year in races, and I have conquered the challenge every year, also being the oldest woman in the country to complete the challenge in 2013, 2014 and 2015.”

STEPPING IT UP
Having done the John Korasie 30km race in 2012, her longest run to date, then 71-year-old Annatjie went to the 2013 ORAK 12-hour circuit race in Vredendal aiming to do another 30km… but it didn’t end there. “I only wanted to do 30km, but when I reached the 30km mark in four and a half hours, I thought to myself there is still more than seven hours left till cut-off, so I decided I can still do another 30km and get a silver medal. So off I went, and at 4:30pm I reached the 60km mark. The silver medal was mine, but my friends still cannot believe that I ran 60km. Neither can I, really!”

Later that year, Annatjie decided that she was ready to try a marathon as well. “One day I was chatting to Venita and she said some people want to run a year or two before they take on a marathon, so I asked her if she thought I could do one, since I had been running for more than six years, and she said she thought I could.” That saw Annatjie enter the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon, with its generous eight-hour cut-off, and she sailed home comfortably in 5:46 for the best time of the year in the Cape for a 70-year-old female marathoner. The following year she ran the marathon again, clocking 6:10 and finishing third in her age category on the revised route. “I found the marathons enjoyable, but a bit far for me,” says the intrepid Annatjie. “My friends say I can run the Comrades, but I am definitely not that mad!”

LOOKING AHEAD
Annatjie shows no signs of slowing down. In fact, she recently stepped into trail running for the first time, even donning a headlamp and taking on some of the increasingly popular night runs on golf courses! “I do at least one hour of walking every morning, and a 5km time trial on Tuesday evenings, and then weekends are for races. During the races I joke, ‘make way, here comes the old age home,’ but I am healthy and just enjoy my running. I still get the normal aches and pains, but nothing serious, and my doctor is very impressed with me.”

“Up till now, I’ve done more than 110 half marathons, and only two were not finished under three hours. When the day comes that I can’t make the 3:30 cut-offs, then I will retire from 21s, but I will keep running the 10s and fun runs. For me it is great to run, to enjoy the conversation on the road, and it keeps me going. I have a lot of friends and family, so running gives a whole other thing, and then at trail runs you meet a different crowd to the road running community, so I really enjoy the social side of the sport. But I do need to be careful about chatting too much in races. At the Silver Queen 10km, Jenny of West Coast and I were having such a good chat that we got lost. The first time we realised we had gone wrong was when we entered the finish in under an hour, which we know we cannot do! Still laughing about that one.”

Finding the Balance

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There’s a story about a triathlete and a frog that I often think about when I speak to people about fitting training into their busy schedules and finding the balance between training and living. And that’s why I’m still looking for a special frog… – BY SEAN FALCONER
 
A man was out jogging in the forest one day when a frog called out to him, saying, “If you kiss me, I'll turn into a beautiful princess.” He bent over, picked up the frog, and put it in his pocket. The frog spoke up again and said, “If you kiss me and turn me back into a beautiful princess, I will tell everyone how smart and brave you are, and how you are my hero.” The man took the frog out of his pocket, smiled at it, and returned it to his pocket.
 
A short while later, the frog spoke up again, “If you kiss me and turn me back into a beautiful princess, I'll stay with you for a year and do ANYTHING you want.” Again the man took the frog out of his pocket, smiled at it, and put it back into his pocket. Finally the frog asked, “What's the matter? I've told you I'm a beautiful princess, that I'll stay with you for a year, and do anything you want. Why won't you kiss me?”
 
The man took the frog out of his pocket again, looked it in the eyes and replied, “Look, I'm an Ironman triathlete. I train three times a day, doing a swim session, a bike session and a run session, and on weekends I combine the various disciplines in what we call brick sessions, designed to simulate race conditions, and I also do transition training, where I practise getting my swim to bike and bike to run transition times down. After most sessions I take ice baths to speed up the recovery process for my legs, and then I take extra naps twice a day to make up for the sleep time I lose because I get up at 4am each day to train. I don't have time for a girlfriend… but a talking frog is cool!”
 
OK, I’ve just used triathletes as an example here – there are just as many runners and cyclists who could be substituted into this story, all of them ‘guilty’ of perhaps overdoing things a wee bit, of becoming consumed by their training. Because I believe that the secret to sporting success is finding balance between your sport and the rest of your life. Yes, by all means, put as much effort into your training as possible, so as to get the best possible results come race-day, but don’t let your sport become ‘everything,’ an unhealthy obsession, to the extent that it takes over your life. Even worse, to the extent that you simply don’t have time, or energy, to have a life, so to say. Like the triathlete who is too busy to have a girlfriend…
 
Of course, I admire athletes in any sport who have the dedication to train hard for their chosen sport, and make sacrifices in terms of time, sleep, diet, etc, so as to improve and get better results, but I also believe that balance is essential. I believe that when your favourite sport becomes the be-all and end-all of your daily life, it can potentially turn from passion to monkey on your back quite soon. In other words, instead of your training being the thing you look forward to each day, to get you out in the fresh air and away from the daily bustle of work life, it becomes a grind, a slog, something you dread and wish you could put off for a while, or take a break from. Hell, even work begins to look like more fun…
 
Runners training for a big ultra often find themselves in this frame of mind. When you need to follow a seven-month training programme building up to Comrades, and your programme says tomorrow morning you must go run 55km, but your body says it doesn’t even want to run 55 metres, then you will potentially have reached training saturation point, and a break is called for. Then I believe it is better to take a few days off, recharge your batteries, and come back ready and willing to run, instead of grinding your way miserably and exhausted through a long, long, long slog. And the same goes for cyclists training for that big event, or Ironman triathletes.
 
Some people may tell you to push through your mind’s objections, that once you get going you will soon out-run or out-ride these thoughts, that the endorphins released into your brain will soon have you feeling happy again, and raring to do the mileage. Sometimes they’re right… but I reckon the body sends you messages for a reason. Pain is a message from the body to the head that something is not quite right, and needs to be fixed. Exhaustion and demotivation tell you that rest and time off is needed. And I believe you should listen.
 
After all, when we get that same message about exhaustion and demotivation in the workplace, the first thing we say is that we need a holiday, and we check our calendars for the next long weekend. But when busy with a training programme, too often we simply ignore that message and try to slog on, regardless. Doesn’t make sense, does it? And just a few days of rest could make all the difference.
 

Entries Open for Oceans 2017!

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 Entries for the 2017 Old Mutual Two Oceans Ultra Marathon are open! Entries for next year’s race opened on Thursday, 1 September 2016 and with only 11000 entries available, we trust you’ll secure your spot?

Entries for the Half Marathon, 12km Trail Run, 22k Trail Run and the Fun Runs are not yet open and the date will be confirmed at a later stage. Runners will be able to change their entries – seeding updates, upgrades and substitutions (substitutions will only be done if all available entries have sold out).

These changes can only be done online between 9 January and 6 March 2017 – NO CHANGES whatsoever will be permitted after this date. Please note that only ONE entry change is allowed per entry (i.e. if you upgrade, you cannot also substitute the original entry; only one substitution per entry.

NO DOWNGRADES from the Ultra to the Half Marathon will be entertained whatsoever and similarly, NO DOWNGRADES from the Long Trail to the Short Trail will be entertained whatsoever.

Runners who have entered the Half Marathon can upgrade to the Ultra Marathon IF they have qualified and belong to an athletics club. The cost is R265 (this is the difference between the Half Marathon and Ultra Marathon entry fee) and can be done by logging into the online system and following the instructions. No Upgrades will be accommodated when the Ultra Marathon entries are sold out.

It is the runner's responsibility to find a suitable substitute as we do not keep a list – both if you are not running or want to run. One can only substitute a runner in the same race – i.e. a Half Marathon South African entrant can only be substituted by a Half Marathon South African that wants to participate. Please note that Ultra Marathon substitutions will only be done once the 11 000 entries have been reached, provided that this is before 6 March 2017.  Substitutions will be allowed in the Half Marathon and both the Trail Runs.

For more information and to enter, click here.

Comrades 2017 Entries in Full Swing

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Spring has sprung and Gauteng athletes are beating the rush to get their entries in for the 2017 Comrades Marathon up-run. The Comrades Marathon Association (CMA) has confirmed that 5000 entries have been received so far since the entry process opened a week ago.

The province of Gauteng currently holds the highest tally of entries with more than 2500 entrants.An additional 512 athletes have entered from more than 30 countries on the African continent and around the world.

Currently, this is the tally as it stands;

  • Gauteng – 2 536
  • Kwazulu Natal – 665
  • Western Cape – 647
  • Mpumalanga – 163
  • Free State – 117
  • North West – 112
  • Eastern Cape – 108
  • Limpopo – 104
  • Northern Cape – 36

Comrades Marathon Race Director, Rowyn James says, “We have many exciting plans in place to ensure a memorable race day for both our runners and supporters next June. We have also increased the prize money should anyone break the previously recorded best time for the up-run.”

The best times for the up-run are as follows. The mens best time was set by Leonid Shvetsov in 2008 and currently stands at an unbeaten 5:24:49 while the ladies time was set two years before by Elena Nurgalieva and stands at 6:09:24.

The three-month long entry process will close on 30 November 2016 or as soon as the entry cap of 20,000 has been reached. Prospective entrants are encouraged to get their entries in early to avoid disappointment.

Entry fees for the 2017 Comrades Marathon are as follows. Early Bird entries will come at a cost of R420 and are limited to South African athletes only for the month of September. Local Entries will cost R460 and will run for the months of October and November and are also limited to South African athletes only. The Rest of Africa will pay R770 for an entry while International athletes will get an entry at R2650.

For details on how to enter, please visit the Comrades Marathon Website.

Get Off the Couch for Joburg’s Most Beautiful Road Race

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Johannesburg, South Africa – Athletics fever is at an all-time high in the country following the recent Rio Olympics. South Africans are still celebrating the achievements of Team South Africa, with Caster Semenya and Wayde van Niekerk elevated to superhero status after their gold medal victories.
Many couch potatoes who spent 16 days getting up in the wee hours of the morning to watch their heroes perform on the other side of the Atlantic, suffered withdrawal symptoms when the Games were over. Many of them decided to shake off their post-Olympics blues by getting off their couches to do something sporty.

Road running is one of the most popular forms of exercise, it requires little more than a pair of shoes and the determination to hit the road. The SPAR Women’s Challenge at the Wanderers Club in Illovo on Sunday, October 9, 2016, gives thousands of women something to train for.
The Johannesburg SPAR 10km Challenge and 5km Fun Run have become an important fixture on the road running calendar, with thousands of women and girls from all walks of life taking part. The Sonja Laxton-designed route winds its way through some of Johannesburg’s most beautiful, leafy suburbs and the race takes place at a time when the weather is usually at its best.
The Johannesburg Challenge is the final race in the five-race SPAR Grand Prix, so the country’s top female runners will be taking part in an effort to gain as many Grand Prix points as possible.

Four Olympians, Lebogang Phalula, Christine Kalmer, Ruthendo Nyahora and Irvette Van Zyl the current SPAR Grand Prix point’s leader have confirmed their intended participation in the Challenge. Nyahora successfully defended her SPAR Women’s Pretoria Challenge victory at SuperSport Park on Saturday.
SPAR also announced that three times SPAR Grand Prix champion, Rene Kalmer as well as the popular actress, Mel Du Bois of 7de Laan would be patrons of the 2016 Joburg leg of the SPAR Women’s Challenge.
“Our race is not only about top athletes and social runners and walkers but also about fun and entertainment, so it’s with pleasure we have Rene and Mel as our faces of the Joburg Challenge this year.” said Martin Webber, SPAR South Rands Marketing Director.
“Rene and Mel have been great supporters of our race over the years and will interact through social media with all entrants leading up to the race. They will be at the race in October which will certainly add the excitement on the day.”
Webber added that the 2016 Challenge promises to be more exciting than ever because of the rising number of entries and the celebrations of the SPAR Grand Prix’s tenth anniversary.

“This year, we challenge women to not only come and enjoy race day but as part of the SPAR Women’s Challenge family, to embrace what we are all about. The 2016 race is all about showing you care. So embrace the chance to be part of the race and support a larger cause.”
With October being Breast Cancer Awareness month, it is only fitting that the designated charity associated with the race is Reach for Recovery, a voluntary support group for women with breast cancer. The partnership goes back a number of years, and the women from Reach for Recovery have become an important part of the race, wearing their distinctive pink t-shirts and spreading the word that cancer is not necessarily a death sentence.

As in previous year, SPAR is encouraging schools to participate in the race and have partnered with Mercer to award the top three schools who have the largest entries and race finishers, with IT prizes.
For the first time this year, the organisers are also calling on the people of Johannesburg to help those who cannot afford the shoes needed to start running. During the 2015 SPAR Challenge, staff from Caxton noticed that many children from disadvantaged schools ran the race barefoot. As a result, Caxton is running the Drop off a Pair and Show You Care drive to put shoes on bare feet.
Participants in the Challenge can drop off an old pair of shoes when they collect their race numbers. The style and size don’t matter, what is important is that the shoes need to be in a good condition.
Those who donate shoes stand a chance of winning one of five R1000 SPAR vouchers, one of five sets of New Balance running shoes, or one of five hair vouchers from Tanaz in Sandton.

Entry forms are available from all SPAR stores or online at spar.co.za.

Trail Champ Collects Another Title

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The 2016 South African Ultra Distance Trail Champs race will long be remembered by those who participated as one of those four-seasons-in-one-day experiences. In fact, it was more like four seasons per hour at times, as the weather over Cape Town went a bit crazy, but that couldn’t stop Nicolette Griffioen from retaining her SA Champs title and adding to her already impressive list of trail running honours. – BY SEAN FALCONER

This year’s Hout Bay Trail Challenge at the end of July featured the traditional 40km route as well as an extended 68km ultra route designed specially to host the SA Ultra Trail Champs, and the already tough course was made still more challenging by the weather. “Those were really tough running conditions,” says 23-year-old Nicolette, looking back on the race, which also served as a final Trail SA qualifier for the World Ultra Trail Champs in Portugal on 29 October.

“It was drizzling when we started down in Hout Bay, then stopped and it got hot, so the layers of clothing came off. Then when I was on Table Mountain, heading towards Platteklip Gorge, it started to rain and hail, but I thought I was close enough to Platteklip and the descent, so I didn’t put on my jacket. But it took me another 30 minutes to get there, and by then I was frozen. I wasn’t wearing gloves and my fingers were so cold that I couldn’t tie my shoelaces properly. I also slipped and fell a few times. I actually thought about pulling out of the race, but at the bottom of Platteklip the sun came out and I warmed up again, and it was quite warm going up Kasteelpoort, so I was able to finish strongly.”

Star of SA Trail
Nicolette has built up a terrific list of wins in top level trail races since she took up the sport after school. In 2011 she posted her first big win at the Dryland Traverse three-day stage race and has run the ‘Grail of Trail’ Otter African Marathon five times, with a best position of second. Her first ultra win came in her first ultra outing, at the inaugural 100km Ultra Trail Cape Town in 2014, and the following year saw her win the Num Num Trail and Crazy Store Magalies Challenges, plus finish second women’s team alongside teammate Carla van Huysteen at the AfricanX three-day stage race.

Her latest win in Hout Bay saw Nicolette retain the SA Ultra Trail Champs title that she won in 2015 at the 80km Ultra Trail Mount Moody Run in Mpumalanga, in the same year that she also finished second in the SA Long Distance Champs at the 32km Molweni Trail Run in KwaZulu-Natal. This year has been even more successful, as she also won the 2016 SA Long Distance Champs title earlier this year, at the Drakensberg Northern Trail Skyrunning 40km event in KZN, giving her the SA Champs ‘double’ in 2016 and also making her the first SA woman to win both national titles.

This success on the national stage has seen her selected twice to represent SA on the world stage. In 2015 she went to the ultra-distance IAU Trail World Champs in Annecy, France, where she came home 24th after 85km and was the best-placed South African female finisher. Then in 2016 she came home fifth at the 42km WMRA World Long Distance Mountain Running Champs in Podbrdo, Slovenia, posting the highest finish ever by an SA athlete in a World Champs event. She was also taken to France last year for the 76km Le Grand Trail Des Templiers race as part of an SA development team, to pick up more experience of trail running on the world stage. “I loved Templiers – I finished sixth and it was probably my best race so far,” she says.

Humble Heroine
With trademark humility, Nicolette says that it is an incredible feeling to win titles, represent her country and do well overseas, but that isn’t what drives her running passion. “I’m not title-driven or orientated, and I don’t put a lot of pressure on myself, so I just go overseas to enjoy the running experience and get the best possible result. But it’s still great to represent your country and know you have so many people back home supporting you.”

Unfortunately, a heavy academic programme in her third-year veterinary studies this year will prevent Nicolette from going to Portugal, as she writes her biggest exam on the day before the World Champs race takes place, and she does not want to move the exam as that will create a high-pressure log-jam in her exam programme. However, she should be back in contention for the three different World Champs events next year, all of which will take place in Italy. When asked which World Champs races she prefers, Nicolette says she is up for any challenge, but does hanker towards the marathon-length races. “I did better at the Long Distance Champs thanks to the experience I picked up in the past year, but I am not sure I can get a similar result in the Ultra Champs – that’s a lot more of a mental race.”

Late Bloomer
It’s strange to think that Nicolette was not very active at school, apart from playing hockey. “I hated athletics! The real change was when I took a gap year after changing my course to veterinary science and I went to gym a lot, became a spinning instructor and did some running on the treadmill.” Then she entered her first race, a 10km trail run, and picked up third place, and that was her hooked. She moved up to 30km races, then ran the Otter Trail Marathon, and that led to an invite to the 100km Cape Town Ultra Trail, which showed her that she has the mental capacity to stick it out in the longer races. “After 50km, you know that you’re actually heading back towards the finish, so there’s no pulling out then, and I’m far too competitive to quit, anyway. Those last 20km were the longest of my life, though!”

Fortunately, Nicolette has no problems with finding motivation for training. She lives on a smallholding next to Oori Nature Reserve in the Rhenosterspruit area near Lanseria, which provides a convenient base for trail training and where she first took up running with the family dogs. And these days, she says it is her four-year-old rescue ‘Trail-dog,’ Dobby, that really gets her moving. “My dog is obsessed with running! From four o’clock, she starts scratching on the door – there’s a hole in the door from her enthusiasm – so it’s always a given that she’s out with me. I love sharing her pure joy at being free!”

Exams Before Race
Looking ahead, Nicolette says her studies will be her priority for the next three years, while she will just keep doing her best in her running. “I would like to get my degree, then turn pro runner for a few years with the security of knowing I have a job to come back to. Right now, I would prefer to be a pro athlete, but I have to be realistic, I can’t run for the rest of my life, so I need something to fall back on.”

She also intends racing less in the coming years. “Last year I did a lot of racing and got tired of all the time and effort travelling, so going forward I will choose the races that I think I will enjoy, like the Otter and Skyrun, because it’s not just about titles. I love getting over rocks, descending, going through rivers, tackling obstacles, and I have no fear when it comes to running the technical courses, so I will look for courses that offer that. I want to experience new places and routes, while also trying to stay injury-free after being out for three months at the end of last year with ITB.”

“I also like to mix up the distances and the sports, which is why I like doing the XTERRA triathlons at the beginning of each year,” says Nicolette, who finished fourth at the XTERRA SA Champs in Grabouw in 2015 and fifth in 2016. “I would like to qualify for the XTERRA World Champs in Hawaii, but it all comes down to the swim leg, which is my weakest discipline. I do swim a lot, three times a week, and enjoy it as active recovery from running and cycling. so I am hoping that will maintain my swimming fitness, and then in the two months leading up to the XTERRA SA Champs I will do more intensive speed swim training. But trail running will remain my sporting focus.