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A Year of Surprises

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So far 2018 has been an incredible year for Salome Cooper, from winning the Om Die Dam 50km in March, to her best ever run at Comrades, and then leading the SA women’s team to a silver medal at the World 100km Championships in Croatia, while also bringing home an individual top ten position. – BY MANFRED SEIDLER

In spite of being tired from a long flight back to SA, coming just a day after running the World 100km Championships in Sveti Martin, you could not keep the smile off the face of Salome Cooper when she arrived back in SA on Monday 10 September. The day before she had finished seventh in the women’s field and led team mates Deanne Horn, Fikile Mbethuma and Lisa Collet to a team silver, to go with Bongmusa Mthembu taking third overall in the men’s race, while also leading the men’s team to a silver medal. “I really did not expect such a good 2018, but it has been incredible,” enthused Salome after touching down at OR Tambo International Airport, but that hardly does her great year justice.

It was clear Salome’s running was going well when she unexpectedly won the Om Die Dam Ultra Marathon at Hartbeespoort in March, beating a solid field in the process. “That came as a complete surprise for me. There were some strong women racing, but I felt I had more in the tank if I needed it.” She covered the 50km in 3:39:48, finishing some 11 minutes ahead of second-placed Cobie Smith. Her next big race, another 50km at the Loskop Ultra in April, saw her place fourth overall. “Loskop was really just a hard training run for me, so finishing fourth behind Charne (Bosman), Ann (Ashworth) and Jennifer (Koech) was really a good place to be.”

These were already impressive performances by the single mother of a 14-year-old son from Boksburg, given that she works full-time as a sales rep. That means her day starts with a run in the early morning, then a full day on the road before doing her main training in the evening, sometimes only finishing around 8:30pm, but more success was to follow at the Comrades Marathon in June. Salome came home in 6:53:18, finishing 11th, a mere minute behind Yolande Maclean, and thus just missing the last gold medal, but she was still happy with her performance. “Sure, the gold would have been nice, but it was my best time ever, and over 90km, not 89km, so I really am very happy with that run.”

Unexpected Call-up
After that, Salome was ready to put her feet up for a bit, but then came the request to be part of the South African team for the World Champs. “That came out of the blue. It is a huge privilege to run for your country and I was at the World 100km Championships in 2011, where the team won bronze and Lindsay van Aswegen ran an individual bronze. But that was seven years ago. The world of ultra-running has changed and whatever experience I had picked up then wasn’t really going to be of much help to me. And there was not much time to get ready. But how could I say no? It is such an honour.”

Neither Salome nor any of the other women who went to Croatia were expecting to be racing at a World Championship event a mere two months after the Comrades Marathon, so all their preparation was geared towards the 90km Down Run on 10 June. “All indications were that I was in good shape and that I would have a good Comrades, but at no stage did the World 100km Championships ever enter into the equation. Being selected was a big surprise for me, and then I found the all-important preparation was tough. All the other ladies I usually train with were in rest phase, so I had to do those dreadful long runs on my own. Imagine running the equivalent of a Two Oceans Marathon on your own at under 5min/km. That was incredibly hard.”

When the team left SA on Tuesday 4 September, Salome found herself sitting at the top table during the press conference that saw the team off, and as Team Captain she was expected to say a few words. Despite the evident emotion and maybe a hint of stage fright, there was no mistaking her confidence in both the team and in herself. “We have a strong team. Everyone has prepared really well, Athletics South Africa has been very supportive, so we should be able to give a good performance.” Asked about her own expectations, she said she was hoping for a 7:30 finish.

Counting the Laps
In Croatia, the four South African women ran together as a team for the first 60km and were lying 16th, 17th, 18th and 19th,but then Salome surged as she began to reel in several women who had gone out too hard. She gradually moved up the field to 12th, then 10th and finally into seventh, crossing the line in 7:51:13.“We decided to run as a team and it paid off, but Deanne unfortunately became ill during the run, so who knows how well we could have done had that not happened. We knew a few of the ladies from Comrades, so when I started to catch them it really gave me a huge boost. But it was hard. The route was laps of 7.5km and we went past our hotel every time. Do you know how hard it was not to just go to my room, especially because it is a hotel with a hot spring!” she says with a chuckle.

“I did not expect to finish so well, which makes this a big achievement for me. In hindsight, I think I spent maybe a little too long at the two water stations, but the route was also not flat as we originally thought, so I think that is where I lost time. What was really good was that as we were doing laps, the men’s team would go past us and that lifted our spirits. It also gave us a chance to cheer them on and when Bongs was struggling, I could lift him with some encouragement.” (Bongmusa said that Salome’s words of encouragement made a big difference, as he was really struggling with stomach cramps in the last 10km.)

No Regrets
Ironically, after such a successful year, Salome says she has one small lingering regret. She only started running seriously later in life, and like so many others went straight for the Comrades, a race she has now run 17 times, with three gold medals to her credit, but she openly admits that if she had focused more on the shorter events prior to going into Comrades, she may well have done better. “Yes, I think I could have gone faster, but I can’t change it now. My running is going really well, so I am not going to beat myself up over it. At the beginning of 2018, I could not have imagined such an incredible running year, but doing well at Comrades and then the World 100km – which was really a bonus – has made all the toil and early mornings and stress so worth it. There is nothing I would change if I had to do it all over again.”

IMAGES: Lindsey Parry & courtesy CMA, IRunFar.com, Salome Cooper

Race Calendar – November 2018

Modern AthleteRacingLeave a Comment on Race Calendar – November 2018

South African runners really are blessed with a terrific race calendar, with so many great races to do, so check out these events for the coming month, including road and trail runs as well as other running disciplines, and make your racing plans! – BY TOM COTTRELL AND SEAN FALCONER


GAUTENG

CENTRAL GAUTENG
Friday 2 November
Serengeti Night Run 15km, 10km & 5km, Serengeti Golf and Wildlife Estate, Kempton Park, 7pm, Shane Gouldie 082 332 9552
Saturday 3 November
Glow Run 4 CANSA 5km, Jackal Creek Golf Estate, Boundary Road, Northriding, 7pm, Race Organiser 011 053 9153 (w)
Sunday 4 November
Old Mutual Soweto Marathon, Half Marathon & 10km, FNB Stadium, Nasrec, 6am (42), 6:30am (21) & 7am (10), Race Organiser 061 918 1002
Wednesday 7 November
Gauteng Summer Trail Series #3 10.5km & 5km, Walter Sisulu National Botanical Garden, Malcolm Road, Poortview, Roodepoort, 7pm & 7:15am, Wildrunner 072 438 3242
Sunday 11 November
Alberton Half Marathon, 10km & 4km, Alberton Rugby Stadium, cnr 2nd Avenue & Braun Avenue, Voerwoerdpark, 6am, Michael Kirby 074 159 3605
Zoo Trot 10km, Centenary Lawn, Johannesburg Zoo, Upper Park Drive, 7:30am, Lebogang Mathope 011 712 6817 (w)
Soweto Big Race 10km & 5km, Elkah Stadium, Moroka, Soweto, 7:30am, Herbert Makhane 072 556 3678
Wednesday 14 November
Decathlon Thaba Nights Trail Run #6 10km & 5km, Thaba Trails, 101 Kliprivier Drive, Rietvlei, Johannesburg South, 7:30pm, More info: [email protected]
Thursday 15 November
Decathlon Killarney CC Night Run 8km & 5km, Killarney Country Club, 60 Fifth Street, Lower Houghton, 7pm, More info: [email protected]
Saturday 17 November
Group 1 Nissan Over the Moon Trail Run #6 10km & 5km, Rietvlei Trails on Rietvlei Zoo Farm, 101 Swartkoppies Road, Mulbarton, Johannesburg, South, 7:10pm & 7:15pm, Charnelle Munitich 083 280 6111
Sunday 25 November
RAC City Lodge Tough One 32km & Asics 5km, Old Parktonian Club, Jan Smuts Avenue, Craighall, 6am, Vreni Welch 011 442 8256 (w)
Sunday 2 December
World Aids Day Half Marathon, 10km & 5km, Katlehong Sports Centre, Lesotho Street, 7am, Arnold Ravhutulu 079-1354566
The Campus Run Series 8km & 5km – Campus Catchup, The Campus, Sloane Street, Bryanston, 8am, More info: [email protected]

GAUTENG NORTH
Sunday 4 November
Nissan TrailSeeker Trail Run Series #6 Cullinan 21km, 10km & 5km, Cullinan Community Sports Centre, off Range Road, 6am, Race Organiser 086 199 0001
Wednesday 7 November
Zwartkop Nite Race Series #1 10km & 5km, Zwartkop Country Club, Old Johannesburg Road, Centurion, 6pm, More info: www.bouttime.co.za
Saturday 10 November
National Business Challenge Relay 6x7km Run PLUS 3x7km Walk, Rietondale Park, Van der Merwe Street, Rietondale, Pretoria, 6am, Race Organiser 087 097 0011
Adventure Tails Bark 10km, 5km & 2km Run with Dogs, Cowhouse Market, Ridge Road, Hazeldean, Pretoria, 8:30am, Glizelle Lagerman 083 264 3931
Sunday 11 November
Ezemvelo Trail Run Challenge 21km, 10km & 5km, Ezemvelo Nature Reserve, Bronkhorstspruit, 7am, 7:30am & 8am, Debbie Agenbag 083 294 5260
Little Eden Trail Run 15km, 10km & 5km, Little Eden Resort, north-east of Cullinan, 8:30am, Shane Gouldie 082 332 9552
Saturday 17 November
Tom Jenkins Challenge Half Marathon, 10km & 5km, Union Buildings, Pretoria, 6am, Daan du Toit 082 572 4169
Sunday 18 November
KeyHealth Smuts Summer Trail Series #2 21km, 15km, 10km & 5km – November, Smuts Irene River, Jan Smuts Avenue, Irene, 7am, Shane Gouldie 082 332 9552
Saturday 24 November
Voortrekker Monument Half Marathon, 10km & 5km, Voortrekker Monument, Monument Street, Groenkloof, 6am, Race Organiser 071 405 5588
Adventure Tails Bark 8km, 5km & 2km Run with Dogs, Big Red Barn, 7 Nelson Road, Olifantsfontein, 7:30am, Glizelle Lagerman 083 264 3931
Sunday 2 December
KeyHealth Smuts Summer Trail Series #3 21km, 15km, 10km & 5km – December, Smuts Irene River, Jan Smuts Avenue, Irene, 7am, Shane Gouldie 082 332 9552

VAAL TRIANGLE
Friday 2 November
John Dory 5km – November, Kollegepark Primary School, General Froneman Street, Vanderbijlpark, 5:30pm, Dawid Jordaan 082 364 1954
Friday 23 November
John Dory 10km & 5km – November, Kollegepark Primary School, General Froneman Street, Vanderbijlpark, 5:30pm, Dawid Jordaan 082 364 1954


WESTERN CAPE

BOLAND
Saturday 3 November
Bochendal Orchard Half Marathon, 10km & 5km CANCELLED
Wednesday 7 November
Wagon Trail Night Run 10km & 5km, Anura Wine Estate, Simondium Road near Klapmuts, 7pm, Lans Pepler 082 787 2472
Friday 9 November
Spier Twilight Trail Run 10km, 5km & 3km, Spier Wine Farm, on R310 Baden Powell Drive near Stellenbosch, 6:30pm, 6:40pm & 6:42pm, Uge Nel 082 658 3078
Saturday 10 November
Wild Boar Trail Run 17km, 10km & 5km, Val Du Charron, Bovlei Road, Wellington, 7:30am, 8am & 8:15am, Lans Pepler 082 787 2472
Saturday 17 November
Klaas Maffa 15km & 5km CANCELLED
Run The Vines XTN Family Trail Run 17km, 10km & 5km POSTPONED
Simonsig TrailFun 10km & 5km, Simonsig Wine Estate, Kromme Rhee Road, Koelenhof, 7:30am & 7:45am, Japie Swanepoel 082 443 3033
Sunday 18 November
Spier Trail Run 10km, 5km & 3km CANCELLED
Thursday 22 November
Dornier Full Moon Run 10km & 5km, Dornier Wine Estate, Upper Blaauwklippen Road, Stellenbosch, 7pm & 7:10pm, More info: www.entryninja.com
Saturday 24 November
Run The Vines Jason’s Hill Trail Run 17km, 10km & 5km, Jason’s Hill Winery, Slanghoek Valley, near Worcester, 7:30am, 8am & 8:15am, Lans Pepler 082 787 2472
Sunday 25 November
Falke Blooming Trail Run 11km & 6km, L'Avenir Farm, off R44 about 7km from Stellenbosch towards Klapmuts, 8am & 8:15am, Dirtopia 021 884 4752 (w)
Friday 30 November
Spier Twilight Trail Run 10km, 5km & 3km, Spier Wine Farm, on R310 Baden Powell Drive near Stellenbosch, 6:30pm, 6:40pm & 6:42pm, Uge Nel 082 658 3078
Sunday 2 December
Spier Trail Run 10km, 5km & 3km, Spier Wine Farm, on R310 Baden Powell Drive near Stellenbosch, 8am, 8:10am & 8:12am, Uge Nel 082 658 3078
Run 4 a Cause 10km & 5km, Middelvlei Wine Estate, Papagaai Street, Stellenbosch, 7:45am, Race Organiser 082 334 3771

SOUTH WESTERN DISTRICTS
Thursday 1 – Sunday 4 November
Dryland Traverse 4-day Stage Trail Run, (Prologue 8km, 33.1km, 23km & 11km), Based out of De Hoek Mountain Resort, near Oudtshoorn, 4:30pm, Carel Herholdt 044 279 1013
Wednesday 7 November
Spur to Spur Nite 10km & 5km, Timber Wolf Spur, Garden Route Mall, George, 6pm, Deon De Jager 083 453 4781
Saturday 10 November
Waterfront to Heads Half Marathon, 10km & 5km, Knysna Waterfront, Waterfront Drive, 7am, Gavin Bezuidenhout 083 502 7935
Jakkalsvlei Trail Run 12km & 6km, Jakkalsvlei Farm, Near Herbertdale, 8:1am & 8:20am, More info: www.entryninja.com
Saturday 24 November
Die Vlakte Marathon, Half Marathon & 10km, Heidelberg High School (42), Soutpan Farm (21) & Vondeling Primary School (10) to Witsand Swimming Beach, 5am, 6am & 7am, Nico Steyn 083 226 3091
Saturday 1 December
Ernst Louw 10km & 4km, Hartenbos Drawwers Club House, Diaz Beach, Mossel Bay, 7am, Wouter Pretorius 083 309 9971

WESTERN PROVINCE
Saturday 3 November
Table View High School 10km & 5km, Table View High School, Janssens Road, Table View, 7am & 7:15am, Lizelle Meyer 084 581 3713
Sunday 4 November
Landmarks Half Marathon & Move for Health 6km Fun Run, WP Cricket Club Sport Centre, Keurboom Road, Rondebosch, 6am & 6:45am, Ted Vickery 076 195 7289
Saturday 10 November
Winelands Marathon, Half Marathon & 5km, Eikestad Laerskool, Doornbosch Road, Stellenbosch, 5:30am (42), 5:45am (21) & 6:30am (5), Top Events 021 511 7130 (w)
Saturday 17 November
Edgemead 10km Classic & 5km, Edgemead High School, Denison Way, Edgemead, 6:30am & 6:45am, Liam Hendrickse 072 392 7558
Wednesday 21 November
Sanlam Niel Joubert Plaaswedloop 13km, Klein Simonsvlei Farm, Simondium Road, near Klapmuts, 6:15pm, Robert Keynel 082 474 0399
Saturday 24 November
Mitchells Plain Titans Half Marathon, 10km & 5km, Rocklands Sports Complex, Mitchells Plain, 6am (21), 6:15am (10) & 8am (5), Shane Murray 071 870 9148
Rattle Them Bones 5km Family Fun Run, NG Kerk Bergsig, cnr Boland & Protea Way, Durbanville, 8am, More info: www.entryninja.com
Sunday 25 November
Origin of Trails 15km & 8km Trail Run, Coetzenburg Sports Fields, Stellenbosch, 7am, Race Organiser 082 991 0045
Lifestyle Challenge Trail Run 10km & 5km, D’Aria Wine Estate, Durbanville, 7am & 7:30am, More info: www.entryninja.com
Sunday 2 November
Phoenix Athletic Club 10km & 5km Challenge, CPUT Campus, Symphony Way, Bellville, 7am, Lionel Samuels 081 318 9310


KWAZULU-NATAL
Saturday 3 – Sunday 4 November
Dumbe 2-Day Trail Run, (21km & 15km), Drakensberg Mountain Retreat, near Oliviershoek Pass and Sterkfontein Dam, Time TBC, More info: [email protected]
Sunday 4 November
Summer Series #1 Aloe Wildlife Trail Run 20km, 13km & 6km, Aloe Wildlife Estate, near Camperdown, Pietermaritzburg, 7am, 7:30am & 7:45am, KZN Trail Running 082 791 7069
Saturday 10 November
Jump City Challenge Stadium Run 6.5km, People’s Park, Moses Mabhida Stadium, Durban, Time TBC, Gaby Nunes 011 022 0427
Sunday 11 November
Save Supermarket Orion Half Marathon & 10km, Save Hyper, 362 Victoria Street, Pietermaritzburg, 5:30am, Ajith Deena 083 659 2732
Phezulu Trail Run 18km, 10km & 5km, Phezulu Safari Park, Old Main Road, Botha’s Hill, 7am, 7:30am & 7:45am, KZN Trail Running, 082 791 7069
Sunday 18 November
Bluff AC Marathon & Half Marathon PLUS 15km Walk, Fynnlands Sports Complex, 55 Smith Drive, Bluff, Durban, 5am, Dennis Houston-McMillan 076 186 3920
Greater Edendale 10km & 5km, FNB Wadley Stadium, Edendale, Pietermaritzburg, 7am, Thami Vilakazi 083 413 9827
TAFTA Trail Run 8km & 4km, Virginia Preparatory School, 125 Margaret Maytom Avenue, Virginia, Durban North, 7am, Dave Ward 082 492 1995
Summer Series #2 Honey Trails 15km, 10km & 5km, Honey Trails Monteseel, Inchanga, 7am, 7:30am & 7:45am, KZN Trail Running 082 791 7069
Saturday 24 November
Sani Stagger Marathon & Half Marathon, Sani Pass Hotel, Himeville (42) & Lesotho Border Post (21), 6am (42) & 8:30am (21), Spurgeon Flemington 082 329 7737
Sunday 25 November
Eston Xmas Classic Trail Run 18km & 8km, Virginia Trails, Virginia Farm, Ezimwini Road, Eston, 7am, Linda Schwikkard 078 345 6123
Toti 5km Charity Walk, Arbour Crossing Shopping Centre, Arbour Road, Amanzimtoti, 7am, More info: www.entryninja.com
Thursday 29 November
Snapper Run the Gardens Twilight Run 7.5km, 5km & 2.5km, Durban Botanic Gardens, John Zikhali Road, 6pm, Dave Ward 082 492 1995
Sunday 2 December
Bearing Man Stainbank Cup 15km Run PLUS 10km Walk, Yellow Wood Park Sports Club, 1 Swallow Road, Durban, 6am, Fred Schoon 083 384 4053
Summer Series #3 Hilton College Trail Run 20km, 12km & 6km, Hilton College, Hilton College Road, north of Pietermaritzburg, 7am (20) & 7:30am (12 & 7), KZN Trail Running 082 791 7069
Stihl Sharks Trail Adventure 18km & 9km, Summerveld Estate, Shongweni, 6:30am & 6:40am, Stu Berry 083 456 8435


FREE STATE
Saturday 3 November
Sasol Summer 15km & 10km, DP de Villiers Stadium, Sasolburg, 6am, Miekie Grobler 083 630 0440
Saturday 10 November
Music Marathon, Half Marathon, 10km & 5km, Bloemfontein Achilles, At Horak Avenue, Bloemfontein, 5:30am, Beverley Olivier 071 895 3183
Wednesday 14 November
Standard Bank World Diabetes Day 5km Fun Run, Naval Hill, Delville Drive, Bloemfontein, 6pm, Nelio de Sa 082 777 6770
Saturday 17 November
Medihelp Cherry Race 23km & 4.8km, Ficksburg Primary School, Imperani Street, Ficksburg, 6:30am, Audi Fourie 073 808 6189
Tiger Wheel & Tyre 7 Dams Trail Run 7km, Vrystaat Nasorgsentrum, Bloemendal Road, 7am, Nelio de Sa 082 777 6770
De Vry Draf Trail Run 21km, 10km & 5km, De Vry Distillery, near Oranjeville, Vaal Dam, 7:30am, 8am & 8:30am, Anchen Nel 082 561 9059


EASTERN CAPE

BORDER
Saturday 3 November
Twizza Bonkolo Marathon & Half Marathon, Bonkolo Dam, Queenstown, 5:30am, Theo Ferreira 082 873 4597
Sunday 11 November
Lightning Fast 10km, Johnson & Johnson – Wilsonia, Voortrekker Road, Wilsonia, to Oxford Striders Running Club, Beach Road, Nahoon, East London, 7am, Dillon Pretorius 073 799 6075
Saturday 17 November
Gonubie Coastal Challenge Trail Run Half Marathon & 10km, Gonubie Sports Club, Smith Street, Gonubie, 6am, Dru Behrens 072 238 5600
Saturday 24 November
Kapaailand Half Marathon, Ugie BuildIt, Main Street, Ugie, 7am, Christiaan Kotze 084 512 1808
National Port Authority Bank to Bank 10km & 5km, Hamilton Club House, Clevedon Road, Selborne, East London, 6pm, Bronek Urban 082 577 0932
Sunday 25 November
SAPR Daily Dispatch 8km & 4km Fun Run, Orient Beach Pools, East London, 9am, Sharonne Dewing 083 318 3853

EASTERN PROVINCE
Saturday 3 November
Kirkwood Orchard Half Marathon, 10km & 5km, Kirkwood High School, 25 Mark Street, Kirkwood, 7am (21 & 10) & 8am (5), Jeanette Pretorius 082 899 7134
Saturday 17 – Sunday 18 November
Skyrun 100km & Sky Run Lite 65km, Lady Grey to Wartrail Country Club, 4am, Michael de Haast 072 078 5278
Sunday 18 November
Skyrun Marathon, Balloch Farm, 5am, Michael de Haast 072 078 5278
Saturday 1 December
Aspen Pharmacare PE City Marathon & 10km, Lorraine NG Kerk, 7 Marne Avenue, Lorraine, Port Elizabeth, 5am, Shaun Roberts 082 711 1341

FAR NORTH

LIMPOPO
Saturday 10 November
Spar Bela-Bela Marathon, Half Marathon, 10km & 5km, Hoërskool Warmbad, 4 Swanepoel Street, Bela-Bela, 5:30am, Neels Venter 082 652 3518

MPUMALANGA
Saturday 3 November
Uniwisp Kaapsehoop Marathon, Half Marathon & 10km, The Pear Orchards, Kaapsehoop, to the Mbombela Stadium, 1 Bafana Road, Mataffin, Mbombela (Nelspruit), 5:30am (42 & 21) & 6am (10), Yolanda Steenkamp 060 852 0340
Buffalo Gorge Trail Series 18km, 6.5km, 2.5km, Buffalo Gorge Eco Adventure Centre, Buffelskloof Farm, Middelberg, 7:30am, Ryk Diepraam 083 528 9586
Wednesday 7 November
Sasol Secunda Night 10km & 4km, Sasol Recreation Club, Nelson Mandela Drive, Secunda, 7pm, Abednego Sibanyoni 082 332 9448
Saturday 10 November
Movember Half Marathon, 10km & 5km, Kees Taljaard Stadium, Middelburg, 6am, Theuns Luus 083 630 8729
Saturday 24 November
Elandskloof Trout Trail Run 21km, 10km & 5km, Elandskloof Trout Farm, off the R540, 8km from Dullstroom, 7am, Piet Schoeman 072 791 0378
KMI Trail Run 21km, 10km & 5km, KMI International Airport, on R538, near Nelspruit, 7am, Yolanda De Villiers 060 852 0340
Saturday 1 December
DCRS Cultural Festival Run Half Marathon, 10km & 5km, Bergvlam High School, Geelhout Avenue, Nelspruit, 6am, Yolanda Steenkamp 084-6076314

NORTH WEST

CENTRAL NORTH WEST
No races scheduled for this period

NORTH WEST NORTH
Sunday 11 November
B’Sorah Summer XL 21.6km Trail Run, B’Sorah Tented Camp, Farm Bassora, on R3 near Broederstroom, 6:30am, Wildrunner 072 438 3242
Gauteng Summer Trail Series #4 12.8km & 6.7km, B’Sorah Tented Camp, Farm Bassora, on R3 near Broederstroom, 7am & 7:21am, Wildrunner 072 438 3242
Saturday 24 November
Wild Africa's Red Nails & Savage Trails 17km, 12km, 6km & 2km, Glen Afric Country Lodge, off R512 near Broederstroom, 7am, Paul McIntyre 083 642 6698
Sunday 25 November
Platinum Belt Marathon, Venue & Time TBC, Syanda Sibiya 078 639 6234
Arnold Chatz Scrub Hare Trail Run 21km, 12km, 6km & 1.5km, Leeuwenkloof, on R3 near Broederstroom, 7am, 7:30am & 8am, Nina Durieux 083 275 2362

NORTHERN CAPE

GRIQUALAND WEST
Saturday 3 November
Louis Jooste Memorial Blue Run Half Marathon, 10km & 5km, Pirates Running Club, Jacobus Smith Street, Kimberley, 6:30am, Mark Hunt 082 462 4066
Saturday 17 November
Honorary Game Rangers Night Trail 10km & 5km, Rooifontein Game Farm, on R64 to Boshof, near Kimberley, 6:30pm, Justino de Freitas 083-3643898
Knights of Da Gama Half Marathon & 10km CANCELLED

NORTH WEST CAPE
No races scheduled in this period

NEIGHBOURING COUNTRIES

LESOTHO
Saturday 24 November
Lesotho Ultra Skymarathon 50km & 38km Mountain Challenge, Maliba Mountain Lodge, Tsehlanyane National Park, 5:30am, Lauren Booth 082 791 7069

NAMIBIA
Saturday 17 November
Breakfast Run 21.1km, 15km, 10km & 5km, Heja Game Lodge, on B6 East (Turn D1527), near Windhoek, 6am (21 & 10W) & 6:30am (10), Charles +264 (0)81 124 9471

ORIENTEERING
Sunday 11 November
Gauteng Score Event (Scatter Run), Hennops Trails, Magaliesberg, Gauteng, Time TBC, ROC: Ian Bratt 082 887 6611
Friday 23 November
Hex Valley Night Challenge 10-16km & 4km, Elim Farm, De Doorns, Western Cape, 7:15pm & 7:30pm, More info: www.entryninja.com
Saturday 24 November
Polokwane Rogaine, Laaste Hoop, Molepo, Limpopo, Time TBC, POC: Club Administrator 0734 62 6114
Saturday 1 December
Polokwane Rogaine, Lebowakgomo, Limpopo, Time TBC, POC: Club Administrator 0734 62 6114
Sunday 2 December
Gauteng Short Event (Novelty), Johannesburg, Gauteng, Time TBC, WITSOC: More info at www.orienteering.co.za

OBSTACLE RACING
Saturday 3 November
Muddy Princess Midrand 5km, Riversands Farm Village, Rose Road, Midrand, Gauteng, 8am, Race Info: [email protected]
Runstacles 10km & 4km, Cape Town Ostrich Ranch, Van Schoorsdrif Road, off N7, Philadelphia, Western Cape, 8:30am, The Grind HQ 021 813 9282
Sunday 4 November
Gajiga Run Stellenbosch, 5km (7 Obstacles), Vergenoegd Low Wine Estate, Baden powell Drive, near Faure, Western Cape, 8am, More info: [email protected]
Saturday 10 November
Jump City Challenge Stadium Dash Durban, Dash 6.5km & Junior 3.5km, People’s Park, Moses Mabhida Stadium, Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, Start times 7am to 9:35am, Gaby Nunes 011 022 0427
Marine OCR #4, 12km (38 obstacles), 8km (32) & 4km (23), Riviera Guest Farm, 30km north of Bloemfontein, Free State, 7am, More info: www.marineocr.co.za
Runstacles 10km & 4km, Cape Town Ostrich Ranch, Van Schoorsdrif Road, off N7, Philadelphia, Western Cape, 8:30am, The Grind HQ 021 813 9282
Saturday 17 November
Impi Challenge #4 Cape Town, 20km (26 Obstacles), 10km (18), 5km (11) & 1km (8), Wiesenhof Wildlife park, on R44 between Stellenbosch & Klapmuts, Various start times, More info: [email protected]
Waterra OCR Series #4, Distances: Heroes for a Day 10-15km with 30 obstacles, Heroes in Training 5-7km with 20, & Juniya Heroes 800m, Infinite Adventures, 23 Wootton Avenue, Hillcrest, Outer West Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, Stating times throughout day, More info: www.waterra.co.za
Sunday 18 November
Muddy Princess Bloemfontein 5km, Makarios Country Lodge, 115 Abrahamskraal Road, Bainsvlei, Bloemfontein, Free State, 8am, Race Info: [email protected]
Saturday 24 November
Toyota Warrior #8 powered by Reebok, Black Ops 15km (30 obstacles), Commando 10km (20), Rookie 5km (15) & Kids 1km (8); Warrioir Race Joburg, Cnr Nasrec & Rand Show, Soweto, Johannesburg, Gauteng, From 8am, Race Office 086 199 0001
Sunday 25 November
Lifestyle Challenge Trail Run 10km & 5km with Obstacles, D’Aria Wine Estate, Durbanville, 7am & 7:30am, More info: www.entryninja.com
Saturday 1 December
Muddy Princess Stellenbosch 5km, Sandringham Farm, Sandringham Road, off R304 between Stellenbosch and N1, Western Cape, 8am, Race Info: [email protected]

MULTISPORT
Saturday 3 November
North West Triathlon & Duathlon League, Tri: 1.5km/40km/10km, 750m/20km/5km & 400m/10km/2.5km, Du: 10km/40km/5km, 5km/20km/2.5km & 2.5km/10km/1.25km, Vaal River Boat Club, Orkney, North West Province, 8am, Yolanda 082 787 5496
Sunday 4 November
Tshwane Triathlon Association Provincial Champs, Standard 1.5km/40km/10km, Sprint 750m/20km/5km & Super Sprint 400m/5km/2.5km, Buffelspoort Dam, North West Province, 7am, 9am & 7:45am, Bernice van der Merwe 076 856 8134
Alley Roads Tri Series #1 Swim/Run Aquathlon, 1km/5km & 500m/2.5km, Ushaka Beachfront, Durban, Time TBC, More info: [email protected]
Saturday 10 November
Pura Soda Race 2 Stanford Triathlon, Half Iron 1.9km/90km/21.1km, Hermanus Harbour to Stanford Village Park, Western Cape, 8:30am, Race Office 021 438 5972 (w)
Free State Triathlon/Duathlon, Standard, Sprint & Super Sprint distances, Maselspoort, Bloemspruit AFB Road, north of Bloemfontein, Free State, 9am, Christa 073 718 5427
Saturday 17 November
Mariental ATU Triathlon African Cup, Standard 1.5km/40km/10km, Sprint 750m/20km/5km & Youth Super Sprint 400m/10km/2.5km, Hardap Dam, Mariental, Namibia, Time TBC, More info: [email protected]
Sunday 18 November
Alley Roads Tri Series #2 Swim/Run Aquathlon, 1km/5km & 500m/2.5km, Ushaka Beachfront, Durban, Time TBC, More info: [email protected]
Saturday 24 November
Standard Bank 5150 Nelson Mandela Bay, Olympic 1.5km/40km/10km & FunTri 400m/20km/5km, Nelson Mandela Bay, Eastern Cape, 7:30am (FunTri) & 8:10am (Olympic), Race Office 041 581 7990 (W)
Knysna Extreme Triathlon, 4km/170km/50km, Knysna to Diepwalle Forest Station, Time TBC, More info: www.knysnaxtreme.co.za
Sunday 25 November
Alley Roads Tri Series #3 Triathlon, Olympic 1.5km/40km/10km, Sprint 750m/20km/5km, Super Sprint 400m/10km/2.5km & Sub-Youth 200m/5km/1.25km, Midmar Dam, Howick, Time TBC, More info: [email protected]
Saturday 1 December
North West Triathlon & Duathlon League, Tri: 1.5km/40km/10km, 750m/20km/5km & 400m/10km/2.5km, Du: 10km/40km/5km, 5km/20km/2.5km & 2.5km/10km/1.25km, Vaal River Boat Club, Orkney, North West Province, 8am, Yolanda 082 787 5496
Sunday 2 December
MiWayLife Joburg Ultra, Ultra 1.9km/90km/21km & Sprint 600m/20km/5km, Cradle Moon Resort, Beyers Naude Drive, Muldersdrift, Time TBC, Race Office 072 083 6448
FNB Sandman Triathlon, Ultra 1.9km/90km/21.1km, Standard 1km/40km/10km, Sprint 400m/20km/4km & Mini 150m/7km/3km, The Mole, Swakopmund, Namibia, 7am, 8am, 8:30am & 8:45am, Yvonne +264 (0)81 142 9966

ADVENTURE RACING
No events scheduled in this period

Think Before You Bite and Spit!

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You reach the water station in your race, thirsty and looking for a mouthful of cold water to refresh yourself, and that sachet feels so cool in your hand. Bringing it up to your mouth, you carefully hold the sachet firmly while trying not to squeeze too tight, and then you bite the corner off. Quickly spitting the little plastic corner out, you take a long, cold drink, and feeling refreshed, you toss the now empty sachet in the Garbie dustbin and on you race. You’ve done your bit to #runclean…

STOP!

Ever wondered what happens to all those little plastic corners of sachets that thousands of runners spit out on to the road during races all over South Africa? Well, for one thing, they seldom get picked up by the clean-up crew once all the runners have passed by, because they’re just too small. Most of the time the clean-up crew doesn’t even see them.

BUT ANIMALS SEE THEM…

Most of those little corners get blown in to the bushes or grass beside the road, where birds and mammals all too often swallow them after mistaking them for something small to eat. In coastal areas particularly, these corners very quickly end up in stormwater drains or rivers and thus flow out to sea with the next rainstorm, where they too are mistaken for food. To a turtle, that small bit of plastic actually looks like a tasty little jellyfish treat. But instead of nourishment, all the turtle gets is a stomach full of plastic that it can’t process or expel, which clogs its system, and eventually the animal dies a very slow, painful death. Fish are also ingesting this plastic. The same fish we have on our post-race celebration sushi platter! So it is impacting on our health, too.

So next time you race, don’t just throw your empty sachet in the dustbin, make sure that even the smallest plastic bits don’t end up in the environment. Because taking an extra second or two to dispose of your waste responsibly could save a turtle, an ostrich, a dolphin or an albatross from a painful death someday. Sounds dramatic, we know, but sadly, it is happening – with so much of the single-use plastic we use and discard every day, not just our sachets.

Modern Athlete’s #runclean Campaign is part of a growing effort to stop runners littering during races, as this contributes to still more plastic waste ending up in our ecosystem. Think before you throw – #runclean!

IMAGES: Karoline Hanks & courtesy Two Oceans Marathon

Talking track

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Walk This Way – By Anel Oosthuizen

As a young girl watching athletics, I always admired how some athletes could run around a track non-stop and not seem to get tired. When I started race walking, doing just the 1500m, it felt like the longest three laps of my life, never even imagining that one day I would want to attempt a 50-lapper 20km! If I look back now, I realise how one’s mindset and perception of things plays such a big role in achieving your goals.

I started my athletics career when I was still in school and grew up doing a lot of track racing and learning about race walking through track. For me it has always felt a bit more nerve-wracking racing on the track, as it feels like I am surrounded by judges on every corner. (Which you actually are, because there are normally four judges on a 400m track, together with a main judge.)

As I always tell new race walking athletes that have just moved up to a new distance, the track should not be seen as your enemy, nor should you look at your distance as a large, frightening number of laps. What really works for me is taking it one lap at a time, concentrating on my time per lap and always trying to improve on the previous one. It goes by so quickly, and before you know it you will get that golden sound of the final lap bell ringing in your ears. The most crucial thing is to concentrate on something completely different than the amount of times that you have to walk around the same loop.

Lastly, it always feels like I have to concentrate more on technique when I am racing on the track, as you go around bends much more and also may be passing or lapping slower athletes, so concentrating on the perfection of locking your knee properly with every step is of utmost importance. How you walk around the track can either let you finish without any problems, or it can get you ‘into trouble’ with the judges and result in you standing in the pit lane watching as your fellow walkers are passing by. My motto is simply to keep your feet on the ground at all times. Literally and figuratively!

About the Author: Race Walker Anel Oosthuizen is a multiple SA Champion and Record Holder, who represented SA at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

IMAGE: Courtesy Anel Oosthuizen

Balancing Act to Run Faster

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Out of the Box – By Norrie Williamson

Proprioception is the awareness of joint and limb positions, and hence impacts on your ability to balance and your agility, and of course, your running speed and efficiency.

In running, the shorter the time your foot is on the ground, the higher the number of steps (cadence) you can take in a minute, and the more power/drive you can use to move your body forwards (by driving backwards with your legs). Poor proprioception means a longer time of foot-strike and more lateral forces to ensure balance, which is energy used (lost) in the incorrect direction. Shorter landings and low impact not only tend to bring higher running speed, but also reduced injury. Most experienced runners will have a contact time below 300 milliseconds, but many elites get under 200ms, with low-impact load transfer.

It is clear that a good level of proprioception minimises wasted energy in trying to balance and stabilise the landing foot, and hence allows more strides in a forward direction per minute. Also, improved contact balance obviously reduces the risk of falling. So, the logical question is, how can you improve your proprioception? Well, there are two conditions to consider: Static and dynamic.

Static, in my opinion, is the starting point. If you can’t balance, or have poor proprioception, in the static format, it’s unlikely you will be able to capture your best in the dynamic. To put that another way, if you can improve your static, you have a good chance of improving your dynamic. Therefore, doing a simple static exercise such as the ‘superman,’ where you go down on all fours, with your back straight, then raise one arm and the opposite leg off the ground, is a good starting point. Keep your back straight, the core tight, and leg and arm straight. Hold this for five seconds at first, then do the opposing side, and with practice build up to 20 seconds per side, and then try doing it with your eyes closed.

Even standing on one leg with the other knee-raised to 90 degree (static march) is a good test, and once mastered, becomes more challenging with your eyes closed. Again, commence with five seconds and build to 20 seconds in each case.

NEXT LEVEL
The one leg stand is usually easily and quickly mastered by most people, but you can take it to another level by using a foam balance pad. Normally these pads come in a size wide enough to cater for two feet, but Stellenbosch-based company B4play also offers a smaller single-foot version that is ideal for the traveller. (You’ll find them at www.b-4play.co.za.)

Everyone thinks it’s easy to stand on both feet on a balance pad, but try standing on one and throwing and catching a ball or small weight to and from a partner, and you immediately get the initial feel of imbalance, and the need for your ankles to gain stability. This comes from the neural system and small muscles and soft tissue. However, soon you will graduate to doing this on one leg, and then to wider and more erratic catch and throw movements. Further progression can include single leg squat movements to pick items from the ground. Doing all of these exercises without and then with the balance pad is a great measure of your progress and achievement.

Using two well-spaced pads is another way of improving your balance, and it can be made more running-like by downloading the ‘metrotimer’ from your app store. Starting with solid floor, run on the spot at around 80 beats per minute on the timer, landing on your forefoot, then progressing to 90 beats per minute, which will increase your cadence. Now try landing on the balance pads and build to the same cadence. This will decrease your ground contact time, increase your speed, and improve your proprioception for the running.

Now take it outside onto a 20 to 30-metre run, focusing on running tall, with lowest chest rib high, knees punching forward, leaning slightly forward and driving backward with the foot, and fast short strides, and soon you will have quick, light foot contact and be both more balanced and running faster.

About the Author
Norrie has represented Scotland, Great Britain and South Africa in ultra-distance running and triathlon, and he is an IAAF-accredited coach and course measurer. You can read more from him at www.coachnorrie.co.za.

IMAGE: Fotolia

Trim the Weight

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Now that winter has come to an end and summer is approaching, it’s not just our clothing layers we need to shed as the days get warmer, we also need to shed our excess winter weight. – BY ESMÉ MARÉ, REGISTERED DIETICIAN

We gain or lose weight when energy intake and expenditure are out of balance. For example, when we consume a small amount of food and expend a high amount of energy, such as with running, we will promote weight-loss. When we consume a large amount of food and expend a small amount of energy, such as when we stay warm indoors, then we will promote weight-gain. Here are some tips on how to lose the weight you gained during winter, and how to keep it off whilst benefiting your running.

1. Set realistic goals: Slower changes are much more effective in maintaining weight-loss over a longer period of time. This will also preserve your lean muscle mass needed for running. Remember, it takes time to adopt new eating habits. Aim for a weight loss of 0.5 to 1kg per week.
2. Never go shopping hungry: It’s easier to stick to a plan when you only have healthy food and drinks in your house.
3. Don’t starve yourself: Eat small, frequent meals every two to three hours to avoid feelings of food deprivation and to keep your metabolism going, and this will also ensure sustained energy levels. Starving yourself will slow down your metabolism and you will find it difficult to run on low energy levels.
4. Have breakfast: Within an hour of waking up, eat a healthy breakfast to jumpstart your metabolism and promote weight-loss.
5. Plan your meals: Eat your meals and snacks at set times, and don’t eat while studying, working, driving or watching television. Don’t eat out of packets or take food straight from the fridge, rather dish up food onto a plate and eat with utensils. This will help you to keep track of how much you are eating and when you are feeling full.
6. Use smaller dishes: Eat your meals out of smaller dishes so they appear larger and you will eat less. Similarly, use a slender glass for all drinks except water.
7. Chew your food slowly: Aim to take at least 20 minutes to complete a full meal and stop immediately when you start feeling full.
8. Go for colour: To ensure that a variety of nutrients needed for a healthy body are consumed, half of your plate should be colourful vegetables or salad.
9. Choose quality carbohydrates: Brown basmati rice, sweet potato, baby potatoes, quinoa, whole-wheat pasta, etc, should fill a quarter of your plate.
10. Choose quality protein: Lean pork, beef, ostrich, chicken, legumes or fish should fill another quarter of your plate.
11. Prepare meals: Avoid purchasing high-fat, high-sugar foods by preparing healthy meals and snacks in advance.
12. Cook with as little fat as possible: Remove excess skin and fat off meat and chicken before cooking.
13. Drink six to eight glasses of water daily: If you struggle, try drinking a glass of water before each meal and snack.
14. Reward yourself: When you do well with your nutritional programme, get a massage or buy yourself new clothes.

IMAGE: Fotolia

Girl Power

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Kalmer’s Corner – By Modern Athlete Brand Ambassador René Kalmer

I had the privilege of celebrating Women’s Month by spending it in fine style with more than a dozen special women in my life!

Running, racing and appreciating this beautiful month with fellow females all over South Africa makes August a beautiful month. I also appreciate the fact that I’m able to travel the country again to take part in races, spending quality ‘sister-time’ with Christine, and enjoying a full night’s sleep (without my daughter Karli), where not even race day nerves can wake me up at night!

My journey back to full fitness over the past year after the injury and my pregnancy, has been quite a rollercoaster ride, filled with many ups and downs and a lot of mixed emotions. What I have learnt over the past year is to really appreciate my health and mobility, and not to compare myself to the younger, fitter and faster René I used to be. I have also learnt to enjoy the small victories along this new journey of running while being a working mom, and that includes being selected to represent Central Gauteng at the SA 21km Champs in PE in July. I can’t even remember when last I wore the red and black CGA vest, but I was very proud and excited to represent my province again.

Friendly Rivalry
After a running career of more than two decades, I have also come to realise that running is actually not an individual sport. In the past, I would never have discussed my race goal and strategy with a fellow competitor, but that has recently changed, as I have experienced the value of working together as a team to achieve individual goals. For example, on the start line in PE I told my KPMG teammate Stella Marais (running for Gauteng North) what my goal was and we decided to work together. Then 1km into the race we caught up with Anel Terblanche, another KPMG teammate who was running for Western Province and told her what our goal was. It was similar to her goal, so she too joined the pack.

Stride for stride we ran together, handing each other water sachets at the water tables and chasing down the girls in front of us. At the end, Stella sneaked into the top 10, I finished 11th and Anel 12th. It was celebrations all round on the finish line, with Stella and Anel crushing their PB’s by more than two minutes. I was also impressed with my sub-80min, which was my best 21km time in more than two years. The KPMG team was also over the moon with Christine’s great podium finish, as she claimed third place in 1:15:34.

Girls’ Day Out
Next stop was the fourth leg of the Spar Grand Prix series in Pretoria, always a highlight on the running calendar. This time around I arranged with 20 girls from the Vorentoe High School to join me for the race in Centurion, and what a festive experience it was! Andre was the bus driver for a big group of the girls and it was great seeing the girls playing DJ and jamming to their favourite tunes while travelling to the race. Meanwhile, in my car I had to answer questions on life, love and even some more difficult questions on boyfriends, future husbands and parenthood. It made me realise the innocence of their youth, but it was great to listen to the girls’ stories.

In the race, I finished 20th in a time of 38 minutes and was very happy to be back in the top 20. What made the day more special, however, was the time spent at the stadium with the Vorentoe girls after the race. They really had a great time dancing to Denim, sliding down the grass embankments on cardboard boxes, and generally just having a ball. The balloons were also a big hit and we had to take LOTS of them back to Johannesburg to decorate their rooms back at the school.

We finished the day with a McDonalds burger, Coke and Ice-cream – the way Women’s Month should be celebrated – and both the girls and I are already looking forward to the final Spar Women’s Race at Marks Park in Johannesburg in October! I am thankful once again for Spar, for inspiring and supporting women in general by getting thousands of women, young and old, to do some exercise while spending time with precious friends. #GirlPower

IMAGES: Courtesy Rene Kalmer

I Blame Phuti!

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The Running Mann – By Stuart Mann

Some weeks back I was all set for my ninth Comrades, and I wasn’t planning to conclude my Comrades taper with my first adventure race. I was planning to be a sensible ultra marathon runner! But then Phuti replied to my tweet…

In Mid-May I was invited to do the Media Pre-run of the Jozi Urban Run Adventure, or JURA, as it is known, and I then posted a few of my photos on Twitter – and this is where Phuti comes in. Her seemingly innocuous reply to my Tweet, “These are the kind of things that I will be doing after Comrades,” was the gentle nudge that disturbed the delicate balance in my prefrontal cortex.

One thing you should know about many Comrades runners is that they love to finish Comrades, and talk about Comrades, but it’s only the masochists and psychotically challenged who actually love running the damn thing! So, the week before Comrades, you are a bundle of nerves, violently oscillating between excitement and dread, and many Comrades runners secretly hope for a valid excuse to avoid 12 hours of pain on the second Sunday in June.

I won’t deny some part of me thought that if I broke an ankle or fell on my head at the JURA, I would be able to escape my annual bout of Comrades anguish and mental torture, so there may be a myriad of deep-rooted subconscious psychological reasons for doing my first adventure race the week before Comrades – but it’s simpler to just blame Phuti!

Comrades Mentality
When it comes to tapering for Comrades, I normally go cold turkey, but this year I was trying to be more diligent to prevent my muscles from going into atrophy. I wanted to run about 18-20km to round off my training, and the JURA has 6km and 12km options. I therefore went for the 12km option, but this still left me 6km short. Fortunately I have an old school friend, David, who lives 3km from the start in Marks Park in Emmarentia, so with a 3km warm-up and warm-down, he was the logical choice to join me on this adventure.

Some people will tell you that it’s very easy to know if someone has run Comrades – because they’ll tell you. This is a terrible stereotype, because many of us are far too modest to go around bragging about running the greatest ultra on the planet. No, we use more subtle methods to show off our accomplishments… like a puffed-up chest inside a Comrades race shirt. This made the choice of attire for my first adventure race easy – the only complication was which Comrades shirt to wear. I eventually decided on the understated luminous orange 2015 edition, but not wanting to rub it in the faces of the recreational runners, I went for a neutral cap.

The Red Mist
To prevent congestion on the route, there are batch starts, and we’d been slotted into Batch H for an 8:40am start – perfect for a bit of lie-in, and also provided the sun with enough time to take the chill out of the winter air. David and I watched a few batches set off with a sack race before disappearing into the Johannesburg wilderness, while a couple of announcers, cheer leaders and dancers made for a vibey and entertaining atmosphere at the start.

Soon enough it was our turn and we lined up at the back of our batch. David is a man of integrity and religion, soft-spoken and mild-mannered, but when that gun fires the red mist comes down and his competitive side brutally erupts. David showed Batch H his immaculate sack-racing skills, powering to the front and demolishing all those who got in his way. If I was going to get injured during the JURA, I didn’t want it to be at the first challenge, so I was more dainty in my approach – but I did make a mental note that David would be a good shopping companion for future Black Friday sales!

The entire course is urban trail along the Braamfontein Spruit. If you want to see the natural beauty of Johannesburg – no, that’s not an oxymoron – this is the best way to do it. There are also quite a few inflatable obstacles, which proved to be very entertaining, but we both have young daughters, and with that comes significant “jumping castle” experience, so we bounced over these obstacles with ease. I was also grateful for an opportunity to rest my feet for a short while as I crossed the monkey bars.

Fit and Ready
And after all that, the good news for my Comrades medal count (and bad news for my legs) was that I didn’t manage to get injured, and therefore had to join 20,000 other idiots at the Comrades start line the following Sunday.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Stuart’s lifetime goal is to attract a beer sponsor with his running blogs, but he will settle for a travel sponsor so that he can run more races and share their stories. Read his full blogs at http://runningmann.co.za, and follow him @runningmann100.

IMAGES: Courtesy Stuart Mann

Carrying the Cause

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When it comes to setting goals, most runners aim for a specific race, time or medal, but Karoline Hanks has a different goal, to convince runners to think about their use of single-use plastic sachets in road races. Karoline and her team have been trying to rather develop a sachet-free hydration system, so that more single-use plastic doesn’t end up in the wetlands, rivers and oceans. – BY SEAN FALCONER

It all started in April 2013 when Karoline went for a run on Chapman’s Peak a few days after the Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon. “It was a very windy race that year and when I looked down on the verges next to the road, I just saw a whole lot of plastic sachets, so I went down and started cleaning up, but soon realised I had a bigger job on my hands. I went home, got some bags and filled up three and a half bags of sachets, plastic bottles and polystyrene peaks. It was all still there three days after the clean-up crew had been through, and that made me really angry.”

“When I got home I did a bit of research and realised it was just part of a much bigger problem, because road races happen all over the place, and this pollution happens every weekend! So I wrote an article that night, still filled with all that rage, and it was published verbatim in the Cape Times. The very day the article was published, I received a call from the then Two Oceans race director, who asked if they could talk to me, and I went into that meeting with a couple of the bags of rubbish I had collected. Halfway through the discussion, I put the bags on the table and told them that it was unacceptable.”

CAUSE FOR CONCERN
Having grown up with parents who worked in conservation, Karoline has always been passionate about the environment, both in her work in the media and now through her business, SUPA (Single Use Plastic Alternatives), producing home-made environmentally-friendly products. That’s why she has worked tirelessly since 2013 to try get the running community to change its littering ways, but she concedes that her efforts initially focused unfairly just on the Two Oceans, notably receiving wide coverage when she shared pics on social media of the race waste she cleared from the route after the clean-up crews were supposed to have cleared it away.

“I know I have taken a few digs at Two Oceans over the years, and I realise down the line it was perhaps a bit disingenuous of me, that it would have been better to get into positive dialogue with them, but thankfully the relationship has improved a lot since 2017, leading to regular meetings and real efforts to clean up the race. Those meetings in turn led to an amazing workshop at the Sport Science Institute, with Western Province Athletics, Two Oceans, running clubs, journo’s and sports scientists involved. There’s also been a huge increase in awareness, thanks to campaigns such as Modern Athlete’s #runclean, and turning sachets into desks through the #GoGreen campaign.”

CARRYING SOLUTION
Karoline believes the best option is to get rid of sachets completely. The #icarrymyown campaign calls on runners to carry their own water in hydration packs or hand-held bottles. “I started carrying my own water in 2014, with a pic of a turtle swallowing a plastic bag pinned to my hydration pack. Unbelievably, one runner actually said to me, ‘What a pretty picture!’ It’s a slow process to convince runners to change, but I think it has received a positive response, and I want to highlight the efforts of my co-campaigner Kim Walker, who also came up with the campaign byline and logo.”

One of the big success stories of the campaign has been the introduction of refill stations in several races in the Cape, where runners carrying their own hydration containers can refill mid-race. “These amazing hydration stations were built by Richard Sutton, and they’re basically a framework of tanks, pipes and taps that he rolled out at his own races, the Milkwood and Chappies Challenge half marathons. He’s the first race organiser to say no sachets in his races, and it’s been phenomenally successful,” says Karoline.

So far this year the refill stations have been used at the Red Hill and Peninsula Marathons, the Safari Half Marathon and Two Oceans itself, with runners told via social media where they can stop for a quick, easy refill thanks to the imported high-pressure taps Richard has used. “I ran some of those races, and if anything, I actually saved time by stopping to refill while avoiding the jams at all the sachet stations. It also felt good to say no thanks to all that plastic!” says Karoline. “Now more race organisers are approaching us to ask for the refill stations at their races, and that’s great news, because it’s important that we reduce the demand for single-use plastic in the road running space. It’s a simple hydration issue for runners, but the impact is that this stuff ends up leaking into our natural ecosystem, is ingested by wildlife and is ultimately entering the food chain – which has massive health implications for all of us.”

IMAGES: Courtesy Karoline Hanks

Track Time

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Track work can appear to be mundane, but once you begin to see the benefits, you’ll be wishing every day was track day. – BY RAY ORCHISON, REGISTERED COACH

Track sessions break the monotony of pounding the same old route and bring something new to your training, but most importantly, they help you go faster. That’s because track work changes your biomechanics. For however long you’ve been running slowly, you’ve been conditioning your body, mind, muscle fibres and millions of neural pathways to function a certain way. Track work begins to change your biomechanics to be better suited for running faster – more muscle fibre recruitment, improved metabolic function and the creation of new neural pathways are just some of the adaptations that occur. Just remember, these adaptations take time, and the more gradually you build up the speed work, the better off and more injury-free you’ll be.

For a distance runner, there are few occasions when a track session will be a flat-out effort, because the risk in terms of injury is far greater than the reward. Instead, the pace at which you should be doing your intervals or repeats depends largely on the training adaptation you want. In other words, are you looking for aerobic or anaerobic improvements? That’s a book on its own, so let’s keep this practical and give you a few sessions you can use.

BEGINNERS:
If you’ve never done track or speed work before, or if you’re coming back from a long layoff, then here are a few sessions just for you.
• Beginner #1: 15-20min easy warm-up, then 4x200m at 10-15sec per/km faster than your 5km race pace, with 200m jog between repeats, followed by 15-20min very easy cool-down jog. Increase by two repeats each week up to eight or 10 repeats. Once you start to get comfortable with eight repeats, then begin to increase your speed gradually up to 15-30sec per/km faster than your 5km race pace.
• Beginner #2: 15-20min easy warm-up, then 2x800m at 5km race pace with 3-4min easy jog between repeats, then 15-20min very easy cool-down jog. This type of session can be done every second or third week, adding an additional two reps every second or third session.

INTERMEDIATE:
If you’ve done some quality work before, like hill repeats or tempo sessions or even a few track sessions, and you can comfortably handle 60 to 90km of training in a week, then these sessions are for you.
• Intermediate #1: 20min easy, then 8-10x400m at 15-20sec faster than 5km race pace with 90sec very easy jog between repeats, then 20min very easy.
• Intermediate #2: 20min easy, then 4-6x1000m at current to 5sec faster than 5km race pace, with 3-4min easy jog between repeats, then 20min very easy.

ADVANCED:
For those runners who are aiming to run silver medal times in races, are capable of handling 100km or more per week, and are currently doing some track work.
• Expert #1: 20min easy, then 10-15x400m at 15-20sec faster than 5km race pace with 45-90sec rest between repeats, then 20min very easy.
• Expert #2: 20min easy, then 6x1000m at 15-20sec faster than 5km race pace with 2-3min easy jog between repeats, then 20min very easy.

IMAGE: Fotolia