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Troublesome Triple Green

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I can now really say that I have seen the good, the bad and the ugly of Comrades. I won it in 1993. I have run a silver time 10 times. I got put in the ambulance in 2013 and finished my race in St. Anne’s Hospital. Now in 2016, going for my 30th medal and Triple Green Number, I got cut off in Pinetown. The one thing I still have never done, however, is voluntarily got into a ‘bailer bus.’ – BY TILDA TEARLE

This year my training went well up until 1 May. Then I ran the Deloitte Marathon and at 39km I pulled up like a lame horse. If I had been a race horse, I would have been shot immediately… and probably made into meat pies. Luckily, I am not a horse.

I didn’t run a step for two weeks, and after much poking, prodding and ‘wheel alignments,’ I was able to limp 4 or 5km at a time. The week before Comrades, things were feeling a bit better, and my thoughts were “better to try and fail than not try at all,” so I decided to remain optimistic and confident. I knew that I would have to take painkillers on Comrades day, so discussed this with a doctor who reluctantly wrote a prescription for medication that would not cause nausea. He told me that he believed “my balls” were too big!

 

Stiff Upper Lip

Comrades’ morning dawned and off I went to Pietermaritzburg, with hope, but not the same feeling of joy I normally have. I knew I was in for a tough day, but Savages club mate Robbie Richie and I planned to run together if everything went according to plan. On a ‘Down Run’ I make arrangements to see husband Clive and my mom in Alexandra Road. This year I ran past them, gave them a hand tap and burst into tears, but Robbie gave me a pat on the back and I pulled myself together. There was no time for tears.

From there on the run was uneventful. The sun came up and I saw “the cow,” “the rhino,” and the lady being pushed in the adult pram. Our pace was slow, but on track, and before halfway I found Dave Williams, who said he was fine but slow. Suddenly I realised I needed to get moving to get through halfway before cut-off… I have never had to worry about cut-off times before! Thankfully, we skidded through halfway with about five minutes to spare, but by this time I was into “pain management.” After so many hours this tablet, then after so many hours that tablet.

 

Getting Harder

At Heidi’s I stopped at the Riverside tent for a chat and a bite of a sandwich. I was told that Dave Williams was a minute behind me, and I was happy he had got through halfway as well. Robbie and I soldiered on, but later I lost him when he went on ahead. I got to Hillcrest and met my sister, who had a sandwich for me, and I told her I would prefer a Rennies tablet, and that I really wished the day was over. I had now found a new friend from Boksburg, who attached himself to me, and we soldiered on. My legs were on fire and my kneecaps felt like nipple caps. I was hating the day.

When we got to Pinetown someone said that we had two minutes before cut-off, and suddenly we were sprinting (at least, I thought so) through Pinetown to get to the cut-off point in time. My watch said 9:33 and the cut-off was 9:30. The barriers were up and they were pulling up the timing mats, so I quickly jumped on a mat so that anyone tracking me could see I had gotten to Pinetown. The decision that I was not finishing Comrades 2016 had been made for me.

 

Home, James…

I gladly got into the ‘Greyhound’ that was waiting for the cut off runners. In fact, there were many buses, as there were many runners who didn’t get to Pinetown in time. The cut-off bus is actually a fine place: There are biscuits, potatoes, juice, and more, but on the bus I told those runners that were moaning to stop. I told them if they die tomorrow, it would never be written on their gravestone, “Here lies so and so… he failed to finish Comrades 2016.” I also told the novices to look at the number I was supposed to be running, and that I should be the sad one. Then a female novice with a cell phone came to sit next to me, and started taking selfies of herself with me. She wanted proof that we were on the same bus!

Meanwhile, I used her phone to call Clive and tell him I had missed cut-off and would see him at the finish, but there were no tears. And as our bus sped down to Kingsmead, I looked out the window at the suffering runners and thought to myself, “I’m actually glad I’m on the bus.” But when I tried to get off the bus, I needed two guys to lift me off and put me on the ground!

 

Once dropped at the finish, you have to go through a special entrance and over a timing mat – I suppose they track how many cut-off runners there are. There is coffee, tea, Coke, soup, etc., and there are tables and chairs for relaxing. I didn’t relax, instead going to wait for Clive, but he was taking a long time to get there, so I went to our plan B and dragged my body to the Savages tent. I then got Claire to phone him and tell him to meet me there. He duly arrived and said he was sad for me – in fact, he had been feeling sad the whole day, because he knew I was not happy – but I have to admit to not shedding one tear over a non-finish. In life, I have always taken the good with the bad. Comrades will always be there, and I would prefer to enjoy my 30th rather than hate every step. As they say in the classics, “I will be back.”

Women in Blue Excel

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The KPMG running club has had much to celebrate in recent weeks, including the news of Christine Kalmer being selected for the Olympics and Kerry-Ann Marshall winning her first gold medal at the Comrades Marathon.

 

Christine to Fly the SA Flag

On 25 May, SA’s Olympic governing body, SASCOC, announced the first names of Team South Africa for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, and the Champagne corks popped as Team KPMG heard the news we had been waiting for, that our very own Christine Kalmer was selected as one of three to represent South Africa in the Women’s Marathon!

We asked Christine how she felt about being selected and even a few weeks later she was still trying to take it all in. “I don't think the fact that I have made the Olympic team has completely sunk in yet. After the 1992 Olympic Games, where Elana Meyer won the silver medal in the 10,000m, I knew that was something I would like to be part of. I was six years old at the time, and I have been dreaming about it for 24 years now, so having that dream become a reality is quite surreal.”

Understandably, training for the Olympics has been Christine’s focus since she qualified late last year in Valencia with a time of 2:33:43. “I am building up to the Olympics, and most important is to build my base right so I will peak on race day,” she says. She adds that training through the cold winter months in Johannesburg is a challenge, but she still won’t turn to the treadmill. “It’s too boring, you count every passing second, and have to look out in front of you all the time to make sure you don’t fall off! My sister Rene and I still get up at 5am to go out for our runs, and with the right gear the cold doesn’t really bother us… but it does make it more difficult to get out of bed!”

Travelling to the Olympics in a far-off country will mean leaving most of her support base back at home, but Christine will have her family with her in Rio, so she is far more relaxed about the trip. “I am very fortunate to have my support crew going with me, as Rene, my parents and my fiancé Aiden are all planning to make the trip to Rio as well. So I can’t wait for the Games in August!”

 

Kerry Reaching for the Stars

It seems that Kerry-Ann Marshall was running even before she started walking. “My mum used to say that I could run before I could crawl,” says Kerry, who grew up with running in her blood as the whole family went along with mom to all the races to second her dad. Her own athletic journey started early and at the age of seven she ran her first 8km race.

Her family’s love affair with running also led to Kerry’s passion for the Comrades Marathon. “As a little girl I would wake up early to watch the Comrades start, and I would be glued to the TV until the final gun. I remember seeing the top runners receive a rose as they entered the stadium, and since then I have dreamed of one day receiving a Comrades Rose, too,” she says. Well, this year her dream came true as she was presented with a rose as she took sixth position in the women’s race, having earned two silvers in 2014 and 2015.

Kerry says her love for running goes to the depths of who she is as a person. “Through running I feel like I have gained a richer understanding of life and who I am as a person. Running is my happy place, where I feel complete and where I can just be. I feel running and doing ultra’s like Comrades can translate into our lives as we overcome everyday challenges and realise that with the right mindset and commitment, anything is possible. In a race, negative thoughts rarely cross my mind – I like to leave all my doubts at the start line. However, if things start to go awry, rather than dwell on the problems, I usually adjust my expectations and focus on positive thoughts. I try to draw energy from the supporters, or chat to other runners and think about the hard work that got me to the start line in the first place.”

“I feel really fortunate to have been given the opportunity to live my dream, and I am blessed to have so many amazing people involved in the background, like coaches, physios, my husband, my family, training partners, KPMG, Salomon and friends. Without their love, support and guidance, I would never have gotten to this point.”

The Quiet Champ

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He may still have been able to fly under the proverbial radar before the 2016 Comrades Marathon, but newly crowned Comrades champion and Down Run record holder David Gatebe’s life will never be the same after his scintillating win in Durban at the end of May. – BY SEAN FALCONER

 

When the top contenders for the 2016 Comrades Marathon were introduced to the media at the pre-race athletes’ press conference, David Gatebe joined his TomTom Athletic Club mates and coach John Hamlett on the stage, but he was not asked any questions by the media. That’s partly because 2015 champion Gift Kelehe was next to him and fielded most of the questions, and partly because David simply was not rated as one of the top contenders for the win, given that he ‘only’ finished 24th, 32nd and 21st in the three previous editions of the race.

Granted, he was still recognised by the journalists, thanks to having won the Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon in 2013, as well as having won the SA Marathon title in 2008 and the City to City Ultra in Gauteng, but his Comrades record didn’t hold up to that of several other runners at the press conference, and he thus flew under the radar – which probably suited the quietly spoken, somewhat shy athlete from Rustenburg.

Well, all that has changed now, thanks to his blisteringly fast run in the 2016 Comrades. Not only did he surprise the pundits by coming through for the win, improving his best Down Run time from 6:05:12 (32nd in 2014) to 5:18:19, but he also smashed the 5:20:41 Down Run record held by Leonid Shvetsov since 2007! That meant he earned himself the biggest ever prize purse in SA athletic history – R400,000 for first place, R400,000 incentive for breaking the record, R190,000 for being first South African, a bonus R100,000 from the Ministry of Sport, and a hot spot prize of R20,000, for a total of R1.11 million. He also made sure that he will never be overlooked again at an athletes’ press conference in South Africa!

 

Dashed Hopes

David (35) hails from Maokeng township in Kroonstad, in the Free State, the third of five siblings, and he came to Rustenburg after completing school in 2004 to look for work. “I did not have money to pay for studies, so I decided to go to Rustenburg looking for a job, and I ended up working at a filling station as a pump attendant,” he says, adding that he found solace in his running to offset his disappointment, taking up marathons and ultras in 2005, leading to his SA national title in 2008.

David believes that his fortune started improving in 2012, when he met sports manager Blackie Swart, who worked at Impala Platinum Mines (Implats) in Rustenburg. He had just won a local 10km race in Rustenburg, breaking the course record, and Blackie was impressed: “We chatted and, after a while we agreed that I would organise for him to come and work with me, so I could train him and expose him to what he loved to do most, athletics. That is how he joined Implats as a sports clerk. He never looked back, training hard every day, and went on to win the Two Oceans Marathon in 2013, and then ran the Comrades that same year. He was only beginning, and I think he always knew what he was working towards – winning the Comrades.”

While he appreciates his mentor’s words, David says his early attempts at Comrades showed that he was not yet quite ready for the 90km ultra.”My first Comrades was in 2013, after winning Two Oceans, and I was trying to win both in the same year, but I realised that winning Comrades is something that takes serious work. I improved a bit the next two years, but I knew I still needed to do more work. The Comrades is a different race to the Two Oceans. It is a long race!” he chuckles.

That saw him join the newly formed TomTom Athletics Club and head to Dullstroom in Mpumalanga for two months of altitude training with Gift and the rest of the squad. The training went very well, and David says he came back from the mountains knowing he was in peak shape. “I was fit for the race and knew that I could win it. I could not wait any longer; I was well prepared mentally and physically. I even told my teammates that I was going for the record, that I wanted to finish the race in five hours 19, while the record was five hours 20,” he says.

 

Target Achieved!

And so race day arrived, the so-called ‘TV runners’ dominated the early stages before eventually dropping off the pace, and then the serious contenders came through, with David amongst the leaders. Coming through Kloof, David took the lead with the clock showing 3:47, flew down Fields Hill, stretched his lead still further going up Cowies Hill, and it was then that his thoughts really became focused on the record. “When I smelt the sea with 10km to go and I saw the time, I knew nobody would catch me. Then my coach yelled at me that I could beat the Russian’s record and that seemed a good thing to do.”

He crossed the line in 5:18:19, still looking strong, then dropped to the ground to pump out six push-ups. “I wanted to show that I could still go for another 5km or 10km. I was probably overly prepared for the race, and after achieving my goal of winning it, I felt an overwhelming energy rush at the finish line. And now the record is back in South Africa. I am very, very happy,” he says.

 

Return to Normal Life

With just over a million in cash coming his way soon – once doping control tests have been completed and the race results are officially accepted – David could be forgiven for saying that it’s time to enjoy life a bit, but the humble champion remains as focused as ever on his running, and is already talking about next year’s racing. “I am looking forward to next year’s Comrades, which is an Up Run, my favourite. My aim is to take the bar even higher in terms of my record,” he says.

When not working or running, David relaxes at home with his wife and two young daughters, and he attributes much of his success to their support. “My wife understands that everything about me revolves around athletics, but that’s not the be-all and end-all of what I do. At some point, my family does take charge, but one of the reasons why I love running is because they encourage me and they’re my biggest supporters. With this win, I know they are proud of me, and they’ve encouraged me not to change my lifestyle, but to keep running.”

As for the money, David says he is not going to be spending it when it arrives, but rather safekeeping it for his children’s education. “I struggled when I grew up in Kroonstad and I never had the chance of following my passion for management and advertising, so I’m going to invest in the education for my two little ones, because I don’t want them to go through what I went through. I want to ensure that my children get a better future with the best education that I never got,” he says, adding that he also has no intention of leaving Implats. “If there’s one thing I’m not going to do, that’s to quit my job. It’s very important to me.”

 

Doubling Up at the Ultras

Thanks to his win in the 2016 Comrades Marathon, David Gatebe now joins a very select group of athletes who have won both premier ultra-marathons in South Africa, the Comrades and the Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon. More women have managed the feat over the years, but amongst the men it is a rare achievement! (To date, only four of these athletes have won both races in the same year.)

According to well known athletics statistician, David’s win also gives him another record: “Gatebe now has the unique distinction of being the only male runner who has won the SA marathon title, the Two Oceans and the Comrades. The only other athlete who has managed this feat is Frith van der Merwe, who won all three races in a single year in 1989.”

 

Welcome to the Fabulous 40s

This year’s Comrades saw three more athletes complete their 40th run to join the exclusive but expanding Quadruple Green Number Club. Vic Boston, Tommy Neitski and Zwelitsha Tiger Gono not only brought the club membership up to 12, but Tommy and Zwelitsha also became the first runners of colour to achieve 40 Comrades finishes. Between them, these 12 remarkable runners now have a combined total of 500 Comrades Marathons:

Dave Rogers             45

Barry Holland           44

Louis Massyn           44

Alan Robb                 42

Dave Lowe                42

Clive Crawley           42

David Williams         41

Kenny Craig              40

Riel Hugo                  40

Zwelitsha Gono        40

Tommy Neitski         40

Vic Boston                 40

Clive and Kenny were the first runners to hit 40 medals in 1998, but it would only be in 2005 that Dave Rogers joined the club, followed by Riel in 2008, and that’s how it stayed until 2012. Since then, however, a steady stream of runners have joined the 40 club – two in 2012 (Barry and Louis), two in 2013 (Alan and Dave Lowe), one in 2014 (David), and now three in 2016. Of the still active runners in the club, this year saw Barry and Louis climb to 44 medals, just one behind Dave Rogers, but sadly, Alan, Dave Lowe and David all failed to finish the 2016 race.

 

Hero Status for Pacesetters

One of the highlights of the 2016 Comrades Marathon was once again the Modern Athlete Pacesetting Buses, expertly led home by our volunteer Pacesetters, some of whom have been doing this job for many years and have built up a dedicated following. These are the only official pacesetting buses at Comrades, and runners can ‘climb on the bus’ of their choice and rely on the ‘bus driver’ to guided them home within their target times.

Once again we offered the standard sub-9:00 (Bill Rowan cut-off), sub-11:00 (Bronze cut-off) and sub-12:00 (Vic Clapham cut-off) buses, and this year we added a sub-10:00 bus, which proved just as popular as the more established buses. Just take a look at the photos of the various buses and you will see the size of the groups that congregated around the bus drivers.

 

Sub-9:00: Johan van Tonder

Finished: 8:54:32

 

Sub-10:00: Linda ‘The Coach’ Hlophe

Finished: 9:57:22

 

Sub-11:00: Arnold Nkosi

Finished: 10:46:20

 

Sub-11:00: Chris Kubeka

Finished: 10:51:09

 

Sub-11:00: Jeff Ramokoka

Finished: 10:51:49

 

Sub-11:00: Jackie Campher

Finished: 10:53:42

 

Sub-12:00: Buks van Heerden

Finished: 11:45:24

 

Modern Athlete would like to thank all of our Comrades Pacesetters for your incredible effort and performance at Comrades 2016. You guys once again did a terrific job and helped thousands of your fellow runners achieve their Comrades goals – and you deserve the hero status those runners now give you!

Respected Athletics Journo Mark Ouma Dies

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Modern Athlete is saddened by the news of the passing away of veteran Kenyan sports journalist, Mark Ouma on Sunday 10 July at the King Edward VIII Hospital in Durban after a short illness.

Mark was known throughout Africa for his work as the Sports Editor of Voice of America’s Day Break Africa News, and in particular for his extensive coverage of athletics and road running on the continent, including much time spent in South Africa. He was 56 years old.

Mark started his career as a lecture in philosophy at Makerere University and then Egerton University, both in Kenya, before pursuing his passion as an international journalist at the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), later moving to Voice of America (VOA).

He was in Durban to cover the Confederation of African Athletics (CAA) Senior African Championships, but could only attend the first day of competition on 23 June before being taken ill and admitted to hospital.

Modern AthleteEditor Sean Falconer remembers meeting Mark for the first time in 2000 at the Old Mutual Om Die Dam ultra-marathon.

“I was new to the athletic journalism field, but Mark immediately made me feel welcome and was happy to discuss events, story leads and the like. He was often running a bit late and seemed a bit disorganised at times, but everybody forgave him that because of his incredible passion for the sport and energy in doing his job.”

Athletics South Africa President Aleck Skhosana, described Mark’s passing as tragic. “We are shattered. After our initial visits to check on him at hospital, we had been confident that he will pull through after he had been his bubbly self since he was admitted on Friday 24 June for tests.

Mark will always be remembered as an advocate of African athletics and a professional in his work. I met Mark all over the world doing what he loved best, promoting African athletics. We have lost a brother. Our deepest condolences go to his family, colleagues and his friends. May his soul rest in peace.”

A statement from the Ouma family in Kenya said, “While we mourn the death of an eloquent speaker with a strong character, we also celebrate his remarkable life as an ardent sports enthusiast with a decisive sense of fair play. This he brought into his diligent reporting and coverage of sporting events the world over.

For those who may ask what they can do to honour and put an eternal smile on Marks’ face, we have a simple request, that as you continue to savour the numerous moments of sporting joy, exercise discipline in sports and ensure a sense of fair play – always.”

Marais and Steyn Dominate the Momentun Health OatWell DualX

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The penultimate event of the BIG5 Sport Challenge, The Momentum Health OatWell DualX powered by PeptoPro, took place on Thursday, 7 July 2016 at the 33rd annual Pick N Pay Knysna Oyster Festival with Stuart Marais and Andrea Steyn clocking the fastest times.

By achieving the times, they did, Stuart and Andrea cemented their spots at the top of the overall standings of the BIG5 Sport Challenge men’s and ladies’ races. The popular, high endurance DualX challenge kicked off with a 5km run followed by a gruelling 30km off-road cycle and finished with another 2.5km run.

Stellenbosch-based professional triathlete, Stuart Marais, continued his dominance after winning both the 15km Featherbed Trail Run and The Momentum Weekend Argus Knysna Cycle Tour MTB Race and coming in third in a hotly contested Dragons Featherbed Lagoon Mile Swim earlier in the week.

The four time BIG5 champ maintains his lead ahead of fellow triathlete Theo Blignaut.Stuart impressed everyone with a time of 1 hour and 33 minutes, finishing ahead of Theo Blignaut and Dean Hopf who came in second and third respectively after three gruelling off-road challenges.

“In a week long activity like this you have to time your efforts. Although the Featherbed is a really hard run, I felt like I held back nicely and the goal for this week was to be fresh for the Momentum Health OatWell Dual X,” said Stuart on his win.

After having a great day on the bike, Stuart gave everything he could possibly give on the run and in the end it proved to be more than enough!

Andrea Steyn went into the days’ challenge leading the pack in the ladies’ division and fifth on the overall BIG5 leader board. She has her sights set on claiming a 2nd consecutive BIG5 win, having already won the Momentum Weekend Argus Knysna Cycle Tour MTB Race and the Featherbed Trail Run (15km) and coming in third for the Dragons Featherbed Lagoon Mile Swim.

Andrea finished in a time of 1 hour 53 minutes ahead of 2nd placed Fienie Barnard. Andrea had a tough race today, possibly the toughest of all the events so far. The mountain biking was really difficult, and Fienie showed her true mountain biking talent and caught Andrea with 10km to go.

“I am really glad to have been able to stay on her wheel for the rest of the bike, and then push it in the run again to finish first.The Momentum Health OatWell Dual X was a great event, we were really privileged to have it here and I am sure next year there will be a lot more people racing it,” said Andrea after a gruelling day out.

With the final Momentum Cape Times Knysna Forest Marathon and Half Marathon race taking place on Saturday, 9 July 2016, Stuart and Andrea remain the two to watch!

It’s not too late to support charity by sponsoring a Big 5 Sport Challenge athlete, all you need to do is click here and pledge your amount.

For more details on the BIG5 Sports Challenge, click here.

Clash of the Trail Runners!

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The third event of the BIG5 Sport Challenge recently took place at the 33rd annual Pick N Pay Knysna Oyster Festival with the favourites Stuart Marais and Andrea Steyn comfortably winning the men’s and ladies races.

Defending BIG5 champion and the undisputed King of Knysna, Stuart Marais, continued to make good on his plan to clock a fourth consecutive BIG5 title, after winning The Momentum Weekend Argus Knysna Cycle Tour MTB Race and coming in third for theDragons Featherbed Lagoon Mile Swim.

Stuart now remains the one to watch for the final two challenges. Stuart emerged victorious in a time of 0:54.48 which was the fastest time of the day, and the 2nd fastest time in race history for the 15 km route.

This was a remarkable eight minutes ahead of 2nd placed Theo Blignaut leaving him streaks ahead on the overall log. Stuart was elated after his win.

“Once again Featherbed lives up to expectations, its an incredible event. We were really blessed with a beautiful evening, the weather was cool with no wind, perfect running conditions,” said Stuart.

Stuart went out hard and was able to create a gap which he maintained throughout the race. Stuart put in a solid effort until the top of the climb which then allowed him to relax until you he hit the railway line.

“I knew that running under 4 minutes a kilometre would win me the race and that is what I did. I stuck to my plan and took in the beatiful scenery and enjoyed my run.”

World Duathlon championship runner-up and current BIG5 champion in the ladies division, Andrea Steyn, maintained her overall lead after winning the first BIG5 challenge, theMomentum Weekend Argus Knysna Cycle Tour MTB Raceafter a very tight finish.

With just over a minute separating the first three ladies in theDragons Featherbed Lagoon Mile Swim, Steyn came in third, maintaining her overall lead, making her the current favourite to take a second consecutive BIG5 win.

Andrea commented briefly on her run, “I was really looking forward to it and it was a beautiful run, the weather was great! Last year I went out too quickly and struggled and ended up being really stiff the following day, so this year I started off more conservatively and it paid off.”

Andrea finished in a time of of 1:04.58 ahead of 2nd placed Vicky van der Merwe, which leaves her comfortably in the lead on the overall Big 5 Sport Challenge log. TheMomentum Health Oatwell DualX powered by PeptroPro is the second last challenge and will take place on Thursday 7 July.

Bevan Manson Surprise Winner in Dragon Featherbed Lagoon Mile Swim

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The second event of the popular BIG5 Sport Challenge, the Dragons Featherbed Lagoon Mile Swim took place today at the 33rd annual Pick N Pay Knysna Oyster Festival.There was an upset in the men’s field with ex South African Waterpolo player Bevan Manson taking the win in the men’s race and favourite Theo Blignaut finishing in second.

South African triathlete, Vicky van der Merwe won the ladies race.Bevan said “it was a little bit chilly, but a nice swim.” After his surprise win, Bevan also said that it was great to swim through the waterfront with lots of people watching us, and there was a great turn out of participants.

“I was worried as I hadn’t swum in cold water like this before, but it was fine, as the gun goes and the adrenaline kicks in you tend to forget about everything else.”Vicky commented before her race, saying that “today is a strong event for me and my aim is to try and stay upfront with the elite guys, but I have been sick so am hoping that won’t make a difference.”

After the race Vicky concluded, “I am so happy with my win, it is the one that I was really hoping to take. The water was really cold so I didn’t do a course scouting warm up which resulted in me making a mistake at the bridge and doing around 200m more than I should have, but I was lucky enough to still finish in first.

Next up is the Featherbed Trail Run. Most of the top athletes are really looking forward to this race. “I am currently happy with my running, although I am traditionally a road runner I have been spending time in Jonkershoek on the trails getting more off road experience.”

Stuart Marais finished in third place, but will maintain his number one spot on the leader board. “The swim is not my strongest discipline, but you have to make the most of every event. I thought that the water was really cold to start, but in the harbour it was even colder! Today was all about limiting the damage for me, and I actually really enjoyed the out and back swim and look forward to smashing a big burger now,” said Stuart after his swim.

The BIG5 multi-sport challenge is a highlight on the annual Pick N Pay Knysna Oyster Festival programme and includes The Momentum Weekend Argus Knysna Cycle Tour MTB Race (80km), Dragons Featherbed Lagoon Mile Swim(1.6km), The Featherbed Trail Run (15km), The Momentum Health OatWell DualX, powered by PeptoPro (5km Run | 30km MTB | 2.5km Run), and The Momentum Cape Times Knysna Forest Marathon (21.1km).

With athletes having completed two sporting codes, the next challenge will be the impressive, Featherbed Trail Run (15km) which takes place on Tuesday 5 July in the Featherbed Nature Reserve.

Samuel “Speedy” Gathimba Dominates in Durban!

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Kenyan race walker Samuel “Speedy” Gathimba caught everyone off guard this past weekend when he won the 20km race walk at the African Championships in Durban. Samuel conquered the course in an impressive time of 1:19:24.

Samuel was followed by Tunisian race walker Hassanine Sebei. Hassanine was closely followed by South African record holder Lebogang Shange and his fellow countryman Wayne Snyman. Samuel’s performance was world class and his winning time is the 8th fastest time of the season.

If Samuel had walked a time of 1:19:24 at the World Championships in Beijing last year, he would have won the silver medal. The two South African walkers described Samuel’s performance as outstanding.

“As a race walker, you are lucky if you are able to perform like this once a year.” said Wayne, who is sponsored by HPC.

According to Lebogang, he did not think Samuel would be able to keep up such a fast pace. However, when Samuel completed his first kilometre in 3 minutes and 15 seconds and continued walking at the same speed over the second kilometre, Lebogang soon realized that it would be a mistake to try to keep up with him.

Lebogang settled down and walked at a pace with which he was more comfortable.

“Hats off to Samuel. He fully deserved to win,” Lebogang said after the race.

Old Mutual Wild Series Kruger2Canyon Wrap-Up!

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Muzi Madikwa recently won the rugged two-day Old Mutual Wild Series Kruger2Canyon Challenge. Although competition was strong, Muzi was able to see off a thrilling challenge from several top trail runners. Take a look at some of the highlights of the event!

The combined 72km course took runners through some of the most pristine areas around Kampersrus on the northernmost tip of the Drakensberg escarpment. Runners came across some of South Africa’s most prestigious wildlife and sightings of wild dog, giraffe as well as honey badgers were reported.

The women’s category was dominated by Carine Gagiano, who won by more than 30 minutes. The men’s category was highly competitive, with youngsters from the “Change A Life” Academy and the newly formed Old Mutual Development Team challenging the established stars.

Muzi Madikwa won the men’s category in an overall time of 06:53:57. He was followed home by Nomore Mandivengerei in a time of 07:01:07 and third spot went to Bennie Roux from the Nedbank running club in a time of 07:02:24.

Both Muzi and Bennie recently completed the Comrades Marathon. Quite a mean feat to be able to conquer both these races in such a short space of time!

The Old Mutual Wild Series Golden Gate Challenge winner Wandisile Nongodlwana won the second stage to finish fourth overall. “I took it easy on day one and the young blood awakened my competitive spirit for day two,” Wandisile said afterwards.

Carine won the women’s category in an overall time of 08:28:03. Second was Naomi Brand in 09:15:32 and Lawrette McFarlane rounded off the podium in a time of 09:36:23.

The opening 42km stage explored the Mariepskop Trails, through the picturesque Blyde River Canyon. The 28km second stage took place in the Blue Canyon Conservancy. This is a Big Four reserve which lies adjacent to the Kruger National Park.

Race director of this year’s race, Andrew Booth, said: “Don’t underestimate the challenge that this event poses. Each and every individual that crossed the finish line has achieved something great on a personal level while contributing to conservation.”

The Old Mutual Wild Series events take part in protected areas that runners would not be able to access normally. The funds raised through the staging of the events go towards the conservation of these unique landscapes and natural heritage.

For more information on the Old Mutual Wild Series events, click here or click here to become a fundraiser!

Charne and Lungile get to know one another at the 2016 SPAR Mentorship Programme Launch!

21 Kays of Celebration

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Watching my daughter go from non-runner to half marathon finisher and sharing the roads on her journey made for a most special memory. – BY STEVE REES

In August 2015, my youngest daughter Lara, aged 20, joined our local Run/Walk for life group and began to run. I was an existing member and watched as she progressed rapidly from walking round the Run/Walk for Life field, to jogging round the field, and then joining the group on the established road routes around Bedfordview and Edenvale. Very soon, I watched, with some envy, as Lara began to run at the head of the Run/Walk for Life group.

Towards the end of 2015, Lara joined my wife and I, regular Modderfontein parkrun participants, on our Saturday morning parkruns. (My wife and I both have our red “50” T-shirts.) When Lara first joined parkrun, we had very similar times, but once again, within a very short space of time, Lara finished way ahead of me! She then joined the Greenstone Hills Running Club, and with club runs, encouragement and motivation from members, Lara’s love of running grew and she achieved better and better results.

 

21st With a Difference

Lara decided she wanted to do something really memorable for her 21st birthday in 2016. Rather than a party, she decided she wanted to run 21km for her 21st. Now, the iconic Old Mutual Two Oceans Half Marathon was ideally suited, as this was run on the 26th March, and Lara’s birthday was on the 28th March, but we had been warned that the registration process for the Two Oceans was challenging, as there were so many prospective participants. This proved to be true and we spent almost one whole day online with numerous panics when the registration page crashed! Eventually, we were both able to register for the 2016 OMTOM!

However, early in January Lara began to complain of a pain in her ankle after doing the Dischem 21km. Initially, after a visit to a physiotherapist, the diagnosis was a strained tendon caused predominantly by incorrect shoes. Massages, new shoes and a short rest period were prescribed, but the new shoes and rest made no difference. In fact, the pain intensified, and with Two Oceans approaching rapidly, Lara began to think that this injury could prevent her from competing. The seriousness of her injury was confirmed, after visiting a different physiotherapist, when a scan revealed a stress fracture in her ankle! So, at the end of January, Lara was told that in order for her ankle to heal in time for Two Oceans, she would not be able to run at all until then!

This was devastating news and Lara began to think that her dream of running the Two Oceans 21km race for her 21st may not happen. How could she train? The sports physiotherapist prescribed a programme of spinning and ‘water running,’ and allowed Lara to continue her usual weight training, so Lara obtained a flotation belt for the pool and spent hours ‘water running’ in what was often pretty cold water. She approached this new training with the same conviction she had for her running – she still got up at 3:45am, and instead of going for a run, she followed her revised training programme.

 

Smooth Sailing

Lara and I duly lined up at the start of the 2016 Two Oceans Half Marathon in pouring cold rain, nervous of what lay ahead and concerned whether Lara’s ankle would be ok. This would be the first time she had run in two months. She wore an ankle brace and we hoped for the best. In commemoration of our Two Oceans half marathon, Lara had a special T-shirt made with the words “Strong Alone Unstoppable Together” on the back. This encapsulated the journey that we travelled together as a family to take part in the Two Oceans. It also echoed the Two Oceans slogan, “Run As One.”

Happily, her ankle held up and La and I finished the Two Oceans 21km and received our treasured medals. We now have plans to do it all again next year! We could not have achieved this without the support and understanding of our family and friends, so thank you Marisa, big sister Kate, George and Mel. Strong Alone, Unstoppable Together!