Author: Modern Athlete

Modern Athlete was recently given a once in a lifetime opportunity to go cover the Royal Raid Trail Run, organised by LUX* Sports in Mauritius! Courtesy of the LUX* Resorts and Hotels, we were treated to a five-star experience, staying at the LUX* Le Morne. Roxanne Martin was our reporter on the ground and brings the experience back to a somewhat colder South Africa!

Boarding the Air Mauritius Flight, you are given a small taste of the paradise that awaits you… images of white sand beaches with red umbrellas fill the screens of the planes, and a tropical blue seat puts you in the mood for that first cocktail. The flight is a mere four hours, and you have great in-flight food and entertainment to keep you busy while you while the minutes away.

Upon arrival we were greeted with cool towels to wipe away the sweat and grime that comes with travel. Cool and refreshed, we climbed into our transfer vehicle for the hour and a half drive to our hotel. Driving in the dark of night, we weren’t afforded the luxury of taking in the scenery, but we were still struck by the architecture: Flat roofs, with houses all on top of one another, clearly space in Mauritius is used where space is found! That being said, it was incredibly clean, no litter in the streets, and even at 10 at night, many people were still out and about.

Driving into the hotel you knew you were in for something special. Greeted again with a cool towel and a refreshing orange mist spray was just the beginning. Walking up the stairs to reception, you were greeted with a magical view of a beautiful pool surrounded by lights, whereas the seas was not in view due to it being dark, but having the gentle sound of waves in the background filled you with excitement for the next day.

A Piece of Paradise

The rooms were spectacular, set to the perfect temperature so you walked in and felt refreshed. Even in winter the average temperature per day on the island is a balmy 28 degrees! A king-sized bed is standard, big screen TV, plus an iPad, and when you walk into the bathroom you are greeted with a massive tub, shower and walk-in closet. Every need or desire is catered for, and there are special little ‘Lux’ touches as well, like the toiletries in the room coming from their spa boutique, all specially designed for the hotel. The body wash even has a touch of citronella in to keep away those pesky mosquitoes!

Waking up the next morning feeling refreshed and invigorated, opening the curtains revealed what can only be described as paradise! Palm trees filled with coconuts, a pool that belonged in a fairy tale, and a beach that begged for a cocktail in one hand and a book in another. Meals at the hotel were all about variety, a themed buffet meant you were spoilt for choice, making every meal an adventure of culinary delights with world cuisines – no calorie-counting allowed, you ate to worry about it later.

Water activities like snorkelling, water-skiing, windsurfing and paddle boats are included, so all guests have the opportunity to experience the tropical landscape from the water. There is also scuba diving and kite surfing, so you are able to work off those calories if you need to. The beaches are filled with reclining cushioned deckchairs, so you can lie back and work on your tan while being served cocktails and snacks throughout the day. With two pools, you are spoilt for choice, although the one has an ice-cream bar, making it the more attractive option!

Time to Run

Having had a rested and relaxed day, our legs were ready for the 15km trail run that awaited us the next day. The Royal Raid has thee distances, the 15km being the shortest, along with a 35km and an 80km for the brave. Not being an experienced runner, the 15km seemed the safer option for me. Our transfer arrived at 4:30am to take us to the start of the 80km at Casela Bird Park, where a field of 127 runners waited nervously as music and dancers performed. Starting in the dark, all the runners sported headlamps as they did final preparation for the tough course with over 2000m of climbing. At 6am they were off, starting what would be for many a 12-hour journey, whereas for some that I deem incredibly brave, 17 hours awaited as they navigated the tough route!

Thankfully for us, the lighter 15km option awaited, but don’t think this was the easy way out. The course still had many a challenging aspect, with steep climbing and muddy, rocky descents. My first introduction to ‘real’ trail running, it was an experience that showed me some of the best sites that Mauritius has to offer. Lush green landscapes with the sea as backdrop waited after every climb. You simply had to stop and take a minute to just breathe it in. Running through forests, you were transported to a place time has seemingly forgotten. It was a fantastic run, and all trail runners should attempt this race if given the opportunity. I know that given half the chance, I will be on that start line again next year!

Recovery the following day was just what the doctor ordered: From beach time with ice cream and cocktails, to a spa treatment and a massage for the weary legs. Ending the day with the magnificent sunset, a beer in hand, and the smooth gentle sounds of the saxophone in the background, you knew paradise had found you, and you never wanted to leave.

If you too want to have a tropical experience on the island of Mauritius, you can, thanks to Go Sports Travel in partnership with Air Mauritius and LUX* Resorts & Hotels. We are giving you the chance to win an all-expenses paid trip to Mauritius to take part in the LUX* Mauritius Marathon! This is the perfect opportunity to escape the Winter Chill and head off for warmer weather, and maybe a cocktail or two.

Valued at over R30 000 the prize includes:

• Return flights on Air Mauritius
• 5-night stay for two people sharing at the LUX*Tamassa Bel Ombre Hotel
• Entry for two people for the LUX* Mauritius Marathon
• Two TomTom Runner 2 watches

How to Enter:

Click on the link below, fill out your details and hit Enter – it’s that easy!

To increase your chances of winning, sign up for a free digital subscription for Modern Athlete Magazine and gain an extra entry into the competition! You can add another entry to your basket by signing up for a free digital subscription to Modern Cyclist Magazine.

But wait, there’s more… Refer friends using our 'Refer a Friend' form, and if they enter the competition as well, you will gain more entries into the competition! There is no limit on how many friends you can refer, so run with it!

Closing Date for Entries is 24 June 2016 so enter now! T's and C's apply.

Charné Bosman of the Nedbank Athletics Club, the 2016 Comrades Marathon women’s champion, believes that ‘what goes around comes around’. This is why she immediately agreed to become involved with the Spar Women’s Challenge Mentorship Program.

For the next year, Charné will act as a running coach to 17-year-old Lungile Ngomane, a grade 10 pupil at the Hans Kekana High School in Hammanskraal. “It is an honour for me to be involved in the Spar project. I think every person deserves a chance to succeed in life and if I am able to help in some small way to bring about a positive change in Lungile’s life, it would be something I would cherish forever.”

Things have not been easy for Lungile and her family. Her mom is a single parent whose only source of income is to recycle tin cans and plastic. The family stays in a shack, and on Saturdays, Lungile walks about 10 kilometres to attend extra classes to help her pass her Grade 10 exams.

Lungile’s passion is to run and running is the only way for her to escape from real life and to live her dreams. Unfortunately, the circumstances of her life are forcing her to forget this passion. Lungile represented Gauteng-North’s cross country team in 2014 but since then, the opportunities for her to run have become fewer.

“The first thing I want to teach Lungile is that she should not use her circumstances as an excuse to cop out of life. It should in fact be the driving force for her to want to succeed. I think the best way for me to explain this to her will be to tell her about what I experienced when I broke my toe in April, just a few weeks before the Comrades race. The easy option for me would have been to feel sorry for myself and simply give up. But this is not what I am about. I had to find a way to deal with the setback and to work around it.”

In a way, breaking my toe could be seen as something positive because it made Charné realize how much she really wanted to win Comrades. “Life is not only about winning. It is the way you deal with the setbacks that makes you a true winner. It is important for Lungile to understand this and it will be my challenge to help her to develop a positive outlook on life.”

Another thing that Charné want’s Lungile to understand is that she should find a balance in life. To succeed in her studies should be just as important as winning races. It can never be one or the other.

“As far as running is concerned, I am a firm believer in ‘baby steps’. Lungile first needs to master the art of running a good race on the track and in cross country. Then she can move on to running 5km and 10km races. As she gets stronger, her focus should then shift to half-marathons and eventually – in quite a few years from now – she can consider running the Comrades Marathon.

As far as the Spar Mentorship Program is concerned, Lungile should realize that it is not merely about receiving things. She should also see it as an opportunity to make a success of her life. We do not merely want to give her a fishing rod; we want to teach her to fish as well. If you give somebody the proverbial ‘fish’ he will never learn to fend for himself.

After a major crash, extensive surgery and a seriously quick recovery that seemed almost impossible, no one thought that Richard Murray would be in contention for the podium at the recent ITU World Duathlon Champs held in Aviles, Spain.

Just eight weeks (to the day) after breaking his collarbone, Richard claimed top spot at the World Duathlon Champs. “I could not be happier not only with the title, but with the way my body responded. I am really stoked with my performance,” said Richard after finishing the event.

See below for the Q&A on Richard and a little bit of an insight on what makes him the great athlete that he is.

1.     Having excelled by becoming the ITU World Duathlon Champion in Spain, what is your goal for Rio and how realistic is a medal?

I do believe my chance of winning a medal is pretty good.

2.     What was your reaction when your qualification for Rio Olympics was confirmed and who was the first person you told?

I was pleased when I qualified by finishing third in the Rio Qualification Race, but I also knew that I would qualify with my ranking points. I shared it on Twitter first, so my followers knew first about my qualifying!

3.     You are active on Twitter and Instagram and have a YouTube channel as well. What does @RD_Murrayoffer to his followers in terms of content such as images, inspirational thoughts, and training or racing tips etc?

I share a different kind of content. Not only do I share the usual run of the mill stuff, but also believe that some of my posts – like core exercises and swimming routines – are something my followers can use. I also reply pretty quickly, so anyone is welcome to send me a message with questions if they are looking for advice.

4.     Besides competing, what else makes a major championship experience so special for an athlete like you?

Being in the Athletes Village is a very special experience. Sharing facilities with Olympic and World champions from various sporting codes is something unique. Not to mention representing my country. That is and always will be an honour and privilege.

5.     You live in Durbanville – does the Cape offer all you need for training purposes or do you have to move around during the year to find the right climatic and other conditions?

I spend only three months at home during the year and the rest of the time I travel the world following the good weather! But when I am at home I love training in and around Durbanville.

6.     Where you always an athlete – even in junior school?

I think the best way to describe it is that I was a “wild child” athlete before and now I am a fulltime professional athlete.

7.     When did you know you had the ability to be a world-class athlete and make that your number one focus?

I think it was when I realised that cycling and running wise, I could compete with the best in the world. I also knew that if I worked on my swimming I could be a contender. It was when I was about 17 years old.

8.     How come you are able to perform each year – what do you do to make this happen – tell us a bit about your daily/weekly training routine?

I do my planning for the coming season when I get home in December (my off time). It will be strategic planning and it also helps me to know what my focus areas are for the coming season. During the year I stay on top of the planning to make sure we make adjustments if needed.

9.     What are your strengths, besides natural talent?

I think the fact that I can just keep going. Setbacks don’t get me down. Maybe also my South African background. As South Africans, we are fighters and hard workers because we know if we want to stand out in the world we need to be special.

10.   Do any current athletes in any field inspire you – if so why?

I admire Ironman athletes a lot – maybe because it is something I look to do myself one day. I always look at what top athletes in various disciplines do and get ideas and inspiration from that.

11.   What does being part of the PUMA family mean to you?

I have been part of the PUMA family for the past 6 years. I have grown with the brand as a person as well as an athlete. I appreciate the relaxed lifestyle and the vibe that the brand promotes. I have always had a good connection with PUMA and I work well with everyone involved.

12.   Which running shoes do you train in?

The PUMA Faas 500.

13.   Which shoes do you race in – what do you like about the Disc closure?

I race in the PUMA Speed 300S Disc. The disc interface is pretty cool. The ease with which you can put on the shoes and make adjustments is amazing, making it even more perfect for the transition areas!

Since he underwent surgery, had a plate put in his arm, as well as screws to fix the breaks in his shoulder, Richard has been working extremely hard at getting back to top racing form. He has been running and cycling without any problems which is why he decided to take part in his first duathlon event since 2010!

Well done Richard! You have flown the South African flag high!

Hendrick Ramaala, a former Olympian athlete says that the honour of representing their country at the Olympic Games is the downfall of South African marathon athletes.

“Everything changed the day Josiah Thugwane won the gold medal in the marathon at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. His performance made us believe that we ‘owned’ the marathon and that because we are South African marathoners, anything can happen on any given day. We soon got a rude awakening,” said Ramaala.

Now, as the head coach at Nedbank Running Club. Two of his protégés, Sibusiso Nzima and Lungile Gongq, will represent South Africa in the marathon at the Olympic Games in Rio.

Since Josiah’s’ success, no South African marathon runner has ever been in contention to win the Olympic Marathon. To be brutally honest, the performances of the marathon runners have been rather disappointing. Ramaala’s 12^th place finish in a time of 2:16:19 at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney was one of the better performances.

The question is. Why does an athlete like Hendrick Ramaala, who was able to win the New York Marathon in 2004 in a time of 2:09:28 as well as a best time of 2:06:55 in the 2006 London Marathon, never able to duplicate these performances at the Olympic Games level?

“It was certainly not for lack of trying. I really did everything I could to ensure that I would be at my best at the Games. What got to me, was the pressure of representing my country at what is certainly the most prestigious sports event in the world.

“When I competed in New York and London I was running for myself. But, when you compete at the Olympic Games you run to make your country proud. That was what got to me. Suddenly I was part of a team. I could not deal with all the expectations, especially because I never considered myself a good team player.

“I was not the only top South African marathon runner who battled to run a good race at the Olympic Games. Gert Thys finished in a time of 2:06:33 and Ian Syster in a closely contested time of 2:07:06 were also never at their best,” said the Nedbank Marathon Running coach.

“Another factor that plays a definite role in the Olympic Games is the weather. In most instances, the athletes run in hot and very humid conditions. This means that it is not the fastest runner who wins but the runner who runs the smartest.”

In view of what he has learned from the four Olympic Games in which he competed, Hendrick is quite realistic about what to expect from Sibusiso and Lungile.

“They are still novices when it comes to marathon running and it is the first time that they will be competing at the Olympic Games. My advice to them is not to go out there and expect to win. I just want both of them to run to the best of their abilities. Then whatever happens, happens. What will help them is the fact that there will be no real expectations for them to perform. Who knows, one of them might just be able to get a top ten finish. But as their coach I would be happy with a top twenty finish.”

Meet Sonja Viljoen and Leonie Stander, the two doctors from Kroonstad who recently became the first South African female runners to join the exclusive Grand Slam Club of world marathon running. – BY SEAN FALCONER

In running circles, it is considered a huge achievement to run a marathon on each of the seven continents and become a member of the Seven Continents Marathon Club. However, there is another, even more exclusive club, known as the Grand Slam Marathon Club, reserved for Seven Continents runners who add a marathon at the North Pole to their list, and earlier this year Sonja and Leoni gained membership when they ran their seventh continental marathon in Antarctica, followed shortly by the North Pole Marathon.

It all started when long-time friends and regular marathoners Leonie and Sonja began running together in 2012 and completed the Two Oceans and Comrades together. “After Comrades I wanted to run the City2City ultra, but when I was online looking for details, up popped the New York Marathon web site, and when I next saw Leonie, we decided to enter,” says Sonja. “We booked flights on Turkish Airlines, but that was the year the race was cancelled due to the hurricane, so we decided to change our flights to go run somewhere else.” So, early in 2013 they ran the Ocean View Marathon in New Jersey in the USA, and 10 days later, as part of the same trip, they ran the Dead Sea Marathon in Amman, Jordan, which meant they had run a marathon in North America and in Asia, to go with their numerous African marathons.

Globetrotting Runners

The following year they ran the Inca Trail Marathon in Peru and the Athens Marathon in Greece, thus adding South America and Europe to their list, and in 2015 they ran the Sydney Marathon in Australia. “Then earlier this year Leonie was due to go run the Antarctic Marathon on King George Island on 12 March as part of her 50th birthday celebrations, having put her name on the waiting list in 2012 already, but her original running partner for the trip had to withdraw, so I went with and together we finished the Seven Continents Challenge,” says Sonja.

Just after getting back, the two met for a coffee after church one Sunday and Leonie mentioned the North Pole Marathon, and within a few weeks the intrepid doctors were on their way to Norway, from where they caught a flight to one of the Russian research bases at the North Pole – after a delay because of a crack in the ice runway! “We would have run on 9 April, but on the seventh they found the crack and began constructing a new runway. The race was delayed to the 18th, so some people had to abandon and go home without running, but then on the 12^th organiser Richard Donovan said we could go ahead, so the first group of runners flew out,” says Sonja. While we took a helicopter flight over the North Pole, the plane went back for the rest of the runners, but when it returned they spotted another crack, so they had to go back to Norway again.”

“Luckily, on the 16th we finally ran the race, which was really hard at times because running on the ice and snow felt like running on sand, and that meant we had finished the Grand Slam, although Richard is quite strict about the rules, and because the Antarctic race we did was on King George Island, not the actual continent, we have been given Associate Membership of the Grand Slam Club.

So What Next?

In June Sonja is going to run in Madagascar, while Leonie will be running the Iceland Marathon in August, and next year they will be doing the Boston Marathon together, with the Great Wall of China Marathon hopefully part of the same trip. “We try to do two marathons per trip, and we make every trip a real adventure, including not only sight-seeing, but also other fun activities,” says Sonja. “So, we mountain biked in Bolivia, visited the Moulin Rouge in Paris, dived the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, swam in the Dead Sea, went for a balloon ride in Turkey, and did white water rafting in the Grand Canyon in the USA, so these trips are not just about running. We’re both in our fifties and believe in stopping to smell the roses, so we don’t want to just fly in, run and fly out, but before the next trip in 2017, we first need to do some work and raise some more money, plus give our families some attention!”