Author: Modern Athlete

We took our #RunClean campaign to social media and were blown away by the response from runners… but we know this is just the first step in a very long battle to promote a cleaner sport and try to eradicate the litter problem in our races. – COMPILED BY SEAN FALCONER

We Support the Campaign!
Tanya Timms: Ooooh, litter pee's me off something chronic!
Jannie Visser: There are always bins provided, so why not use them? If we can make a small effort, it will make clean-up so much better for others…
Barbara Foot: It annoys me no end – apart from all the other litter in the country that drives me insane!
Linda Doke: Plastic is toxic, and the repercussions of the damage it causes ripple through the food chain.
Peter Swanepoel: The number of times I have seen runners purposely aim to throw a sachet into a drain is beyond ridiculous!
Lisa De Speville: There is absolutely no good reason to litter at road races. Participation in a road race doesn't mean that you have permission to be a litter-bug. Good one, Modern Athlete!

We #RunClean already
Demitri Baroutsos: Only three sides of my ASA number on the front are sewn, so it acts as a pocket. If I can't drop my sachet in a bin, I stick it in there and run with it till the end of the race – it's not like it's heavy or impeding my run in any way.
Rene Mitchell: It doesn't take much effort to carry your empty water bag to the next water point and toss it in their bins… that is what I always do. Just plain lazy tossing it on the road.
Johan Grassman: I simply carry all my rubbish with me in my licence number ‘pocket’ that is sewn onto my running vest.
Wayde Kennedy: Think I'll also commit to picking up at least one or two bits of litter/rubbish at every race I do…

Been there, cleaned that…
Denise Dippenaar: I have helped out at my club run at a water table many times. You will not believe how far we have to walk to retrieve sachets and other items runners have thrown willy-nilly into bushes, etc.
Francis Rogan: I have worked at water tables and I don't mind picking up litter around the table, but very annoying to do it past the water point just because someone couldn't be bothered to hold onto their sachet. I always say, “If you can carry it full then you can carry it empty.”

Lecturing the Litterbugs
Johan Grassman: Spoilt brats. If you want to drink the water, then you are responsible for disposing of your sachet properly. Littering on the road or next to it should never be acceptable, whether you are in a race or not. You want the privilege of waterpoints, then accept the responsibility that comes with it. Stop mollycoddling the litterbugs.
Ruth Cameron: As a technical official I have spoken to people many times. The bags are so light to carry with you. Some runners are just ridiculous!
Glynis Mauldon: While running the Easter 100 with my friends, we spoke to some runners for throwing sachets in the bushes, or down stormwater drains. Nine times out of 10 we were laughed at and told, “Someone will pick it up.” Time to fine runners, because I am sure they don't do this at home.
Janine Nagel: Runners/walkers and cyclists, you found a clean path, so keep it that way please.

Trail Runners (supposedly) do it better
Torrin Theron-Visser: If a trail runner can use a hydration pack or waist belt and not litter, then so can a roadrunner!
Sue-Ann Fourie: Trail runners aren't as innocent as they are made out to be – if they didn't run with their own supply, I guarantee you we'd see a similar problem on the trails. I picked up eight empty energy sachets on Sunday in a trail race… so I'll add the litterbugs to my list of reasons for coming in 11th from dead last.
Alexis Olds: Not all road runners litter and not all trail runners are clean, but I do think it's high time we change the water sachet/littering mentality at races.

Learn from Triathlon
Petro Neethling: Coming from a triathlon background, where we are DQ'd for littering outside of a non-litter zone, it has become second nature to keep the empty water sachet or fuel wrapper in my shirt pocket and only discard at bins provided.
Christelle van Rooyen: I've learnt from Ironman to stash my trash. If you so much as throw away a banana peel and get caught, you get DQed.

The Pessimists…
Andries Kroese: Haha, can't see the front speed freaks cleaning up, but I certainly support the idea. It’s just too messy.
Tiaan Conradie: I just don't get it, why do we need a campaign to remind runners not to litter? How hard is it to either drop your sachet at the water table itself or put it in your pocket until you get to the next table or a bin?
Tracey McKay: This is excellent, but good luck trying to get runners to actually do it! We have a culture now of littering!

Cleaning Crews, Please
Tanya Timms: I think the point of the story is for the runners to be more pro-active in this approach and not give the organisers back-breaking work that is not necessary.
Natelie Kriel: I think runners just assume that the route will be cleared by the organisers/waterpoint stations – that if you are paying to run a race, you would assume that your fees would go towards cleaning. As a fun run organiser, we hire cleaners to walk the route during and after the race, and then re-ride the route to double-check it’s all clear. And by hiring cleaners (at a minimal cost), it really does help job creation, too.
Luzuko Ntissa: As much as I expect race organisers, with the entry fee, to hires cleaners, as runners we must still do our bit.

Useful suggestions
Margi Eksteen: Let runners carry their own water at races… problem solved!
Val Opperman: #RunClean is a great initiative, but if I could just suggest that the dustbins be spaced out a bit more AFTER the tables, not at the table, or like the one marathon I did, BEFORE the tables
At Schoeman: Clubs should announce it at all road races!
Gillian Grobbelaar: I have seen a bin idea that they use up in Johannesburg that had a sail type of backing to it, so the idea was that you throw your rubbish at the sail and it slips into the bin. Was easier to get the rubbish into the bin, and created a novel idea that everybody wanted to try out, and thus less litter.
Armandt Van Den Berg: A bin at each kilometre marker would help loads. A lot of people carry water sachets with them and take a sip on every kay.
Sue-Ann Fourie: Peeps need to take a photo of their empty sachets on their coffee table when they get home.

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

And think before you throw – #RunClean!

Having recently returned from a first European tour to race on the international triathlon circuit, 25-year-old Boksburg-based elite Lauren Dance sat down to answer a few questions on her love of the tri life. – BY SEAN FALCONER

MA: You took up triathlon at 18, with a background in swimming, athletics, lifesaving and biathlon. Was triathlon just the logical next step?
Lauren: I had always been active, so my parents got me involved in as many sports as possible to keep me busy and motivated. I was generally athletic and found I was pretty good at most sports, I loved being outdoors, and I was ultra competitive. When I was 17 going on 18 a family friend, Herman Steyn, who is involved in cycling, said I should give triathlon a try and organised me my first racing bicycle. I did my first tri with no training at all, and by luck met my current coach, Mike Moriarty, that day, but it was the hardest thing I had ever done, and I thought I will never do that to myself again. A few months later Mike contacted me and asked if I would like to give it a go, as he saw potential. I decided to try and turns out it was the best decision of my life… I found out what hard work and perseverance are, and what it’s like to have someone believe in you and test your limits every day. Triathlon is now my sole focus. It has grabbed my heart like nothing before.

MA: You won the junior category of your next race, at the old Energade Series. Did that light the fire in your belly to really give tri a go?
Lauren: That was the first proper tri I did after five months of coaching with Mike, and that lit a huge bonfire in my belly, as I started to see rewards for my hard work. I also realised how much more work I needed to do to be good, which was really motivating, because I was used to sport coming pretty easy for me, but this was hard. Mike was always very positive, so every training session and race he was always leading me to believe in my ability. Having a coach that is so passionate about what he does and believes in my big dreams is a real blessing, and makes the hard graft possible.

MA: What do you rate as the highlight of your tri career thus far? You were SA u23 Champ in 2011, and brought home a win in the junior section of the European Cup in Turkey, but what about more recent results?
Lauren: Wow, those results seem like a lifetime ago, but they are definitely highlights. When things get tough, I often think about those races to get me going again. Last year I came second in the African Championships in Zimbabwe, which is another highlight, and at the beginning of this year I had a really good race in Cape Town at the Africa Cup, coming second again, but I had made a few personal mini-breakthroughs that stand out for me.

MA: You’ve just returned from racing on the European Circuit. Tell us about the experience.
Lauren: I did a couple of ITU races and then a 5150 race. After my breakthrough race in February, I was in the best form of my life, mentally, physically and emotionally, and was planning a big season ahead. However, the day before SA Champs I went for a warm-up activation run and tripped over the pavement, twisted my ankle and tore a ligament in the process. The next few months proved the most testing, battling to stay fit, and I also struggled with bad bouts of flu and bronchitis. So this European tour was my first racing in five months and served as a big test for me. I was just super excited to be racing again, knowing that I was there for four weeks and would be able to work on my race fitness and training intensity.

The first race was a massive shock to the system, however, because the level of European racing is out of this world, but that motivated me to get back to decent training so that I would be at a competitive level by the time I got to race the Tiszauvjaros World Cup event. I was feeling ready for that, but the race turned out to be bitter-sweet. I had a decent swim to get me into a bike pack, then I worked hard on the bike and bridged the gap to the second pack and then also the lead pack, and for the first time in my tri career I was in the lead pack of an international race. However, a lack of experience cost me, because working much too hard on the bike in 36-degree heat proved fatal for my run. I watched the lead bunch of girls run away from me with no comeback in my body, and I ended the race unconscious in the medical tent with heat exhaustion. It was the best-worst race of my life, marking significant improvements and confirming belief in me, but inexperience ruining any chance of a lifetime best performance against some of the best athletes in the world.

MA: You’ve already represented SA at World Champs, African Champs, the All Africa Games and World Cup events. What does wearing national colours mean to you?
Lauren: Representing your country never loses its magic, and racing at the big events is both special and the most terrifying thing at the same time. I love that and crave that feeling.

MA: You studied sport psychology at the University of Johannesburg and are now busy with your Honours in sport science, but you’re also racing full-time. How do you fit it all in?
Lauren: I am extremely lucky that UJ supports me so much and has allowed me to finish my degree part-time, giving me enough time for training and racing while still passing, so I will still be finishing my studies next year. After that I will need to look at ways in which to pay for my tri dreams. At the moment I am fortunate to have some solid people and brands that are supporting me, allowing me to pursue my goals: M.A.D. Multisport, Schaldor Plastics, ASG Sport Solutions – Pinarello and Rudy Project, Irwin Wheelsets, and XTERRA Wetsuits.

MA: What about hopes and dreams – I would imagine the Olympics feature high on your bucket list?
Lauren: My aim is to be able to fulfil my potential, which will hopefully be good enough for an Olympic Games or two, as well as Commonwealth Games. I do, however, look forward to racing the longer distances, like 70.3, when I am ready to make the move up.

The six-day 250km Marathon des Sables (MdS) in the Sahara Desert of southern Morocco is considered the toughest foot race in the world. Athletes must carry all their food and equipment, the heat can reach 50 degrees, sand gets into everything, blisters are par for the course, and just finishing is a major achievement. This year was the 30th edition, with the largest ever field of 1300 runners, and part of that field was the South African couple, Genis and Tanya Pieterse of Johannesburg, and after reading Genis’ epic five-part race blog, we decided to publish a few extracts here. – EDITED BY SEAN FALCONER

Pre-race: Excitement and Concern
Our journey to the MdS began in May 2014, when Tanya had already completed both Addo Elephant Trail Runs, the 44km in 2013, which we ran together as my final long run for the 2013 MdS, and the longer 76km in 2014. It had been great to see my angel’s progress from not being able to run around the block in mid-2012, but our journey also exposed her fear of heights, and our real concern, her diagnosed Neurological Pain Syndrome (also referred to as Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, or CRPS), which was only discovered after she fell in the 2013 Addo run. CRPS causes prolonged pain, swelling and inflammation, and in Tanya’s case it is triggered by high temperatures, direct sunlight, or placing any load on her neck or shoulders, and I knew that the MdS had all those conditions from 8am until 6pm for seven days in a row! After months of research and numerous discussions with physicians, a medical plan of action was established, which included medication to prevent Tanya’s CRPS from flaring up, and to manage it if it did.

Day 1: 36.2km
We settled into what would become routine for the race, every kilometre I would remind Tanya to drink and to eat, but her difficulty in swallowing, which had started the night before, seemed to persist. Over the next few days this would become a major source of concern, especially when she became nauseous at the end of day one due to the onset of menstruation. Between CP1 and CP2 we had the pleasure of spending some time with Sir Ranulph Fiennes, and seeing that we were from South Africa, he began singing O Die Donkie, an Afrikaans song he knew from when he went to school in South Africa. Everyone was finding the dunes a little difficult and I said, “Don’t worry, everything eventually comes to an end,” to which he replied, “That is not correct, the kindness of a good woman never does.” I will remember those words of wisdom for the rest of my life.

Day 2: 31.1km
This was the day that truly scared me. For the most part, Tanya’s fear of heights was under control, but today was going to be the acid test with three major jebels (mountains) to climb. The distance from the CP2 to the summit of Jebel El Otfal is only 2.1km, but it took nearly two hours to complete the 250m vertical ascent (the equivalent of an 80-story building). Little by little we ascended this massive mountain until we stood on the summit, and there was relief and urgency at the same time. That night eating was again a problem, with Tanya finding it difficult to swallow, and I was concerned when I realised how little she had drunk over two days.

Day 3: 36.7km
Tanya’s lack of hydration and nutritional intake was a real concern, and with having her period at the same time, additional strain would be placed on various vitamins and minerals which would compound the shortfall she already experienced due to CRPS. However, what we didn’t know at the time was that her B12 deficiency could cause hallucinations, vision problems, difficulty swallowing and some digestive problems, while her CRPS medication, under stressful circumstances, could cause difficulty with swallowing, blurred vision, and lower back or side pain combined with hallucinations. So without us knowing it, the stress of the event, Tanya’s health issues and the medicine we hoped would help her, combined to create a disaster of epic proportions, and it was racing our way at full speed.

Day 4/5: 91.7km
My beautiful wife was becoming increasingly concerned with the state of her hair, being convinced that there would be no way to get the knots out, and that cutting it all off would be the only solution. I assured her that once we were back at the hotel, I would wash, condition and blow dry her hear until all the knots were out. Then at about 46km, Tanya said that she can’t see that well, and later that night her vision deteriorated even further and she started to hallucinate, then a sandstorm hit us and she found it hard to keep her balance. At some point she fell, bumping her head, and by now she could see very little, Eventually we reached CP5 at 3am, which meant we had covered 63.3km, and had 17 hours left to cover the remaining 28.4km.

At 5am I helped her put on her shoes as her sight was now almost completely gone, and by 5:30am we were on our way. By 10am at CP6, Tanya was completely blind, very nauseous and had a severe pain in her groin area, so we decided that seeking medical assistance would be the best thing. Tanya was scared that the doctors would pull her from the race if she told them everything that was wrong, so it took some convincing, but eventually she agreed to see the doctors. Within minutes Tanya was hooked up to two units of fluids administered intravenously followed by a unit of glucose, but the pain in her groin became more acute. The medical team decided to administer morphine, and once it kicked in, the relief was obvious. Within 90 minutes of arriving at CP6, we were on our way again. Tanya still could not see, but at least she could swallow again and the pain was manageable. Near the finish it became apparent that news of Tanya had reached the camp, but it wasn’t until we were about 500 metres from the end that it became clear how many people were waiting for her to cross the line.

Day 6: 42.2km
During the early hours of the morning a sandstorm of biblical proportions hit the bivouac and it took me ages to de-sand everything and to get Tanya and myself ready for the day. She was looking much better, and I knew that she would do whatever was needed to get to the end. As we approached the finish, our tent-mates brought us a South African flag so that we could cross the line with it. What a moment! I wiped away some tears which were the result of the overwhelming pride and happiness I felt for my angel, knowing that she had overcome so much just to be there, let alone finish the race.

Post-race: Relaxation and Relief
A very tired Tanya arrived at the hotel and I could see that my angel needed the bath and pampering I had been promising her. I helped her wash and condition her hair and used the hairdryer to dry it while I combed out all the knots, and to much relief for both of us, my angel’s fear of having to cut-off all her hair was soon forgotten…

To read the full story, go to www.push2extreme.com. The next big adventure for Genis and Tanya will be the 6633 Ultra in the Canadian Arctic Circle in March 2017.