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Modern Athlete Editor Sean Falconer was MC on the night

Old Mutual Signs Up as Soweto Marathon Sponsor

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The Soweto Marathon is proud to announce Old Mutual as its new title sponsor for the next three years. With the backing of Old Mutual, the Soweto Marathon will host about 21,000 runners and walkers on 1 November 2015 starting at the traditional venue at Nasrec Expo Centre. The route will again pass key historic sites that showcase the township’s heritage and dynamic identity.

“The Soweto Marathon joins our portfolio of endurance sports sponsorships, which includes the Old Mutual Two Oceans, Old Mutual Om Die Dam and Comrades Marathons,” says Mokaedi Dilotsotlhe, Chief Marketing Officer of Old Mutual Emerging Markets. “These sponsored events speak to our focus on long-term goals and our commitment to staying the course, be it in investing or taking part in a marathon. So we are very proud to be associated again with the much-loved People’s Race of Soweto.”

Mr Sello Khunou, chairperson of the Soweto Marathon Trust says: “We are thrilled with this exciting partnership. It is encouraging to have partners who share in our vision to deliver an event that is credible and aspires to dramatic growth.”

Participants in the 2015 Old Mutual Soweto Marathon can enter one of three distances: The standard marathon (42.2km), the half marathon (21.1km) and the 10km race. Registration for all three distances opened online on Tuesday 4 August at 18h00 at the official race website, www.sowetomarathon.com.

Deon Ehlers gets a 'selfie' with our Rene.

Running in the Family

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It's a story, and an important one to all of us. A story involving five siblings – same mom, same dad, same common goal, to participate and complete the Ultimate Human Race, the Comrades Marathon 2015. – BY CARLA TRUMAN

There were five of us, starting with the oldest siblings, the two girls, Nadja Payne and Carla Truman, who were both running the Comrades for the first time this year, and both being mommies of four precious children. The next in line, and the stalwart of the group, was Peter Toich, also a dad to four beautiful children, having already completed seven Comrades and this year going for his lucky number eight. Then there was Stephen Toich, the new daddy in the group, who would be running his third Comrades this year, and last but certainly not least, the 'baby’ brother, Joe Toich, who had completed three comrades and would be going for number four.

The story wouldn't be complete without mentioning our dear mom and dad, Monica and Nic Toich, who have always supported the Comrades Marathon. Our TV was always tuned into the Comrades the whole day, a fond childhood memory for us all. They have supported along the route every year that one of their children has participated, but unfortunately would not be travelling to KZN this year, due to our father’s restricted mobility. They would, however, be with us in spirit, and (most likely) be glued to the TV at the 'Comrades get-together' at our Pretoria home that day. They are truly parents that have lived the saying, “Aim to inspire rather than to teach.”

And so we came home together, all five of us clocking 11:49:47, give or take a second. We also have our own families to be thankful for, for the love and support that we have each received during the long training months. We all feel deeply grateful that we could be there on the starting line, injury-free, and it was indeed a privilege to be part of such a beautiful race, and even more so to finish together!

Modern Athlete Club Coach Ray Orchison and the first lucky draw winner.

Running while Riding

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It may look strange at first, but the ElliptiGO combines the best of running, cycling and the elliptical trainer to deliver a low-impact, high-performance workout, and added to that, it’s a lot of fun to ‘ride.’ – BY SEAN FALCONER

The first time I saw the ElliptiGO, I thought what the heck is that thing? It looked like the ‘rider’ was running at the same time as riding a bike, with a swinging leg action similar to the elliptical trainer at the gym… It did look a bit odd. At first. Then I tried riding the ElliptiGO myself and within minutes I was sold on the concept.

To begin with, you need to learn a few tricks, like how to mount the bike – you do it much like a bicycle, putting one foot in a foot platform and pushing off with the other foot before swinging your leg over. You also need to get used to the elliptical pedalling motion, but I found that my balance came easily – it really felt like riding a bike! Steering is easy with the conventional bicycle/scooter-style handlebars, as is changing gears (up and down triggers) and braking (normal front and back brake handles on either hand-rest), but one snag I personally picked up at first was when cornering. I kept trying to lift my inner pedal by ‘back-pedalling,’ as you would do on a normal bike, which almost made me fall a few times. Other than that, I found it easy to ride and soon cranked it up to the highest gear, and before long my quads were talking to me. More like pleading for mercy, actually, because I was getting a damned good workout!

The bikes come in three models with three, eight or 11 gears. I found the eight-speed quite adequate for my training needs, whereas the three-speed offered too few gear options for my liking and was better suited to flatter surfaces with only minor climbs. Other bonuses are that standard bicycle accessories are usable on the ElliptiGO, such as water bottle holders or a bike computer, and you can purchase stationary attachments for training indoors. Also, it folds down to a more compact size, so can be transported inside a SUV or larger car, and fits on some conventional bike racks.

Cross-trainer
The ElliptiGO is the ideal cross-training device for healthy runners, and an excellent replacement for running for injured runners. Various people can use the same bike, too, with minimal adjustment (start with height and rotation of the handlebars), plus adjust the toe-straps on the foot platforms, which are big enough to handle any size foot. Best of all is you can wear your running shoes – no need for expensive cycling cleats. Then the crank arms can also be adjusted to give you a shorter or longer stride length, and I found the longer option better, as it was then closer to my running stride length and thus felt more natural and powerful.

But the ‘million dollar question’ I wanted to answer when I set out was how well does it climb hills? Well, let me tell you, I flew up the hills! After all, just as you would stand on the pedals of a conventional bicycle on a steep climb, with the ElliptiGO you’re already standing, so you just gear down and keep going. It is actually smoother than on a bicycle, and I found it easy to put a bit of sway into my arms to ease my legs through the extra workload.

It only took a few test rides on my borrowed ElliptiGO to convince me that I want one for myself. Yes, they’re expensive, but they’re awesome – and they give you a great workout!

Get it: The ElliptiGO 3C retails at R26,000, the 8C at R33,000 and the 11R at R47,000. The first two models are available in a choice of three colours (red, lime or black), but the 11-speed only comes in black.


More info: Go to www.elliptigo.co.za to find your nearest dealer in SA and place an order, or contact Uday Raniga on 084 477 2343 or [email protected].

Aki Nummela was the winner of the 2015

The Veggie Runner

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It’s possible for vegetarian athletes to perform well, to be healthy and to have an injury risk no higher than that of other athletes. All they need to do is follow a planned diet containing the necessary nutrients that the body demands. – BY ESMÉ MARÉ, R.D. AT CHRISTINE PETERS AND ASSOCIATES

A vegetarian diet is one that does not include meat (including poultry) or seafood, or products containing these foods. And you get all types of ‘veggies’ too, including vegan, fruitarian, pescetarian, lacto-ovo vegetarian, macrobiotic, raw, and even semi-vegetarian (or flexitarian). There are many reasons for adopting this lifestyle: To improve one’s health, to boost performance, adherence to spiritual or cultural guidelines, to protect the environment, or to abide by a love for animals. Vegetarian diets are appropriate for all stages of the lifecycle, including pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood and adolescence, and athletes can also embrace the benefits of a meat-free eating plan.

In terms of benefits, vegetarianism is associated with lower body mass index and lowers overall cancer rates. Vegetarians also appear to have a low-density lipoprotein cholesterol level, lower blood pressure and lower rates of hypertension and type 2 diabetes than non-vegetarians. Added to that, the diet is associated with a lower risk of death from ischemic heart disease, and vegetarians have a reduced risk for chronic diseases because they have lower intakes of saturated fat and cholesterol, and higher intakes of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, soy products, fibre and phytochemicals.

Key Nutrients
The key nutrients for vegetarians include protein, omega 3 fatty acids, iron, zinc, iodine, calcium, vitamin D and vitamin B12, as these nutrients are often deficient. These deficiencies are often associated with the avoidance of animal foods and products. Vegetarians that include milk and other dairy products, eggs or fish are less likely to suffer from these nutritional risks than vegans who do not consume any animal products. Vegetarians who consume animal products are still at nutritional risk for these nutrient deficiencies, but through careful dietary planning and the intake of selected nutrients these are easily overcome.

However, consuming the nutrients and the energy you need to participate in endurance events becomes more difficult as you eliminate foods and food groups. Creatine is found to be lower in vegetarian than in non-vegetarian athletes, as its synthesis is not sufficient with low meat intakes. This poses some performance-based concerns. The vegan diet is also associated with the risk for dysmenorrhea, iron-deficiency anemia, pernicious anemia, vitamin D deficiency and impaired calcium and zinc status. Furthermore, in vegetarianism, the total energy intake is often inadequate and protein gets broken down to satisfy the body’s energy requirement before other anabolic muscle-building or muscle recovery processes can occur.

Planning Meals
Meat, fish and poultry contain all nine of the essential amino acids, which makes them complete proteins, whereas veggies, beans, lentils, plant proteins and grains are incomplete proteins. Therefore, athletes consuming vegetarian meals should be careful and plan their meals in ways that optimise essential amino acid availability.

Combining legumes and cereals (samp and beans or rice and lentils), legumes with seeds and nuts (hummus), grain and dairy products or nuts and seeds and dairy products (macaroni and cheese, or muesli and yoghurt) at the same meal ensures for a good distribution of all essential amino acids. This will compliment the amino acid weakness of one food with the amino acid strength of another.

Veggie Advice
With the availability of new products including convenience foods, fortified foods such as soymilks, meat equivalents, juices and breakfast cereals, and dietary supplements, it is possible for vegetarian athletes to meet their key nutrient requirements. Here are a few recommended eating tips to further ensure you have the energy to perform on the run.
•  Choose a variety of foods, such as whole grains, vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts and seeds, dairy products and eggs (if desired).
•  Minimise the intake of foods that are sweetened, high in sodium and fat, especially saturated fat and trans-fatty acids.
•  Choose lower-fat dairy products and use both eggs and dairy products in moderation.
•  Use a regular source of vitamin B12 and, if sunlight exposure is limited, of vitamin D as well.

Time to #RunClean

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Here at Modern Athlete, we feel very strongly about the litter problem in road running, so we’re launching a new campaign to do something about the problem! It’s time to clean up our running act and #RunClean! – BY SEAN FALCONER

I want to take you back to 1995, my first year in road running, when I volunteered to do water table duty for my club in our Spookhill 15km race in Somerset West. I dutifully stood there handing out sachets of water near the 3km mark, cheering the runners on and having a pretty good time. But then the clean-up started. Four of us had to walk the next 3km stretch of steep uphill, picking up thousands of plastic sachets that had been strewn all over the road, the pavements, in flower beds, on people’s lawns, under cars on driveways, in drains, all while dodging cars on a busy road. It was back-breaking work, not to mention dangerous, and a downright unpleasant task.

From that day on I vowed to always try throw my used sachets in a rubbish bin, or carry them to the next water table, or stuff them in a pocket and throw them away later, so that other people would not have to clean up after me. I also followed the example of some clubmates at the beginning of 1996 and sewed my front licence number on with the top edge loose, to form a pocket, which I used for empty water sachets. But all around me, many runners just continued on their merry, messy way.

Think before you throw
A few months later, in the Michells Pass Half Marathon on the mountain pass leading up to the picturesque town of Ceres, I was running alongside a guy who took a water sachet, drank about half of it, then launched it as far as he could over the edge of the pass into the nature reserve far below. I couldn’t help myself but say something, as I was taught from a young age not to litter, so I tried diplomatically to tell him that none of the water table volunteers would be able to clean up that sachet all the way down there in the kloof… Let’s just say that his answer is unprintable here and leave it at that.

Other races over the years also stand out in my memory, for messy reasons. One half marathon went through the Waterfront and harbour areas of Cape Town on one of those horribly windy days in the Mother City, and it was terrible watching all those little blue plastic sachets flying all over the place. Even worse, I recall running the Cape Point Half Marathon, another race within a nature reserve, also on a very windy day, and once again, bits of plastic disappearing into the Fynbos, and runners tossing their sachets a few metres off the edge of the road, where the volunteers were unlikely to see them and pick them up.

Still a problem…
Fast forward to 2015, my 21st year as a runner, and I am still seeing the same thing happen week after week. I have always enjoyed this sport, being surrounded by fit and healthy people with a can-do attitude and lust for life, but I hate the mess that we runners often leave behind on the road. What really gets to me is that some runners have an attitude that somebody is there to clean up after them, even getting paid to do it, so that makes it OK to litter and run. Sorry, folks, I happen to disagree.

Firstly, many of the volunteers at water tables are members of a company, organisation or school that has agreed to man a water table, so they are often unpaid volunteers, out there to support you while having some fun, not clean up after you. I have been there and seen their faces when they realise the race has passed by and the fun is over, but now the unpleasant clean-up must be done. Sometimes they are still at it hours after you’ve finished running.

If there is a paid clean-up crew, then it is because the race organisers know that the runners will leave so much mess behind that they need to budget for this crew to go to work once the littering masses have passed through. Now in this day and age of tight budgets and dwindling sponsorships, it is an expense that many races would happily cut if they could – and they could do so if runners were not so messy.

Time for change!
I believe that it is only a matter of time before some of our favourite races get cancelled due to the mess left behind by the runners. Sooner or later some municipal or nature reserve manager is going to write to an organising club and say, thanks but no thanks, we don’t want your event coming through our town or reserve again, as the mess left behind last year was unacceptable. So, here at Modern Athlete we have decided to make it our mission to promote a cleaner sport and try to eradicate the litter problem in our races, by launching the Modern Athlete #RunClean campaign.

In the coming months we are going to promote it vigorously and keep reminding runners to think before they throw, so we will run articles on the campaign, ask race organisers to support the drive, get race announcers to promote it before and after races, and put the spotlight on runners who have decided to #RunClean. Because we believe that every piece of plastic not dumped on the road is a step in the right direction, which will not only lead to less litter, but in the long run to less waste being produced by our sport. As they say, watch this space…

What you can do to #RunClean
• Carry your own water in a hydration pack or water bottle belt, so that you don’t need to use the sachets. (Some runners say it weighs them down, and thus slows them down, but trail runners seem able to run quite comfortably and quickly while carrying water, so surely road runners can also do so.)
• Don’t drop your sachets, supplement wrappers or other refuse in the road – always look for a bin, or carry your rubbish till you can throw it away, even if that is at the finish. It really won’t weigh you down that much, or cost you that much time to move a few meters to one side towards a bin!
• Wear running kit with a pocket or pouch (or make one with your licence number) so you can carry rubbish to the next bin or the finish.
• If you do drop a sachet in the road, do so within easy distance of the water tables, in demarcated litter areas, not three kays up the road, so that the clean-up crew can quickly, easily and safely clean up.
• Never toss a sachet where it cannot be seen by the clean-up crew.
• On windy days, make doubly sure your litter is well disposed of in bins or rubbish bags.
• If you see fellow runners littering, try to diplomatically suggest a cleaner attitude going forward, but avoid getting into an argument or confrontation.
• Make a point of being a cleaner runner by promoting a no littering rule, not only in your own behaviour, but also in your social media comments and interaction with fellow runners. Include #RunClean in your Tweets and Facebook posts.
• Volunteer to help clean up at a water table at an upcoming race. That should make you think twice about tossing your sachet next time…

Running near Zambezi River

Modern Athlete is looking for Weekend Promoters

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We’re looking for part-time promotional staff to do regular brand activations for Modern Athlete at various events in all the major centres, including parkruns.

• So, are you passionate about running?
• Do you enjoy interacting with others?
• Do you enjoy the outdoors?
• Would you like to earn some cash?
• Are you available for weekend work?
• Do you have your own transport?

If that’s you, please mail us a short paragraph about yourself and why you believe that you fit the above profile – send to [email protected], and include your ID number, physical address and a copy of your driver's licence. (If you do not hear from us, please consider your application unsuccessful.)

First Modern Athlete Club Seminar Hits the Spot!

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Last week Thursday, 16 July, the recently launched Modern Athlete Club held its first info seminar in Johannesburg, an evening of short, informative talks by leading athletes and experts, with a fun vibe and some great prizes as well. Plans are now in motion for the next seminars, including taking them to other cities.

Hosted by the Gooderson Fabz Garden Hotel and Conference Centre in Lonehill, the room was filled by a healthy-sized audience to listen to Modern Athlete Club Coach Ray Orchison talk about the pillars of training and Justin Stout of Atkins explain why a low-carb diet can be so beneficial to runners.

Also on the programme were two of SA's top athletes, both of whom are now Brand Ambassadors for the Modern Athlete Club and running in our colours: Two-time Olympian and 40-time SA champion Rene Kalmer, and top Gauteng trail runner and Comrades silver medallist Bennie Roux. Both grabbed the audience’s attention with their humour as well as fascinating stories of racing at the top level.

Each speaker’s talk was followed by a short Q&A opportunity, and some of the questions showed that the audience members were not only really interested in the presentations, but even took notes!

These seminars are organised by the Modern Athlete Club, which has a branch already up and running Central Gauteng and just last week got the go ahead to launch the Gauteng North branch. More branches in other provinces are set to follow soon. The benefit of joining this new virtual club with a real presence at events is the list of partners who offer MA Club members exclusive special rates or deals on gear, services, entries or travel. For more info, go to www.modernathlete.co.za/page/the-modern-athlete-club

PS: If you want to see what others thought of the seminar, just read this great blog:
https://hylery.wordpress.com/2015/07/17/last-night-was-fabz/

SA winner in Mauritius Marathon

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Four South African athletes ran to podium positions in the sixth LUX Mauritius Marathon, Half Marathon & 10km on 19 July, with veteran Angelique Rabie winning the marathon in 3:33:37 and Candyce Hall coming home second in 3:39:44, while it was third for Tanya Posthumus-Fox in the half marathon. In the 10km, Gustav Brink was third across the line.

After some heavy rain in the early morning, the weather got much better and the runners only had to struggle with a strong headwind on the spectacular course, which made it difficult to run faster times. Nevertheless all the runners agreed that the Mauritius Marathon is one of the most beautiful courses they had run and that the whole event is absolutely unique. With 242 runners from 32 countries around the world, the Mauritius Marathon had an increase in participants of about 30% and has been established on the “Marathon map.”

The marathon was won by Albert Kangor from Kenya in 2:32:26, followed by Andrea Lazzarotti from Italy in 2:50:11 and Harris Khelawon from Mauritius in 2:50:51. Also attending the event was top Kenyan runner Geoffrey Ronoh, training-partner and pacemaker for marathon world record holder Dennis Kimetto and former marathon world record holder Wilson Kipsang. Unfortunately, Geoffrey was unable to run the Mauritius event due to an injury, but says he would love to come back!

Nancy Koech from Kenya took the women's half marathon with her 1:17:35. She won the Copenhagen Marathon earlier this year and is now preparing for the Münster Marathon in Germany on 6 September. Second on the podium was Isabelle Lebreton (Réunion, 1:32:15) and Tanya third. The fastest man in the half was Aki Nummela (Finland, 1:12:16), ahead of Eric Watson from Australia and Didier Hoarau from France.

The winner of the 10km was Sören Schulz from Germany, followed by Yohann Oodun from Mauritius and South Africa's Gustav Brink. For the full list of results, click the link below…
https://modernathlete.co.za/results/mauritius-marathon-2015

The winners of the marathon received an air ticket to Mauritius and stay at the Marathon Hotel Tamassa for the next Mauritius Marathon, which will be held on 17 July 2016, as well as a cash prize.

The Mauritius Marathon offers not only one of the most beautiful courses of the world, following the coastal road on the shores of the Indian Ocean, but also a very personal atmosphere. Also, the organisers give the runners the opportunity to take part in local cultural events to get to know the Mauritian people and culture while also enjoying the natural splendour of the island. One of these activities is climbing the mystic Mountain Le Morne, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

 

Approved: Gauteng North branch of Modern Athlete Club!

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The Modern Athlete Running Club is already up and running in Central Gauteng, and today we got the go-ahead to launch our second branch. (And more are coming soon!)

The light blue vest of the Modern Athlete running club is going to be seen more and more on the roads of Pretoria and surrounds now that the Gauteng North branch of the club has been approved by the Athletics Gauteng North provincial body. The virtual club with a real presence was launched earlier this year with the initial branch in Central Gauteng, and some of our athletes were already in action in their new colours in the recent Comrades Marathon. Now the second branch will start signing up members, and plans are in place to get branches up and running in other provinces soon.

Olympian and multiple SA Champ René Kalmer is heading up the club in Central Gauteng as our club chairperson and brand ambassador, and in Gauteng North the go-to person will be top trail runner and Comrades silver medallist Bennie Roux. But the club is by no means just for elite athletes – anybody can join, whether you are a regular ultra-marathoner or a beginner just getting into racing. The club will cater for all, and provide a great social vibe at events.

For the rest of this year new members of either branch of the club will pay just R500 – that’s a 50% discount – which will give them a club vest, provincial licence number and postal subscription to Modern Athlete magazine, plus they will qualify for a number of extra benefits, including
• Individualised training programmes focused on selected events.
• Personalised nutritional programme based on your activity levels and nutrition requirements.
• Free entry to the Modern Athlete Chill Zones at partnered events.
• Great discounts and rewards from our partners on running gear, travel, entry fees and more.
• Free Access to Modern Athlete Seminars, featuring leading personalities and experts.

To sign up or get more info, go to www.modernathlete.co.za/page/the-modern-athlete-club or mail [email protected].

PS: Meet Bennie at Old Eds!
All prospective new members of the club as well as Modern Athlete readers are invited to stop by the Modern Athete Chill Zone at the Old Eds Half Marathon on 10 August in Johannesburg to meet Bennie and get more info on the club.

Modern Athlete’s Rene Wins in Knysna

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Running in her Modern Athlete colours, Rene Kalmer ran away with the win in the popular Momentum Cape Times Knysna Forest Half Marathon on 11 July). She clocked 1:19:09 to win comfortably from Andre Steyn (1:23:44), who was gunning for the win in the Big Five Challenge that encompassed five different events in the Pick n Pay Knysna Oyster Festival, while third place went to recent Comrades Marathon runner-up Charne Bosman (1:24:23).

The men’s half marathon title went to Tshepo Ramonene of Lesotho in 1:06:06, who outkicked Etienne Plaatjies (Nedbank) in the final kays to win by a clear minute. Third place went to top trail runner Michael Bailey, now running in RAC colours, who crossed the line in 1:12:24. The next two positions went to more Big Five contenders, Travis Johnston and Stuart Marais.

The Knysna Forest Marathon is one of the toughest on the SA calendar, but Lesotho’s Tsepang Ramonene made light work of it to win in 2:25:28, well ahead of Eric Sigxashe (2:34:55), who was followed home by former Two Oceans Ultra-marathon winner George Ntshiliza (2:37:41) and local hero Lindile Tokota (2:42:34). The women’s race was a considerably tighter affair, with Candice-Lee Davison of Harfield Harriers taking the win in 3:23:05 and being followed home by Nedbank’s Ursula Frans (3:23:27) and Helen Squirrell (3:23:36).