Author: Roxanne Martin

‹ Back

Under Armour ISO-CHILL is as Cold as Ice!

Roxanne MartinNewsLeave a Comment on Under Armour ISO-CHILL is as Cold as Ice!
Under Armour Iso-Chill makes you feel cooler so you can work longer. 
 
Under Armour has unveiled its Iso-Chillmicrofibre technology, this game changing technology made its debut in late 2019 as a replacement for CoolSwitch a crystal technology which sent a cooling sensation back to the body once the garment tissue was activated by sweat. The key difference between Iso-Chill and CoolSwitch is the introduction of the natural element Titanium Dioxide, which unlike its predecessor, expels heat immediately from the body when touched. 

Let’s Talk Fabric 

By flattening out the fibres within their garments and adding Titanium Dioxide*, the natural element, Under Armour has released a garment within Train and Run which quickly pulls heat away from the skin – allowing the human body to continue for an extended period, at maximum capacity. The specially designed fibres lay flat against your skin to evenly disperse heat, literally providing a cooling sensation to the touch. 

Optimum Performance

As top competitors will know, it can take a minute variant to give you a competitive edge, to create the podium finish, to define who wins and who comes in second. Under Armour added Titanium Dioxide to its ISO-CHILLCollection to absorb UV energy and quickly move heat away from the body. The exclusion of this concentrated heat allows the athlete to increase the max-out time and increase output in any hot, high pressure situation.  


Garments are available in both the run and train category in Under Armour Brand House stores nationwide as well as online at www.underarmour.co.za

Ed’s World Champs Blog: Early Ups and Downs – Brought to you by PUMA

Roxanne MartinColumnsLeave a Comment on Ed’s World Champs Blog: Early Ups and Downs – Brought to you by PUMA

It’s been a mixed bag of results for South African athletes in the first three days of the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon in the USA, which began on Friday 15 July. In fact, just getting to the World Champs has been an achievement! – BY SEAN FALCONER

Up until a few days ago, there were still literally hundreds of athletes, officials and members of the media from various countries waiting to hear if they would be able to go to the World Champs in the USA. The problem was not that they hadn’t qualified, or didn’t have the right World Athletics accreditation, it was because of a severe, worldwide backlog in the US State Department’s visa application process. As a result, some athletes only received clearance to travel a couple of days before the World Champs began, while others were simply denied outright when applying for an appointment to apply for a visa.

This affected a number of the SA contingent, some of who simply didn’t get to the USA, and some who did eventually get to Eugene at the proverbial ‘lastminute.com’ will have had far from ideal preparation for a World Champs meet, due to the stress, late travel plans, and jetlag. After all, they are crossing nine time zones in order to compete on the West Coast of the USA!

I’m sure we will hear more about that in coming weeks as the dust settles (or gets stirred up again), but for now, we focus on the action on the track and in the jumps and throws on the infield. South Africa has sent some genuine medal contenders to Eugene, as well as some youngsters who will get a first taste of a World Champs environment, which will definitely stand them in good stead in years to come. I am a firm believer in ‘blooding’ young athletes at the top level, if the country expects them to perform at that level in years to come.

Disclaimer: On a related note, the report below talks about athletes being eliminated in qualifying rounds. That is just how the results are listed and reported in athletics, but I cannot stress it strongly enough that this should never detract from an athlete’s achievement in qualifying for the World Champs. The focus should be on the fact that our athletes made it to the World Champs in their chosen event, putting them amongst the top 50 or 100 athletes in the world in that event. So even a first round elimination is still one hell of an achievement, even if the news reports make it sound like a failure. Because it definitely is not a failure!

Day 1…

Anyway, let’s talk results. The first day of competition started disappointingly for team SA, with elimination in the qualifying rounds for men’s long jumpers Ruswahl Samaai (8th in his heat with a best jump of 7.86m), Jovan van Vuuren (11th with 7.79m) and Cheswill Johnson (no legal mark recorded), as well as for women’s shot putter Ischke Senekal (15th with a best of 15.40m). Two of our sprinters, Gift Leotlela (5th in 10.19 seconds) and Clarence Munyai (7th in 10.47) were also eliminated in the first-round heats of the men’s 100m, but Akani Simbine scraped through with a 10.07 fourth place in his heat to go through as one of the non-automatic fastest qualifiers.

In the men’s 20km race walk, veteran Wayne Snyman once again showed that experience can trump youth by finishing a solid 12th in 1:21:23. At 37 years of age, he appears as hungry to compete as he in in his younger years, and having finished second in the recent African Champs in Mauritius, he was once again the second African athlete over the line in Eugene.

Day 2…

Saturday’s competition started with Antonio Alkana running in the fifth heat of the men’s 100m hurdles, but his 13.64 finish and fifth place was unfortunately not good enough to take him to the semi-final round. Carina Horn finished fourth in her first-round heat of the women’s 100m, clocking 11.29, and was also eliminated. Also out went Ryan Mphahlele, having finished 12th in his 1500m qualifying heat with a 3:39.17 finish. With all three of these athletes, their elimination belies the fact that they were only just outside the times needed to go further.

More positive news came in the men’s 400m hurdles, where Sokwakhana Zazini ran 50.09 to finish fifth in the second heat and made it through to the semi-final round as a fastest qualifier. And in the women’s 10,000m, Dominique Scott-Efurd ran a solid 31:40.73 to finish 17th, but commented on social media after her run that she was disappointed with her time. The highlight of the day, however, was Akani Simbine’s 9.97 in the first semi-final of the men’s 100m. It was a season best for him and put him into the final, due to be run just under two hours later. Akani thus went into another global final as one of the favourites, but had to settle for fifth place with a 10.01 time, and will no doubt be very frustrated by once again getting so close to a medal on the world stage.

Day 3…

The third day of competition started early with the men’s marathon, with two South Africans in the race. Melikhaya Frans came into the event with a personal best (PB) of 2:11:28, run in the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon last year, and he proceeded to smash more than two minutes off that mark with a 2:09:24 to finish 18th in Eugene. The other South African in the race was Tumelo Motlagale, who came home 52nd in 2:20:21, having been up with the leaders in the early stages of the race. He ran his PB of 2:11:15 as recently as May in the SA Champs race in Durban, so perhaps his legs were not quite fully recovered yet, and the SA Champs race would be better positioned a little further ahead of a major championship event next time.

The women’s 400m qualifiers saw Miranda Coetzee clock 53.30 to finish seventh in her heat and she did not go through to the next round, while men’s discus throwers Werner Visser and Victor Hogan both finished 13th in their qualifying groups, with best distances of 58.44 and 60.51 metres respectively, and will take be part of the final. Meanwhile, Soks Zazini lined up in the third heat of the men’s 400m hurdles semi-final round and finished seventh in 45.69, thus also being eliminated.

Without a doubt, the highlight of the day for South African fans was seeing Wayde van Niekerk back to top form. In the first heat of the men’s 400m qualifiers, he shot out to an early lead and then ran conservatively in the second half of his race to win his heat in 45:18 and qualify for the next round. While he still has a long way to go to regain the form and confidence that saw him win the 2016 Olympic and 2017 World Champs titles, as well as set a World Record of 43:03 in Rio in 2016, but it is nevertheless terrific to see him racing smoothly again after a long recovery following a freak knee injury suffered during a charity touch rugby game. Joining Wayde in the semi-final round is Zakhiti Nene, who clocked 45:69 to finish third in his heat.

International Highlights…

While many events have already delivered fantastic spectacles and results, there have been a few that nevertheless stood out from the rest. Both 100m finals saw a single country record a clean sweep of the podium positions – in the men’s race, Tokyo Olympics silver medallist Fred Kerley timed his dip for the line perfectly to win in 9.86 second, followed by compatriots Marvin Bracy and Trayvon Bromell. The women’s 100m title went to Jamaica’s Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce in 10.67 seconds, to give her a record fifth 100m World Title, and she was closely trailed over the line by countrywomen Shericka Jackson and four-time Olympic sprint champion Elaine Thompson-Herah.

A thrilling women’s 10,000m final was won by Ethiopian World Record-holder Letesenbet Gidey, with a thrilling sprint that could have seen any one of four or five athletes take the title. The Ethiopian has all too often just missed out on global honours due to being out-sprinted at the end, but this time she outlasted all challengers for a deserved win in a world-leading 30:09.94, and even new personal bests by Kenyans Hellen Obiri (30:10.02) and Margaret Chelimo Kipkemboi (30:10.07) were just not enough to beat Gidey.

The men’s 10,000m saw Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei make it back-to-back 10,000m golds at the World Championships. The World Record-holder came into the meet seemingly not quite at his best, but he was still at the front end of the race when the bell rang for the last lap, and he cranked up the pace to win in a season best 27:27.43. Kenya’s Stanley Mburu took silver, in spite of falling in the first lap, and Cheptegei’s compatriot Jacob Kiplimo took bronze, while the first five men all finished within one second of each other!

Ethiopia’s Tamirat Tola won the men’s marathon in a championship record 2:05:36, having broken clear after 34km. His countryman Mosinet Geremew took the silver medal in 2:06:44, while Belgian Bashir Abdi claimed the bronze medal, to go with the bronze he won last year in the Tokyo Olympic Marathon.

The World Champs will run until Sunday 24 July, so there is still plenty of action to come!

 

The PUMA Run XX NITRO is for HER

Roxanne MartinTried & TestedLeave a Comment on The PUMA Run XX NITRO is for HER

PUMA recently sent us the women-specific Run XX NITRO to wear-test, and our Marketing Director Roxanne Martin has been putting the shoe through its paces.

First Impressions

Before taking them out the box, the Run XX NITRO tells you that it is made for women who run – the name is derived from the female double X chromosome in DNA sequencing – and in line with PUMA’s RUN FOR HER motto, the design takes a woman’s needs into account, but more on that later.

The shoe’s design catches your eye the moment you look at it. The colour is bright pink with touches of purple, making it stand out. It’s bold, and in my opinion, a good-looking shoe.

Now, whenever I try a new running shoe, I like to wear it for at least three days before I attempt any running. I find that this gives the shoe a chance to ‘soften’ a bit, allowing me to wear it in before I hit the road. Doing a couple of days of walking always helps me to get used to the shoe, and how the shoe will adapt to my running style.

Straight out of the box, the shoe was a firm fit, but after wearing it for a few days, the upper had a chance to stretch a bit, and I had a chance to get used to the way the shoe guided my foot. Naturally, the sole design of a shoe has a massive impact on this, and in the case of the Run XX NITRO, it really feels that it is designed with running in mind.

Running in the Shoe

The Run XX NITRO is marketed as a women-specific neutral cushioned shoe, so being a female runner, I was understandably excited to give it a wear-test. 

When I read up on the shoe, I found that PUMA says the following: Featuring an updated fit that hugs a woman’s foot at the heel, instep and arch, the shoe’s new, firmer NITRO midsole is the perfect balance of durability and lightweight cushioning, while RUNGUIDE promotes proper alignment and increased stability for longer distances.

The first thing I noticed was that the front of the shoe was wider than other PUMA shoes I have run in. I am always appreciative of this, as the front of my foot needs some breathing room, and this ties in with the fact that women often have wider forefeet and narrower heels than men. With the wider fit upfront, my foot can hit the ground more evenly, making my running feel more stable. Meanwhile, the back of the shoe holds my heel nicely, while I run, especially around my ankle. Having weak ankles and a bunion by my big toes, I really appreciated these design elements, as it’s not often that a unisex shoe will cover these bases.

The second thing that I felt when running in the shoe was that my arch felt supported the entire time. Again, women-specific shoes usually have a more built-up arch, as women’s feet tend to be quite different to men’s, and I really felt the benefits of this in the Run XX NITROs. This also makes the shoe incredibly cushioned throughout your stride pattern, but with a terrific springiness that makes you feel like you are ‘springing into action,’ with just the right amount of give and take between putting your foot down on the ground and lifting it again, giving you even cushioning and smooth rebound.


Things to Consider Before Buying

Women often have wider hips than men, causing our legs to naturally pivot inwards at more of an angle, so many women will require anti-pronation shoes for running. When designing women-specific shoes, designers bear this in mind, adding more support in the arch, but keep in mind that this still a neutral shoe, so take that into consideration before buying.

The easiest way to understand what shoe will fit your running style is to have a gait analysis done. This measures how your foot hits the ground and how far it rolls inwards as you move forwards. The good news is that this does not need to be an expensive exercise, as you can simply pop into your local Totalsports, which coincidentally also stocks this shoe, for a free gait analysis with one of their Run Specialists.

Another thing to remember is that most running shoes are made to be unisex, meaning the men’s shoes are simply down-sized for women, and not specifically made for women. However, with this specific shoe, I found the fit is slightly bigger than normal, and I needed a size down from my normal choice, so I suggest you first try on the shoe to make sure you have the correct fit.

 

 

Would I Buy this Shoe?

After running in the shoe, my answer is a definite yes! Thanks to the women-specific features and tech built into the design, I think PUMA has done its homework well to come up with a shoe that really addresses the needs of female runners, and I really enjoyed running in them. If you want to check the Run XX NITRO out, you’ll find them at your nearest PUMA stockists, selling at a recommended price of R3199.



BUY NOW

Road to Comrades with Dylan Rogers

Roxanne MartinColumnsLeave a Comment on Road to Comrades with Dylan Rogers

Dylan Rogers is a sports journalist with Johannesburg radio station HOT 102.7FM and part of the Big Joburg Drive Show, which you can catch 3pm to 6pm Monday to Friday on either 102.7FM or streaming on hot1027.co.za. He’ll be running his first Comrades Marathon in August, after accepting a dare from a friend, who has pledged to donate R500 to charity for every kilometre of Comrades that Dylan is able to complete. This is Dylan’s blog of his journey to the Comrades.

A pretty good week or so, with a couple of milestones. Firstly, it doesn’t matter how old you are, getting new shoes is always a little exciting and brings out the child in every one of us. I’m no different, even at the age of 47! Fortunately, some of my running mates told me that I shouldn’t go anywhere but Randburg Runner in Linden, and they were right. Nick at the store clearly ‘knows his onions,’ and I walked away with this pair of Brooks that I hope will get me to the finish line in Durban. More importantly, Nick gave me the sense of comfort that they will.

The next thing, of course, was putting them to the test. I happened to have an eight-kilometre time trial on my programme the following morning, and since I hadn’t done one in a while, I was curious to see what I could produce – with the new shoes, of course, as well. Anyway, I was pretty chuffed with breaking 25 minutes (24:40) for the 5k and 40 minutes (39:18) for the 8k for the first time, so the speed is looking good – it’s just the strength and endurance that needs constant attention between now and the start line.

Speaking of that, I followed that time trial up with a session at iMude Sport and Wellness in Parkmore, where Riaan has been panel-beating me over the past few months and getting my over-rotated pelvis into line, so the legs were a little stiff the day after. I shook that out with an easy run the day after and then a bit of mileage over the weekend – 19km (two hours) on Saturday and 30km (3:20) on Sunday.

There’s no doubt that this Comrades training thing is a big commitment, and not just from the runner’s perspective. My wife has had to shoulder the bulk of the responsibility with the kids whilst I’ve been out on the weekends, clocking up the hours and miles, and it hasn’t gone unnoticed. Still, I’ve tried to fit in the weekend runs around my family, so there I was, running to the Country Club to meet them on the Saturday, and then running to my in-laws’ place at Blair Atholl, just past Lanseria Airport, on the Sunday – the latter requiring my wife dropping me at the bottom of Peter Place in Bryanston and seeing me nearly three-and-a-half hours later, once I’d navigated William Nicol, Fourways, Malibongwe etc!

The Epsom Salts bath after that was a bit of a treat. Was also good to do a couple of ‘warm’ runs, as this winter training thing largely sees me out early, in the Jo’burg cold, which is not how I’m going to be spending my 28 August. I suspect it’ll be a bit warmer than that! Anyway, more mileage again this week, before the big RAC Long Run on 24 July. Eek!

Road to Comrades with Dylan Rogers

Roxanne MartinColumnsLeave a Comment on Road to Comrades with Dylan Rogers

Dylan Rogers is a sports journalist with Johannesburg radio station HOT 102.7FM and part of the Big Joburg Drive Show, which you can catch 3pm to 6pm Monday to Friday on either 102.7FM or streaming on hot1027.co.za. He’ll be running his first Comrades Marathon in August, after accepting a dare from a friend, who has pledged to donate R500 to charity for every kilometre of Comrades that Dylan is able to complete. This is Dylan’s blog of his journey to the Comrades

So, marathon number two under the belt – Run Zone’s Autumn Chase Marathon in Jo’burg – and a bit of a relief that it was a more enjoyable experience than number one. Enjoyable, definitely, because I was stronger and went a bit harder (and survived!), but make no mistake, marathons are hard!

This time I just hit the wall at a later stage, which, I guess, is encouraging. At Midvaal a month ago, I started taking serious gas at 28km, but this time round I lasted until about 38km, after which it was a bit of a struggle, but that was also because I was trying to break 4:30 for the first time, having done 4:42 at Midvaal.

Needless to say, I had to produce a bit of a burst of ‘speed’ towards the finish line to come in at 4:29:33, but the satisfaction thereafter, with the realisation that I’d achieved my race goal, was pretty special. I just needed to hang onto a nearby piece of boarding, to avoid passing out!

Having grabbed the first energy drink I could find, and somehow dipped my head to have the obligatory medal put round my neck, I looked around for any familiar faces. Even though I was a bit woozy, I found the ‘Charging Fanta Bottle’ – running ‘partner’ Byron Hardy – lazing on the grass, and informed him that I didn’t mind him heading off early in the race, because this was something I needed to do myself, and I didn’t want to hold him back.

Points to Ponder

So, what about some of my other race reflections? Well, I definitely went out slightly harder, trying to aim for a running pace of around 6min/km, but then making sure I walked just about all the water stations and the odd hill, which I obviously did more of in the second half of the race. I was pretty happy to go through halfway in 2:10:36, as I thought that probably left me enough time to get in under 4:30, but I’m still working towards a 2:05 half marathon, as per my Lindsey Parry Comrades Bronze Medal Programme. I’ll get there.

I think the other major take-away was how I’m definitely getting more comfortable running on sore, tired legs. That really is something you’ve got to get your head round, as it’s counter-intuitive. Your body – and your mind – can’t understand why you’re putting yourself through this, but I guess that’s part of the challenge, and this Comrades journey is all about the challenge for me.

Anyway, the legs seem to have recovered well, and after a nice three days’ rest, I was back out on Thursday morning with an easy hour on the road, to be followed by 90 minutes on Saturday and two hours on Sunday. Onward and upward we go, with just less than eight weeks to Comrades!

 

Made for Her, the PUMA RUN XX

Roxanne MartinNewsLeave a Comment on Made for Her, the PUMA RUN XX

PUMA releases its first women’s specific running shoe!

For too long, running shoes have been made for men and then redesigned to fit a woman’s foot shape. This season, PUMA is rewriting that narrative with the Run XX NITRO, a running shoe made for her.

Named for the woman-specific double X chromosome DNA sequence, the Run XX stands behind PUMA’s ‘Run for Her’ positioning to prioritize female runners’ needs in the way we build and engineer our products. In collaboration with the University of Massachusetts Biomechanics Lab, PUMA launched a research study recruiting 224 runners who logged more than 36,000 miles over eight weeks. In conclusion, 81 percent of women in the study preferred the Run XX over the control shoe and said they liked the cushioning and responsiveness of the Run XX over the control.

“This was the first time we conducted a large-scale study on female runners and the results will help us shape our approach to women’s running shoes going forward,” said Erin Longin, General Manager of the Run/Train business unit at PUMA, adding, “I believe this study will help us to continue to support female runners and keep them running longer.”

The Run XX features a progressive, female-specific design. Featuring an updated fit that hugs a woman’s heel, instep, and arch, the running shoe’s new firmer NITRO Foam midsole is the perfect balance of durable and lightweight. The shoe’s RUN GUIDE promotes proper alignment and increased stability for longer distances.

“As a runner myself, I want to know my running shoes will support by own biomechanics because women are made differently, and the Run XX does exactly that,” said Erin.

Run XX NITRO will be available from 24 June 2022 on PUMA.com, PUMA Stores, Totalsports, Superbalist, and selected retailers with a retail price of R3199.

 

Nedbank Tour de Tuli Route Launch

Roxanne MartinEvent Update!Leave a Comment on Nedbank Tour de Tuli Route Launch

Organisers have proudly unveiled the awe-inspiring route for the exclusive 2022 Nedbank Tour de Tuli, the internationally acclaimed mountain bike tour, and one-of-a-kind wilderness adventure that traverses three countries, namely South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Botswana. Kicking off on 19 July, the Tour serves as the primary fundraiser for Children in the Wilderness (CITW), Wilderness Safaris’ non-profit partner, which facilitates sustainable conservation through leadership development and education of rural children in Africa.

Each year, the route is tailored to ensure that the Tour remains exciting and continues to incorporate new regions and cultural sites. This year’s route will once again traverse the Greater Mapungubwe Transfrontier Conservation Area. Upholding its 16-year tradition, the riders predominantly follow ancient elephant trails and rural tracks, allowing participants the opportunity to experience cultural interactions with villagers, while also spotting wildlife against the backdrop of Africa’s unspoiled natural wilderness – a once-in-a-lifetime bucket list journey.

Starting and ending at the World Heritage Site in South Africa, the riding route takes adventure-seekers through two protected wilderness areas – the Northern Tuli Game Reserve, in Botswana, and the multi-country Mapungubwe National Park. Riders cover between 60 km and 85 km per day, over a course of four consecutive days, by which time they will have covered approximately 300 km of mountain biking trails.

Impactful Conservation

“As the sole beneficiary of the Tour, the Children in the Wilderness programme is an environmental and life skills, educational initiative for children that is focused on producing the next generation of decision-makers. The programme is intended to inspire them to care for their natural heritage and to become the custodians of these areas in the future,” noted Tour Director, Bronwen Blunden.

Bronwen points out that corporate sponsorship remains the backbone for the work done by CITW, which primarily focuses on the natural heritage within communities to develop proactive skills and leadership for children. It utilises an organised structure covering mentor training, Eco-Clubs, annual educational camps, youth stewardship programmes and scholarships for schooling and tertiary education.

Long-term sponsor

“Nedbank is proud to have been associated with this unique and exciting African adventure for the past decade. Supporting the Tour and the work done by CITW aligns directly with the ethos of our brand, and we are actively involved in supporting surrounding communities,” added Kelly Thompson, Sponsorship Manager at Nedbank

Conservation remains top of mind for Nedbank, and all funds raised by the Tour de Tuli are channeled into the CITW programme, helping to ensure the sustainability of the programme across all the regions within which it operates.

“Over the last 15 years, the Tour has hosted approximately 3 900 participants and raised over R20 million for CITW. This, in turn, has enabled over 5 600 children to be hosted on our CITW camp programme, and over 11 000 children on the Eco-Club programme,” commented Grant Woodrow, COO of Wilderness Business Development and Children in the Wilderness South Africa board member.

This world-class mountain bike tour is renowned for the unique experience it offers, riding through some of Africa’s most pristine wildlife and geologically rich areas. The event follows strict environmental practices, working with communities and traversing unforgettable routes, allowing participants to fully immerse themselves in their amazing wilderness surroundings.

Irvette van Zyl joins ASICS

Roxanne MartinNewsLeave a Comment on Irvette van Zyl joins ASICS

ASICS is proud to announce the signing of Irvette van Zyl. Van Zyl is a long-distance runner with multiple South African titles and is the current women’s 50km ultramarathon world record holder. The Pretoria-based runner strengthens ASICS South Africa’s road-running athlete portfolio into 2022 and beyond.

“It is very special for me having a brand like ASICS – that has over 73 years of high-performance brand heritage – believing in me backing my dreams and goals,” said Irvette.

According to Irvette, aside from the performance aspect of the brand, she is a big believer in the importance of sport for mental wellbeing. “So ASICS’s ‘sound mind, sound body’ philosophy really resonates with me. When I go for a run in my ASICS, my mind and body are in sync, and it just sets the tone for my day,” she said.

Irvette made her marathon debut at the 2012 London Marathon, after which she turned her attention to shorter races on SA soil. Not long after, she began focusing on marathons and ultramarathons. She ran her best time of 2:28:40 at the 2021 Xiamen Tuscany Camp Elite Marathon in Siena, Italy. In May 2021, she broke the world record for the women’s 50km in a time of 3:04:23, bettering the previous record by almost three minutes.

Irvette races in the METASPEED™ Sky, a shoe developed at the ASICS Institute of Sport Science in Kobe, Japan, after utilizing the data accumulated from its athletes over the past year. Stride-style runners such as Irvetter take a longer stride once they increase their speed, but their cadence primarily remains consistent. Thanks to an energetic midsole foam and a propulsive carbon plate, Irvette will be able to conserve more energy while maintaining her pace at the later stages of the race.​

“The METASPEED™ Sky is an amazingly speedy shoe to race and train in,” she said, explaining how her focus for the rest of the 2022 season is on bettering her 10K and half-marathon times, distances in which she has won SA national titles in the past. “Then, towards the end of the year, I will be looking to do a quick marathon, so hopefully, all the speed work on the shorter distances will go a long way to increase my speed,” she concluded.

Modern Athlete will be meeting with Irvette next week to discuss the move to ASICS and what this means for her career going forward. To be the first to hear all the news make sure to follow us on Facebook.

Four Runners Break Sub 4 Minute Miles!

Roxanne MartinNewsLeave a Comment on Four Runners Break Sub 4 Minute Miles!

In celebration of Global Running Day which took place on 1 June,  Under Armour hosted the UA ALL OUT MILE grand finale event which saw hundreds of athletes including elite athletes, novice runners, top club runners, celebs, sports personalities and the general public going all out to take on the ‘1 Mile Run’ around the iconic Green Point Athletics Track.

For the 2nd consecutive year Under Armour hosted its popular Global UA ALL OUT MILE campaign, where runners from across the world have been lacing up and training to record their PB over the iconic 1 mile (1,6 km) distance. The campaign kicked off in May and concluded on Global Running day with  14 events hosted in key territories across the Globe with Cape Town playing host to the South African leg.

With an impressive exhibition of running on display, an unprecedented total of 4 elite athletes managed to break the sub-4 minute barrier with Justin  Kemboi from Kenya crossing the finish line with a time of 03:59.02  to take top prize as the winner in the Men’s Elite category.

20-year-old South African favourite Prudence Sekgodiso blistered through the field to secure bragging rights as the fastest in the Women’s Elite race with a time of 04:43.17. Other notable runners on the night included: Blitzbokke Captain Shakes Siviwe Soyizwapi, South African professional boxer and IBO cruiserweight champion Kevin Lerena as well as  Stormers outside centre Ruhan Nel.

The Mile, much like the 100 meters and the marathon is still widely considered one of the most iconic distances and the pinnacle of athletic excellence. The first sub-4-minute mile was smashed in 1954 by Roger Bannister. His time of 3:59.4 has since been broken by over 1600 athletes worldwide. Two unmatched records still stand today in the ladies’ and men’s categories. The men’s world record stands at 3:43.13, set by Hicham El Guerrouj of Morocco in 1999 while the women’s record sits at 4:12.33 held by Olympic sensation Sifan Hassan, set in July 2019.

However, the mile isn’t only for a  ‘pro’ or Olympic athlete, it’s the ideal fitness distance for runners looking to test their speed and endurance, regardless of age or ability. UA recognised the massive appeal that the distance holds and wanted to create a campaign that would challenge runners and encourage them to reach their best.

Commenting on a very successful event, Under Armour South Africa MD Darren Cooke says, “It has been amazing to see the ALL OUT MILE  campaign come to life, particularly here in SA. Those in attendance were treated to a superb display of running with many setting new PBs.  It has been an honour to host some of the top elite middle-distance runners and at the same time bringing the local running community together. Under Armour is dedicated to helping athletes, both pro and amateur, to continuously assess and improve their performance and this was definitely achieved with the ALL OUT MILE campaign.”

“One of the highlights of the evening was definitely the spectacular Elite men’s race, culminating in four world-class performances by 4 athletes running the mile in under 4 minutes. What an absolute privilege to bear witness to an incredible feat,” concludes Cooke.

Top 4 Male Elite Runners on the night:

  1. Justin  Kemboi – 03:59.02
  2. Matthew Kipsang – 03:59.02
  3. Ashley Smith – 03:59.86
  4. Christopher  Swart – 03:59.98