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The Threshhold Hillcrest Marathon & Half Marathon celebrates its 40th anniversary on 10 February with a new title sponsor, but the same great race that has become a firm favourite amongst KZN runners.

It was 1978… On Robben Island, Nelson Mandela celebrated his 60th birthday, unaware that in 17 years’ he was destined to become SA’s first black president. Meanwhile, we filled cinemas to watch Superman and Grease. Dallas kept us riveted to TV screens, which had only been in the country for two years. Our own Margaret Gardiner was crowned Miss Universe, and pop royalty Queen were chanting ‘We Will Rock You’ – on vinyl records, of course.

And in KZN’s sleepy town of Hillcrest, with less than 5000 residents, the fledgling Hillcrest Villagers Athletics Club with all of 25 members staged its first club race on 5th February 1978. Roughly 500 entrants took on the 24km from Hillcrest’s rugby fields through the barely developed countryside to Forest Hills and back, and the race was won by DAC’s John Cafetero in a time of 1:24:32.

40 years later and it’s all very different today. In 2019 we’ll probably download the blockbuster Queen movie Bohemian Rhapsody to watch on our smart TV’s, which grew out of their clumsy bunny ears decades ago. CD’s came and went. Now we stream music performed by artists who weren’t even born in 1978. We just recently had a second Miss Universe in Demi-Leigh Nel-Pieters. And Hillcrest is a thriving suburb which, along with Kloof and Gillitts, is now home to about 20,000 residents.

Modern, Vibrant Club
As for Hillcrest Villagers Athletics Club, it is now 350 members strong and one of KZN’s most vibrant multi-disciplined running clubs. But that club race, now called the Threshhold Hillcrest Marathon, has stood the test of time. Although the route changed some years back, February 2019 will see the 40th running of the race, and for the past 30 years, this race has also been the first local marathon qualifier for the Two Oceans and Comrades ultra-marathons.

“It’s undoubtedly one of the most popular races on the KZN calendar and the 3000 entries go quickly,” says club chairman Marc Allen. “Runners like to test their legs early in the year and take some pressure off by achieving their qualifying times for Two Oceans and Comrades early. It’s a relatively fast run, too. Last year’s winning times were 2:31:57 for Tsholwane Jane in the men’s marathon and 3:04:36 by Lisa Collett in the women’s race. The route plays a big part in its attraction, because it’s a very scenic two-lap course through a tree-lined, shaded route into Winston Park, and the crowd support is always good.”

“We still have a few of the original members from 1978 in the club and it’s fascinating to hear their stories. The Club’s 42 years old this year, so it’s older than myself and many of the members, but all of us really feel that sense of tradition keenly, so to be putting on the race for the 40th time, and with a new headline sponsor in Threshhold, is very exciting. We’re pulling out all the stops to ensure this year is extra memorable.”

The Ideal Supplement
Threshhold, which is a natural supplement that’s clinically proven to provide support and protection for joints, cartilage and ligaments as well as relief of pain and inflammation, comes on board as headline sponsor after co-sponsoring the event in 2018. Made from the world’s best researched and purest form of MSM (OptiMSM), Threshhold is particularly beneficial to runners who often experience joint and muscle strain or injury with inflammation, especially as the season progresses. Used daily, Threshhold helps to prevent injury and strain plus enhances performance by acting as an antioxidant, stimulating muscle and tissue repair, and shortening post-exercise recovery time. In the event of injury or strain, Threshhold is also an effective natural anti-inflammatory that helps repair connective tissue damage.

If that doesn’t already make Threshhold seem the perfect running partner for the Hillcrest Marathon, this may: MSM was first discovered by Harvard-educated Dr Stanley Jacob of the Oregon Health & Life Sciences University in the US in… you guessed it, 1978!

Single mother Thubaelihle Nkomo overcomes challenges daily to create a better life for herself and her son, working full-time as a live-in nanny. Her dream of running a marathon is something she has to work hard for, but that hard work paid off when she was selected as a winner in the Discovery Vitality Run Series, which was a huge stepping stone to get closer to her main goal, Comrades 2019.

Thuba, as her friends call her, only started running last year in November, because she wanted to become fit and healthier, but that soon evolved into a passion for running as she realised what running gave her. “I feel so good when I run, it relieves the stress of a long day and helps me relax,” she says. Training from Monday to Thursday every week has helped her get fit and strong, and she keeps herself motivated by constantly reminding herself that “no matter what job I am doing, there is nothing that will stop me from running, it’s what I love most.”

It is this motivation that made her enter the Modern Athlete Discovery Vitality Run Series Competition, where she stood the chance to win entries into all four races in the series, a customised training programme as well as stylish Discovery apparel, plus a feature in the magazine! “I want to run the Old Mutual Soweto Marathon this year, and running this series would give me the training I need to reach my goal,” says Thuba. “I was so excited when I won, because it meant I could run four races and really work on my running!”

A DREAM WORTH CHASING
Thuba doesn’t believe in doing anything in half measures, so at the start of the series she set herself the goal of trying to finish in the top five in all the races. Starting at the Old Eds Road Race, she ran an impressive 49:22 for 10km, putting her just outside the top 10 in 11th position, running an impressive average of 4:56 a kay, but for Thuba it wasn’t the goal she wanted. “I tried my best, but it wasn’t easy,” she says, adding that it just motivated her to try harder for the next race!

With the Wanderers Aucor Property Race just a week away, it didn’t give her much time to change her strategy, but ever motivated, she decided that she needed to hit the books to see what she needed to change. “I realised that my training still had a way to go for me to achieve my top five result, but the series kept me motivated to keep training, to research how to improve and to mingle with other runners to get advice.”

With the goal in mind of moving up to do her first half marathon soon, she decided to take the next two races as training to learn as much as possible. Managing another sub-50 at Wanderers, Thuba was in high spirits, but knew a big challenge awaited her at the third race in the series, the Adrienne Hersch Challenge, as it features a course with a lot of climbs!

OVERCOMING BARRIERS
Standing at the start line of the Adrienne Hersch Challenge, Thuba had set herself a big goal: she wanted to break 45 minutes for 10km! However, 5km in Thuba realised her goal wasn’t going to happen. “Normally I run a 5km in 20 to 25 minutes, but I was already at 33 minutes and it was just hill after hill – it was my hardest race yet!” Finishing in 51:52, she was disappointed, but knew she had to get over it and move on, as her first 21km was coming up, and she was determined to break the two-hour mark at the Rockies Gerald Fox Memorial Race!

Race Day came and a determined Thuba says she knew this was the last race in the series, so she gave it her all and ran an impressive 1:50:40, putting her well in the Top 100 Women in 51st position, and smashing her goal with just under 10 minutes was the ultimate cherry on top. “This result has motivated me even more to train harder and to run more! Two Oceans and Comrades, I am coming for you!”

With the series well run, Thuba is looking forward to bigger goals, now made more accessible thanks to the grounding that the Discovery Vitality Run Series has given her! And she even has advice for others looking to take up running: “All you need is a pair of shoes and the rest will follow. It doesn’t matter what job you have, if you love running just go for it, as I did. Running changes people’s lives!”

IMAGES: Courtesy Thubaelihle Nkomo

Wietse van der Westhuizen is 60 and has finished the Comrades Marathon an impressive 41 times! Organiser of the weekly Wietse se Run training in Cape Town, he is always asked by people, why he runs. His answer is always the same, “I run because I love to eat and enjoy a nice craft beer and good red wine. My philosophy in life is to do what you enjoy and make the most of every day. Try to do everything in moderation.”

Wietse's dream is to to run 50 consecutive Comrades Marathons, he has been healthy for the last 41 years and trusts that by the grace of God he will reach this goal. But to do this he has to make sure he looks after himself. “I am a firm believer that if you look after your body by doing the necessary training, eat healthy food that were provided by God to us you can enjoy many active years without the worries of the all the modern health problems. Unfortunately, because of the rat race, more stress and hard training, the food that land on our tables today can’t provide us with all the nutrients that we need to get the best out of our bodies. With 1000’s of km run, I need something more to help me reach that dream of 50 consecutive Comrades Marathons.”

With Wietse's experience he has now developed a daily routine that not only keeps him running but keeps him healthy too:

My day starts with Avogel Multiforce Alkaline powder to help me get rid of all the unnecessary acids in my body due to my love for food, wine and beer. That is followed up after breakfast with Threshold MSM because it is a natural anti-inflammatory it helps me to maintain healthy joints, tendons and ligaments. With two knee operations behind me due to a rugby injury and cracking my knee cap on a tile floor, Threshold MSM  assists me with my weak knees while training for my next race. Thanks to Threshold MSM , gone are those days of waking up with pain when walking that first steps towards the bathroom not even thinking of running.

In his running career Wietse has learn't the importance of recovery in his training, he takes us through his recovery process below:

One aspect of running that most runners forget about is what to do when they just finished that race. Most of us are on a high and just want to celebrate our victory, don’t even think about tomorrow, about another run and most of all, about a recovery drink. The first few minutes after your race and even a training session is vital for your recovery!

The best recovery drink for running or any other sport depends on the amount of time you are doing the exercise. The purpose of a recovery drink is to restore fluid and electrolytes lost in sweat, replace muscle fuel used during the run and provide protein to help repair damaged muscle tissue.

If you are running for less than an hour, water is the best drink during and after your run. If your runs routinely last longer than 60 minutes, you will need something more than water for recovery. I usually love to drink Chocolate milk after a long run for recovery because of its combination of simple and complex carbohydrates along with protein. The simple carbohydrate will provide quick fuel replenishment while the protein helps build and repair muscle. Chocolate milk also provides the fluid and minerals needed for rehydration.                                       

To get the most out of you body is to take care of it before, during and after a run and even a stressful day at work. We have only one body and the privilege to live once, make the best of it.

Win a ThreshHold MSM  Recovery Hamper! Simply click on the Enter Now button below and fill out a form and anser the simple question: Name the key ingredient used in THRESHHold

*hint THRESHHold MSM*

Toyota Warrior Races have become a regular on the race circuit, the gutsy obstacle course race is the perfect test of endurance for any athlete, its combination of fitness and fun makes it the perfect event for anyone and everyone to take part in. 

Just ask Jason Fritz, he has taken on more than 43 Toyota Warrior races over the last 7 years. This dedicated warrior has fought bravely on the muddy battlefield and triumphed over many obstacles. We wanted to find out a little more of why exactly he keeps coming back for more! 

Exactly how many Toyota Warrior races have you finished?

30 Black-ops Elite's

5   Commando Elite's

8   Rookie's

What is it that you most enjoy about the Toyota Warrior races?

There are many things I enjoy about the Toyota Warrior Race, but if I need to single out one or two things, I would say it's the people you meet on course and by the finishline the friends you have made, and of course the awesome challenges that you face at each race. 

What’s your all-time favourite obstacle?

It has to be the flying monkey and any heavy pull obstacles.
*for those that are newbies the flying monkey is a set of overhead bars that you literaly swing from one bar to another like a monkey. Heavy pull obstacles … pulling heavy objects from point A to B ;0

What’s your least favourite obstacle?

Sjoe, the running is by far the hardest thing for me – I am a big guy and definetly not the quickest runner on the course.

What is your advice for all the Warrior Rookies taking on their first race? 

Go out, have fun, enjoy it, take it a challenge at time, you can always improve on the next race, what is important is to remember the main reason you are doing the Toyota Warrior is to have fun and meet like minded people who like you want to enjoy themselves.  

Do you currently do any training?

I recently started with a running coach and have been working on my running a lot. I train grip work and obstacle twice a week with strength work in between.

What motivates and drives you to finish?

The feeling of accomplishment and knowing that your training and hard work pays off, is a huge motivating factor to finish.  Knowing that we are privileged to do what we do and have the opportunity to race, inspires me to always give my best.

Do you have a psych-up mix of songs, and which one is at the top?

On the way to a race I listen to good old house music in the car. Before a race and on warm-up it’s me and the natural sound around me.

The Toyota Warrior race is the perfect combination of fitness and fun for everyone taking part. Distances range anything from 5-kilometres to 15-kilometres with three categories to set them apart, namely: Rookies, Commandos and Black-Ops. This gutsy obstacle course race has proven to test the endurance of many top athletes, in search of the ultimate warrior. Through burpees, climbing, running, crawling and jumping, a hero emerged.

Do you think you have what it takes to beat Jason at his game? Enter now for the Toyota Warrior race taking place 24 November 2018, at Soweto.

What makes someone come back year after year to tackle one of the toughest ultra-marathons in the world? Non-runners can’t comprehend it, but for die-hard Comrades runners, the siren’s call of those 89.9 kilometres of waiting tar, including the challenge to run it better than last year, is too loud to ignore. It’s this drive to continually improve on the previous year that brings 44-year-old Bheki Khumalo to the start line for the 15th time this year.

SOCCER’S LOSS, RUNNING’S GAIN
Growing up in Northern KZN, Bheki was too little to play soccer with the older boys, so to occupy himself, he started running around the field. Running soon became a passion, and Bheki never made it onto the soccer pitch. Instead, he was dreaming of running marathons. Despite not having running shoes – he trained in his father’s gardening boots – he started excelling in school races. On hearing about Comrades, he ran from his village to Mandeni to find an athletics club to join so he could enter this marathon of marathons.

His first Comrades was in 1996, which he finished in an impressive 7:23:16 to earn his first silver medal. It was also his hardest Comrades. “I didn’t have proper running shoes and wasn’t at all ready for the pain of that race,” he says. “I finished with bleeding toes and lost all my toenails.” Thanks to the generosity of a man who saw him running and gave him a decent pair of running shoes, Bheki came back stronger the following year to finish in an exceptional 6:52:00 and earn another silver medal. “It was those shoes,” he laughs. “They gave me the confidence to perform at my best!”

UNEXPECTED SUPPORT
Having moved to Wyebank in 2007, Bheki didn’t run as competitively as before. “With a young family there wasn’t the financial means to enter races or buy good running shoes. That was okay, every parent understands your children come first,” he says, but he didn’t stop running, because he says running is his life. “It’s like breathing for me, I have to run. It’s part of who I am.”

In 2015 he began working as a gardener at St Mary’s Diocesan School for Girls in Kloof, and when a teacher spotted him running on the school field wearing a Comrades peak, the school realised it had a successful Comrades athlete on its staff and began assisting Bheki to obtain running apparel and supplements. That support saw Bheki back on the Comrades starting line in 2017, for the first time since 2014, and he bounced back straight away with another silver medal in 7:09:03!

Now in 2018 he will line up for the 15th time, and he says he feels ready for the race. “I believe discipline, patience and learning what your body is capable of handling are the most important aspects of training. I run 8 to 10 kilometres from home to work and back every day. I’m up at 3am every day to train before work, and on hectic training days I’ll even start at midnight. I normally run one Comrades qualifier, but this year I ran three, including my first Two Oceans in Cape Town.”

“Good supplements are also important, especially as you get older. I’ve used Threshhold MSM for the past 10 months and seen big improvements in my stamina and recovery times. The painful joints and muscle stiffness I used to experience have gone. And post-run protein shakes help too.”

SHARING THE EXPERIENCE
When asked if he has any advice for first-time Comrades runners, Bheki says, “Make sure you’re as mentally and physically prepared as possible. No-one can be totally prepared for their first Comrades, but if you run at the same pace you train at, you’ll be okay. Don’t start too fast, and make sure you have proper shoes! Also, for nutrition, stick to what works, don’t try anything new on the race. I use protein shakes, peanuts and chips. I also take bananas and lots of water from the tables.”

Bheki adds that running has taught him so much, especially discipline and commitment. “I know no other life but running. It’s shown me how strong my desire to excel is. Each year I try to improve on the previous year, and unless you win Comrades, you can never stop improving or learning. Also, running seems like a solitary sport, but knowing there are people rooting for me has had a huge impact on my performance. I ran many races in the past where I was alone, and it was very hard, so I’m so humbled by the support St Mary’s has given me. My dream is to one day win a gold medal and have my family waiting for me at the finish.”

Are you a trail runner on the hunt for adventure and that something out of the ordinary? Well, the Cathedral Peak Challenge in the Drakensberg Mountains provides the challenge you have been yearning for. Any and all runners are invited to take up the Challenge, and all that stands between you and your share of the cash prizes totalling R100,000 is the time you take to complete it, but this is also so much more than just a race to the top!

English poet William Blake wrote, “Great things are done when men and mountains meet,” and the Cathedral Peak Challenge invites everyone who thinks they’re up to conquering the Peak’s summit to push themselves to new heights. Running for four months from 1 June to 30 September 2018, the Challenge presents a wonderful opportunity to embrace winter training and mountain running while being able to connect with one of South Africa’s most glorious mountains in one of the most beautiful areas of KwaZulu-Natal.

At 3004m, Cathedral Peak is one of the most popular peaks in the Drakensberg, and was first climbed by D W Bassett-Smith and R G Kingdon in 1917. The new Challenge, conceptualised by the owner of the Cathedral Peak Hotel, William Van Der Riet, is a 20.7km up-and-down round trip with 1531m of climbing, starting at the Hotel and using a a well-worn path to Orange Peel Gap, along a ridge and up Bugger Gully. The route winds along a fairly clear path, but the final stretch to the summit is steep, exposed and can be treacherous at times. Once you have reached the summit, take a moment to celebrate, but remember the clock is running and the view should be not be enjoyed for too long, as you will still need to navigate the route down.

And here’s the best part – you can enter and complete the Challenge as many times as you wish. If you aren’t quite happy with your first attempt, you can come back and try again… and again… and again… until the final day of the Challenge on 30 September. (Note: This route takes up to 10 hours for a normal day hike, but running times are considerably faster.)

Let's Get Started
At the launch of the Challenge on 10 May, some of the biggest names in South African trail running were in action to set the initial times to beat. Meg 'Jet Shoes' Mackenzie, one of SA's top female runners, completed the challenge in a brilliant 2 hours and 53 minutes for the fastest time on the day, with the rest of the top 5 times posted by Perfect Dlamini (3:04), Thomas van Tonder (3:08), Greg Avierinos (3:24) and Sue Don-Wauchope (3:27).

Other well-known elite trail runners in action were Iain Don-Wauchope, Tracy Zunckel, Bennie Roux and Nikki Booyens, while various other VIPs, celebs and journo's also joined the day’s proceedings. Even reigning Mrs South Africa, Nicole Capper, took on the mountain. So, why all the fuss about a mountain? For hotel owner William, the Cathedral Peak Challenge is not just a call to beat or overcome the mountain, it’s an invitation for South Africans to reclaim the spiritual loss caused by a modern lifestyle.

“Here at Cathedral Peak Hotel, we’ve been witnessing a worrying trend over the last decade or so. Whilst we always have an abundance of guests coming here to escape city life, sadly, fewer people are actually engaging with nature on their visit. Guests can choose from 18 different walks and hikes, ranging from gentle strolls down the riverside to scaling the summit of Cathedral Peak itself, and every single one of these outings is complimentary, so why come all the way here, only to stay on the premises?” he questions.

In his search for the answer, William says he has made it his mission to encourage guests to harness the beauty and energy of the stunning natural surroundings as a remedy to the chaos and stress of city life. “What we’re aiming to achieve with The Challenge cannot be accomplished in a single day. We wanted to offer something more than just a once-off experience. That’s also why it’s running over four months. We want people to come back time and again. And no, they don’t have to stay at the hotel, they’re welcome to just come and connect with what is the highest free-standing peak in South Africa’s revered Mountain of Dragons.”

So, do you have what it takes to #ChallengeYourself? For more information and to register for the Cathedral Peak Challenge, click on the link below

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