Category: Columns

One of the most common overuse running injuries is shinsplints, a burning pain that results when small tears occur in the muscles around your shin bone (tibia). If you have it, here’s what you need to know to rest and recover. – BY SEAN FALCONER

The most likely ‘candidates’ for shinsplints, or medial tibial stress syndrome, is new runners or those runners returning from an extended break, and this injury is usually a sign that you've done too much mileage, too soon. Basically, it’s your body saying it can’t handle what you’re putting it through – or that you’re wearing shoes that don’t provide enough cushioning, either because they’re worn out, not meant for long mileage, or just not suited to your biomechanics.

Time to Rest
Many runners try to run through the pain, especially if they’re following a training programme building up to a goal event, but when the first twinges of pain strike, the best thing to do is cut back on mileage and intensity to a comfortable level for a few days or up to a week – in other words, to a level of running where your shins don’t hurt – then slowly up your mileage again using the tried and tested 10 percent rule: Never increase your mileage by more than 10 percent per week.

If all running makes your shins hurt, the best advice is to take a complete break from running and rather ride your bike, do some pool-running or swim, to give your shins a complete rest. Regular icing of the affected area is also recommended, and taping the shins can also relieve the pain and speed up healing, but the easiest and best way to avoid shinsplints is to increase mileage gradually – and have the patience to rest long enough if you do get shinsplints pain.

A handy self-test is to run or hop on the spot. If you feel pain in your shin, rather stop running and rest. (If it is severe pain, even caused by walking, it could be a stress fracture.) If the shin is just tight when you run or hop, run with caution. If the shin tightens up or starts to hurt only once you have been running for a while, back off your mileage and intensity for a while.

What is better than a PB, a qualifying time or winning a race? Getting asked to spend the rest of your life with your best friend… who is also a runner. A month ago this dream came true when André asked me to marry him. Whilst the romantic how and where will remain my secret, I have to admit that I was wearing my Adidas tracksuit and a stopwatch at the time… – BY RENE KALMER

Andre and I have been friends for almost 30 years, because his sister, also Rene, and I have been best friends since nursery school. We were always known as Rene 1 and Rene 2. Little did we know that years later she will not only be one of my bridesmaids, but also my groom's sister…

In 2012 I asked Andre to be my date for the Olympic Banquet before Team SA departed for London. The next day Andre booked a ticket to London to come and support me, and as they say, the rest is history. Even though Andre and I share the same love and passion for running, he often jokes that it is actually two different sports we participate in. Andre would ask me how I can run a marathon in 2 hours 30 minutes? I would reply: “How can you take 2 hours 30 minutes to finish a half marathon?” Andre would ask: “How can you train 180 kilometres in a week?” I would ask: “How can you only run 180 kilometres in a month?”

Different Strokes
No need to point out that I’m extremely competitive, while he would rather run an hour slower on a race just to have company, or to help a friend qualify for Comrades. When we started dating, I thought I would have a positive/faster effect on his running, but he proved me wrong by clocking his slowest time in the Comrades that year, 11:58. While I race at the front of the pack, Andre is usually in his own race trying to finish just before the cut-off gun, and hearing his stories from the back of the pack often leaves me speechless. He prefers running in the bus with the cymbal, while it drives me mad if someone is running near me with change in their pocket. Although I can't imagine all these things during a race, I can see the fun he has in doing the same, but oh so different sport…

However, we both have running as an integral part of our lives, and I think therein lies the secret. We both get up early to get to races. We both have our rituals the evening before a big race. We both understand the challenges, the commitment and also the emotional support needed when a race doesn't go according to plan, or when injuries take their toll. I’m also really grateful for him supporting my lifestyle as a professional runner. He understands the time and effort needed to succeed. The commitments to sponsors and fans, the press conferences and appearances, the prize-givings and doping tests, the agony and the ecstasy. Holidays, weekends and even weddings are planned around my races. Early mornings to get up training and going to bed earlier because of a hard session the next morning are all part of the game. He never asks if I “really have to go and train,” but instead he drives for hours behind me, seconding me or playing photographer on my long runs.

He doesn't care if I finish first or clock a fast time in a race. What matters most to him is that I enjoy it. I also appreciate the fact that he was willing to sacrifice a December holiday at the beach to join me for altitude training at Afriski in Lesotho. We have also had some amazing ‘running experiences’ together, notably the London Olympics and Berlin Marathon, and having him in Boston with me when the bomb exploded was of course very comforting.

Best Friends
A runner is a special type of person. We enjoy a healthy lifestyle. We are committed. We understand a blister on a foot or a lost toenail. We fight, we conquer, we struggle and we both know about ‘vasbyt’… but between all the blood, sweat and tears lies the most beautiful friendship. I have found my runner… Have you found yours?

Marine biologist, wife and mother of two, part-time TV presenter… that’s what Eleanor Yeld Hutchings has to juggle, but still she finds time to fit in her other passion, running. – BY SEAN FALCONER

The South African coast is home not only to outstanding natural beauty and unparalleled diversity of marine fauna and flora, but also to fascinating people, and that is why the SABC commissioned the TV programme Shoreline in 2008 – and that is how Eleanor Yeld Hutchings came to be on TV. “I was busy with my PhD and working for a marine tourism company when Homebrew Films called me, said they were looking for expert presenters for the series and I had been recommended, so would I do a screen test? I thought about it for all of a split second, did the test and got the job. The filming took about nine months and we had one film crew of five to cover the four presenters, so we each filmed separately for one week out of five, which meant I could be at home for the remaining four weeks to go to work, finish my PhD and graduate, get married, fall pregnant and have a normal life.”

The show proved very popular with viewers, leading to several awards and then a second series being filmed in 2012, which also led to Eleanor being noticed by the makers of National Geographic Wild, who brought her on board to do expert commentary on their Caught in the Act segment. There is now talk of a third series of Shoreline, which greatly excites Eleanor, because she says it was fascinating work, even if not as glamorous as people think.

“There was no hair and make-up, because we wanted a real feel, and our living arrangements depended on where we were, like on Malgas Island: Nobody lives there except a lot of gannets, and the only structures are a couple of wrecked old buildings, so we had to bunk down in sleeping bags on the floor. But that was fine, because the amazing part was travelling around the coast twice and getting to places that the average tourist cannot go. And getting to meet other scientists and learn about their research and work was such a privilege.” Also, being a keen runner, Eleanor made sure to keep up her running while on location, often running with cameraman Chis Lodz. “We had some hairy runs, though, like the one where we went past signs that said beware of hippos. It became an interval session every time we heard a noise in the bushes!”

Marine Focus
A resident of Cape Town all her life, Eleanor (34) is married to Ken and mother to two kids, Daniel (5) and step-daughter Erin (8). Having also previously worked for WWF South Africa, she is currently working for the Save Our Seas Foundation in Kalk Bay, where she manages the Shark Education Centre. “A lot of people have the wrong idea about sharks and don’t understand the role they play in the marine environment. They only hear negative news about sharks, so putting sharks in perspective is what we do, and showing people how important the seas are, that we depend on the oceans not only for our weather, but for the air we breathe.”

Eleanor’s career path was largely influenced by her father, John Yeld, who recently retired after spending his entire career with the Cape Argus newspaper as its award-winning science and environment photo-journalist. His love of running also helped her get into the sport. “He is my running inspiration and we often do races together,’ she says. “He did eight Two Oceans ultras and a Comrades, as well as the Puffer, Three Peaks Challenge and Bat Run, plus heaps of Oceans Halves and Trail Runs, and is still running at 66.”

However, Eleanor admits that she was not a fan of running when younger. “I loved sport, but I was a swimmer and water polo player, and absolutely detested running. Then I hit university and couldn’t afford a gym membership, so I needed something to keep fit and healthy, and running was cheapest and most convenient. I started by tackling a ‘Couch to 21km’ programme with two friends ahead of the 2004 Two Oceans Half, and somewhere along the line I went from hating it, to hating it but enjoying post-run feeling, to realising I actually enjoyed running. And then that feeling of finishing the race with my Dad and friends really got me hooked, even though I couldn’t walk the rest of the week!”

Fitting in running
Eleanor has to fit her running in around her day job, family life and part-time filming, but she says she makes it work. “I actually schedule regular runs on my calendar and consider them appointments. In summer I get up early before work to run, and in winter I usually run after work with a headlamp and lots of reflective gear. That’s the beauty of running – I can do it anywhere, any time, whether I have 20 minutes or two hours. And if I am really pressed for time, I just find hilly terrain or run faster.” She adds that Ken is very supportive of her running. “He is also very active and has his own sporting interests, including surfing and mountain biking, so we make sure we get a good balance. He shoulders a fully equal share of all domestic duties, including cooking and cleaning, and that’s probably the most important part of making it work, that we both respect each other’s sport, and give each other time and space.”

Today Eleanor runs between 10 and 20 races a year, mostly on road in her Fish Hoek AC colours, but she also does trail races when she can. “I’m not the world’s fastest runner, but this year I’ve done my fastest times for 10, 15 and 21km, despite being a working mom. I’m really kicking my 20-something’s butt!” Her longest race was the Two Oceans ultra last year, where she finished in 6:40. “It was something I had always wanted to do, and even though it was hard and I was cramping towards the end, I was never in doubt about finishing. I want to run it again next year and finish in sub-six hours, and later I would like to run Comrades, but only after I turn 40. All the runners in my family say it is better to be older, plus I want the kids to be older before I give that much time to my training.”

Almost Famous…
Naturally, being a TV presenter means that Eleanor gets recognised, but she jokes that Shoreline certainly has not turned her into a celebrity. “I get people saying I look familiar, but they can’t quite remember from where, and usually the only place I get recognised is by retired folk in grocery stores, and during trail runs. My dad thinks that is hilarious… during races he says ‘OK, we’ve been running for 20 kilometres, you’re sweaty and your hair is messed up, so I’m sure somebody will recognise you soon.’”

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…

947 radio presenter Alex Caige was ready to take on his first Comrades Marathon this year, until a stress fracture put him out of action, but with a positive outlook on his recovery process, he’s ready to conquer more fitness goals. And Comrades 2016 is on the cards! – BY LAUREN VAN DER VYVER

MA: You’re big on the 947 cycle races, but when did Comrades become a pursuit you wanted to tick off?
Alex: My old man was doing Comrades back in 2012 and wanted me to try it. I’ve done cycle races with him, like the 947 road and mountain bike challenge as well as the Argus Cycle Tour, and it’s great having him with me, because it’s a distraction and motivation with the endurance stuff. Instead of joining him for Comrades then, I was doing the Fish River Canyon hike, so I outlined my first Comrades to be the 90th one. So in the middle of last year, I was getting my mindset right, because it’s an important part of the training journey.

MA: And then your stress fracture happened…
Alex: It happened when I picked up the distances in January, and I discovered it at my first marathon at Jackie Gibson. It was my qualifier, even though I knew it was notoriously tough, but beforehand, my friend I was training with kept forgetting to send me the route profile, so I thought, “How bad could it be?” Four and a half hours later I crossed the line, and that’s where I picked up the stress fracture in my leg. My muscles were fine, but I told my physio I felt a sharp pain inside my leg and she confirmed it. I got told that it would take between four and eight weeks to heal, but either way, my fitness would take a knock. I didn’t want to get to 54km at Comrades and then give in, and possibly with a long-term injury as well.

MA: You have to juggle radio with playing MC and being at events. Have you found a schedule to fit in training?
Alex: It’s difficult to balance everything. Sometimes I finish gigs at 2am, having to be up again at 4:30am. The hardest thing about Comrades is the commitment before the race, where you have to wake up early. It does become part of your routine, though, and it freshens you for the day – you appreciate it when you see this massive sunrise with streaks of gold. Time is a psychological thing. If you tell yourself it is or isn’t going to happen, that’s what it is going to be.

MA: Have you learnt to become mentally tough in the last stretches of an event?
Alex: It’s psychological. When you hit 65km at the 947 for example, you have to push through. You have to count down. I say to myself, “It’s just a training ride away,” and I map out my weekly rides into the race and that pulls me through. At Jackie Gibson, with 10km to go, I thought about my training runs during the week. I thought, “Oh, it’s a normal Tuesday night and I have to get this done.” You forget about that pain. My old man always tells me to stay positive and my mentality for training is what I bring to work. You have to believe for it to be a reality.

MA: Are you recovering well?
Alex: I went back to gym a few weeks ago to begin swimming and walking in the pool. I want to get my strength back. If you think about it, a fracture is technically a break – not a compound break, but it hurts! I will only try running again in July, starting with 3km to see how I feel. Then I want to build up slowly.

MA: Then is it back to the Comrades drawing board?
Alex: Cape Town Marathon is on the cards and I hope to build up my fitness before that. I will also be training intensely for the Cycle Challenge. Getting back into it, Comrades is obviously there. It’s the Ultimate Human Race. People think I’m crazy and say I should rather do Loskop, but I’m set. I’m a little worried about the Down Run, because of the impact Jackie Gibson had, but I have the mindset that I will do it. It’s about the vibe and challenge. Everyone should try it at least once.

At the age of 24, Rustenburg-born athlete Ilze Wicksell became the first woman from Africa to duck under two minutes in the 800m in 1983. In the same year, she also grabbed the 1000m national record, which still stands today, and now the Pretoria-based Tuks sports manager and high school athletics coach recalls her glory days as well as setbacks, and giving back to the sport she loves. – BY LAUREN VAN DER VYVER

Athletic success didn’t look to be part of Ilze’s future when she got to high school in the mid 70s, but then everything changed. “I was never a favourite to win anything growing up – I even failed to make my high school relay team – but one day, while I was running with my older brother up these mountains, his coach saw some talent in me and my training picked up,” says Ilze. Just a few months later she won her first inter-high 400m and 800m events, and then went on to compete in her first SA Junior Champs meet, where she placed second in the 800m. She never won a national junior title, always settling for the runners-up position, but that would change later in the senior ranks.

After her parents moved to Bloemfontein, Ilze decided to finish her schooling at Menlo Park High School in Pretoria, where she boarded with family friends, and then after school she moved back to Bloemfontein to study and to work with renowned coach De Villiers Lamprecht, who was certain of her ability to compete on a bigger stage. “It was an adjustment. As a student, I initially couldn’t make the 800m final, but in my second year, I performed better. My best then was a 2:07 finish, so I was never amongst the favourites going into nationals,” she explains. “Then I won the 800m at the 1979 SAs and cut my time to 2:03 and was selected for the Springbok squad as a reserve. I never thought I was as good as the others, but after that I knew I could be up there!”

From there, Ilze’s athletic career really took off. She won the 800m SA title again in 1980, 1981 and 1983, and added the 400m title in 1980 and 1981 as well, also improving her 800m time to 2:01 along the way. That brought increased public expectation to dip under the two-minute mark, which no African woman had done yet, even though the World Record had been 1:55 since 1976. Then in February 1983, after hard hours working on her speed, she clocked 2:37.20 in Bloemfontein to break the SA record for 1000m, beating Zola Budd by 0.7 seconds, and in March she finally broke the two-minute barrier in Stellenbosch when she stopped the clock on 1:59.39. “I remember working so hard for it, so it was special to be the first African woman to do that. But it was bittersweet, too. My father died two months before that, so when I crossed the line, I wanted to call him to tell him the news. Then I remembered I couldn’t, and I burst into tears.”

Out and Back
Because SA’s athletes were excluded from international competition in those years, Ilze decided that 1984 would be her last year in competitive athletics, because she could not see a long-term career in the sport, but she still wanted to break 1:57. So, in January that year she started her training earlier than before, determined to finish on a high note, until disaster struck. “I knew I was blessed with speed, and God gave me that talent, but one day on the track in Bloem a girl accidentally hit me on my Achilles with a discus. That was me out… I couldn’t run anymore!”

So Ilze went into teaching, then met and married American runner Ray Wicksell in 1988 when he came out to SA to compete, and a year later he convinced her to resume training after her first daughter Eugenie’s birth in 1989. “I couldn’t even run one kay after the baby! But the fact that I was running for Tuks and they gave me a little incentive to run for the club, helped me push on,” she says. Then in 1993, ten years after breaking two minutes and after seven years out of competitive running, Ilze won another 800m national title in 2:02. That took her to her first international competition at the African Champs in Mauritius at age 34, where she grabbed the bronze medal in the 800m. “After that I went to Germany to compete in a few meets, and I remember that because I ran barefoot and I was skinny, the international guys thought I was Zola Budd!” she recalls. “But my times stuck to 2:02, and it took me longer to recover, so I knew I had to slow down.”

Coaching the Future
After the birth of her youngest daughter Stephanie, Ilze returned to training and scored a win in the 800m at the World Veteran Champs in 1997. By then she knew that she would always be involved in athletics, and was working for Rentmeester Life Insurance, managing their Comrades Marathon runners, then became a manager and spokesperson for Liberty Nike Athletics Club in later years while working on developing young athletes in Atteridgeville and Eersterust in Pretoria. Then around 16 years ago, she started coaching middle distance at Menlo Park High School, and for the past eight years she has also been the manager of archery, badminton, canoeing, fencing, judo, rowing and wrestling at the Sports Centre at the University of Pretoria.

With both daughters also keen runners, having earned SA colours and competed at the World Youth Games, Ilze is happy to have brought them up in an active, healthy family environment, and she herself still runs a few times a week, because she says it keeps her mind in check while keeping her slim and healthy. She did try her hand at racing on the road some years back, but her body was no longer up to the challenge. “I thought I’d focus on 10km races, because I was not quick anymore, but my arthritis made it hard to walk properly, never mind run! That was my competitive days done.”

Today, Ilze is determined to carry on coaching and investing in talented young athletes, and wants to see sport become a priority in every student’s lifestyle. “As a coach, you’re a champ in my eyes if you set a goal and reach it. Sport translates to everything else in life – if you’re going to be a mother one day, a father, an employee – it determines who you will be.” Looking back on her running days, she says many things stand out as highlights: “That sub-2:00, beating Zola Budd to that 1000m record, my daughters and my family. My life is full because of that, and what sport has given me in all areas of my life.”

This year I was fortunate to make the trip down to Durban to support my third Comrades, and what a day it turned out to be! – BY RENE KALMER

I made the trip down with Andre, my now fiancée, his sister René, my best friend since kindergarten, her husband Francois, and my soon to be father-in-law, Oom Nicky. To be honest, I was not really confident in ‘Team van Wyk's’ ability to finish Comrades this year, because Andre was admitted to hospital two weeks prior to Comrades with a gall bladder infection and was just planning to start the race for the experience, while René had been battling with chronic ITB for the past year and Francois was also nursing a knee injury. I was not looking forward to an awkward trip back home with no medals…

Ready for Action
Race day arrived and it was time to strap René's knees with the help of a homemade video by my friend Magdaleen, who had earlier also suffered with ITB. René was desperate to try anything to help her get further than last year’s 50km. Then I shared the emotions and excitement with all 17,000 runners who were brave enough to start the Ultimate Human Race. What I love best about the Up run is the opportunity to experience the start in Durban, and I can't even imagine the emotions going through the runners’ minds as they play Chariots of Fire.

Our first stop was Pinetown and it was the only time we managed to spot and support all the runners, from the leaders to Andre, who was taking a backseat in Vlam's Modern Athlete 12-hour bus. Next stop was Drummond for the halfway mark, where we waited in anticipation for our troopers. René and Francois came through all smiles, while Andre snuck through halfway just under the cut-off time and was determined to keep going.

Keeping Track
I was really happy for social media and all my friends back home in front of the TV, giving me updates on how well the South Africans were doing, especially Caroline W?stmann. I met her in 2012 at the Midrand Striders prize-giving, where she was the star of the evening after placing 15th at Comrades that year, and I knew she was destined for great things! We have been friends ever since and it is always great to catch up with her at races and see how her joy for running rubs off on everybody around her.

Caroline proved everybody wrong on race day. She won the Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon just seven weeks prior to Comrades, and according to the experts she would fade, and she took the lead too soon, then caused everybody watching to choke for breath when she started to walk, but Caroline was just sticking to what worked for her in the past. She made Comrades look like a walk in the park, finishing in an astonishing 25th place overall, after Gift Kelehe had won the men's race by more than seven minutes – the first time since 1992 that South Africans claimed both the men’s and women's titles. I was also thrilled to hear that Charne Bosman finished second, after her disappointing run last year when thyroid problems forced her to stop. These golden girls, along with Emmerentia Rautenbach and Yolande Maclean, really showed that South African ladies can run!

Chasing Medals
Back to the sub-12 bus, and René and Francois cruised through Cato Ridge, Lion Park and Polly Shorts, with René’s smile just growing bigger as they got closer to Pietermaritzburg. Unfortunately, I could not say the same about Andre, but I think the fact that René was about to finish her first Comrades helped him to dig deep and complete the race. I know our primary school coach, Juffrou Maggie, will be very proud of the two of them, as her motto was, “No guts, no glory, no pain, no gain.”

PS: Wedding Bells!
The Modern Athlete team is thrilled to congratulate René and Andre on their engagement, announced just over a week after the Comrades. All the best for you two, and many happy miles together!

Here’s how to stay fit and healthy while running on the treadmill this winter. – BY SEAN FALCONER

The treadmill can be a lifesaver when it's dark outside or the weather is bad, but running on a moving belt – especially if it's too fast for your fitness level – can affect your stride, or worse, lead to specific injury patterns, notably hip-flexor strains among runners who put a lot of miles on the belt, as well as shin, Achilles or ITB pain from running with an overly narrow stance. So, if a treadmill is an important part of your running, consider these strategies for keeping your body healthy.

1. Too much speedwork
You might enjoy cranking the treadmill up to max speed and then sticking it out, but because the treadmill keeps moving even as you tire, you may end up over-striding and landing with your foot too far ahead of your body. That can lead to knee, hip and hamstring pain, so try to match your treadmill stride rate to your road stride rate – if your treadmill rate is lower by 10% or more, chances are you’re struggling on the belt and over-striding, thus putting a new stress on your body.

2. Running on autopilot
Doing the same workout over and over, at a comfortable pace and incline, can cause problems down the proverbial road, because the belt's flat, uniform surface works your muscles and joints in a repetitive way. Normally, out on the roads or trails, you would encounter hills, turns, rocks, pavements and more that force your body to make adjustments, which balances the workload and prevents certain muscles and joints from being overtaxed. So if you're running regularly on a treadmill, try using the preset programmes, doing hill work some days and changing up the pace.

3. Training inside, racing outside
On race day you could face variables such as hills or headwinds, so it’s better to do your long runs outside, but if it's a choice between a treadmill long run and no long run at all, then hit the belt and try to vary your pace and incline as much as possible to resemble the terrain you'll encounter.

2015 will be remembered as the year South African athletes took back ownership of the Comrades.
With their victories in the men’s as well as the women’s race from Durban to Pietermaritzburg, Gift Kelehe and Caroline Wöstmann were the two main protagonists in this ‘historic fight back'. Kelehe won in a time of 5 hours 38 minutes and 36 seconds and Wöstmann won in 6:12:22. Wöstmann’s winning time was about three minutes outside Elena Nurgalieva’s up-run record in 2006.

Actually this year's Comrades was a race of ‘firsts’.

It was the first time since 1992 that South African athletes managed to win the men’s as well as the women’s race.

It was the first time since 1998 that a South African woman won the Comrades.

It was the first time since 1993 that two South African women finished first and second.

As if this is not enough, there is still another first worth mentioning. When Gift Kelehe won he made history because he and his brother, Andrew, are the first brothers to win the Comrades. Andrew Kelehe won in 2001.

Another interesting statistic is that Wöstmann has become only the fourth athlete ever to win the Two Oceans and the Comrades in the same year. Derek Preiss (1974 and 1975), Frith van der Merwe (1989) and Elena Nurgalieva (Russia – 2004 and 2012) are the only other athletes who were able to accomplish this feat.

Lindsey Parry, coach at the High Performance Centre (hpc), certainly played a major role in bringing about these ‘firsts’ because he coaches both Wöstmann and Charné Bosman. Bosman, who finished second (6:33:21), is sponsored by Nedbank and Tuks/hpc. She improved her previous best Comrades time by about 20 minutes.

Wöstmann certainly gave the impression that she was enjoying her day out on the road. She never stopped smiling during the entire race.

What was interesting about her performance was that she took the lead quite early, definitely earlier than Parry and she had planned for her to do. Parry wanted her to take control over the last 30 kilometres but she was in the lead well before then.

Wöstmann admits that she battled over the last 20 kilometres and that it was only guts and perseverance that kept her going.

After she finished she laid down flat on her back, but never stopped smiling.

“It was a wonderful day with me winning and Charné finishing second, especially because it has been such a long time since South African female athletes were able to do so.

“I did take the lead earlier than planned, but I knew what I was capable of. Right now my body is aching all over but winning makes all the pain worthwhile,” Wöstmann said.

She was full of praise for Parry.

“Before Lindsey started to coach me I was constantly sore after a hard workout. A month after he started coaching me I stopped hurting. I think it has to do with the way he structures his training program.

“Another big difference about the way he coaches was that we did not do that many quality sessions but when we did so it was really hard.

“After a quality session Lindsey would let me do easy runs which enabled me to recover for the next quality session. It was mainly due to his vision and planning that I was able to recover after winning the Two Oceans.”

As coach, Parry is reluctant to take credit for the feats of Wöstmann, and Bosman.
“I think I was fortunate to grow up in a house with a father who was a runner. I have been running since I was five years old and started coaching when I was 19. I have experimented on myself and on friends over the years and through my studies I have learned how the human body works,” said Parry.

His own best time in the Two Oceans is 3 hours 58 minutes and in the Comrades it is 7 hours 11 minutes.

“In the past I have made many mistakes as a coach. It was only during the past three years that I began to get things right more often than wrong.

“One thing I have learned from coaching is that when you are standing on the top of a mountain it is very easy to fall back to the bottom. So we need to stay grounded and not get ahead of ourselves. We should also make sure that we keep on learning all the time.”

Parry’s dad, Trevor, competed in the Comrades 24 times and won three gold medals.

TOP 10 MEN
1 Gift Kelehe (South Africa), Samancor Chrome Marathon Club, 5:38:36
2 Mohammed Husien (Ethiopia), Nedbank Running Club, 5:46:14
3 Hatiwande Nyamande (South Africa), F1 Xcallibre Running Club, 5:48:19
4 Lebohang Monyele (Lesotho), Maxed Elite Pro club, 5:52:32
5 Teboho Sello (Lesotho), Maxed Elite Pro club, 5:54:03
6 Joseph Mphuti (South Africa), Sibanye Gold Beatrix Mine Athletic Club, 5:54:29
7 Claude Moshiywa (South Africa), Nedbank Running Club, 5:55:17
8 Stephen Muzhingi (Zimbabwe), Fast Way AC, 5:56:36
9 Sandile Ngunuza (South Africa), Nedbank Running Club, 5:57:08
10 Thuso Mosiea (South Africa), Maxed Elite Pro Club, 5:59:08

TOP 10 WOMEN
1 Caroline Wostmann (South Africa), Nedbank Running Club, 6:12:22
2 Charne Bosman (South Africa), Nedbank Running Club, 6.33:24
3 Elena Nurgalieva (Russia), Team Vitality, 6:40.36
4 Olesya Nurgalieva (Russia), Team Vitality, 6:41:18
5 Nina Podnebesnova (Russia), Nedbank Running Club, 6:41:48
6 Eleanor Greenwood (Britain), Nedbank Running Club, 6:44:03
7 Emmerantia Rautenbach (South Africa), Nedbank Running Club, 6:45:22
8 Joasia Zakrzewski (Britain), Nedbank Running Club, 7:00.45
9 Simona Staicu (Hungary), Nedbank Running Club, 7:01:14
10 Yolande McLean (South Africa), Born 2 Run Athletics Club, 7:01:49

“Hard work, discipline and big sacrifices.”

This was what Charné Bosman (Nedbank) said to the Russians in reply to their question about what the secret of South Africa’s top female ultra-runners was that enabled them to win the Comrades back for South Africa.

On Sunday Caroline Wöstmann (Nedbank) won the Comrades in a time of 6:12:22. Bosman finished second in 6:33:24. Both athletes are also sponsored by Tuks/HPC. It was the first time since 1993 that two South African women finished first and second.

What made their performance even more significant is that since 1998, when Rae Bisschoff won the Comrades, no other South African athlete has been able to do so. In fact, the women’s race at the Comrades was totally dominated by the Russians who won on no less than 12 occasions. Athletes from Germany won four times and athletes from the USA twice. Last year Eleanor Greenwood (Britain) was the winner.

“I jokingly said to the Russians that Caroline and I are the new ‘twins’ of ultra-racing in South Africa and that there is no secret to our performance except doing the long hard hours on the road and listening to what the coach says.

“To finish second in the Comrades is really a dream come true. Ever since I took up ultra-racing my dream was to get a podium finish at the Comrades and now I have managed to do so. I think my achievement has not really sunk in,” the Tuks/HPC athlete said late on Sunday night.

Bosman obediently stuck to the game plan on which she and her coach Lindsey Parry(Tuks/HPC) agreed, kilometre after kilometre. And it paid off. With 15 kilometres to go she caught up with and passed the Russian twins, Elena and Olesya Nurgalieva, to move into second place. This was where her dream became a reality.

“The moment I passed them, it was as if I suddenly received a new surge of energy. I promised myself that, no matter what, I was not going to let them catch up with me again.

“Going up Polly Shorts I was still running somewhat conservatively, remembering the advice given by the nine-time Comrades champion, Bruce Fordyce, in his book titled ‘Running the Comrades. His advice was to glide up a hill and not to fight it. But once I got to the top there was no stopping me. I upped my pace and managed to open an 8 minute lead on the twins.

“The spectators along the road definitely made things easier with the way they cheered me on. I had no idea how ‘hungry’ the South African sports public was to see South African female athletes succeed in the Comrades. The prospect of Caroline winning with me in second place really excited them. To be able to fulfil their wish made me feel really proud to be a South African.”

Bosman is full of praise for the role Parry played in her second-place finish.

“There is no better coach than Lindsey. As an athlete I trust him utterly. He knows how to get us athletes to perform to the best of our abilities. What makes him such an excellent coach is that he does not believe in letting his athletes push themselves deep into the red during every training session. For him it is never a case of his athletes just running, hoping for the best. Lindsey carefully thinks about every kilometre he makes us run before he tells us to do so.

When asked about next year’s Comrades, which will be the down run from Pietermaritzburg to Durban, Bosman admits that she has no experience of this race.

At last year’s Comrades, she collapsed during the race because of a dysfunctional thyroid. She was unconscious for a few minutes and had to ‘finish’ her race in an ambulance.

“I should not have run last year because my thyroid count was quite off the charts. I was really sick. It was rather awkward when I ran past where I had to abandon last year’s race. But I feel up to the challenge to try for a good result in the ‘down’ Comrades also.”

But for now running is the last thing Bosman wants to think about. She and her husband, Carel, will fly to Europe tomorrow where they will attend three Diamond League Meetings (Rome, Birmingham and Oslo).

When she is back and training on the road again, she might consider doing the Nelson Mandela Marathon. However, the decision is not hers alone to make. Parry will have the final say in the matter.