Category: Columns

In the early 80’s, Natal local Graeme Fraser clinched six gold medals in the Comrades Marathon while competing alongside big names like Bruce Fordyce, Alan Robb and Tony Abbott. Today, a debilitating disease means he can no longer get out to support his beloved race in person, but he remains a dedicated supporter of the race and the running community.

When former Comrades gold medallist Graeme Fraser was diagnosed with motor neuron disease (MND) at the beginning of 2014, a disorder that affects the cells that control voluntary muscle movement, often making speaking, swallowing and walking nearly impossible, he says the running community immediately rallied round. “The running community is amazing and I’ve had so many people contacting me and supporting me through this difficult time. I lost a lot of weight a year ago. In my Comrades days, I was around 66kg and I’ve dropped just under 40kg now. It’s taken a hold, I get fed through a drip and am bound to a wheelchair,” he explains.

With Comrades upon us, Graeme has had a lot of time to think about the race he has held so dear since first running it in 1975. “Back then, everyone was obsessed with running it,” he says. “The idea of attempting Comrades came up and it was quite a thing to do back then, because we didn’t have all the fancy technology or supplements like today. I remember having to boil honey and water for my race-day nutrition!”

THE GOLDEN STREAK

Graeme clocked an admirable 7:46 in that debut Comrades, running in the colours of Westville AC, and a year later went 30 minutes faster to grab his first silver medal. Another 7:45 followed, and then in 1978, now running for Hillcrest Villagers, he dipped under seven hours for the first time. That 6:28 also put him in the top 50 for the first time as he came home 39th. “I missed the race in ’79 because I was hit by a car on a training run, but returned even stronger the next year with a 5:58 finish for 11th place,” he says. “From that point, I knew I had to break into that top 10, even though the competition was strong.”

And so began Graeme’s golden streak. In 1981 he crossed the line in 5:54:12, coming home sixth to secure his first Comrades gold. “I couldn’t quite believe it! I broke into that field and it’s a stand-out year for me. The next year was even better, I was close and came third with a 5:41.” Over the next four years he was third again, then seventh, tenth and sixth to secure four more golds, also securing permanent number 666 in 1985. In that same period, he also earned two gold medals in the Two Oceans ultra in Cape Town, and twice finished second behind Bruce Fordyce in the London to Brighton ultra in the UK.

SUPPORTING ROLE

Graeme ran his 12th Comrades in 1988, finishing 88th in 6:30:25, but failed to finish in 1989 and then decided to take up a supporting role on the route with Hillcrest Villagers. That saw him become a regular at the club’s usual spot in Kloof, but unfortunately, he may have to watch this year’s edition from his bed. “My wife still takes me out in my wheelchair and I keep on getting calls. Bruce also called me up a while back to ask how I am,” he says. “Comrades will always be there to honour. There’s such a great camaraderie when it comes around. Especially leading up to race day, I reminisce about my own time running against the best. Wherever I am on race day, I will definitely think about the great people in this sport.”

Graeme’s son Steven has set up a Facebook support group for Graeme and his fight against MND: www.facebook.com/ThumbsUpForGraeme

Kaya FM sports editor and presenter Mosibodi Whitehead enjoys two passions, radio work and running, and this year he will be chasing his fourth consecutive Comrades medal.

Getting into radio was never ‘the plan’ for Mosibodi Whitehead, given that he studied a B.Sc at varsity, but when the 2010 Soccer World Cup came to SA and local radio stations needed more hands, he found himself on the air at Kaya FM. “It all happened by chance and I thought it would be good for an extra buck,” he says, but four years on he is still there, and loving every minute.

Similarly, going from being a soccer player at varsity to becoming a Comrades Marathon runner was not part of the original plan… “I had done no running since school, but during my studies I often used to sit at our house in Benoni, looking out the window, and see runners out training, and on the day the Slow Mag Marathon was held, I used to go out and cheer the runners on. So one day I decided it is something that I should do, too.”

SERIOUS TRAINING

He started by doing a few short training runs and a week later took part in his first 5km fun run, then started to train harder and gradually went up to 10s and 21s. However, he never even thought about doing Comrades until he went to visit his sister in Trinidad in 2010 and had a layover in New York. “I decided to do a race in the area and while sitting on a bus, I was listening to the enthusiastic American runners talking about ‘this race’ in South Africa called the Comrades Marathon, and how amazing it was.”

That was when Mosibodi decided to make the 2011 ‘Big C’ his goal, which meant he had to learn to juggle working hours with training. “It was nice that I had more time in the mornings to train, but in the evenings I would miss time trials,” he says. “When I finally did my first Comrades, I absolutely hated it! But just those last 10 steps made it all worth it – the sense of achievement is unbelievable – and that immediately had me planning the following year’s race.” Now, with three consecutive Comrades finishes to his name, Mosibodi’s goal for Comrades 2014 is to run it under 10 hours.

“My training has gone relatively well. I did a marathon in March as well as the Two Oceans, which was a lot tougher than I had anticipated. One thing that really keeps me going is my lovely wife Neiloe’s great cooking, and also rather having fresh legs than over-trained ones,” says Mosibodi. “Running has now become part of my lifestyle and something that I balance my daily activities with. I will be running forever!”

Tune into Kaya FM to listen to Mosibodi’s Sports Show at 8-9pm on Mondays and 6-9pm on Fridays.

RUNNING FOR SHOES

Mosibodi runs his races as part of Team #ShoesOnFeet for the Put Foot Foundation, as part of the Old Mutual More Than Yourself campaign, to raise money to pay for shoes for kids without school shoes. “My friend and I were running a race in Kempton Park and we saw some school children with no shoes on, and he said to me, since I am on air, I should try and do something about it. At the same time Old Mutual was running their campaign and I got involved.”
To get involved, go to www.putfootfoundation.org.

It is Comrades Marathon 2014 race week. This time next week, it will all be over. All that will remain are memories and aching bodies. As important as Sunday’s Comrades Marathon is, the week leading up to it is vital.

The next few days can make or break your race on Sunday. What you do between now and race day will have a huge impact on how your run goes on the big day. You probably have hundreds of questions bouncing around your head at the moment. Should I be running this week? Should I not be running more this week? What should I be eating and drinking this week? Should I drive the route when I get to Kwa-Zulu Natal? Why shouldn’t I drive the route when I get there?

It is normal to be second guessing every decision you’ve made up until now. Comrades Marathon race week is enough to drive anyone insane! The good news is Comrades Coach Lindsey Parry has some great advice for you on how to survive the days leading up to Comrades. Just click on the play button below to listen to this episode of the Ask Coach Parry podcast on what you should and shouldn’t be doing this week.
 

I’m very excited to eventually be on my way to Boulder, Colorado to take part in the Bolder Boulder 10km. Back in 1998 I received my first invite to race in Boulder which I had to decline as result of being in Matric and the pending exams. Part of the race consists of an International Team Challenge with three members from the same country in a team.

Over the years we tried many a time to enter a team but visas or injuries always hampered our plans to make this pilgrimage to the USA. I am very excited that Nolene Conrad, my sister Christine and I are taking part in the 36th edition of the race on Monday, 26th of May.

It is America’s all-time best (and biggest!) 10km race with more than 50 000 runners partaking in this American Memorial Day tradition. The favourite teams participating will be Ethiopia, Kenya, Eritrea, USA and of course Team RSA!

“Sea level is for sissies!” is the motto of the race! Hopefully the fact that all three of our team members stay and train in Johannesburg will assist in our efforts on Monday! The altitude in Boulder is 1600m which is very similar to the 1700m in Johannesburg.

Elana Meyer won the race back in 1996 in a time of 33:22min.

After competing in the Bolder Boulder 10km, we will make our way to Albany, New York to compete in the Freihofer’s women’s 5km.

Sign up today! Training starts 1 July 2014

The Dare to Tri Academy has had two very successful years after our initial pilot project of 10 athletes in 2011. The training program has transformed everyday athletes and couch potatoes into triathletes that have finished their first ever Standard Olympic distance triathlon and then crossed the finish line at Ironman 70.3. This year, we also had our first group doing the full Ironman!

The success of the program is down to a manageable and sustainable training program that fits in with your family/social and work commitments. Our finishing percentage last season was 97%(we had 170 triathlon finishers).

What You Need To Know

– The 2014/15 programme will run from 1 July 2014 – 31 January 2015.
– We take complete novices to their first finish at a standard Olympic distance race, then train for 70.3. The programme's first aim is to train specifically for Tri Rock (half iron distance race) in October at a great venue in Durban – a 3-month program to get you to a first-time finish! TriRock can also be a platform for athletes to clock a good performance over a half iron race distance. Thereafter, the team will aim for Ironman 70.3 in East London and for those that want to go even further, Full Ironman in Port Elizabeth in March.
– This time around, we’re introducing a ‘Performance Programme’ for those that are looking to improve on previous performances.
– The programme is aimed at triathletes in Gauteng who can participate in weekend group training!
– But triathletes from all over SA can benefit from signing up for the programme and follow their own times.

Sign up and register here. The cost is a once-off fee of R1000 for the full 7-month programme – whether you're doing all or a series of the DTT events on the calendar. Plus, we have our own distinctive training and racing kit available online!

Each week, members will receive an e-mail from Coach Derick reviewing weekend training and detailing the next with a full program out at the beginning of each month. Weekday training is up to you while there are weekend ‘coached’ sessions along with the DTT group.

Dare to Tri Launch 2014/2015

When: Sunday, 29 June 2014
Where: Jeppe Quondam, Bedfordview Club
Time: 9am

Coach Derick Marcisz will be telling you a little more info on this year’s academy and will answer any questions you may have. Plus, get to hear from our previous DTT members on their experiences.
There will also be an easy 10km run at 7am with the Coach before the launch (showers are available after the run).
 

According to Wikipedia, a cramp is an involuntary temporary strong muscle contraction or over shortening, which may cause a severe pain. Usually the onset is sudden while the cramp resolves spontaneously in a few seconds to minutes. *Common causes of skeletal muscle cramps may include muscle fatigue, low sodium, low potassium, and/or low magnesium (*citation needed)

The million dollar question is how you prevent them, particularly during long races like the Two Oceans and Comrades. Many runners swear by different remedies or solutions. Salt tablets, bananas, magnesium supplements, massages, the list goes on and on. On today’s Ask Coach Parry Podcast the question is asked if there is anything you can do or eat to prevent cramping. Comrades Coach Lindsey Parry also touches on the role that supplements, prior to and during a run, play in the prevention of cramps.

Have a listen to podcast and let us know what works for you when it comes to cramping in the comments section below.
 

The second half of the Comrades Marathon down run is brutal. There is no other way to describe it. After what a is rather challenging run up until that point, you reach the 39km to go board and the next 10km on the Comrades down run is what does most of the damage to already tired legs.

You’ll descend down Botha’s Hill and then you’ll reach the top of the infamous Fields Hill where you’ll get you first glimpse of Durban. The gradient coming down Botha’s will hurt already tired quads and then combination of the gradient and camber on Fields Hill will leave you wondering what happened to your legs when you hit Pinetown.

It is vital that you do not push to hard on that stretch of the down run to make up for lost time. If you do, you are in for a very long final quarter of the race. On today’s Ask Coach Parry Podcast, Comrades Coach Lindsey Parry talks you through the second half of the Comrades Marathon down run. This is the third of a three part series that will guide you through the Comrades Marathon down run (Here are the previous articles in this series: Part 1 – The Start of the Comrades Marathon down run and Part 2 – The First Half of the Comrades Marathon down run.)

As I write this we are 25 days away from the 2014 Comrades Marathon. Less than three and a half weeks. As the final preparations get made for Comrades race day and the last bit of training gets done, it is important to start looking to 1 June and what you can expect along the route.

In yesterday’s edition of the Ask Coach Parry Podcast, Comrades Coach Lindsey Parry spoke about what you could and should expect at the start of the race (You can listen to that here). On the second of this three part series about Comrades race day Lindsey talks us through the first half of the down run.

If you’ve never run a down run, at about 40 kilometers you will be thinking that the world has being lying to you because there is not much down about the first half of the down run. For me, at the time, the first half of my first Comrades was the hardest marathon I had ever run. It is important to know what you’re in for in the first half, and even more important to save something for the brutal second half of the down run.

Lindsey gives some great tips today and be sure to come back tomorrow as we talk about the second half of the Comrades Down run.