Category: Columns

She had wanted to run the Comrades since her school
days, so in 2010, having already covered the race as a presenter, Vaylen joined
Sunninghill Striders and qualified to run it – before she really knew what she
was letting herself in for. “It was always about participation for me, so I wanted
to say that I’ve done it!” she says. However, at the 10km marker in her debut
Comrades run in 2010, Vaylen was unceremoniously told by a fellow runner, “You
can’t call yourself a Comrades runner until you’ve run it twice,” and with that
daunting thought in her head throughout the race, she finished exhausted in
11:47. Having eaten only half a potato and a sandwich along the route, she was
put on a glucose drip in the medical tent at the finish.

 

So in 2011, Vaylen knew she had a few mistakes to
rectify, and says she enjoyed her Comrades experience much more, finishing in
10:19 without a trip to the medical tent afterwards. “Nothing beats that
emotional journey,” she says. “I remember recording my day’s experience, but
the recorder was stolen. I remember crying – not because I had lost the
recorder, but because I had lost the memories I noted down. Everyone has a
story, and I think the race changes the way you look at any challenge in life.”

 

BY CHANCE

Entry into the world of broadcasting came early for
Vaylen. In high school, her potential was recognised when she did lines in a
SABC Education nativity play and got spotted by top sports broadcaster Cynthia
Tshaka. “Two years later when I was in matric, I was called in to do some
voiceovers. Then I started working on a disability sports programme and went on
to report on Natalie Du Toit’s five gold medals in 2004 at the Paralympics –
right beside the pool! It was also around the time a young Oscar Pistorius
broke onto the scene in Athens.” She would go on to cover two Olympic Games and
another Paralympics. Vaylen’s comfort and confidence in front of the camera also
saw her host the glamorous Durban July and Met horse racing events, as well as last
year’s Comrades Marathon.

 

After studying a BA in private law and communication
from UNISA as well as achieving Honours in Journalism, Vaylen quickly became a
household name. From her early beginnings at Topsport’s Sportsbuzz, then SABC Sport, she’s now become a vital cog in the Morning Live team on SABC 2. She’s also
dabbled in radio with a few weekend shows on SAFM and previously hosting her
own sports show on YFM, Yired on Sport.
“I’ve interviewed Bruce Fordyce, Zola Pieterse, Bafana’s Itumaleng Khune, Springbok
Bryan Habana, and even got a few minutes with American swimmer Michael Phelps!”
says Vaylen. “I get excited about all the stories around me. I get to hear about
people’s achievements and there’s nothing better than that.”

 

With a busy schedule on her hands, Vaylen still plays adoring
mom to six-year-old daughter Tehya, and it seems mom’s love of sport and
fitness is already filtering through. “She’s just done her first cross-country
season, but we’ll see where it takes her. I want her to find anything she’s
passionate about.” For Vaylen, sport and motherhood is what her life is all
about: “The TV at home is either on a sports channel or a kid’s programme!”

 

INVESTING IN HEALTH

Looking ahead, Vaylen says she would like to do more
radio, write more, and eventually host her own talk show. And on the road, she
is planning to tackle next year’s Old Mutual Two Oceans ultra and several trail
runs, and wants to improve on her 10km and marathon PBs, too. That’s why you’ll
see her out on a run three times a week, varying sprints and hills (her
favourite), doing longer runs on weekends and spending hours in the gym for
strength work. “I find time to fit it all in – anyone can if they want to! Running
is a means to digest life’s frustrations. I can’t imagine life without it. You
meet so many different characters and you make an investment for your health – and
healthier people are nicer and happier!”

 

You can follow Vaylen on Twitter: @VaylenKirtley

For many years, it was believed that
cramping was caused by heat, dehydration, or a lack of salt and minerals in the
body, but study after study has ruled out all of these factors. “Although the
idea that mineral deficiencies and dehydration can cause cramps have been
popular, we have done many, many studies that do not prove these as causes for
cramps during exercise,” says Dr Martin Schwellnus of the Department of Human
Biology at the University of Cape Town, who is considered one of the world’s
leading researchers in this field. Instead, the growing research on cramps points
to muscle fatigue and failure in the neural communication pathways of the
muscles as the cause of cramping.

 

As an athlete, you train a muscle to
contract so that you can run, but this fatigues the muscle. It then begins to ‘short-circuit’
and stays contracted when it shouldn’t, causing a cramp. “The mechanism for
muscle fatigue and muscle damage causing cramping is best explained through an
imbalance that develops in the nervous system control of muscle. Muscles tend
to become very twitchy when they become fatigued or are injured,” says Dr
Schwellnus.

 

So what this means is that to stop
cramps you just need to get fitter before racing… but that’s not going to help
you much when a cramp stops you midway through a race. If that happens, there
is only one thing you can do: Stop and stretch! Static stretching, in effect,
breaks the cramp, and once you achieve that, you must start slowly and
gradually build up your speed again. (And eating a banana to break a cramp is
just an urban legend!)

 

Then, after the race, adapt some of
your training runs so that they are done at the same pace you intend racing,
including accelerating in the second half of the run and throwing in that fast
finishing effort that many of us inevitably put in at races. You may still get
some cramps, but you’ll be fitter, faster and better prepared to race – and
besides, cramping in training is much better than cramping in a race!

Hi-Tec Luca

The
first thing myself and the guys in the office said was “Wow, they are so light!”
They weigh in at just 210 grams – so light it feels like you’re barefoot, but
the super-flexible IMEVA midsole rubber still provides great cushioning. Now,
even after running in racers for the last year or so, I was not still sure what
to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised. After five kays, I looked down and
realised that I was actually in a different, brand new pair of shoes. They just
felt so comfortable, with no problems just jumping into a pair and kicking off!
– Craig
van der Westhuizen

GET THEM: R399 at Hi-Tec stores in CT (Kenilworth, Kuils River & Montague Gardens), Johannesburg (Kya Sands) and Pretoria (Kolonnade) or via www.hi-tecdirect.co.za (021 606 6900 for more info)

 

Injinji Performance
2.0 Run Toe Socks

I
will be the first to admit that I have soft, sensitive feet, so my toes have
never quite gotten used to running in Vibram’s Five Fingers barefoot technology
shoes, because they just can’t seem to get used to the feeling of rubber,
leather and seams between them. Also, I am not used to running without socks,
which is necessary with Vibrams, since none of my socks ‘fit’ into the five-toe
design… but now, thanks to these Injinji socks, I can now run in my Vibrams
without my toes kicking up a fuss. They have the same five-toe design, thus keeping
my toes happy and also allowing my feet to glide into the snug-fitting Vibrams
a lot more smoothly and comfortably. – Sean Falconer

GET
THEM: From R110 to R180 (depending
on style) at Sportsmans Warehouse, Drifters and Athletes Foot.

 

My02 Therapeutic Gel

Most of us know about the
anti-inflammatory properties of Arnica oil or gel, extracted from the root of
the arnica plant, but I have to be honest, I had to Google horse chestnut to
find out what it is when I read that it is the other active ingredient of this
new therapeutic gel. Like arnica, it is a plant extract, but what caught my
attention is that horse chestnut contains Escin, which opens up the capillaries
(smallest blood vessels), allowing more oxygen and nutrients to reach sore or
damaged muscles and ligaments. Well, since my knee was giving me grief, I knew
exactly where I would be testing this new gel… It smells great (minty), is cool
on the skin, and requires a bit of ‘elbow grease’ to rub in fully, which means
you’re massaging the sore area thoroughly in the process, further promoting
quicker healing. Works for me. – Sean Falconer

GET
IT: R122.50 for a 150ml tube, from leading pharmacies (or ask for a stockist
nearby at [email protected].)

 

Second Skins Activskins Sun Protection
Long-sleeve Crew Neck Top

Second Skins is a
Cape-based company specialising in sports clothing and gear, from running and
cycling to swimming. Also in the range are various UV-resistant sun-protection
items which form part of the company’s ‘Keep You Cool’ range, and I tested out
this long-sleeve top. It’s super lightweight and body-hugging, so very
comfortable to run in, plus I could literally feel the cooling effect, even
when out in the sun. Naturally, the white colour also reflected much of the
heat and UV rays, and I found the top to be quick-drying and great at
moisture-wicking. Best of all, no chafe under my arms, despite my first
thoughts about the seam being a bit thick. – Sean Falconer

GET IT: R249 at selected retailers
nationwide, or online at www.secondskins.co.za.

In December I attended the global Boost launch in Germany, at the company’s HQ in Herzogenaurach, and I will admit to being ever so sceptical as the launch presentation began. I mean, when Eric Liedtke, Head of adidas global Sport Performance, compared their latest innovation in running shoe design to the first man walking on the moon in 1969, I couldn’t help but quietly raise an eyebrow in surprise. But he soon made his point, explaining that running in the new shoes feels more like bounding across the moon’s surface than any shoe has ever done before.

“With our new Boost foam, we are addressing a fundamental insight: Everyone wants more energy. Our revolutionary Boost cushioning foam provides the highest energy return in any running product,” he said. “We believe Energy Boost will reset the running industry and pave the way for all future performance footwear.”

PUT TO THE TEST
Soon I was standing in my socks on a platform of Boost foam built into the catwalk in the auditorium, bouncing up and down on my heels, then dropping this huge ball bearing they gave us to compare the lack of bounce-back from conventional foam rubber versus the high bounce-back from Boost. Then we got to strap on a pair of the new Energy Boost shoes and give them a test run, and that saw me running up and down an indoor test track – it was snowing outside, and the temperature was well below freezing, so I decided that running indoors was perhaps the better choice for this South African boytjie!

What I found was while you still get great heel cushioning on landing, you can feel the elasticity of the foam rubber and it helps to shoot you back up off your heels. Then, as you transition onto the forefoot, not only are you moving through the foot-strike a bit quicker, but you’re getting a slingshot up onto you toes. Now, don’t misunderstand me, I’m not saying your feet are rocket-blasted off the ground again – no shoe is ever likely to achieve that, unless they can build mini rocket engines into the soles one day – but there is definitely more ‘push-back’ by the shoes.

Admittedly, with a thicker section of Boost foam in the heel and a low-profile forefoot, the shoe will not give quite as much energy-return to forefoot strikers like myself, but even I could feel a difference in springiness when I ran up on my toes. And when I deliberately planted my heels, I definitely felt the springiness! (Now I can just imagine hordes of South African ultra-marathon runners thinking to themselves, “Yes please, I’ll have some of that for when my legs have had it and my feet feel like they’re stuck to the ground in the last 20 kays!”)

Boost foam rubber comes in 10% lighter than conventional foam rubber, but it’s not about weight in this shoe, it’s about energy-return. I also really liked the upper design, which is mostly breathable mesh that offers a sock-like fit, but with the same adidas Techfit technology currently used in form-hugging adidas clothing, featuring elastic polyurethane powerbands that provide optimal comfort and support. It makes for a great fit.

GETTING TECHNICAL
The development process of Boost saw the adidas team go looking for a new rubber compound that would provide great cushioning while also springing back to provide superior energy-return, and also maintain it’s shape and elasticity for many kilometres, i.e. durability. After testing some 25 different materials, they found what they were looking for… in their cars. You see, the foam rubber compound made by leading chemical company BASF for the seats of Mercedes Benz and Audi cars proved to be exactly what they were looking for.

BASF literally blows solid granular foam material (TPU) up to turn it into thousands of small energy capsules, and these are now being moulded together to form the distinctive Boost midsole. With their unique cell structure, these capsules store and unleash energy more efficiently in every stride. And the durability of this new material has also proven to be superior to conventional foam rubber, so these shoes will go the distance.

GO GET IT
The Energy Boost is the first shoe from adidas to feature the new Boost material, and they plan to roll out a full range of ‘Boosted’ shoes later in the year. Available at adidas Concept Stores at R???. Visit www.adidasrunning.co.za for more information.

 

Growing up, many of us were regularly told to drink eight glasses of water a day, because it was supposedly bad for us, even dangerous, to become dehydrated. As athletes, we were then told to work out our sweat rate by weighing ourselves before and after a hard session, and then drink exactly the same amount of liquid to replace what we calculate we lose. Added to that, the sport drink companies, particularly in the USA, promoted the message that we needed to drink more and more to avoid dehydration at all costs, especially their products… and the result of all this was that many an athlete finished a long distance event, particularly marathons and ultra-marathons in hot conditions, having drunk way too much water – which not only impaired their physical performance, but put them in serious medical trouble!

You see, when water is absorbed into the bloodstream from the digestive tract, electrolytes in the blood are diluted, especially sodium (salt), which you are already losing through sweating, hence feeling all salty when the sweat dries on your skin. The condition where the blood sodium levels became dangerously diluted is known as hyponatremia. Exercise-associated hyponatremia (EAS) isn’t a rampant problem, but it’s far more common than symptoms of dehydration, especially in all-day events like the Comrades Marathon, particularly amongst the slower back-markers, and even mild forms will make you very uncomfortable.

Also, by a process known as osmosis, water moves from the bloodstream into the cells. When one is dehydrated, this shift will correct any water deficit, so drinking from that perspective is a good thing. However, if you drink water when already well hydrated, this shift can lead to cellular swelling, including swelling of the brain (hyponatremia encephalopathy), which in turn can lead to headaches, dizziness, nausea and stomach problems, and in worst case scenarios, even bursting of cells, seizure, coma and death.

That’s why severe overhydration is also known as water intoxication, where good old water, the very thing we rely on for life, can actually become toxic and dangerous to your health. Fortunately, your kidneys normally filter out excess water and it is eliminated by urinating, but if you drink large quantities of water in a relatively short amount of time – like chugging down a litre of water at every water table during a marathon – the kidneys reach a point where they can no longer filter out so much water quickly enough to prevent cellular swelling.

THE SOLUTION
Now before you throw your water bottle away, understand that nobody is saying you should avoid drinking water! It is still important to stay hydrated, but research has shown that drinking based on your thirst is the best guideline, and that thirst will actually protect you from the hazards of both over- and under-drinking by providing essential feedback on your internal fluid balance.

 

Yes, by all means drink small amounts regularly during a long event in order to prevent dehydration, but do not follow a strict quota system for drinking fluids and end up over-drinking. In other words, if you are not thirsty, you should not feel compelled to drink at every water table in a race. Yes, if it’s very hot, you should drink more, but your body will tell you this through thirst. So the rule of thumb to follow is very simple: Drink as you feel by listening to your body.

In October 2011, Milan celebrated her 37th birthday and decided she needed a new challenge. “A big one,” she emphasises. So she decided to enter the gruelling OTTER African Trail Run marathon, the so-called ‘Grail of Trail Running.’ For someone who had never run a kilometre in her life, this was quite some goal! “I remember how proud I was to finish my first 5km fun run. My first 10km was a month later in Paarl, and then I took on my first 21km in Wellington, in May that year. I then tackled the mountains!”

In October 2012, Milan finished the Otter in 10:02 and describes it as the best 10 hours of her life. “I’m a working mom with two kids, an ordinary woman. I felt extraordinary that day. I was a gymnast at school, I never did track or any team sport. I think it’s because I’ve always been a bit of a loner, and I like to do my own thing. I like silence. Those 10 hours, by myself, was the best time I’ve ever had!” She will be taking on the Otter again this year, as well as many other trail runs.

CALL OF THE STAGE
Milan studied drama in Pretoria before landing her first job on Isidingo. “I doubted my potential as an actress while at school. It wasn’t an obvious choice. I’m not loud. I’m not an extrovert. I thought those were essential qualities if you consider a life on stage, but when it came down to choosing, there was nothing else I wanted to be,” says Milan. After Isidingo, she went to New York to further her studies at the Creative Acting Company, then returned to South Africa and landed the part of Sage in the film Murmer, which she considers her favourite role thus far, and more recently she has been seen in The Wild.

Having gotten married to Schalk van der Merwe and had two kids, Steph and Lua, Milan also published a book called Koemelaat, a humorous take on motherhood. “I kept a journal about my first three years of motherhood. This is where ‘I call a spade a spade.’ I tell readers about my struggles and frustrations. It’s a funny book, because I say what a lot of women feel. It’s ‘Sam Cowen’, but for an Afrikaans audience.”

FIT AND FOCUSED
Milan says she and Schalk enjoy a fit and healthy lifestyle, although he is more of a triathlete (he’s busy training for the Ironman in April), and they do careful planning as to when training and family time takes place. Their kids enjoy cheering their parents on. “Some afternoons when we run in town, the kids will play at a park with the nanny and we will run a circular route so they can ‘high five’ us with each lap. I love what our training discipline teaches them. Every time my husband finishes a race my son will ask, ‘Daddy did you win?’ And my husband answers: ‘No love, Daddy finished.’ I get tears in my eyes just thinking about the beautiful life lessons we learn from sport,” says Milan.

 

She says her biggest motivation to keep fit is a healthy mind. “Ever since I read Julia Cameron’s book, Walking in this world, I’ve used walking as meditation and for brainstorming new ideas. Walking naturally became running.” As an actress, Milan says she has to look her best, but running gives her more than just looks. “I’m nearing 40, I care more about what I feel like, and less about what I look like. Being fit makes me more beautiful than any plastic surgery ever could.”

 

 

 

Follow Milan’s blog, Pssst, which focuses on motherhood, social issues as well as her progress in training for the Otter Trailwww.pssst.co.za

 

Nicole remembers the excitement of competing and the thrill of her first win, but her fondest memories of running come from the fun she had on international team trips to represent her country, alongside the top female athletic talent SA had in those years. She was part of four World Half Marathon Champs squads, represented SA in relays in Japan and Korea, and came very close to making it to the Olympics. Today all these ‘big names,’ such as Elana Meyer, Colleen De Reuck, Zola Pieterse, Gwen van Lingen, Alta Verster and Sonja Laxton live far apart, but they still try to keep in touch. “I especially remember one interesting trip to Guatemala in South America. There were some black runners with us and that was the first time some of these people saw a black person. They were totally fascinated.”

IN THE GENES
With a Springbok race walker for a father, Nicole was bound to find her way into sport, and in high school she realised she had running talent – and determination. This was proven when she fainted in her first cross-country race as a 13-year-old. “I ran so hard that I passed out, but I got up and finished.” In her first track season she competed in the 400m at the SA Junior Champs, and in matric she placed second in the SA Junior Champs 800m and third in the 1500m, and also second amongst the under-19s at the SA Cross Country Champs. “I was then offered a track scholarship to Nebraska in the USA. Unfortunately, I got injured and was homesick, so I came back at the end of ’85.”

The following year Nicole joined the police force. “That was the era when athletes such as Johan Fourie and Charmaine Gaile were part of the police force and their presence attracted thousands to stadiums.” That year she was not only awarded Springbok colours for cross-country, but also won the Bonnievale 10km series and got to compete in Ohio in the USA. “I won the event and that was probably the highlight of my career.” Then in 1989 she transferred to the army before marrying and moving to Natal, where she believes her road running career really took off as she regularly competed against Gwen van Lingen and Colleen De Reuck.

OLYMPIC DREAM
After getting divorced, moving back to Johannesburg and meeting her second husband, Chris, she took the step up to the marathon. “I run very much on my toes and the marathon is not really my distance, but my then manager Ray de Vries persuaded me.” In her first marathon, Nicole claimed the 1995 SA Marathon title in a time of 2:37, and then set her sights on the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, but there lies her greatest disappointment. “The qualifying time was 2:37 and I ran a 2:36:29. Colleen and Elana got chosen for the team, but I was overlooked. That was a huge disappointment that my own country did not choose me.”

Later Nicole tried to qualify for the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. “I ran the London Marathon, but bailed. That put paid to my Olympic dream. From there I went back to the half marathon distance.” She was selected for the World Half Marathon Champs in Brussels, 2001, but after another disastrous run and suffering continuing injuries, she stopped competing at the age of 37.

 

FAMILY LIFE

Nicole still runs about 10km a day. “I can probably break 40 minutes for a 10km without too much effort, but I believe I have achieved my maximum and I have nothing more to prove. Now I use running as my Prozac, my time alone.” Her love of sport has transferred to her boys, Ayrton (16), a champion diver, and Greg (9), an excellent swimmer. Hubby Chris is no couch potato, either, and is currently training for the London Marathon. The family is all very adventurous, with the two boys keeping snakes and tarantulas in the house (both parents also did a venomous snake handling course), while Nicole and Chris are both licensed helicopter pilots.

 

Today Nicole feels that running today does not have the same depth it used to. “We have great athletes such as Rene Kalmer and Irvette van Zyl, but then there are very big gaps, and I think it has to do with lack of development. Many schools place too great emphasis on team sport. We need sport academies like in the rest of the world. Only when youngsters specialise from a young age will we produce Olympics winners.”

 

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

•  SA 10 000m Champ  1993 (34:20.13)

•  SA Half Marathon Champ  1995 (1:13:38)

•  SA Marathon Champ  1995 (2:37:11)

•  SA Marathon Champ  1996 (2:36:29)

•  World Half Marathon Champs 1994 (SA women’s team finished 8th)

•  World Half Marathon Champs 1998 (SA women’s team finished 7th)

 

 

 

PERSONAL BESTS

10km: 33:10

15km: 50:53

21.1km: 72:49

42.2km: 2:36:29

Dis-Chem Half Marathon, Central Gauteng, 13 January

I am a real race junkie and run just
about every race on the running calendar. I wanted to give something back to
running and decided to start pacing local Gauteng races. However, I soon
realised that it is very hard to pace alone, so I roped in my club mate, Leon.
Initially we started pacing 10km races, then moved up to 21km races, then 32km
events, and eventually graduated to the marathon, annually pacing the sub-four-hour
bus at the Wally Hayward marathon.

 

The Dis-Chem Half Marathon has, however,
become our favourite race to pace, as it is early in the year and even my own
fitness gets put under the spotlight. Fortunately, Leon is faster than me, so
it has always given me confidence that no matter what, we will finish within
our targeted time.

 

This year we set out to pace the
sub-1:45 bus, and I thought it would be much easier this year, as I had been
training hard and lost some weight. But in the week leading up to the event, I
strained my calf during a time trial, which meant I had to focus on getting it
repaired in time! I had to go for a few emergency physio sessions, as I didn’t
want to tell Modern Athlete’s editor,
Michelle Carnegie, that I had “retired hurt.” That would just be too
embarrassing for words!

 

The physio seemed to have done her job,
so I decided to run the Akasia 21km race the day before as a test of the now
repaired calf. Unfortunately, it did not go to plan and I pulled up with a knot
in the calf 2km into the run. This clearly was rather worrying! I spent the
rest of Saturday icing and massaging it, and wearing compression socks to
accelerate the healing by race day… but things were not looking good. As a
last resort, I tried some ‘muti’ from a little Chinese red bottle spray, and it
seemed to relieve the tightness just in time for bed.

 

I made back-up plans with Leon and another
club mate, Vusi, as it would be rather obvious if the flag-carrier pulled out
of the race! Then I sprayed the calf at the start of the race and we set off. We
know the route very well from pacing in prior years and Leon also grew up in
the Bedfordview area. The first 10km are quite easy, as most runners are strong
and the course drops down to the river. We got to the 10km mark at 49 minutes,
which was perfectly on pace. There I sprayed my calf again.

 

From the 10km mark the course becomes
challenging as you climb past Eastgate and Bedfordview shopping centres. We dropped
off pace a bit on some of the tougher climbs and reached the 15km mark in
1:13.46, which was slightly behind our target pace of 4:53, but we always give
ourselves a slight buffer for possible inaccuracies in the GPS and also for the
course, which might be slightly longer than the 21.1km. We kept pace at around
5min/km and got to the top of the hill at the 18km in Dawnview in 1:28. This
meant we were left with 16 minutes to complete the last three-and-a-bit kilometres,
which are relatively fast and downhill.

 

Last year we got to this point two
minutes behind schedule and had to do a few sub-four-minute kilometres to break
1:45, but this year we cruised down the hills with our Breakthru team and
finished in 1:44:25. Our GPS did show the distance as 21.3km, which shows we do
need a bit of spare time to ensure we don’t miss the cut-off.

 

I would like to thank my Breakthru team
who made the pacing so much easier. I am already looking forward to next year’s
Dis-Chem Half Marathon. It is a fantastic race and I hope our pacing bus helps
a few people achieve their targets on the day.

Anybody looking for advice
on how to tackle the Comrades Marathon would do well to ask Dave Rogers for a
few tips. After all, the sprightly 70-year-old from Hillcrest is the leading
all-time finisher of the race with 45 medals to his name, including three gold
medals, a third-place finish and a best time of 5:52:00. However, his wisdom is
built on more than just mileage: “The most important factor in Comrades success
is that you must enjoy running. There’s no point in doing a sport if you don’t
enjoy it, especially running, or you’re not going to last long,” says Dave. “If
I don’t have my daily run, I get grumpy!”

 

Now Comrades runners with
40 or more finishes wear a distinctive race number with four vertical green
stripes, and Dave says this means he gets a lot of attention from fellow
runners. “Many runners wish me well – that’s the fantastic camaraderie of
Comrades – but the funniest was a couple of years back when I had a few
Japanese runners near me. One asked me how many I had run, and then they asked
me to stop so they could each take their picture with me, one by one!”

 

WAY BACK WHEN…

Dave ran his first Comrades
in 1961, aged 18, running with his older brother Ken – or Tank, as he is widely
known thanks to his robust style of playing soccer in his younger days – and
they finished together in 10:13:35. “It all started when Tank came home from
work one day and said he had met one of the founders of Comrades, who had been telling
him about the camaraderie of the race, so he said he wanted to run it, and asked
will I run with him? I asked how far it is, and when he told me… well, my
answer is unprintable! But we submitted our entries.”

 

Tank went on to complete
the race 18 times, while younger brother George earned 15 medals, but “I’m the
only silly bugger still running out of the brothers,” jokes Dave. In the 53
years since his first Comrades, he has only missed five races, and of the three
years he failed to finish, two were exceptionally close shaves. “One year I
missed the final cut-off by 14 seconds, while another year I missed by two
minutes. But thank goodness the race has actually become easier over the years.
The topography of the roads has changed a lot since the 70s, especially the
lower section as you get towards Durban. The old roads were a hell of a lot
hillier, even though the distance was roughly the same. In the 70s and 80s they
were saying the race had become easier than the 30s and 40s, and now the same can
be said of the present versus the 70s!”

 

FAMILY AFFAIR

Dave has lived in Durban
since his parents were transferred there when he was 12, and he worked in
engineering and labour relations before ending up as the CEO of a medical aid fund.
He married Wendy 45 years ago and they have four children and six grandkids.
“Wendy has been an absolute star for me all these years, assisting with all my
races. At Comrades, she seconded me from 1966 right through to the late 70s,
when motorbikes replaced seconding cars, and nowadays she strolls half a kay
down to the route near our home in Hillcrest, with the grandkids, to wait for
me to pass. My sons Sean, Kevin and Michael have all run the Comrades and
sometimes ran with me, and my daughter Tracey was keen to run it two years ago,
but then fell pregnant. I reckon she will be back in a few years.”

 

Unsurprisingly, the most
common question this veteran of the Comrades hears these days is how many more
medals he thinks he can earn. “When will I have run enough? The day I stop
breathing,” he laughs. “I have picked up a few injuries in recent years, but if
my luck holds and the body allows, I can keep going.

It would be an absolute
dream to reach 50, which means at least another five years, but if I don’t,
then no problem, because I have thoroughly enjoyed my running and made lifelong
friends along the way. For me it has always been that I enjoy running, so I
will keep going until I can’t run any more.”

For a man with such a demanding job, Doug Jones has
quite the running CV: It includes five Comrades Marathons with a PB of 7:50, three
Old Mutual Two Oceans Ultras and a Puffer 80km run. He has also taken on four
94.7 Cycle Challenges, the Ironman 70.3 and the Midmar Mile – all while heading
up one of the country’s leading retail franchises. Doug has spent six years at
Massmart and has been Managing Director of Makro for the past year, and says he
continues to be inspired by the company. “I love the unique offering we give
people. It’s a small business but a big operation,” he explains. “We offer
across the board, to all ages, and we just have a lot of fun!”

 

Despite the long hours, on top of being a husband and
father to three young children, Doug still finds time to train and race,
although this year his running has been curtailed by a hip injury. “I normally wake
up at 5am and I’m excited to go out for a run. After that, I’m excited to get
to the office. Running is good for you in business – you remain positive and
enthusiastic,” says Doug. “Like life, like business, running tests your will to
follow-through on something. If you’re not fit, if you’re not committed, you’ll
bail.”

 

And so, in peak training, Doug runs time trials on
Tuesdays and Thursdays, with some track work for speed in the evenings, a
longer 20km on Wednesdays, and a tempo run on Friday mornings. His weekends are
reserved for long runs. “It’s great having a wife that is also active, that
runs with me and understands what running is all about,” says Doug. “She’s
allowed me to do what it takes to get to my goals.” And their kids, Kate (11),
Matthew (10) and Scott (2) also take part on weekend running getaways. “They’re
dragged to races, but I think when your children see you accomplishing your
goals, it can only be a positive influence. I work hard and succeed, and they
can do the same.”

 

RUNNING PEDIGREE

Jo’burg born and bred, Doug was always active at
school, using running to get fit for cricket, rugby and squash. After studying
to become a chartered accountant, he moved to Canada, where he ran his first
marathon in Toronto in 2000, with his wife Robyn, but with kids on the way and
a move back to SA in 2003, Doug took a break from serious running for a few
years, until he joined the Bryanston Bombers training group. “This group of
guys had run Comrades and all these crazy races, and we became a close-knit
running family. They took me from jogger to runner, and that’s what makes
running so amazing – that nobody cares who you are or what your title is when
you have your running gear on! You just go out with your friends and it’s a
break-away from everything!”

 

Doug’s second shot at a marathon came in 2006 at the
Soweto Marathon, and eventually he moved onto Comrades in 2008, clinching a Bill
Rowan medal in 8:50. He went on to run five consecutive Comrades before missing
out this year with the hip injury, but says he will be back. “On my first go, I
remember crying when I crossed the finish, with my arm raised in the air.
Comrades is all about the journey and the build-up. The actual day? Well, it’s
a beast! But the hours on the road and meeting strangers is what makes it so
special!”

 

NEW GOALS

While being sidelined from running this whole year
after an op on his hip, Doug has been swimming and recently started running
again. He says he is determined to come back stronger than ever, and has a
bucket-list of running goals he’d still like to tick off. “I want a silver and my
Green Number at Comrades, and I want to run a sub-3:00 marathon. In the next
few years, I’d like to do Ironman, a 100-miler, maybe Washie, maybe the Skyrun,
and swim and mountain bike more.” And while it might seem a stretch for a busy
businessman, he explains that it’s all about compromise. “I don’t judge people
who say they don’t have time, because I also work hard and I stress, but one
needs to compromise. You need to get that balance right!”