Category: Columns

Most of us do our running, cycling or swimming in the early morning or late evening hours, which means we are training when the sun’s rays are not at their strongest, between 10am and 4pm, which in turn means we do not have to worry too much about sunburn and the harmful effects of the UVA and UVB ultraviolet rays of the sun. However, we do sometimes go for lunchtime workouts, and some of the longer races we do, notably marathons, ultras, cycle tours and Ironman events, will have us out in the sun for a much longer time, and that’s when sunscreen becomes an absolute essential part of our gear.

Sunscreen comes in different forms – lotions, sprays, gels, sticks – and is designed to absorb or reflect some of the sun’s UV radiation on the skin and thus protect against sunburn (UVB) and cell damage and premature ageing (UVA). All sunscreen products have a sun protection factor (SPF) rating, which is a laboratory measure of the effectiveness of the sunscreen when applied at an even rate of 2 milligrams per square centimetre (mg/cm2). Basically, if your skin starts turning red after an hour, an SPF 15 allows you to stay in the sun 15 times longer before you starting turning red.

However, that doesn’t take into account the varied intensity of the sun’s rays during the day, different skin types, the amount of sunscreen applied and how often it is reapplied, the amount of sunscreen absorbed by the skin, and activities the wearer engages in (swimming and sweating leads to a loss of sunscreen covering). Therefore, athletes are recommended to use at least a SPF30 sunscreen and remember the following sunscreen tips:
• Look for a broad spectrum sunscreen that blocks both UVA and UVB rays.
• Apply the sunscreen thickly enough to get the full SPF protection.
• Apply the sunscreen 15 to 30 minutes before exposure to the sun. Regular reapplication is necessary after activities such as swimming, sweating and rubbing.
• Beware reflective surfaces like water, sand and concrete, which increase the amount of UV radiation your skin is exposed to.

PUT TO THE TEST
We went looking for sunscreen products and found quite a few ranges out there to test. After smearing in a few armfuls of lotion, we decided that the spray-on types, both pump action bottle and aerosols, are just so much easier to apply, and the transparent types are top of that list, because nobody wants to look like a ghost! Of course, it is very important with these clear sprays to take note where you have sprayed and rubbed, so that you don’t miss a spot and end up with a little patch of sunburnt skin. If you prefer to see where you’ve covered, stick to a lotion or ‘white spray’ like Nivea’s Sun Spray product.

So, here are a few of the choice sunscreen products tested and recommended by the Modern Athlete team. Take note that the prices supplied here are recommended prices only and may vary from one store to another.

Everysun Aquasport Invisi-Spray SPF30 (125ml)
R95 at Dis-Chem Pharmacies, Clicks and other outlets.
The Everysun Aquasport range of light, non-sticky, water-resistant sunscreen products is enriched with Teavigo Green Tea extract to help combat the effects of UV sun damage. It also helps prevent premature ageing by eliminating excess free radicals on the skin, while moisturising to keep skin elastic and firm. You can choose from SPF 10 to 50 in lotions, invisi-sprays, aerosol sprays and sticks.

Island Tribe Invisible Spray SPF30 (125ml)
R70 at Dis-Chem Pharmacies, Cape Union Mart and other outlets.
Enriched with vitamin E to increase the protection against UVA rays and the ageing effect they have on our skin, the Island Tribe spray also does the job to protect your skin from UVB rays. Also available in a light lotion format, and Island Tribe have also brought out SPF40 Clear Gel and Stick versions in their sport range, but we preferred sticking to the spray-on version for its ease of use.

Nivea Invisible Protection Transparent Spray SPF30 (200ml)
R100 at Dis-Chem Pharmacies, Clicks and other outlets.
Offering broad spectrum protection against both UVA and UVB rays, this sunscreen is 100% invisible and sprays on easily, meaning that you don’t even need to rub it in, but we recommend that you do to ensure complete coverage of all exposed skin. If you really want to see what you’re applying to your skin, you can also try the Moisturising Sun Spray or Lotion options.

Piz Buin Active Long Lasting Spray SPF20 (150ml)
R175 at Dis-Chem Pharmacies, Clicks and other outlets.
Available in SPF20 or 30, this aerosol spray is water- and sweat-resistant and offers protection from both UVA and UVB rays, using Piz Buin’s Helioplex formula to ensure this broad spectrum protection. Piz Buin also have a lotion in their range, available in SPF15 and SPF30. This range is substantially more expensive than the others, but then Piz Buin is one of the oldest and most trusted sunscreen manufacturers in the world.

TECHNIblock Ultra Sunblocker SPF40 (150ml)
R100 at Dis-Chem Pharmacies, Clicks, Link Pharmacies and other outlets.
This South African company was one of the first in the world to produce an aerosol sunscreen in the early 1990s and now has SPF15 and SPF40 products in its range, in various sized tins from 125ml to 340ml. Being transparent and non-greasy in a spray format meant it went on to hairier parts of the body without any problems or the need for much rubbing in. Also available in a SPF40 stick.

Modern Athlete Choice
Tropitone Acti-Sport Sunscreen Spray SPF30 (125ml)
R85 at Dis-Chem Pharmacies, Clicks and other outlets.
This broad spectrum water- and sweat-resistant sunscreen comes in SPF15 and SPF30 options, and we tested the pump-action clear spray type. Easy to spray on and rub in, and easily absorbed by the skin, the non-greasy formula is enriched with Monoi Tahitian coconut oil, which helps keep your skin moist and supple while you work out in the sun. The Acti-Sport range also offers lotions, gels, aerosol sprays as well as sticks.

When talking to professional athletes about their daily routines, you quickly realise a ‘day in the life’ generally consists of three things: Training, eating and sleeping, and each one is as important as the other. Training and eating go without saying, but many people think the reason professional athletes sleep so much is because they’re lazy, or because they have too much time on their hands. However, research done earlier this year at the Stanford Medical School of Medicine in California in the USA indicated that getting enough sleep should be as important a part of any elite athlete’s preparation as their training.

In this study, researchers found that basketball players who slept more than 10 hours per night performed better on the court, as their accuracy, sprint speeds, reaction times, mood and perceived level of exertion improved. They found that the majority of players usually experience fatigue or drowsiness during the day and were operating on a so-called “sleep debt.” Once they started eliminating this sleep debt, by increasing the time the athletes slept, all of the above-mentioned factors improved. Why? According to research, sleep rewires the brain and body, and lots of learning takes place while you sleep as brain connections are made and pruned.

PHYSIOLOGY AND SLEEP
Until now research has been limited to how sleep deprivation negatively affects athletic performance and not the other way round. Previously, Dr Eve Van Cauter from the University of Chicago Medical School found sleep deprivation can have a big impact on our basic metabolism, causing glucose metabolism to drop by as much as 30 to 40 percent. Her results showed that after four hours of sleep per night (the sleep deprivation period), glucose was metabolised least efficiently while cortisol levels (a stress hormone) were higher. Van Cauter said that after only one week of sleep restriction, young, healthy males had glucose levels that were no longer normal and showed a rapid deterioration of the body’s functions. This reduced ability of the body to manage glucose is similar to those found in the elderly. What makes this study interesting is the fact that it indicates sleep deprivation does not only impact immune and brain function, but can also negatively impact physiology that is critical for athletic performance, such as glucose metabolism and cortisol status.

Glucose and glycogen (stored glucose) are especially important for endurance athletes because they are the main sources of energy and the only way to store energy. Those who are sleep-deprived may experience slower storage of glycogen, which prevents storage of the fuel an athlete needs for endurance events beyond 90 minutes. Elevated levels of cortisol may interfere with tissue repair and growth, and over time, this could prevent an athlete from responding to heavy training and lead to overtraining and injury.

GET SOME SHUT-EYE
It is the alternation of adaptation and recovery that takes the athlete to a higher level of fitness, and the greater the training intensity and effort, the greater the need for planned recovery. This is exactly why high-level athletes who train much harder than most of us do have to sleep more than we do. So those afternoon naps that most elite athletes take aren’t just because they’re lazy or bored, they are actually a part of their training programme!

The question remains how much we as recreational athletes should sleep? Monitoring your workouts with a training log, and paying attention to how your body feels and how motivated you are, is extremely helpful in determining your recovery needs and should help you to modify your training programme accordingly. To get the edge you want, keep the following in mind:

1. Determine how many hours is your normal sleep allotment to feel your best. An easy way to do this is to calculate how many hours you sleep after one week into a relaxing vacation.


2. Particularly during season, try to protect that time for sleep. This means no electronic media at least an hour before bedtime, allowing you to rest before sleep so that you really rest throughout the night.


3. Prioritise sleep as a part of your regular training regimen.


4. Extend nightly sleep for several weeks to reduce your sleep debt before competition.


5. Maintain a low sleep debt by getting a sufficient amount of nightly sleep: Seven to nine hours for adults, nine or more hours for teens and young adults.


6. Keep a regular sleep-wake schedule, going to bed and waking up at the same times each day.


7. Where possible, take brief 20 to 30-minute naps to obtain additional sleep during the day, especially if drowsy.

Source: The effects of sleep extension on the athletic performance of collegiate basketball players. By CD Mah, KE Mah, EJ Kezirian and WC Dement. Published in Sleep, 2011, Volume 34(7).

The phrase “You’re fired” is bandied about easily in reality TV programmes like The Apprentice, but in the real world, letting somebody go is not that simple, and companies or employers need to follow stringent labour law rules and regulations, which are designed to protect the rights of both employer and employee. That’s why the services of Johannesburg-based labour law specialist Dr Alec Wainwright are so high in demand.

“A typical day in my working life includes arbitrating disputed dismissals, convening disciplinary enquiries and providing companies with labour relations policies and procedures. I assist companies that need to dismiss or retrench employees, to fulfil the stringent procedural correctness and substantive fairness requirements to avoid the Labour Court later awarding those former employees up to 24 months’ salary as compensation for an unfair dismissal.”

BUSY SCHEDULE
This means that Alec must keep up to date on changes in employment legislation and mandatory legal requirements such as the Employment Equity Act, and he is an expert in his field. He is also an accredited Commissioner at the Commission for Conciliation Mediation & Arbitration (CCMA), where he conducts arbitrations and mediations, and he has been an expert witness before the Supreme Court and served on a Commission of Inquiry into industrial unrest.

As you can imagine, Alec’s Wainwright Labour Law practice is constantly busy and his schedule is usually jam-packed with meetings, which naturally affects one of his other passion in life, running. “Being busily self-employed and a somewhat lazy trainer, I seldom find time to run during the week. I have to rely mainly on Saturday and Sunday runs, which always guarantees an interesting Comrades!”

STARTING YOUNG
Born and raised in the old Transkei, Alec did cross-country at school, then began road running as well. “At age 15 I completed the 36-mile King Williams Town to East London Marathon and the following year I came 12th. This was in the mid 1960’s and in those days there were no water tables. Because I was in boarding school I ran without a second.” He ran his first Comrades when he went to university in 1968, aged just 18, crossing the line in 9:48:28 to earn the first of 17 consecutive medals, with a best time of 7:31:24 in 1971. In the process he also earned the permanent green race number 260 in 1977, one of the youngest runners ever to do so.

Then ‘life,’ including not only work but also marriage and two children, daughter Sarah and son Stuart, forced Alec to take a break from the Big C. “At age 34 I had 17 Comrades medals, so I could joke that half my life was involved in Comrades. I think I also ran 17 consecutive Bergville/Ladysmith ultras as well as a couple of Matopos 33 Milers in the then Rhodesia. However, studying part-time for Bachelors, Honours, Masters and Doctoral degrees while working full-time and raising a family, inevitably meant my Comrades running would suffer.”

COMEBACK TIME
Having last run the Comrades in 1984, Alec made a comeback in 1989 and completed another three to earn his double green number in 1991, also running his first three Old Mutual Two Oceans ultras in those years, but then he took another long break from the big ultras. That was until 2005, when he completed the Two Oceans again, and in 2007 he was lining up for the Comrades again.

Alec’s passion for running has clearly passed on to his son, with Stuart now a well known Comrades pacesetter and “long-distance freak,” as Alec proudly puts it. “I had my permanent number at 27 whereas he has six at the same age, but Stuart surpassed this when he won a 10-day circuit race, running the equivalent of 10 Comrades in 10 days on a treacherously muddy track.” Alec’s girlfriend, Thelma, will also be going for her green number in 2012.

Now 62, and with 24 Comrades medals and nine from the Two Oceans, Alec says he isn’t done yet. When asked if he still has any running goals, he immediately answers, short and sharp: “Triple Green Comrades! Now I just need to find some time to do some more training…”

In 1999, Arnaud Malherbe was part of the SA team at the World Champs in Seville, Spain, that clocked 3:00.20 in the 4x400m relay final to set a new SA record, but they had to be content with fourth place and just missing the podium. Ten years later, the US team that won that day were disqualified after Antonio Pettigrew admitted to doping, and the SA team were promoted to third and awarded the bronze medals. For Arnaud, it was a bittersweet moment.

“I came close to winning a medal at a major international championship so many times, so I felt that was the only thing missing from my career. Naturally, I was very pleased to get that bronze, but it was no consolation for missing the podium at the World Champs. Also, in 1999 I was ranked ninth in the world in the 400m, and since then four of the guys above me have admitted to doping. If I had been in the top five, I may have been invited to more Golden League meetings, and just showing up at those meets would have seen me earn a lot more money. Still, I believe I raced as hard as I could, so I have no regrets.”

RUNNING TALENT
Arnaud was born in 1972 and grew up in Randburg, where he began running in primary school, competing in the 1200m and cross-country. By high school he was focusing on the 800m and 1500m, but then in his first year of his B.Com Accounting studies at the University of Johannesburg, he began running 400s in training to build up speed for the 800m, and soon he was specialising in the one-lap sprint instead. He was the only junior 400m runner to make the final at the SA Champs that year.

He was selected for the 1995 World University Games in Fukuoka, Japan (where he finished sixth) and the 1995 World Champs in Gothenburg, Sweden (seventh in his heat). The following year he won the first of four consecutive national titles and was selected for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics in the USA, which he describes as the highlight of his career. “I have vivid memories of walking out for the first heat in front of 80 000 people. At 300m I was ahead of world record holder Butch Reynolds, then I decided to save myself for the next round. I have mixed feelings about that second heat, because I ran a PB but finished fifth and was knocked out, despite getting the same time as the fourth guy.”

The 1997 World Champs in Athens, Greece, brought another fifth position in his heat, but then Arnaud helped the 4x400m relay team set a new SA record of 3:00.26. It was fifth again at the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Then came the 1999 World Champs, and another fifth place in the heats, but also fourth in the relay final and that national record, which stood until this year, when the SA team clocked 2:59:21 on the way to winning silver at the World Champs in South Korea.

Along the way, Arnaud met his future wife, Helen, on a plane between Rome and Budapest in 1997. “She is British and was living in Rome, and was on her way to Budapest for work, while I was on my way to join the SA team at a training camp prior to the World Champs. We sat next to each other and exchanged details, emailed sporadically for a year and met up again in 1998, when we officially started going out. She then moved to SA in December 1998, when we got engaged, and we were married a year later.”

DIFFICULT YEARS
Arnaud found himself in the Olympic squad for the 2000 Games in Sydney, Australia, but didn’t run well due to flu. Another fourth place came at the Manchester 2002 Commonwealth Games in the UK. Next up was the 2004 Olympics in Athens, where he was picked only for the relay, but this turned out to be one of his biggest disappointments, and the start of a really tough time in his life. “Helen was heavily pregnant, so I asked SASCOC if I could just fly in for the relay at the end of the Games, but they said I must go with the team, which meant hanging around for a whole month. When the race eventually came, Marcus Le Grange ran the first leg and handed over to Hendrik Mokganyetsi, but he dropped the baton in the back straight, then just jogged round and we all walked off the track. I don’t blame him at all, because he was bumped, but I was there for a month and never got to run!”

“Athens was going to be my last competition, because we were starting a family, but our daughter was born with a congenital birth defect called Edwards Syndrome and died after 10 weeks, on Christmas Eve. That was a terrible time for us, and in 2005 I decided to start training again, to regain some sanity. I told Helen I was going to give it one last try at the 2006 Commonwealth Games, but I injured my adductor muscle in my first race of 2006 and didn’t qualify. That was my last season of running, because our twins Amelie and Aiden arrived later that year, and I became a family man – I would come home from work and my wife would hand me two babies, so she could take a break. Two years later we had another boy, Nathan.”

HEAD FOR FIGURES
In the twilight years of his pro athletic career, Arnaud established a career as a financial adviser and planner, and today he is a wealth manager at RMB Private Bank. He also does athletics commentary for SABC TV as a sideline. When asked if he still runs, Arnaud just laughs and says, “I’ve got three young kids. What do you think?” But then he adds that he recently decided he wanted to get fit again and is doing some light running again. He is also a Board Member of the new Athletics South Africa, even though it is a thankless job because ASA’s reputation is so bad. “It’s a new board and a new era, and we’re not there for our own glory, and definitely not for the money! Personally, I feel I have a lot to offer athletics in South Africa, so I will continue to contribute where I can.”

WINNING LETTER
Most women dread their birthdays as the years go by, and this is no different in my case. On my 29th birthday earlier this year, I had come to a point that I was fed up with the state my health and fitness. I looked back over the last 29 years, and I didn’t have anything to feel proud of. So I decided I need to achieve something great by my 30th birthday and set my goal for July next year: To lose 30kg by the time I am 30 and finish a triathlon.

My biggest challenge in completing the triathlon is the running leg. I am a strong swimmer and have been getting into cycling over the last two months, but I suffer with shin splints and have to rest long periods between runs. I am hoping that by losing a great deal of the weight will assist with the running getting easier and help me to achieve my goal.

Thanks for your great magazine with all the helpful info and motivational stories. I plan on being your motivational insert come July 2012. – Sheila Kruger

I’m not a runner
I’m not fast, never have been and never will be. This, together with the fact that I don’t like running in circles, and prefer chasing balls, are probably the main reasons why I never got into running when I was younger.

So imagine my surprise when a friend suggested we do a 10km race at the end of last year and I actually enjoyed it. Maybe not the running so much, but the atmosphere at the race reminded me of school f?tes and sport days, except this time I was allowed to have beer, so it was even better! Needless to say, I was immediately hooked and have since braved the roads on early mornings, late afternoons and even weekends… something I never saw myself doing.

I’ll admit, I still do it mostly for the atmosphere on race day where I get to enjoy Johannesburg’s awesome sunshine and boerewors rolls without feeling guilty, but most of all, I feel like I’m one of the cool kids. And the running isn’t all that bad either! So thank you to the running community for welcoming me with open arms. You guys rock! – Marike Havenga

All aboard!
I heard about a marathon runner in England who caught a bus from the 32km mark to the 41km mark to achieve third place and improve his PB by 21 minutes! If I had known this was an option I would have taken on the Comrades a long time ago! Maybe we should give him the benefit of the doubt; perhaps he was just trying to catch the sub-3:00 bus. – Kate, Woodlands

Wild Coast Wild Run, Eastern Cape, 15-17 September

The weeks were counted down and excitement built up between the few of us that managed to get our paws on Wild Run entries, and finally the day arrived to embark on our journey. On arrival in Kei Mouth, we were welcomed by organisers Owen Middelton and Tamaryn Jupp, who handed us our race packs and goodies. Wild Run 2011 was eventually here!

Day one started with a ferry crossing to get to the start line – after Owen pointed out that if we failed to get onto the ferry on time, we would have a rather unexpected swim to the start. All aboard, we made our way towards the start. Three, two, one, and we were off on a journey of around 43km from Kei Mouth to Kob Inn. The only instruction was simple enough: Keep the sea on your right. The field spread out fairly quickly and we were left to navigate our way up the coast. We had exceptional weather and the views were simply awe-inspiring. Long stretches of untouched beaches, rolling green hills, rugged rocks and shipwrecks were all on the list of sights for the first day.

That first day also saw four river crossings, all supposedly waist-deep. Well, we found ourselves swimming nearly all of them! The last crossing was about 100m from the finish and we soon realised that this was actually going to be a bit of a rough swim. After a moment of panic, kicking fellow runners in a mad panic to get out of the water, we made it to the other side, only to be welcomed by the ever so charming photographer who had managed to capture the ‘near drowning’ on film. Thanks, Kelvin. Crossing the finish line looking like drowned rats, we noticed other runners in clothes a lot less wet, and discovered there was a row boat option to get across the treacherous river!

NAVIGATION BY PLANT
After some well deserved beers and banter, and a good night’s rest, day two was upon us, bringing 35km of even tougher terrain. Owen’s main instruction for the day was “look for the very obvious date palms.” Okay, what are date palms? The day was tackled with a fairly strong tailwind helping us on our mission from Kobb Inn to The Haven, but a big river crossing was expected about 2km before the finish. It came, we panicked, we swam, we finished. The post-run cold beers were even more deserved than the previous day, as friendships were made, stories were told, and stomach muscles became sore from all the laughing! Runners were starting to hobble, though, and the massage tables were full and the medics kept busy. More blisters, more methylate, more tears. Some of the runners not being worked on by the medics attended the Bobs for Good shoe drop at a local school, a moving experience of giving back to the community.

Getting to the start of day three was a bit of a hobble, but we were ready for our final day of our Wild Coast adventure. Having decided we were going to take day three slow – I don’t think it was possible to take it any other way – we headed off to find the famous Hole in the Wall. The day consisted of a few very big hills, and so we climbed, and climbed, and climbed. At last, there it was. What a spectacular view! A long descent and river crossing brought us to the finish. We did it, conquered 112km (some of us did 115km) of trail along one of South Africa’s most spectacular coastlines. A truly memorable adventure!

Wild Coast Wild Run, Eastern Cape, 22-24 September

One of the real perks of my job as a running journo are the invites to exotic races in incredible settings, and they don’t come much more ‘exotic’ than the Wild Coast Wild Run, which runs 112km in three days from Kei Mouth to Hole in the Wall on the Wild Coast of the Eastern Cape, just north of East London. The rugged beauty of this coastline is simply breathtaking, with long unspoilt beaches, and in this race it is possible to go for miles and miles without seeing any other signs of life. Except for cows, that is. Plenty of those around…

For me, lining up was always going to be an unknown factor, as I had pretty much been out of action for 18 months thanks to various injury and illness niggles, including two torn calf muscles, a couple of lower back tweaks, and a bout of serious ‘man-flu’ just a few weeks before the race. So I went into it with a determined attitude to just do what I can without hurting myself. Well, I managed just under 80 kays in two days – I decided that my calves just wouldn’t handle all three days – and got to see an absolutely stunning part of the country for the first time. Even better, my legs felt fine, I had no blisters, and I felt like I could take on the world!

FIRST DAY
According to the nifty waterproof map we were given to navigate the route with, the first stage was 44.2km long, which I finished in just over 8 hours 30 minutes. Generally it went fine, but the 5km stretch of extra-loose sandy beach just after the checkpoint at 19 kays really had me thinking about turning around and thumbing a lift, but I just kept telling myself that I am going to finish the stage, no matter what! Luckily I had the company of fellow Wild Runner Susan Senekal for a good few kays, which helped keep me going, but later she pulled away and I had to do much of the last 15 kays alone. Reckon that’s the closest I have ever come to sense of humour failure!

The next morning I assessed my legs and decided that both Achilles were just too tight to risk two days in a row – both my torn calf muscles came after my Achilles tightened up, so I decided not to risk it on the 35km stage. But it was still a helluva hard decision – I was so close to changing my mind right up till the last minute – and I kept having to explain to everybody why I wasn’t lining up. Runners are a strange bunch… when one of their own drops out, they almost take it personally and need to try to get you going again.

BACK IN ACTION
So on day three I was getting high fives when I lined up again, and boy am I glad I could run, because those 34km were simply breathtaking, especially once we got on to the headlands leading up to Hole in the Wall. The long beaches were beautiful, but getting up high and looking down on the beaches, rocks, waves, dolphins, whales and more just made the race for me. I still ended up coming home with the last few runners and the sweepers, Roland and Rob, after we took a few detours around some local settlements, but the views were simply stupendous and made up for any tiredness. And it was really special coming over that last rise and seeing the finish line waiting for us at Hole in the Wall, after another eight hours on our feet. What an absolutely stunning spot for a finish line!

Overall I found the river crossings fine, after my initial fears thanks to race organiser Owen Middleton’s pre-race briefing, which really had me scared, due to having never done anything like this before. The only downside was that my phone got drowned in the last swim right at the finish, because I obviously didn’t seal the zip-lock bag properly. Wild Coast 1, Sean’s Samsung 0…

ALIVE AND KICKING
That night the legendary after-party went on till 3:30am, and I even managed a spot of dancing, including doing the Twist and a valiant attempt at the Russian Cossack kicking dance! That’s how good my legs felt, much to my surprise and relief. Now I just want to go back again and do the whole race. 112km in three days was always going to be a big ask, so I’m still more than chuffed with surviving 79 kays in two days – and with minimal leg pain, no blisters, and only a minor sense of humour failure!

A big thank you to adidas for sponsoring my trip as well as providing great kit and shoes to run in, and much thanks to Owen, Tam and the rest of the Wild Runner team for their superb organisation, hospitality and friendliness. It was a pleasure to run the Wild Coast with you.

Sydney Marathon 2011

In 1962, Twentieth Century Fox released one of THE great World War II movies called The Longest Day. It had a magnificent cast, was nominated for an Academy Award that year and examined the D-Day landings on 6 June 1944 in Normandy, France, from the perspective of both the Allied and Axis forces. If you’ve never seen it, make sure that you do. I think I had my own ‘longest day’ on Sunday 19 September in Sydney, Australia.

I blame Toni for getting me into road running in the first place – I knew I should have stuck to rugby, but she is a great physio who knows a thing or two about running (she’s done 21 Comrades) and it made good sense to have my own physio along on this run, as I’d been nursing a tweaked Achilles tendon for weeks before flying out of OR Tambo.

DOWN UNDER
I had been hosted like royalty by former school friends now living Down Under, who showed me the sights and sounds of both Melbourne and Sydney. We spent a wonderful morning catching up and catching fish on the Friday before the race. Like Cape Town and Vancouver, Sydney is a truly beautiful city, and running a marathon there was a real privilege. There were sufficient Saffers in attendance for it to almost feel like the average weekend start at any of the many SA marathons each weekend back home. Well, almost…

Those daft Aussies, in their ‘wisdom,’ elected to start the half marathon at 6:20 and the marathon at 7:30 – resulting in most of the 4 000-strong field finishing as it got properly hot! And it did – go figure! I’ll have some feedback for them once the inevitable post-race survey rolls around on e-mail.

AWAY THEY GO!
So we set off from Milson’s Point over the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge and my Achilles hurt from ‘Step One, Kay One.’ Then onto a scenic route that followed significant stretches of the 2000 Olympic Marathon route, with the original ‘blue line’ still visible. Water tables were well-managed with sufficient refreshments, but alas, no Coke – something else we could teach the Aussies.

The route itself was benign and by SA standards would be considered an easy one, with just the odd climb. However, I could only live with the pace of Toni, Mike Bray (Publisher of Modern Athlete) and the others to about the 25km mark. It would have been unfair to expect them to stick with my laboured pace; as the mild discomfort caused by hobbling on a dodgy Achilles had progressed to a dull ache and the hobble to a limp. And it was hot.

Having toured Sydney and received good crowd support all along the route, we eventually caught sight of the white roof of the equally iconic Sydney Opera House, where the marathon finished, only to run away from Circular Quay for 4km before turning back and then finally rounding it and crossing the line outside what is a magnificent backdrop for a race finish.

THE JANE MCGRATH FOUNDATION
What kept me going through all the discomfort wasn’t just the ticking-off of another continent, but also because I’d chosen to run this race in aid of the Jane McGrath Foundation. The great Glenn McGrath, world record holder for the most Test wickets by a fast bowler (563) is a mate whom I’ve known since the Aussies toured SA under Allan Border in 1994. I’ve known Glenn (or ‘Pigeon’) all through his courtship, marriage and ultimately the loss of his wife Jane to breast cancer, and I wanted to do this run in honour of that.

It was the wonderful generosity of so many friends, colleagues, running mates and family in support of breast cancer research that kept my mind on finishing. Together we managed to raise in excess of $1 500.00 and I’m so proud of everyone who made that possible. I even put my RAC pride aside and wore pink on the day!

For the record, I managed to break five hours by just four seconds. Eish, that’s a personal worst for someone who generally breaks four hours and a long way off my PB of 3:26! But I’ll take it.

Rory has completed twelve Comrades Marathons and has run the New York and London Marathons for charity. He is a former bodyguard to President Nelson Mandela and now owns a security consultancy with Bob Nicholls, his business partner. Nicholls Steyn and Associates is South Africa’s largest executive protection employer.

“You’ve missed the halfway cut-off time, and I’m sorry to tell you but you’ve been eliminated from the race.” Admittedly, entering the eight-hour main edition of the race was a tad ambitious for my personal trail running skills and dexterity, but these are not the words you would ever imagine hearing after four arduous months of dedicated hill and stairs training. However, the Otter African Trail Run, the Grail of Trail, is not a predictable race by any stretch of the imagination.

THE ADVENTURE STARTS
The amazing adventure begins the day prior to the big race with a Prologue of approximately 4.5km to determine your starting time and order the following day. This short sprint distance also gives contenders a fair idea of what conditions to expect over the full 42km race, an exhilarating and beautiful way to begin.

At the race briefing on the eve of the race, the address by race director Mark Collins was, to put it bluntly, spine-tingling scary! He mentioned treacherous rocks, steep hills, a million stairs, river crossings, treacherous rocks, oh yes, and really steep hills (and treacherous rocks). Wow! Expressions of anticipation, excitement and downright fear were manifest on every face under the tent, but we all knew what we had signed up for eight months earlier and the wait was finally over.

SETTING OFF
Race day began with a 45-minute drive in somewhat nervous silence to the ‘official’ start of the Otter Hike at Storms River Mouth in Tsitsikama. The fastest 16 runners on the Prologue (The Abangeni) were the first batch to start and this year, included notable trail running names such as Ryan Sandes and Bruce Arnett. Thereafter, batches of four runners left at 30-second intervals. Our turn came and after a 20-second countdown, we were off, “Run into-the-Forest, Run!”

Within 2km, we encountered the first stretch of rocks where my not-so-nimble feet slowed down to carefully contemplate the crossing. Picture a couple of panes of glass that have been taped together and then unevenly shattered across the top… Treacherous? Definitely! But oh so thrilling!

Unlike many other long distance races, the kilometres on the Otter Trail do not fly by unnoticed. In fact, for me, it was not unreasonable for 1km to take up to 14 minutes to complete. But when surrounded by such breathtaking and magnificent scenery, every second on the world-renowned trail is an absolute privilege to be appreciated.

After about two hours (and 12km) of running, I realised that the daunting eight-hour cut-off would elude me that day, and that I would finish, but unofficially. So for another 8km, I continued onward, upward and downward along the most beautiful stretch of our coastline, until just before the halfway mark, when…

THOSE WORDS!
One experiences a myriad of emotions upon hearing those words! Relief. Self-annoyance. Frustration! But by far, the strongest emotion was immense disappointment that I would need to wait another year before swimming across the Bloukrans and running toward the finish on that infamous floating bridge! It was evident on the ride back to the finish that these feelings were common to all who enjoyed the scenery viewed from the back of the return bakkie.

The highlight of the day, however, was watching friends drag themselves over “that” bridge and to the final checkpoint to complete their adventure. Their looks of utter exhaustion were soon eclipsed by the fantastic sense of triumph in what they had achieved. Well done guys, you made us super proud! So, following even more dedicated hill and stairs training, my ‘revenge’ on the 2012 floating bridge and the halfway checkpoint marshal awaits!

Records Tumble at OTTER

This year the race saw a star-studded field assembled at Storms River Mouth, including SA’s trail running star, Ryan Sandes. Fresh from his victory at the prestigious Leadville 100-mile Ultra-marathon in the USA, he would for the first time contend with a full-strength trail running field from all over the country.

At Bloukrans, Sandes had extended his lead over the chasing Bruce Arnett to six minutes, with the classy field behind these two strung out along the coastal paths. In the end, Sandes’ superb class was just too good for the rest of the field, and he steamed in across the floating bridge finish in an incredible time of 4:40, decimating the current record by more than seven minutes!

“In the last nine kilometres I was feeling it, but what a stunning route and a privilege to run here. Swimming across Bloukrans River was definitely a first for me in a trail race!” said an elated Sandes at the finish.

In the equally strong women’s field, Su Don-Wauchope triumphed over a tenacious Robyn Ferrar, with Landie Visser claiming a well-deserved third place.

“In this our third year of sponsoring the Otter, the race has matured into the most iconic trail race in South Africa attracting the cr?me de la cr?me of trail runners, as well as being a ‘must-do’ on any runner’s bucket list,” said Ian Little, Marketing Manager of outdoor apparel manufacturers HI-TEC. “Our close relationship with South African National Parks ensures it is a race close to our hearts and that of our customers, who are active outdoor people.”

Mont-Aux-Sources 50km Challenge, Ukhahlamba, KwaZulu-Natal, 10 September

The event takes place in the Royal Natal National Park in the northern Drakensberg region of KwaZulu-Natal. Athletes must carry their own hydration and warm weather gear as well as a whistle for safety reasons, because the weather can change in an instant in the Drakensberg!

The 50km route follows a hiking path up the Mahai Valley and past the Mahai Falls to Witsieshoek Mountain Resort, a 1700m climb over 9km! There we found the first of four very welcome water tables as well as the first checkpoint. The water tables were well stocked with water, energy drinks, sandwiches, sweets, chocolates, you name it! From ‘Witzies’ it is a very long 9km slog up a very rough dirt road to the Sentinel Car Park, where athletes are again checked off the list. From here there is no water until returning again after reaching the summit. Fortunately, there was plenty of water in the Tugela River on top of the Amphitheatre due to the relatively heavy winter snowfalls and many of us took the opportunity to savour the pure mountain water.

It was a thrilling experience climbing up the chain ladders, where every athlete must be harnessed to ensure their safety. Crossing the Tugela River at the lip of the world’s third-highest waterfall is an absolutely amazing experience and many a photo opportunity was seized! The final upward drag, lined with the last remaining patches of snow, to the top of the Gully, was rewarded by an intense downhill strewn with loose sections and boulders which saw athletes clinging to the rope and rocks as we scrambled back down to the zigzagging hiking path and then onward down to the Sentinel Car Park.

The views in all directions were awesome and some could have been lucky enough to see the endangered Bearded Vulture. As one of the Wildlands Conservation Trust’s Wildseries events, athletes who enter this race contribute towards an extremely important Bearded Vulture conservation project through their entry fees as well as fundraising initiatives.

Every single one of us was reminded of how lucky we were to experience such incredible beauty in a pristine environment while doing what we love. Thank you so much to Heidi Mocke and her organising team – we’ll be back!