Category: Features

Toes are important to maintaining your balance, and even more so to running, so when top trail runner Imran Paya lost a toe in a freak accident just over a year ago, he thought his running days were done, but his remarkable comeback continues. – BY PJ MOSES

Even though Imran Paya has a pretty good sense of humour, he says it seemed that fate was playing a cruel joke on him last August. Just two weeks after winning the 2017 RCS SOX three-day trail race in Mossel Bay, with teammate Peter Tswayo, he thought his running career was over. “Helping to lift a heavy drain cover at home in Cape Town, it slipped and fell on my right foot and I had to be rushed to the doctor,” he says. Unfortunately, things worsened when the doctor misdiagnosed the injury and gave him the wrong treatment. This led to his big toe becoming badly infected, and in order to save the rest of his foot, the toe had to be amputated. “I was told that I would probably not run again, and even if I did, that I‘ll be slower.”

Unsurprisingly, the decorated and accomplished RCS Gugulethu AC runner says he felt like the carpet had been pulled out from under him. “A month after winning SOX, I was sitting at home with crutches and minus a big toe. I had been training to break the 2 hour 30 minute barrier at the Cape Town Marathon, but now it had all come to an end… and my silver medals at Two Oceans and Comrades felt like somebody else’s achievements.”

Running Talent
The man from Blantyre in Malawi, who has made Cape Town his home since the year 2000, only discovered his talent for running 10 years ago. “Before coming to SA I didn’t run and was a soccer player. I started running in 2008 because my friend Abdul Malick convinced me to give it a go and persuaded me to enter a 10km race. When I finished it in 42minutes, he told me that I was born to be a runner.”

That saw Abdul talk Imran into joining him at the Gugs club in 2009, and soon he was running further. “He kept pushing the bar higher for me. In 2010 I ran my first marathon and first Two Oceans Ultra, followed by my first Comrades in 2011. I competed against myself and wanted to see how much I can improve by finding better ways to train and being conscious of my diet.” That saw him become a serial podium finisher, with PB’s at Two Oceans and Comrades of 3:40:59 and 6:36:39 respectively.

Then in 2015 another running friend and clubmate, Bernard Rukadza, convinced him to try trail running. For Imran it opened a new world of running adventures. “I fell in love with trail. The road can become a bit monotonous, but on trail you need to keep your focus and not hesitate, or else you’ll end up with your face in the rocks.”

Toeing the Line Again
By the time of his accident, Imran had become a force on trail, which made the road back to running all the harder, but he was determined not to give up. “I decided that my story wasn’t done. This was just another test on the road to success,” he says. With the support of friends and clubmates, he worked with podiatrist Chris Delpierre at the Sports Science Institute of South Africa (SSISA) to design a special inner sole to compensate for the missing toe, and he also followed SSISA’s Grucox training programme to strengthen his legs and body. “With the specialised training my body has adapted well and running is less painful. My first long race back was the Peninsula Marathon, followed by a 4:08 at Two Oceans and then the Weskus Marathon, where I ran 2:46 to surprise everyone, including myself!”

With his passion for running reignited, he was determined that he and Peter should return to SOX and defend their title this past August. “Trail running was less painful than road running, so training went well, but running doesn’t give you any guarantees, and I knew SOX was a dream that could become a nightmare.” However, there was no need to worry as the duo comfortably took the win. “I couldn’t contain my emotions when we finished in first place. A year earlier I thought I would never run again, but here I was winning my second title.”

Looking ahead, Imran says he is looking for new challenges, like the Ultra Trail Cape Town 100km later this year, but entry fees are expensive. “Without sponsorship it‘s hard to afford entries and running kit, but I remain hopeful. You get nothing from focusing on the negatives, but if you focus on the positives, your journey will always be better. I am content with life and this helps me to always give my best. When I hit the wall in a race, or in life, I remind myself that other people would love to be where I am, and this keeps me going.”

IMAGES: Dylan Haskin & courtesy Imran Paya

After a year ravaged by injury and recovery from an operation, Elroy Gelant has been putting in the hard yards to build back up to fitness, and some of his recent results have helped restore his confidence, but with another operation still to come, he is very much focused on relaunching his running career in 2019. – BY MANFRED SEIDLER

The pain had become so bad that Elroy Gelant was reduced to a mere shuffle instead of the hard running he was used to. It was December 2017, and the Olympian, South African 5000m record holder and multiple SA Champion in road, track and cross country was not only being robbed of the ability to train, but his hernia condition was also making him doubt his own ability. For an elite athlete who easily churns out three minutes per kay splits, sometimes even faster, not even being able to maintain an easy running pace of 4:15 to 4:20/km was extremely worrying.

“I could literally only do run-walking, so I was doing the parkruns with my girlfriend Tamzin, but it was scary. The SA season was coming up in a few months and I couldn’t string together one decent run. I was really scared that I would not be able to ever get back to the level I am used to, and expect,” says Elroy.

“Then I first saw a knot in the groin area in January, and that’s when my doctor said we should operate. But we agreed to wait until April, as the South Africa season had just started. I struggled on my long runs, but was able to do my shorter sessions without too much difficulty. However, those long runs are important, so I knew that my season would be a challenge, especially towards the end, as my base was not where it needed to be.” Elroy had also just bought a house, and does not have medical aid, so he needed to find almost R60,000 for the operation, meaning he needed to replenish his reserves first.

That lack of base was clearly evident when Elroy tried to defend his national 10,000m title at the SA Champs in mid-March. “I had no strength in my legs. I just felt flat, and the pain was now becoming quite bad. I did not even finish my 10,000m race! It was very demotivating and it made the doubts in my mind about my running career all the more prominent, so I scheduled the operation straight after SA’s.”

Surprising Result
For the next nine weeks, Elroy was not able to train properly, if at all, and even then it took time to build up his strength and endurance again. “I was only able to start training with some effort with four weeks left to go before the SA Half Marathon Championships at the end of July, so I was not expecting anything there. A top 20 would have been great in around 70 minutes.” However, a classy athlete remains a classy athlete, and Elroy surprised himself by posting a time of 61:48 to finish fourth overall and second South African in the NMB Half Marathon in Port Elizabeth, which doubled up as the SA Championships.

Stephen Mokoka won the race overall and the SA title, with the second and third places going to foreigners, hence Elroy’s fourth overall still placed him as second in the SA Champs. It was an incredibly close race, with just six seconds separating the top six men over the line, and Elroy finishing four seconds adrift of Stephen’s winning time. “I was really, really surprised. Finishing so high up and under 62 minutes took away all my doubts about my possibility of getting back to the top, because I definitely did not expect to be right up there,” says Elroy.

“But to be honest, I had no rhythm or confidence, so I actually gave up in the last 2km. It is a terrible feeling to not have confidence in your ability, and I had thoughts of ‘that is the end of my career’ floating through my head. I just started to jog, but then I must have recovered and my pace picked up again. When I saw the other guys coming back at me, I sprinted for the line, and it paid off. Clearly my lack of base work had caused the sluggishness, and of course, my lack of confidence played a role, but after that race, I know things will get better again.”

Another Injury?
Despite the operation and his great result in PE, Elroy says he continued to struggle for form, and then late in August he suffered another scare. Two weeks prior to the Mandela Day Marathon on 26 August, where he competed in the half marathon and finished third, he realised that there was swelling on one of his testicles, which was quite uncomfortable when running, especially on the long runs.

“I was worried that things were not quite sorted after all, so I went back to the doctor and he found that there was some internal bleeding causing the swelling. That was a relief, as I thought it could be quite serious. It is uncomfortable, but knowing it is not serious means I can finish the rest of the season here in South Africa, do some more road races, and then have another small operation in November, which will give me enough time to do the work needed to prepare for 2019.”

Elroy’s plan now is to focus on these races in order to get back some level of fitness, so that when he has to go for the operation in November, the road to recovery will be quicker. Training and racing now for him for the rest of the year is also about the confidence factor. “I was selected to go to the Africa Championships in Asaba, Nigeria at the beginning of August, but I was not even close to being ready fitness-wise. However, I felt I needed that experience of racing against the best to build my confidence and to just have the body remember what it feels like to race at that level, but it was terrible. I was lapped for the first time in my life in a 10,000m and finished in 30:23. Still, it felt good to be mixing it with the best again. It was necessary. I was then asked to do the 5000m, too, which I did, running 14:10.”

Time to Train
While Elroy is rightfully considered an elite athlete – he has, after all, run 13:04.88 for 5000m, and 1:01:10 in the half marathon – yet he still has the same plight as so many of our South African elites: He needs to hold down some form of employment in order to survive. The 32-year-old is an HR assistant at the University of Potchefstroom, which means his day begins at the office at 8am, so his morning runs are done at 4am. That’s very much like most of the runners in South Africa, but when you are competing at the elite level, recovery is vital, and spending a lot of time on your feet is not really conducive to proper recovery. Nor is missing out on that valuable afternoon nap, which is an essential for speeding up recovery.

“I do miss that recovery time, but work needs must come first. With me finishing around 4:30pm, I miss the second training session of the day with the Springs group under Coach Phakati in the winter time. They go out at 3pm to get the ’warmth’ of that time of day, but now when it gets warmer, they will go out again around 5pm, so I will join them. For now, I have been doing my second session on my own.”

Once Elroy has his operation in November he will return to hard training for the 2019 season, which will be an extended season due to the World Championships only being in October. That leaves him with a dilemma, as he is training for the 5000m, but also thinking of representing South Africa in the marathon at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, which means he needs to run a qualifier towards the end of 2019. The long season will not leave him time get into marathon shape, given that the track season only ends in October.

“I haven’t yet decided if I will try for the marathon for Tokyo, but it is in the back of my mind, and I will need to decide pretty soon, as it will affect my entire preparation for 2019 and 2020. Much will depend on how quickly I feel back to normal after the op in November. But after running 2:12:49 in my debut marathon in Cape Town last year, I definitely have unfinished business with the marathon.”

IMAGES: Jetline Action Photo & Tobias Ginsberg

In 2015 Bevan Oschger narrowly survived a hit-and-run accident, but was left with a permanent brain injury. In spite of this, Bevan has taken on some incredible physical challenges, including the 2017 New York Marathon, in order to raise awareness of what it means to live with a traumatic brain injury – and he has big plans for more endurance challenges. – BY SEAN FALCONER

In November last year, an irrepressible spirit called Bevan Oschger completed the New York Marathon, with his two faithful guides alongside him every step of the way. One was Lauren Reimers, a biokineticist from the Justin Jeffery Biokineticists practice in Johannesburg, where he goes for rehab treatment, and the other was Samantha Shirley, an American runner who is a member of the Achilles International Club that sponsors the New York entries each year for athletes with a disability.

The reason Bevan was running with the Achilles Club was that he was involved in a hit-and-run accident in 2015 and left with a serious traumatic brain injury (TBI). While his body recovered from most of the injuries, his brain injury seriously affects his balance and co-ordination, making walking a challenge, let alone running, and he was left with a permanent loss of most of his memory. Just getting to the finish line of the marathon was a huge achievement, but given his never-say-die attitude, it really came as no surprise to those who know him.

“The trip to New York is a bit of a blur, even when I see the pics, but there is one specific thing I remember clearly of the marathon,” says Bev. “Around 25km in, memories of the accident were coming back and stopping me. Up till then everything had been OK, but then both my ankles, both knees and my pelvis all just gave up at 25km, because I had never run that far before – my furthest was a 21km. I went into the second medical tent on the route and I overheard the doctors telling my guides that the race was over for me, but I told myself, we raised all this money to get here, so I can’t quit. I couldn’t go back to my Headway Rehab group and say I failed. I just had to get over that wall. No, make that a mountain!”

That saw Bev leave the medical tent and get going again, eventually finishing the race close to the seven-hour mark, with his wife Angela waiting for him at the finish. “My wife had to be there. She deserved it, because as my caregiver, this is hard for her… a brain injury is really difficult to deal with. I just cried a lot when I finished, because I’m a very emotional guy from my injury, but I took it positively, because I believe that life isn’t over, you’ve got to get up and do the best you can.”

THE FATEFUL DAY
On 12 August 2015, Bevan was on his way home from work on his motorbike when he was hit by a car. The driver sped off, leaving him seriously injured and unconscious in the road. “I was a building contractor, but I had lost my passion for work in Joburg, so I had temporarily moved back up to Hoedspruit, near my parents, to get back into it. I had just finished a job and the client was very happy, and then the accident happened a few kays from home. I have no real memory of the accident, but remember meeting my parents for lunch earlier that day. A lot of my past went with the accident,” says Bev.

He was in a coma for four weeks, and when he finally woke up, he saw Angela sitting by his bed and recognised her. “She said I had woken up 20 times already, but never recognised her. I actually thought the hospital was home, as I had no memories. After being released from ICU into the care of my wife, my recovery started, and six months later, having healed from my injuries, I began physical rehab, because my wife saw that something was wrong with me. It was a case of this guy’s lift wasn’t going to the top floor,” he jokes.

“My left side was slower than the right, affecting my balance and co-ordination, and after many, many months of physical therapy, I was referred to Justin Jeffery for further therapy to heal my broken body. Justin is a biokineticist specialising in spinal cord and neurological rehabilitation, helping patients realise their full potential and regain as much self-sufficiency as possible. His motto is, ‘The only disability in life is a bad attitude,’ and he started me with running, as that helped with my balance.”

ENDURANCE CHALLENGES
Typical of Bev, he went into his rehab programme with a bigger goal in mind than just walking or running. “I had actually gone to Justin to ask him to help me walk to Cape Town to raise funds to pay for my rehab and medical bills, because I didn’t want to be a charity case now that I could no longer work or drive. But then he suggested something even greater. Through his affiliation to the Achilles South Africa club, they invited me to do the New York Marathon, because the Achilles mission is to enable people with all types of disabilities to participate in mainstream running events. I said I had never been an athlete, and had never run before, but I was up for the challenge!”

“I also said yes because Angela had always wanted to go to New York, but I couldn’t get her there before. Now we had the chance to go, but no money, so we used Facebook and BackaBuddy to raise the funds. It was close, but on the last night, with just a few hours to go, we managed to raise the last bit we needed for tickets, accommodation and spending money for a week. It was a wonderful trip, and completing the marathon was an incredible feeling, but my neurosurgeon says he still doesn’t know how I got through the marathon. He thinks it is purely because of my fighting spirit.”

And Bev isn’t done yet. He has agreed to another challenge from Justin, to ride the 947 Cycle Challenge on a tandem bike with Lauren on 18 November, and his training started the same day as the interview for this article. “My body and lungs are strong enough, but it’s very hard, because I am basically learning to ride a bike all over again. I’ve seen photos of myself on a BMX from my youth, so I know I have ridden before, but I have no memory of that. The important things is that Justin and Lauren believe in me, and I trust them to get me there.”

There’s also another running challenge on the horizon for Bev. “A while ago Justin offered that I do the Comrades Marathon next year, but I declined, as I am not sure I can achieve this milestone. In June I changed my mind. Well, actually, Justin finally convinced me that I can indeed complete it, so the weight is now on his shoulders to get me ready. I know I can do a marathon, but I have to now complete a full marathon in less than five hours to qualify, which means I have to cut my New York time by two hours, but I know I can do it… so here we go, the road to Comrades begins!”

POSITIVE OUTLOOK
Bevan is the first to admit that this has not been an easy journey, for himself or those around him. “Many times it was very difficult not to scream out in the middle of the night from pain or depression, but I am stronger now and keep all the pain to myself. I did not expect this to happen to me, but I refuse to allow this injury to get me down. I get up each morning to live another day with passion. I take life hour by hour and appreciate each morning the sun rises, trying to enjoy life and the people around me.”

He says he is also driven to raise awareness of TBI and show others that even with this injury, you can still conquer and achieve, even with all the challenges and hurdles he experiences each day. “I want to help others who have fallen to TBI and are struggling to get up. I want to give this invisible injury a voice, to show everyone that TBI survivors are strong, and our fight is a difficult one, but we will make it.

For that reason, you will often see Bev wearing his favourite T-shirt, with three words on the front. The top line says ‘Impossible,’ the second says ‘I’m possible.’ “I got that shirt at a sports day for the disabled. That day humbled me, because I realised that there were people who had fallen even harder than me, and I want to help them if I can. I want to motivate others and show them that if I can get back up, they can, too. If I can help one person to get up and be strong, then I have made a difference. What I can do now is limited, but I am a voice that can be heard, and can help others to live a different life, a new life, but all the same still a great life.”

SHOW YOUR SUPPORT
If you are inspired by Bevan’s story, you can support him and other TBI survivors by making a donation to the Trojans Neurological Trust, or TNT. This non-profit fund was started by Justin Jeffery in 2007 to provide funding for rehab treatment for TBI patients who show the commitment and desire to rise above their neurological or spinal condition. To make a donation or find more info, go to http://tntsa.co.za, or mail [email protected].

IMAGES: Courtesy Angela Oschger

So far 2018 has been an incredible year for Salome Cooper, from winning the Om Die Dam 50km in March, to her best ever run at Comrades, and then leading the SA women’s team to a silver medal at the World 100km Championships in Croatia, while also bringing home an individual top ten position. – BY MANFRED SEIDLER

In spite of being tired from a long flight back to SA, coming just a day after running the World 100km Championships in Sveti Martin, you could not keep the smile off the face of Salome Cooper when she arrived back in SA on Monday 10 September. The day before she had finished seventh in the women’s field and led team mates Deanne Horn, Fikile Mbethuma and Lisa Collet to a team silver, to go with Bongmusa Mthembu taking third overall in the men’s race, while also leading the men’s team to a silver medal. “I really did not expect such a good 2018, but it has been incredible,” enthused Salome after touching down at OR Tambo International Airport, but that hardly does her great year justice.

It was clear Salome’s running was going well when she unexpectedly won the Om Die Dam Ultra Marathon at Hartbeespoort in March, beating a solid field in the process. “That came as a complete surprise for me. There were some strong women racing, but I felt I had more in the tank if I needed it.” She covered the 50km in 3:39:48, finishing some 11 minutes ahead of second-placed Cobie Smith. Her next big race, another 50km at the Loskop Ultra in April, saw her place fourth overall. “Loskop was really just a hard training run for me, so finishing fourth behind Charne (Bosman), Ann (Ashworth) and Jennifer (Koech) was really a good place to be.”

These were already impressive performances by the single mother of a 14-year-old son from Boksburg, given that she works full-time as a sales rep. That means her day starts with a run in the early morning, then a full day on the road before doing her main training in the evening, sometimes only finishing around 8:30pm, but more success was to follow at the Comrades Marathon in June. Salome came home in 6:53:18, finishing 11th, a mere minute behind Yolande Maclean, and thus just missing the last gold medal, but she was still happy with her performance. “Sure, the gold would have been nice, but it was my best time ever, and over 90km, not 89km, so I really am very happy with that run.”

Unexpected Call-up
After that, Salome was ready to put her feet up for a bit, but then came the request to be part of the South African team for the World Champs. “That came out of the blue. It is a huge privilege to run for your country and I was at the World 100km Championships in 2011, where the team won bronze and Lindsay van Aswegen ran an individual bronze. But that was seven years ago. The world of ultra-running has changed and whatever experience I had picked up then wasn’t really going to be of much help to me. And there was not much time to get ready. But how could I say no? It is such an honour.”

Neither Salome nor any of the other women who went to Croatia were expecting to be racing at a World Championship event a mere two months after the Comrades Marathon, so all their preparation was geared towards the 90km Down Run on 10 June. “All indications were that I was in good shape and that I would have a good Comrades, but at no stage did the World 100km Championships ever enter into the equation. Being selected was a big surprise for me, and then I found the all-important preparation was tough. All the other ladies I usually train with were in rest phase, so I had to do those dreadful long runs on my own. Imagine running the equivalent of a Two Oceans Marathon on your own at under 5min/km. That was incredibly hard.”

When the team left SA on Tuesday 4 September, Salome found herself sitting at the top table during the press conference that saw the team off, and as Team Captain she was expected to say a few words. Despite the evident emotion and maybe a hint of stage fright, there was no mistaking her confidence in both the team and in herself. “We have a strong team. Everyone has prepared really well, Athletics South Africa has been very supportive, so we should be able to give a good performance.” Asked about her own expectations, she said she was hoping for a 7:30 finish.

Counting the Laps
In Croatia, the four South African women ran together as a team for the first 60km and were lying 16th, 17th, 18th and 19th,but then Salome surged as she began to reel in several women who had gone out too hard. She gradually moved up the field to 12th, then 10th and finally into seventh, crossing the line in 7:51:13.“We decided to run as a team and it paid off, but Deanne unfortunately became ill during the run, so who knows how well we could have done had that not happened. We knew a few of the ladies from Comrades, so when I started to catch them it really gave me a huge boost. But it was hard. The route was laps of 7.5km and we went past our hotel every time. Do you know how hard it was not to just go to my room, especially because it is a hotel with a hot spring!” she says with a chuckle.

“I did not expect to finish so well, which makes this a big achievement for me. In hindsight, I think I spent maybe a little too long at the two water stations, but the route was also not flat as we originally thought, so I think that is where I lost time. What was really good was that as we were doing laps, the men’s team would go past us and that lifted our spirits. It also gave us a chance to cheer them on and when Bongs was struggling, I could lift him with some encouragement.” (Bongmusa said that Salome’s words of encouragement made a big difference, as he was really struggling with stomach cramps in the last 10km.)

No Regrets
Ironically, after such a successful year, Salome says she has one small lingering regret. She only started running seriously later in life, and like so many others went straight for the Comrades, a race she has now run 17 times, with three gold medals to her credit, but she openly admits that if she had focused more on the shorter events prior to going into Comrades, she may well have done better. “Yes, I think I could have gone faster, but I can’t change it now. My running is going really well, so I am not going to beat myself up over it. At the beginning of 2018, I could not have imagined such an incredible running year, but doing well at Comrades and then the World 100km – which was really a bonus – has made all the toil and early mornings and stress so worth it. There is nothing I would change if I had to do it all over again.”

IMAGES: Lindsey Parry & courtesy CMA, IRunFar.com, Salome Cooper

You reach the water station in your race, thirsty and looking for a mouthful of cold water to refresh yourself, and that sachet feels so cool in your hand. Bringing it up to your mouth, you carefully hold the sachet firmly while trying not to squeeze too tight, and then you bite the corner off. Quickly spitting the little plastic corner out, you take a long, cold drink, and feeling refreshed, you toss the now empty sachet in the Garbie dustbin and on you race. You’ve done your bit to #runclean…

STOP!

Ever wondered what happens to all those little plastic corners of sachets that thousands of runners spit out on to the road during races all over South Africa? Well, for one thing, they seldom get picked up by the clean-up crew once all the runners have passed by, because they’re just too small. Most of the time the clean-up crew doesn’t even see them.

BUT ANIMALS SEE THEM…

Most of those little corners get blown in to the bushes or grass beside the road, where birds and mammals all too often swallow them after mistaking them for something small to eat. In coastal areas particularly, these corners very quickly end up in stormwater drains or rivers and thus flow out to sea with the next rainstorm, where they too are mistaken for food. To a turtle, that small bit of plastic actually looks like a tasty little jellyfish treat. But instead of nourishment, all the turtle gets is a stomach full of plastic that it can’t process or expel, which clogs its system, and eventually the animal dies a very slow, painful death. Fish are also ingesting this plastic. The same fish we have on our post-race celebration sushi platter! So it is impacting on our health, too.

So next time you race, don’t just throw your empty sachet in the dustbin, make sure that even the smallest plastic bits don’t end up in the environment. Because taking an extra second or two to dispose of your waste responsibly could save a turtle, an ostrich, a dolphin or an albatross from a painful death someday. Sounds dramatic, we know, but sadly, it is happening – with so much of the single-use plastic we use and discard every day, not just our sachets.

Modern Athlete’s #runclean Campaign is part of a growing effort to stop runners littering during races, as this contributes to still more plastic waste ending up in our ecosystem. Think before you throw – #runclean!

IMAGES: Karoline Hanks & courtesy Two Oceans Marathon

Out of the Box – By Norrie Williamson

Proprioception is the awareness of joint and limb positions, and hence impacts on your ability to balance and your agility, and of course, your running speed and efficiency.

In running, the shorter the time your foot is on the ground, the higher the number of steps (cadence) you can take in a minute, and the more power/drive you can use to move your body forwards (by driving backwards with your legs). Poor proprioception means a longer time of foot-strike and more lateral forces to ensure balance, which is energy used (lost) in the incorrect direction. Shorter landings and low impact not only tend to bring higher running speed, but also reduced injury. Most experienced runners will have a contact time below 300 milliseconds, but many elites get under 200ms, with low-impact load transfer.

It is clear that a good level of proprioception minimises wasted energy in trying to balance and stabilise the landing foot, and hence allows more strides in a forward direction per minute. Also, improved contact balance obviously reduces the risk of falling. So, the logical question is, how can you improve your proprioception? Well, there are two conditions to consider: Static and dynamic.

Static, in my opinion, is the starting point. If you can’t balance, or have poor proprioception, in the static format, it’s unlikely you will be able to capture your best in the dynamic. To put that another way, if you can improve your static, you have a good chance of improving your dynamic. Therefore, doing a simple static exercise such as the ‘superman,’ where you go down on all fours, with your back straight, then raise one arm and the opposite leg off the ground, is a good starting point. Keep your back straight, the core tight, and leg and arm straight. Hold this for five seconds at first, then do the opposing side, and with practice build up to 20 seconds per side, and then try doing it with your eyes closed.

Even standing on one leg with the other knee-raised to 90 degree (static march) is a good test, and once mastered, becomes more challenging with your eyes closed. Again, commence with five seconds and build to 20 seconds in each case.

NEXT LEVEL
The one leg stand is usually easily and quickly mastered by most people, but you can take it to another level by using a foam balance pad. Normally these pads come in a size wide enough to cater for two feet, but Stellenbosch-based company B4play also offers a smaller single-foot version that is ideal for the traveller. (You’ll find them at www.b-4play.co.za.)

Everyone thinks it’s easy to stand on both feet on a balance pad, but try standing on one and throwing and catching a ball or small weight to and from a partner, and you immediately get the initial feel of imbalance, and the need for your ankles to gain stability. This comes from the neural system and small muscles and soft tissue. However, soon you will graduate to doing this on one leg, and then to wider and more erratic catch and throw movements. Further progression can include single leg squat movements to pick items from the ground. Doing all of these exercises without and then with the balance pad is a great measure of your progress and achievement.

Using two well-spaced pads is another way of improving your balance, and it can be made more running-like by downloading the ‘metrotimer’ from your app store. Starting with solid floor, run on the spot at around 80 beats per minute on the timer, landing on your forefoot, then progressing to 90 beats per minute, which will increase your cadence. Now try landing on the balance pads and build to the same cadence. This will decrease your ground contact time, increase your speed, and improve your proprioception for the running.

Now take it outside onto a 20 to 30-metre run, focusing on running tall, with lowest chest rib high, knees punching forward, leaning slightly forward and driving backward with the foot, and fast short strides, and soon you will have quick, light foot contact and be both more balanced and running faster.

About the Author
Norrie has represented Scotland, Great Britain and South Africa in ultra-distance running and triathlon, and he is an IAAF-accredited coach and course measurer. You can read more from him at www.coachnorrie.co.za.

IMAGE: Fotolia

Now that winter has come to an end and summer is approaching, it’s not just our clothing layers we need to shed as the days get warmer, we also need to shed our excess winter weight. – BY ESMÉ MARÉ, REGISTERED DIETICIAN

We gain or lose weight when energy intake and expenditure are out of balance. For example, when we consume a small amount of food and expend a high amount of energy, such as with running, we will promote weight-loss. When we consume a large amount of food and expend a small amount of energy, such as when we stay warm indoors, then we will promote weight-gain. Here are some tips on how to lose the weight you gained during winter, and how to keep it off whilst benefiting your running.

1. Set realistic goals: Slower changes are much more effective in maintaining weight-loss over a longer period of time. This will also preserve your lean muscle mass needed for running. Remember, it takes time to adopt new eating habits. Aim for a weight loss of 0.5 to 1kg per week.
2. Never go shopping hungry: It’s easier to stick to a plan when you only have healthy food and drinks in your house.
3. Don’t starve yourself: Eat small, frequent meals every two to three hours to avoid feelings of food deprivation and to keep your metabolism going, and this will also ensure sustained energy levels. Starving yourself will slow down your metabolism and you will find it difficult to run on low energy levels.
4. Have breakfast: Within an hour of waking up, eat a healthy breakfast to jumpstart your metabolism and promote weight-loss.
5. Plan your meals: Eat your meals and snacks at set times, and don’t eat while studying, working, driving or watching television. Don’t eat out of packets or take food straight from the fridge, rather dish up food onto a plate and eat with utensils. This will help you to keep track of how much you are eating and when you are feeling full.
6. Use smaller dishes: Eat your meals out of smaller dishes so they appear larger and you will eat less. Similarly, use a slender glass for all drinks except water.
7. Chew your food slowly: Aim to take at least 20 minutes to complete a full meal and stop immediately when you start feeling full.
8. Go for colour: To ensure that a variety of nutrients needed for a healthy body are consumed, half of your plate should be colourful vegetables or salad.
9. Choose quality carbohydrates: Brown basmati rice, sweet potato, baby potatoes, quinoa, whole-wheat pasta, etc, should fill a quarter of your plate.
10. Choose quality protein: Lean pork, beef, ostrich, chicken, legumes or fish should fill another quarter of your plate.
11. Prepare meals: Avoid purchasing high-fat, high-sugar foods by preparing healthy meals and snacks in advance.
12. Cook with as little fat as possible: Remove excess skin and fat off meat and chicken before cooking.
13. Drink six to eight glasses of water daily: If you struggle, try drinking a glass of water before each meal and snack.
14. Reward yourself: When you do well with your nutritional programme, get a massage or buy yourself new clothes.

IMAGE: Fotolia

When it comes to setting goals, most runners aim for a specific race, time or medal, but Karoline Hanks has a different goal, to convince runners to think about their use of single-use plastic sachets in road races. Karoline and her team have been trying to rather develop a sachet-free hydration system, so that more single-use plastic doesn’t end up in the wetlands, rivers and oceans. – BY SEAN FALCONER

It all started in April 2013 when Karoline went for a run on Chapman’s Peak a few days after the Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon. “It was a very windy race that year and when I looked down on the verges next to the road, I just saw a whole lot of plastic sachets, so I went down and started cleaning up, but soon realised I had a bigger job on my hands. I went home, got some bags and filled up three and a half bags of sachets, plastic bottles and polystyrene peaks. It was all still there three days after the clean-up crew had been through, and that made me really angry.”

“When I got home I did a bit of research and realised it was just part of a much bigger problem, because road races happen all over the place, and this pollution happens every weekend! So I wrote an article that night, still filled with all that rage, and it was published verbatim in the Cape Times. The very day the article was published, I received a call from the then Two Oceans race director, who asked if they could talk to me, and I went into that meeting with a couple of the bags of rubbish I had collected. Halfway through the discussion, I put the bags on the table and told them that it was unacceptable.”

CAUSE FOR CONCERN
Having grown up with parents who worked in conservation, Karoline has always been passionate about the environment, both in her work in the media and now through her business, SUPA (Single Use Plastic Alternatives), producing home-made environmentally-friendly products. That’s why she has worked tirelessly since 2013 to try get the running community to change its littering ways, but she concedes that her efforts initially focused unfairly just on the Two Oceans, notably receiving wide coverage when she shared pics on social media of the race waste she cleared from the route after the clean-up crews were supposed to have cleared it away.

“I know I have taken a few digs at Two Oceans over the years, and I realise down the line it was perhaps a bit disingenuous of me, that it would have been better to get into positive dialogue with them, but thankfully the relationship has improved a lot since 2017, leading to regular meetings and real efforts to clean up the race. Those meetings in turn led to an amazing workshop at the Sport Science Institute, with Western Province Athletics, Two Oceans, running clubs, journo’s and sports scientists involved. There’s also been a huge increase in awareness, thanks to campaigns such as Modern Athlete’s #runclean, and turning sachets into desks through the #GoGreen campaign.”

CARRYING SOLUTION
Karoline believes the best option is to get rid of sachets completely. The #icarrymyown campaign calls on runners to carry their own water in hydration packs or hand-held bottles. “I started carrying my own water in 2014, with a pic of a turtle swallowing a plastic bag pinned to my hydration pack. Unbelievably, one runner actually said to me, ‘What a pretty picture!’ It’s a slow process to convince runners to change, but I think it has received a positive response, and I want to highlight the efforts of my co-campaigner Kim Walker, who also came up with the campaign byline and logo.”

One of the big success stories of the campaign has been the introduction of refill stations in several races in the Cape, where runners carrying their own hydration containers can refill mid-race. “These amazing hydration stations were built by Richard Sutton, and they’re basically a framework of tanks, pipes and taps that he rolled out at his own races, the Milkwood and Chappies Challenge half marathons. He’s the first race organiser to say no sachets in his races, and it’s been phenomenally successful,” says Karoline.

So far this year the refill stations have been used at the Red Hill and Peninsula Marathons, the Safari Half Marathon and Two Oceans itself, with runners told via social media where they can stop for a quick, easy refill thanks to the imported high-pressure taps Richard has used. “I ran some of those races, and if anything, I actually saved time by stopping to refill while avoiding the jams at all the sachet stations. It also felt good to say no thanks to all that plastic!” says Karoline. “Now more race organisers are approaching us to ask for the refill stations at their races, and that’s great news, because it’s important that we reduce the demand for single-use plastic in the road running space. It’s a simple hydration issue for runners, but the impact is that this stuff ends up leaking into our natural ecosystem, is ingested by wildlife and is ultimately entering the food chain – which has massive health implications for all of us.”

IMAGES: Courtesy Karoline Hanks

With camera in hand, Hassiem Fisher loves exploring the trails around Cape Town and revelling in the joy that running gives him, but it wasn’t so long ago that he was not able to run at all. – BY PJ MOSES

Hassiem loved his running when he was growing up. As in, really loved it. “I would easily run from our house in the Athlone area to Cape Town just for the fun of it,” he says, followed by one of his trademark beaming smiles. But then the twinkle in his eye disappears momentarily as he recounts how severe asthma brought his running to an end just two years after he finished school. “My running days seemed to be over and it depressed me,” he admits.

As the years went by, the former high school track star had to be content with rather playing golf when he wasn’t throwing himself into his work. “I became a bit of a workaholic, but that love of running was always there. My kids laughed at me in later years when I would hoot at runners in the road and cheer them on. I just missed being one of those people.” Then the twinkle returns to his eye as he tells how years later, he replaced his regular asthma medicine and suddenly found that he was able to run again. “I was so happy to be running again that I used to take turns on all the treadmills at my gym, because you could only run on each one for twenty minutes at a time!”

In August 2014 he joined the Itheko AC running club, and with guidance from senior members like Farouk Meyer and Nezaam Mohammed, he threw himself back into the world of running with renewed gusto. “By the end of 2015 I was determined to qualify for the Two Oceans and Comrades, which I did at the Winelands Marathon, after failing at the Cape Town Marathon. I was very fortunate that my wife Zubeida was very supportive and would accompany me to races and to training runs. Without her help I would not have been able to chase my running dreams. I also decided to run Oceans and Comrades in memory of my parents, because it was my Dad who told me that I could do these races one day when we watched it on the telly.”

A WHOLE NEW WORLD
With the two legendary ultras in the bag, Hassiem shifted his focus to trail after clubmates Ashraf and Roldah Orrie introduced him to off-road racing. “I grew up looking at that big mountain from the Cape Flats, and it was always a strange and almost scary place, but after giving trail a go at the Spur series, I didn’t hesitate to explore more.” That saw him turn 2017 into the year of ticking off one trail running bucket list item after another, including the three-day AfricanX Trailrun, the 50km Three Peaks Challenge, and the Ultra Trail Cape Town 65km. This year he has already added a second AfricanX medal, and one from the Bastille race in Franschhoek, and in August he ran more than half of the gruelling 80km PufFer while seconding his friend Ashraf Mallick.

He has also become quite adept at capturing all his adventures and sharing the pics on social media. “When I was competing back in high school, there were no photographers to capture my triumphs, and I want to be the one now who does that for me, and for many others who share this joy of running with me. I find that social media is the perfect platform for sharing your running passion. It gives you the opportunity to show people that there is more to life than sitting on a couch, plus I get a chance to highlight the beauty of Cape Town.”

A REASON TO RUN
A deeply spiritual man, Hassiem tries to give back as much as he can to worthy causes and uses his running as a way to raise awareness and much-needed funds for charity initiatives like the Muscular Dystrophy Foundation. Recently he also signed on as a Running4Pads ambassador, to help supply sanitary pads to underprivileged schoolgirls. “As a family man, it is important to get involved in issues that affect society, and not just focus on your own life. Our ability to run and our health is bestowed on us by the grace of the Creator, so using these blessings to do some good is the least I can do.”

He also says that the running community has become a big part of his life and he loves being surrounded by so many people who add value to it. “We all have a reason why we started running, but for many other people it is easier to make an excuse and not even try. My advice is to go and join a club or a training group today, and overcome that fear of change, because running will take you to a happy place, and make you a more balanced person capable of doing amazing things. My belief is that you must live for today, because ‘Yesterday is history and tomorrow is somebody else’s worry.’

IMAGES: Hassiem Fisher

They may still be young, but Nix, Rylee and Tao Challenor are definitely following in the footsteps of their running mom, Jenna Challenor. – BY SEAN FALCONER

When 11-year-old Rylee Challenor hit the track at the Totalsports Women’s Race 5km in Durban in July, the commentator couldn’t refrain from announcing, “Here comes our winner, and she isn’t even as tall as the fencing!” She crossed the line in a scintillating 20:40, watched all the way by her proud mom, Jenna, who won the 10km race here in 2013, and since then has run for SA in the World Half Marathon Champs as well as finished runner-up in the 2017 Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon. Taking it all in her stride, Rylee says she just focused on having fun in only her third ever 5km race.

“Before I ran, my mom told me it’s an adults race, so just go have fun. I had never run a big road race before, so I was very nervous. When I started I was running with my sister Nicky until she saw one of the girls who races me at cross country. She encouraged me to leave her and go race, and as I did she shouted, “Go, Rylee, go,” and I felt so happy to have my big sister there for me. I was in second place behind an under-15 girl until 4km, where I saw my mom and dad, and then went into first place. When I finished I had my first interview while my mom jumped over the fence to hug me.”

When 13-year-old Nicky came in a few minutes later, Rylee was waiting on the line, which her older sister really appreciated: “It made me feel so happy and so proud of Rylee’s achievement. I loved it when she hugged me as I finished the race.” Meanwhile, Jenna says she and husband Brett were surprised to see Rylee win. “We don’t let her run this distance often, so she really shocked us, but it’s back to cross country and track for her now. I believe that at their age less is more.”

TALENTED TRIO
The three Challenor girls have clearly inherited some serious sporting genes from their parents, both of whom are active runners as well as being former lifesaving internationals. Nicky has provincial colours in biathle, medalled at SA Lifesaving Champs, and is excelling at swimming, hockey, water polo and cross country. Rylee has won most of her cross country races over the last three years, also won the Long Run event at SA Lifesaving Champs, and was selected to represent SA in the USA at the Biathle World Champs.

Although just six, Tao is already showing signs of sporting talent, says Jenna. “Earlier this year, when the older girls were getting their gear ready for a Mudman triathlon, she asked to do the Mudskipper race. Brett lined up with her amongst all the other parents, only to be told, ‘I’m good, Dad, you can wait over there.’ I expected her to come tootling in last, so almost fell over when she finished the bike leg in second behind a boy and proceeded to charge past him into first place!”

FULL SPORTING CALENDAR
Nix and Rylee both finished second in their age groups at their recent district cross country champs, thus qualifying for the KZN provincial champs in Newcastle in early September, which Nix is particularly happy about. “I was determined to make the district team this year, so that I could go with Rylee to the KZN champs – and it’s on my 14th birthday, too!” This will also make it easy for Brett and Jenna to support both girls, but that is not always possible, as was the case in July. “It hadn’t happened before, but I suspect it may happen more now,” says Jenna.

“Rylee had a sports day in Durban and Nix had district cross country champs in Pietermaritzburg on the same day, so I asked the girls who they wanted to come to their races. Nix said she didn’t mind, and Rylee suggested we both go watch Nix, as we had watched her race a few days before. I just couldn’t leave her with no-one at her sports day, so we decided Brett would go watch Nix, seeing that he works in Pinetown, and I would watch Rylee. He was given strict instructions to film and photograph her race, which he sent to me straight away, and I did the same for Rylee’s race, so it worked out fine in the end.”

Looking ahead, Nix says she just loves running for fun, but Rylee has already decided that she would like to become a pro athlete. “One of my dreams is to run for South Africa, like my mom. She really inspires me and makes me want to run more.” Meanwhile, Jenna has just started running again after a tibial stress fracture injury and says she can’t wait to get back to full training. “This injury has made me realise how much I love running, and that’s why my heart bursts with pride at my girls, not just because they are doing so well, but more because of how much they love running. I really believe that at their age it’s all about fun.”

IMAGES: Graham TopPhoto & Jenna Challenor