Category: Features

On Sunday 10 June, the 93rd Comrades Marathon will again once see thousands of runners take on the Ultimate Human Race, with all those runners hoping to make it all the way from Piermaritzburg to Durban to claim that coveted little medal. And once again, many will be relying on the Modern Athlete Comrades Marathon Pacesetters to get them home on time. – BY SEAN FALCONER

If you’ve ever seen one of the Modern Athlete Comrades Marathon Pacesetters bring a bus into the finish of the race, you’ll know that singing, dancing, crying, high-fiving, fist-pumping, hugging and kissing are the order of the day. It remains one of the highlights of the race to see these large groups finishing, and many a spectator has been seen to wipe away a little tear of emotion at the sight of all those happy runners.

These are the only official pacing ‘buses’ at Comrades, run with the permission of the Comrades Marathon Association, and the volunteer ‘bus drivers’ carry flags with their target time so that runners can easily spot them, hop on the bus of their choice and rely on the Pacesetter to guide them home on time. The buses have become a huge part of the race, and while some runners complain about the huge groups blocking the road and making overtaking difficult, many more love the vibe created in these buses.

For many years Modern Athlete organised the standard sub-9:00 (Bill Rowan cut-off), sub-11:00 (Bronze cut-off) and sub-12:00 (Vic Clapham cut-off) buses, and in 2016 we added a sub-10:00 bus, which proved just as popular as the more established buses. Then in 2017 we brought Gauteng Pacesetters co-ordinator Buks van Heerden on board and went still bigger, adding sub-8:30, sub-9:30, sub-11:30 and sub-11:45 buses, but this did unfortunately lead to some confusion out on the road, as various pacers were running on different race-day strategies, with different fade differentials, and thus some of the buses were a bit mixed up in the early stages of the race. To solve that problem, the 2018 buses, co-ordinated by Buks and Mindlo Mdhluli of KZN Pacesetters, will run with similar strategies, all sticking as close as possible to pacing charts created by Western Province Pacesetter Rassie Pretorius.

Tried and Trusted Pacers
The 2018 Comrades Pacesetters will be captained by Madoko Ndlovu, driver of the hugely popular Madoko’s Bus for many years and one of the most experienced Pacers in SA, and the list of bus drivers once again features many well-known and highly experienced stalwarts of previous Comrades, such as Johan van Tonder, Linda Hlophe, Jeff Ramokoka and Derrick Rondganger. For the first time ever, we will offer a sub-7:30 silver medal bus, and it is also brilliant to see that the Pacesetters hail from all over the country. Most have been running as Pacesetters regularly this year in build-up races to Comrades, so many runners around the country already know and trust their pacing. These, then, are the men and women who will be carrying the flags in this year’s Comrades:

Sub-7:30 (Silver medal)
Tshililo Ngwana (Gauteng, 11 medals)

Sub-9:00 (Bill Rowan medal)
Johan van Tonder (Gauteng, 16 medals)
Joe Faber (KwaZulu-Natal (21 medals)

Sub-10:00 (Safe Bronze medal)
Linda Hlophe (Gauteng, 14 medals)
James Nkosi (KwaZulu-Natal, 12 medals)
George Mojela (Limpopo, 9 medals)

Sub-10:30 (Safe Bronze medal)
Sibusiso Mlangeni (Gauteng, 2 medals)

Sub-11:00 (Bronze medal)
Madoko Ndlovu (Gauteng, 13 medals)
Jeff Ramokoka (Gauteng, 19 medals)
Arnold Nkosi (Gauteng, 10 medals)

Sub-11:30 (Safe Vic Clapham medal)
Gerald Pavel (KwaZulu-Natal, 6 medals)
Charl Whitaker (Gauteng, 11 medals)
Gary Dixon (UK Guest Pacer, 2 medals)

Sub-11:45 (Vic Clapham medal)
Claus Kempen (Free State, 13 medals)

Sub-12:00 (Vic Clapham medal)
Derrick Rondganger (Western Province, 11 medals)
Lucas Seleka (Limpopo, 11 medals)
Shahieda Thungo (Gauteng, 2 medals)

There will also be a few ‘back-up drivers’ on race day, who will be running with the buses to gain experience of pacing at Comrades, and who will be on hand to take over should one of the official Pacers run into trouble:

Sub-10:00 Siyabonga Khumalo (Gauteng, 3 medals)
Sub-11:00 Mkhokheli Malghas (Eastern Cape, 2 medals)
Sub-11:45 Pieter Schoeman (Gauteng, 6 medals)
Sub-12:00 Andrew Mashiane (Gauteng, 3 medals)
Sub-12:00 Virgulle Steenkamp (Gauteng, 1 medal)

Please note that specific buses or drivers may still change between the time of writing and race day, and Modern Athlete will post updated info on social media where applicable. Also, one of the 'rules' of Pacesetting is that should a Pacer be unable to keep the pace for their target time, they must discard their flag, or hand over the flag to somebody that can keep the bus going. In a race as tough and long as Comrades, even the most experienced runner could exprience a bad day in the office, and thus having more than one Pacer for most target times makes sense, as well as back-up drivers, should something go wrong. Thankfully, over the years most of our Modern Athlete Comrades Pacesetters have done a sterling job of bringing their buses home on time!

Modern Athlete would like to thank our Comrades Pacesetters for their incredible spirit and camaraderie, and being willing to volunteer and take on the responsibility of helping fellow runners. We look forward to welcoming all the buses home on Comrades race day.

The peak training for the Comrades Marathon is now over, and while we enjoy the extra hours of the taper period, it is time to use the ‘calm before the storm’ to develop our battle strategy and set our race day goals. Here’s how to work out what your realistic Comrades finish time goal should be. – BY NORRIE WILLIAMSON

No battle was won without a strategy or a game plan, and distance running is similar… Comrades cannot be conquered with a ‘see how it goes on race day’ approach. No matter how fit and fast you are on race day, those who don’t have a logical pacing plan, or rely solely on others for their pacing, will pay the price and fail to achieve. So here’s how you should go about working out your game plan.

Step 1: Know your Ability
As of the third week in May, the die for your potential finish time has been cast. Based on the combination of best raced 5km, best raced marathon, and total distance from January to June, it is possible to accurately calculate your 2018 Down Run finish time. An easier rule of thumb is to multiply your best 10k time in minutes by 11.55, and you will get a Comrades finish time potential in minutes. From this it shows that:
•  Silver medals go to those who can run 10km in under 38:50,
•  Bill Rowan requires 46:20,
•  10-hour runners must better 51:30,
•  11-hour bronze requires you to be faster than 57 minutes,
•  And to beat the 12-hour cut-off, you must be able to run 10km in 61 minutes. (This latter barrier being set by the CMA’s intermediate cut-off times, not by normal pacing logic.)

Another handy way to work out your potential Comrades time is to use your mile time (four laps of an athletics track), working it up with the Comparison of Performance & Distance table below to a projected marathon and/or Comrades potential time.

1600m Best	Marathon Time	Comrades Time
5:20	2:55	7:03
5:30	3:00	7:15
5:40	3:05	7:27
5:50	3:10	7:39
6:00	3:15	7:51
6:08	3:20	8:04
6:18	3:25	8:16
6:30	3:30	8:28
6:40	3:35	8:40
6:49	3:40	8:52
6:58	3:45	9:04
7:08	3:50	9:16
7:18	3:55	9:28
7:28	4:00	9:40
7:50	4:10	10:05
8:15	4:20	10:29
8:30	4:30	10:53
8:50	4:40	11:17
9:11	4:50	11:41

Step 2: Select a Logical Goal
Once you know your potential, the focus is on achieving it! Some races are meant to be enjoyed, and Comrades is one such event. Yes, the top 50 runners will ‘race’ for the sniff of a gold medal, and around 50 more are borderline for the 7:30 silver cut-off. About 150 may have a potential of 8:50 to 9:10, and so race for the 9-hour Bill, then 300 will be between 4:25 and 4:35 marathoners who will race the Bronze cut-off, while there are probably 1000 whose 4:45 to 4:59 marathon puts them in a race for the finish.

That’s 1550 racers, which is only 10% of the starters; the rest are ‘safe’ – safe silvers, safe Bill Rowans, safe bronzes or safe Vic Claphams. These runners should initially target a time that will allow them more tolerance in the race, and keep them away from ‘red-lining’ the whole way.

For example a runner with a 48-minute 10km best in the last six to nine months has a potential finish of 9 hours 15 minutes. This is well outside Bill Rowan potential, and what does a 9:15 mean compared to say 9:25, 9:35, or even 9:55? In fact, the medal will be the same right up to and past 10:55, so why race it? Some may say for a Personal Best, and that is credible, but the fact is the time will be a PB for the course anyway, as the 2018 race features a new course, new venue and longer distance than the last 40 years of Down Runs!

Of course, we all want to do the best we can, but look at all the distance world records: They are not achieved by running to a schedule from the beginning, they are run and raced over the final quarter, or even final sixth, of the race. That’s where the ‘excellence’ and extra 5% to 10% performance is earned.

Therefore, the advice to the mass of Comrades runners is to select three goals: The first is your realistic potential based on the formula (say 9:15 in the example), then an acceptable goal (perhaps 9:29 in this example), and thirdly, a fallback point if things go wrong (perhaps 9:59 for this runner, but it may even be over 10 hours if this was a novice).

Look closely at the ‘accuracy’ of achieving these goals: The difference between the average pace for this runner’s ‘top desire’ (6:04 per km) and satisfactory secondary goal is only nine seconds per km! And just 19 seconds per km to the ‘fallback’ goal.

Debatably, on one of the longest and most emotional running days of your career, achieving such accuracy of pacing is no easy task. This challenge is exacerbated by the ever-changing terrain: There are no major flat roads where you can check your pace, or get the feel of your average pace, because Comrades is either up or down, and the only flat you experience between the start and finish lines are the final 2.7km in the city centre and along that long wide dual carriageway to the massive icon of Moses Mabhida Stadium. By the time you reach this point, your finishing pace will have long since been set, and average pace will mean nothing, only finishing will!

PS: Don’t miss next week’s article!
Next week’s follow-up article discusses how to pace the Comrades, and will explain why your Comrades race day outcome will have been determined before you leave Maritzburg. It will also show why the English poet Kipling has more in common with Comrades than Gunga Din (The Team trophy for men at Comrades).

About the Author
Norrie has represented Scotland, Great Britain and later his adopted South Africa in ultra-distance running and triathlon. He is an IAAF-accredited coach and course measurer, has authored two books on running, and counts 21 Comrades medals amongst his more than 150 ultra-marathon medals. You can read more from him at www.coachnorrie.co.za.

IMAGE: Courtesy Comrades Marathon Association

After 35 years of running, with much of it done on the trails around Cape Town, Allan Ryninks can not only look back on a glittering running career, but can also share a wealth of running wisdom with fellow runners and administrators, which is why he is playing a leading role in the development of trail running in SA. – BY KIM STEPHENS

Allan is a familiar face on both trail and tar in the Cape, regularly challenging for line honours in the grandmaster category after pinning on his number 60 age category tags last year. Before that he spent the previous 10 years rocking top spot in the master’s category of trail events such as the PUFfeR Ultra, Helderberg and Jonkershhoek Mountain Challenges, Hout Bay Trail Challenge and VWS Trail Run. His credentials also include 31 Old Mutual Two Oceans Ultra medals, with 13 consecutive silvers and a PB of 3:27:41, which placed him 14th overall in 1986, and has completed more than 180 marathons, with a lifetime marathon PB at Cango of 2:30:59.

Even after so many years of running, Allan says his desire to keep running is undiminished. “After turning 60 in July 2017, and still feeling insanely passionate about my running after 35 years, there is no limitation between me and the next runner’s high waiting on trail or road. My passion and pleasure has been derived in both arenas over the years,” he says.

HITTING THE TRAILS
A former founder and Chairman of Hout Bay Harriers, Allan is currently the Chairman of Wild Runner Athletic Club, and until recently was Chair of the Trail Running Association of the Western Province (Trail WP). He continues to serve on the national steering committee of ASA’s Mountain and Trail Running division. He only officially took up trail racing in 2005, but says he had been running trail for many years before that.

“In the early 1980s, we used to run all the well-known trail runs of today as training runs, just not with all the bumph that is used today! Our gear included shorts, shirt, running shoes, and a bank bag – the original collapsible water cup. The Boland 80km Trail and the likes were favourites for Comrades training, and trail running has actually been the backbone of training and success for many runners over many decades.”

“Trail running only really formalised in SA into races during the early 2000s, but since then it has boomed into an international industry and sport. My belief is that trail opens a door to a multitude of fresh young talent, and has helped SA to identify latent talent in so many athletes that road or otherwise would not have noticed, due to all the administrative red tape, and at times bungling.”

LOSING THE PASSION…
Although Allan’s running career has been impressively consistent, there was a dark patch that began at the end of 1993. “I reached a point where my belief in the training and my ambition just took a number of steps sideways. Training was too intense, and the self-imposed pressure to do better got way ahead of me, to the extent that I started Oceans in 1994 and ran to halfway in 1:44:16. By then I had pit-stopped twice, and was feeling sick and overwhelmed that I had to finish this race in a good time. I knew that all I really had to do was to run easy for the remaining 28km, and it would be another Silver medal in the bag, but I came to a sudden decision to just quit and go home. And not just quit for the day, but to walk away from the sport that I loved so much. I was done, and no convincing could change that.”

He says this feeling prevailed all the way into 1996, by which time he was very unfit, but also content. “I played lots of golf, and got down to a handicap of nine. Then in 1997 I was living in Constantia and working from my office at home, directly behind the VOB sports grounds, and day after day I witnessed these folks meeting for their club runs, and just having fun, with no pressure. The thought of running again popped into my head, only this time I knew I can do this, and I knew I want to do this again, but this time I would be smart.”

That saw Allan join VOB and soon he was back in the swing of running. “I just let it happen naturally. I met up with old running mates and competitors from years before, and slowly allowed the desire and the passion to creep back in. The rest is history. What I have learnt from it all is that running is a huge part of my life. I am passionate about it, and I have a very strong will and drive to achieve at it. As long as I keep it a passion and not an obsession, then I will be okay.”

SAGE ADVICE
Having begun running in 1983, Allan has also been coaching since 1986 – he is an ASA Level II Long & Middle-Distance Coach – and of all the advice he has for runners, this remains his personal go-to: “You do not know it all. I certainly don’t. Every day is a learning opportunity. No matter what, there is always something positive to take away from your experience. A bad run or race is part of growing – if you don’t crash and burn, you don’t learn. Consistency is your key to being a better runner, and my pearl of wisdom is that you build a strong endurance foundation, no matter the intended race distance. Think of it as the foundation to your pyramid. A bigger foundation provides a bigger pyramid, and the bigger the base, the higher the peak.”

Adapted and reproduced with permission from an original article written for www.wildrunner.co.za.

Sidebar: On the Right Trail

As a member of ASA’s Mountain and Trail Running Committee, Allan is part of the ongoing efforts to regulate and manage trail running in a way that benefits the runners, organisers and administrators, so we asked him a few questions about the way forward. – BY SEAN FALCONER

MA: Where do you think trail running is headed in SA?
AR: There is a lot of confusion in the athletic arena, particularly from athletes, who just know that the request has been made for some level of functionality within the country, but all they really care about is being able to run freely, not being regulated by the national body.

MA: So is ASA now in charge of trail running?
AR: It’s only by virtue of the IAAF giving the mandate for trail running to be included in national athletics codes that ASA even became involved in trail running, but the status quo has been maintained, with trail still effectively separate. It is thus linked to ASA as an associated body instead of an official commission. Jakes Jacobs is heading up ASA’s Cross Country and Off-road Commission, which trail now falls under, but he and others at ASA have said they want to let trail running sort itself out, without putting too much pressure on the discipline.

Meanwhile, Altus Schreuder is back in charge of the ASA Mountain & Trail Running Committee, with the mandate to promote and organise trail running on a national level, including regular SA Champs and teams being selected for international events. Granted, the last SA Champs at Addo earlier this year were organised at very short notice, but I still think the progress made thus far is positive.

Ideally, I think we need a South African Trail Running Association (SATRA), with each provincial trail body under this umbrella and then also associated with its provincial athletic body. The IAAF has already said it will recognise such a body, as it does with the International Trail Running Association (ITRA), but in SA we’re not there yet. My biggest fear is that people in trail running dragging their heels too long will end up with ASA getting more involved than the trail people want, because to date Western Province is the only province that has been proactive on this front, with its own governing body for trail.

However, Trail WP’s membership is still low, as trail runners and event organisers in general don’t want regulation, but they need to understand that Trail WP is not looking to regulate the sport, rather to function as a mouthpiece and go-between for runners and organisers with the governing bodies, while trying to do what is best for both sides of the fence.

MA: How has all this affected the average trail runner, if at all?
AR: Nothing has changed for most trail runners, and ASA is continuing to leave them to do what they want. No club colours or licence numbers, none of the strict rules of road running… so trail runners can still do their own thing, and the discipline is still growing and going forward. In fact, it’s booming.

MA: What about regulation of event organisation?
AR: Fortunately many players in the sport have been around for a while and most do a good job, but there is a concern that fly-by-night operators can put on events without due diligence, and I dread the day that something big goes wrong at an event. That said, many new organisers are approaching us for advice on putting on events.

MA: And the problem of over-saturation of the market, with events clashing?
AR: Currently there is no control in place, but I do foresee that may be on the menu soon, and it needs to be addressed on a national level. In road running in previous years, we had events that clashed and suffered with reduced numbers as a result, and the same is happening in trail. I’ve spent the last three years trying to get event organisers on a national basis to provide event dates and results, so that we can build a national database for the sport, which will also help with selections of SA teams, but that’s still a long way off.

IMAGES: Dylan Haskin, Hayley Hagen & courtesy Allan Ryninks

Thanks to running, I have overcome osteoporosis, an eating disorder and depression, and while I was never an athlete before, I am now working up to my first full marathon. Has it been easy? Hell no, but I keep moving forward! – BY CHERYL GREEN

When I fell and broke my wrist in 2006, I thought nothing of it… just another broken bone. Two years later I twisted the same wrist and landed up in theatre with another broken bone. Then I had a major shoulder operation, and discovered that I had all kinds of aches and pains, stiffness in the joints, and regular health problems. After many tests and scans over the years, I was finally diagnosed with osteoporosis, also known as brittle bone disease.

At first I did not tell anyone, not even the people closest to me, because I did not want people to make a fuss about it. After all, I was only 35 at that stage! Slowly, however, I fell into depression, and that led to binge eating. Then in 2013, my family was faced by the suicide of a very close family member, which led me to fall even deeper into depression. My life became a living hell, and my relationships, work and financial state were all affected.

Then one day in October 2016, just by fate, as I was looking to get McDonald’s in Green Point to feed my emotional hunger, I found myself in the middle of one of the larger running events in Cape Town, the Gun Run. Surrounded by happy runners, I pondered whether I would ever be able to do just a 5km fun run.

Hitting the Road
That same week I decided to dust off my old training shoes and go for a run around the block. I managed about 800m before my body could no longer take the strain, and ended up on crutches, because of my weight. Reality struck when the doctor told me I would be facing a depression clinic soon, and a wheelchair by the age of 40, so that day I promised myself I would start looking after myself, so that my children can grow up with a healthy mother.

In January 2017, when I weighed in at 107kg, my work decided to start a weight-loss challenge, and with a lot of motivation from my colleagues, I forced myself to join a gym. I had never seen the inside of a gym before! I lost 8kg during that challenge, and for the first time started thinking it would be possible to do a 5km. And so I entered the Spar Women’s 5km in April 2017, which I completed in just over an hour and held my medal with pride, as if I had just won the lottery. I also fell in love with the running community and decided that this is what I want to do.

Around that time I started posting about my journey on Facebook, and in one post I asked, “Is it possible to run the 21km Two Oceans once in my life?” In response, the CEO of Run/Walk For Life contacted me and offered me a year’s membership to assist in this goal. I was over the moon, but also sceptical, as I knew my condition wouldn’t always allow me to run. Nevertheless, in June I attended my first training session with a well-qualified coach, Paul Kelly, at RWFL Table View, and started setting myself new goals.

Going the Distance
By August I was ready to line up for my first 10km race in Pinelands, and I cried my way through the race, as I never thought this would be possible. That was followed by a 15km race, and then my first half marathon in October 2017. Each time I reached a goal, I would set myself another, and recently I completed my first 30km. Now I’m training for my first full marathon in September. I have always had it in the back of my mind to run a marathon before the age of 40, and I will be attempting it three months before my 40th.

My journey is far from over. I want to inspires those around me, and tell them that it is possible to change your life. I am now the proud owner of 60 medals of different races, and to date I have lost 27kg. I’m one of the slower runners on the road, but without the slower ones, there wouldn’t be races. I also recently became an Ambassador for Run Walk for Life and Asics, something that I never thought would happen to me!

Whenever I’m feeling down, I go for a jog to clear my mind and breath in fresh air. Support is also very important, and since I started telling my story, my support system has grown from strength from strength. My depression and eating disorder are now under control, and while I will always have osteoporosis, I have decided to live with it in a healthy way. I now dedicate every step I run to those that suffer with a condition, be it depression or a disease, and I believe that the main thing is to find what you love and run with it!

IMAGES: Courtesy Cheryl Green

Having recently won her first SA senior title, pole vaulter Jodie Sedras is ready to push on to see just how high she can go in this technically challenging field event. – BY ADNAAN MOHAMED

Sitting on the couch in the hotel foyer in Pretoria, the diminutive Jodie Sedras smiles shyly as she answers questions about her latest success in athletics, looking more like a schoolgirl than her actual age of 23. Just a few hours earlier she had been crowned the South African Champion in the women’s pole vault at the South African National Track and Field Championships at the Tuks Stadium in Tshwane. However, it seems reality still hadn’t sunk in for the dynamic little athlete from Strand in the Western Cape.

Standing just 1.5m tall in her socks, Jodie blew away the competition at the Champs, leaping to an outstanding 3.90m to beat Nicole Janse van Rensburg (3.80m) and Tonet Tallie (3.50m), both from the Boland, who claimed bronze and silver respectively. This made Jodie the first Western Province athlete ever to bag a gold medal in the women’s pole vault, and her winning jump also improved her previous best of 3.80m by a huge 10cm.

LATE STARTER
What makes her performance so astonishing is that she only started doing pole vault after she left school four years ago. “I was a gymnast when I was at school, and I had always heard that gymnasts make good pole-vaulters, so, I thought I would just try it out when I started studying at Stellenbosch University,” says Jodie.

“Initially, my intention was just to do it for fun, and it was only when I cleared three metres that I decided to take it seriously. All I knew was that three metres is the first big milestone, and everybody was getting excited about it, so when I cleared the height I thought I was amazing. However, I quickly realised that I am actually not that amazing, so I decided to work harder. The Maties Athletics Manager Mohamed Ally then introduced me to the club’s pole vault coach and I took it from there.”

“Pole vaulting is not an easy discipline. It is extremely challenging, but when you finally get it right, it is very rewarding, because you know you had to work hard for it. To run with a four-meter pole in your hand is hard as it is, let alone jumping. To be successful in pole vaulting is not only about speed, it is more about rhythm. You have to start slower and gradually accelerate, and end as fast as you can,” she explains.

DOMINANT FORM
With her B.Sc degree complete, Jodie is currently studying sports conditioning at the ETA College, in Stellenbosch, and also putting a lot of time into her jumping. “I train twice a day with a gym session in the morning and a vaulting session later in the evening.” This has seen her dominate the discipline in SA for the past two years, having previously won the SA Junior title, but until 2018 she had not managed to win the senior title. The win in Tshwane therefore meant a lot to her, she says.

“Winning gold at the SA Seniors has always been my goal. When I started out four years ago, I knew that I would eventually achieve this, because I consider myself to be someone who works extremely hard. My next goal is to reach 4.10m, and I am confident that I will get there. I also know that I will eventually get to the Olympic qualifier of 4.50m,” That would also see her eclipse the SA Record of 4.42m, set by Elmarie Gerryts in June 2000 in Germany, but Jodie just shrugs and confidently adds, “I think I have accomplished quite a lot in a short period of time, and I am really excited about what I can achieve in the future.”

Sidebar: Pole Vaulting Pointers
•  Pole jumping competitions were known to the ancient Greeks, Cretans and Celts. It has been a full medal event at the Olympic Games since 1896 for men, and 2000 for women.
•  Initially, vaulting poles were made from stiff materials such as bamboo or aluminium. The introduction of flexible vaulting poles in the early 1950s, made from composites such as fibreglass or carbon fibre, allowed vaulters to achieve greater heights.
•  Only three women have cleared five metres: Russia’s Yelena Isinbayeva and the two Americans, Jenn Suhr and Sandi Morris. The World Record is held by the Russian at 5.06m.
•  A number of elite pole vaulters have had backgrounds in gymnastics, including Yelena Isinbayeva.

IMAGES: Roger Sedres/ImageSA

Irafaan Abrahams and Faizel Jacobs come from different backgrounds, but together they founded Lace Up For Change, a running-related NPO established in 2016 to make a difference in the lives of the homeless in Cape Town. – BY SHANAAZ EBRAHIM-GIRE

In 2012, Irafaan was teaching at a high school in Mitchell’s Plain, an area fraught with social ills and poverty, and was driven by a need to help those around him, especially the youth. Having always been involved in sports, he rallied his friends and family in a bid to raise awareness of the educational and financial challenges faced by schools on the Cape Flats, and set out to raise R1 million by participating in running events around the world.

Over the last few years, he has run the New York, Chicago, Boston, London and Amsterdam marathons, and by engaging the community, exceeded his fundraising target by raising well over R2.5 million for local schools. Remarkably, he did so in spite of a medical condition that sometimes makes running hard. “Very few people are aware that I suffer from Angioedema, which flares up when I least expect it. However, when I started running, I felt empowered and knew that I would not let my condition define me. Running was liberating,” says Irafaan.

Meanwhile, Faizel’s running journey was no less inspirational. After beating cancer and being forced to live with a permanent stoma, he was invited to run the Chicago Marathon in 2016. “I was asked to participate as part of a team fundraising for an oncology wing for a children’s hospital in Palestine. At that stage, I had only participated in 10km road runs, so I was very nervous, but also extremely excited. After just three months of training, I found myself pounding the streets of Chicago and successfully completed the marathon,” he says.

MUTUAL CAUSE
The two runners came together in 2016 to establish Lace Up For Change, an amalgamation of their mutual vision of uplifting and empowering the most vulnerable in society. At the time, Irifaan was working with a local NGO, Islamic Relief South Africa, which initiated a ‘boeber and blanket’ distribution during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. Boeber is a sweet, cardamom-flavoured hot milk drink that is a favourite amongst Muslim families during the fast.

Taking the idea further and adding running to the mix, The Boeber Run has become the flagship Lace Up For Change activity. The team goes out monthly to different areas, to complete a 5km run and give back dignity and respect to ‘the forgotten people;’ the countless faces living on the streets. “We have an amazing group of volunteers from the running fraternity who have rallied behind our cause. Through their networks, they manage to secure donations of hot meals, fresh fruit, boeber, sandwiches, sanitary towels and toiletry packs. The team meets at a central point to do our 5km run, before we begin our distribution drive,” says Irifaan.

Faizel adds that the run is also bringing new people to the sport. “Our Boeber Run has become a catalyst for many people to start running. Every week we have new people coming out to walk or run, because they want to be part of the camaraderie, and because they enjoy the excitement and spirit of the drive. Many have now taken up running permanently. We are also overwhelmed by the phenomenal response we have received from the youth. What started for some as an exciting opportunity to run late at night has now become a mission to roll up their sleeves and make a positive change in their community.”

BACK TO SCHOOL
A recent development saw the Lace Up For Change team launch a bursary fund in March to support homeless children and adults and help them complete their schooling and vocational training. “The bursary fund was an idea we had for a long time. We realised that we needed to move beyond just doing a weekly drop of food and clothing, and that we needed a more sustainable, long-term plan to assist the homeless,” says Faizel.

“During one of our Boeber Runs, we came across a young girl, Hajierah, who dropped out of school because she did not have a school uniform, school shoes and the basic necessities like stationery and toiletries. She is a really bright young woman and dreams of becoming a doctor, so that she can help her community. She became the first recipient to receive funding to complete her schooling career. I will never forget her look of utter disbelief when I handed over her uniform and school shoes.”

He adds that all runners in the Western Cape are welcome to join the weekly Boeber Run. “We want to see people put aside their perceived notions of poverty, because there is nothing more fulfilling than being able to serve the less fortunate. We sincerely thank all the volunteers and sponsors who support us. Lace Up For Change is just getting started, and we look forward to rolling out more development programmes and making running more meaningful.”

To find out more about Lace Up For Change, visit www.laceupforchange.org.za or go to Facebook: www.facebook.com/LaceUp4Change and www.facebook.com/BoeberRun.

Images: Courtesy Faizel Jacobs

When it comes to breaking off a piece of chocolate, you might have that feeling of guilt that it will put a dampener on your training and runner’s lifestyle, but don’t fret, because it actually relieves the stress put on your body after the hard miles. Just remember, it’s all about moderation… – BY ESMÉ MARÉ, REGISTERED DIETICIAN

Running helps to build strong bones, strengthen muscles, improve cardiovascular fitness, burn energy and help maintain a healthy weight, but it can also place stress on your body. Some runners therefore turn to certain foods to help reduce the stress placed on their body and to help improve performance and recovery, and thus both dark chocolate and chocolate milk have become very popular amongst runners.

Come to the Dark Side
Chocolate contains potent antioxidants called flavanols, which may reduce exercise-induced oxidative stress. Studies have shown that consuming moderate amounts of chocolate can boost heart health, while lowering blood pressure and cholesterol. Other research suggests that these flavanols can ease inflammation and lower the risk of potential blood clots. However, not just any chocolate will do!

The darker the chocolate, the higher the antioxidant content and more heart-healthy benefits. Dark chocolate has a lower glycaemic index, which means that eating dark chocolate won’t make your blood sugar levels peak. Choose a dark chocolate 70% or higher, which will help keep your blood sugar levels stable. Just remember to take note of the calories, as chocolate is high in fat, contains sugar, and it’s very easy to over-indulge.

Drink Up!
Chocolate milk may help give you more power and help you run longer if you drink it before your workout. It can also improve recovery if you take it after your workout. The chocolate milk helps replace fluids and electrolytes lost during exercise and contains calcium and vitamin D, which will help in strengthening bones. Chocolate milk also contains the perfect ratio of carbohydrates to protein to improve recovery after exercise. The carbohydrates will replenish the depleted glycogen stores and the protein will help rebuild muscle.

It is worth mentioning that the benefits from chocolate milk are from the milk and not from the chocolate. The chocolate only adds to the flavour of the milk and the amount of cocoa in the flavouring does not contain sufficient amounts of antioxidants to be of benefit to the athlete. Therefore, any flavour of milk can be used.

Moderation Reminder
Even though chocolate can help your running performance, you still need to consume it in moderation as part of a healthy balanced diet, because chocolate and chocolate milk are high in sugar, fat and energy, and excess consumption can still lead to weight-gain. To put this in perspective consider that four Lindt 70% dark chocolate squares equal one slice of bread and two heaped tablespoons of peanut butter, or 250 calories. To burn that many calories, you would need to do one of the following sets of exercise:
• 69 minutes of walking
• 29 minutes of jogging
• 21 minutes of swimming
• 38 minutes of cycling

Image: Fotolia

As Gerda Steyn pulled up next to Polish race leader Dominika Stelmach-Stawczyk around the 45km mark of the 2018 Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon, she did something that had many a pundit thinking back to the days of Bruce Fordyce in his prime. She turned to her opponent and congratulated her on a good run, then went past her and never looked back. Not once! – BY SEAN FALCONER

The famous story of the Fordyce Handshake has become part of South African racing folklore. In the 1980s, the nine-time winner of the Comrades Marathon would pull up alongside the leader of the race, give him a solid clap on the back, congratulate him on a great run and tell him he looked great, crunch his hand in a strong handshake, and then rapidly pull away. The idea was to psychologically tell the now former leader, you may be strong, but I’m stronger, and I’m going to win. And that’s what it looked like Gerda had done to the Pole, but she just laughs when asked if that was her plan. “I actually didn’t shake her hand, because I was worried that she could still catch me again in the last 10km!” explains Gerda.

“Coming down Chappies, I heard she was 800m ahead, and as we got into Hout Bay and hit the marathon mark, I could see her just ahead of me. I kept gaining on her up the Constantia Nek climb and caught her just before the top, and that’s when I said a few words to her, and congratulated her on a great run. She asked me where the other women were, which I couldn’t make out at first, but she repeated, ‘How far behind?’ I told her to relax, she still had a big gap, but that’s when I knew I could win it. Still, I thought she would be chasing me, because she still looked good, so I never turned around again and just ran for my life. I decided I’m going to give it my all, and if she still catches me, she deserves the win. The last five kays were especially hard, and I was not feeling the love in my legs, but that’s how I planned it. The Two Oceans is back-loaded in terms of the hills, so I knew it would be hard and I felt destroyed by the end.”

However, that couldn’t stop a massive smile appearing as Gerda came hurtling down the home straight at UCT, waving to the crowd and punching the air in delight as she broke the tape in 3:39:31. “I was so tired at the end, but that crowd gave me new energy and it felt like I was doing a 100m sprint. Finishing fourth at Comrades last year was incredible, but this is by far the highlight of my running career so far. Actually, of my life!” Remarkably, her winning time not only beat her own previous best for the race by more than 36 minutes, it was also the third-fastest ever by a South African woman at Two Oceans – only Frith van der Merwe’s race record 3:30:36 from 1989 (on the old, faster course) and Azwindini (Gladys) Lukhwareni’s 3:38:56 in 2004 were faster.

RAPID PROGRESS
It’s been a positively meteoric rise to ultra-stardom for 28-year-old Gerda. Born and raised in the Free State, she had always loved sport at school, trying everything, but had never been a runner. Then at university she took up recreational running with a friend for general fitness, and even did a few half marathons, but nothing serious. Having qualified as a quantity surveyor, she moved to Dubai for work in 2014, and it was there that she began to take running a bit more seriously.

“After two months in Dubai I decided to join a running club to make friends and stay healthy. The first time I joined the Desert Road Runners, I met a large group of South African Expats who regularly come back to SA to run the Comrades. They invited me to join them and I said maybe one day, because I had watched the race on TV with my mom when I was young, but just seven months later I was on a plane to SA to attempt my first Comrades. Around the same time I met my fiancé, Duncan Ross, who works for Emirates Airline and is also a Comrades runner.

It was at that 2015 Comrades that her life began to change, when she met Nedbank Running Club manager Nick Bester two days before the race at a pre-race function. “We chatted when I asked him for his autograph and he told me to go enjoy the Comrades, but afterwards I should train specifically for a marathon, and if I can run sub-3:00, he will train me and help me, and even consider adding me to the Nedbank Development Team.” Having run an impressive 8:19:08 to finish 56th in that first Comrades, Gerda then headed to France a few months later for the Nice Marathon and posted a 2:59:54.

“That was the moment that my running career really began. I mailed Nick that same week, then came to see him in December and he signed me on. Initially he coached me online, sending me programmes via mail, but I was back in SA so often that I could train with the local runners – Duncan works for Emirates Airlines, so it was easy to get flights home – and I was already thinking that if it went well I would quit my job to pursue running.

A NEW CAREER
The focused approach to training saw Gerda post eye-catching times in 2016. She finished 13th in the Dublin Marathon with a 2:51:31, was 14th at Two Oceans in 4:15:44, and then took 14th position at Comrades in 7:08:23. In 2017 she won the mass race at the Great North Run Half Marathon in the UK in 1:17:47 and shot up to fourth at Comrades in 6:45:45, and that led her to decide to go all-in with her running. “I had never known I had a talent for running, because I was never exposed to endurance training, but with the success I was enjoying, I decided to resign my job and see where running could take me. I felt I had nothing to lose, because I can always go back to my job.”

That saw her blitz a 2:37:22 PB to finish 12th at the Valencia Marathon in Spain late last year, and this year, prior to her Oceans win, she won the Standard Chartered Dubai 10km in a huge PB of 34:35, and with Oceans now behind her, the focus has shifted back to Comrades. “It’s a huge dream of mine to win Comrades, but I can’t say for sure now if I can do it this year. If not this year, then next year, or the year after that… I will keep on trying, but will have to see how I recover from Two Oceans first, because it’s a dangerous trap to fall into pushing too hard, too quickly. Luckily we have 10 weeks between the two big races this year, so there is enough time for recovery and no need to rush back into training.

Another factor counting in Gerda’s favour is her balanced approach to training. She doesn’t believe in just doing high mileage, preferring to run a steady, manageable amount of kays and supplementing that with cross-training in the form of cycling, swimming, walking and hiking. “I still run six days a week, but the cross-training helps me to save my legs. It works for me, so I’m sticking to that plan for Comrades. I also incorporate a lot of trail running in my programme, especially when I’m recovering, because the impact is less, and I use steep trails for strength work. I think that should be an important part of any runner’s routine, even if you’re training for a flat marathon.”

MAKING PLANS
Looking ahead, Gerda says she is planning a big announcement soon about her plans for later this year – it sounds like a ‘Big City Marathon’ is on the cards, and she says she is equally excited about pursuing the marathon as she is about ultras, thanks to that 2:37 in Spain. “I went into ultras immediately when I discovered I could run, and while I do believe that ultras can kill your speed for marathons, I also believe it comes down to your training, and how you manage your body. Some women could maintain speed for the shorter distances even though they ran ultras, like Frith, and given my training methodology, I think I can too, so I am certainly looking forward to my next marathon.”

Gerda and Duncan are currently living in SA for a while, but will be moving to France in June, after the Comrades. They have been renovating a house in Sainte Foy, in the French Alps region, so she will have plenty of mountain trails to run, hike and mountain bike on. “I enjoy the mountains and I spend as much time outdoors as I can. I don’t like sitting around. In Dubai, there are mountains about one and a half hours’ drive from the city, where it looks like a Mars landscape. We did our best to escape the city often for camping weekends away, but in summer it is impossible to go outside, let alone train, so I am actually fortunate now to escape that heat and am looking forward to training in the Alps… But first I am focusing on the Comrades. Really looking forward to the race.”

Images: Jetline Action Photo, Shaun Roy/ImageSA & Roger Sedres/ImageSA

In between studies, looking after stray animals, avoiding rhinos and promoting women’s safety while out running, Naomi Brand is carving a name for herself on the global stage of ultra trail running. – BY SEAN FALCONER

Muddy… That sums up the conditions during the Addo Elephant 76km Ultra in the Eastern Cape earlier this year, which made it that much harder for the athletes trying to place in the top three in order to win selection for the SA team for the World Ultra Trail Champs in Valencia, Spain on 12 May. ASA had decided that the leading women needed a sub-8:00 in order to be considered for selection, but the conditions soon made that unlikely, says 29-year-old Pretoria-based ultra runner Naomi Brand, who finished second woman and third overall.

“The roads were like rivers, and we were knee-deep in mud at times. Under the circumstances, the race director wrote to ASA and convinced them to extend the qualifying time by 35 minutes, so three women qualified, but even with the extended time, the men still had to run under seven hours, hence only one qualified,” she says. “As a result, I had to wait a month to find out if I had been selected, and in the meantime I had been invited to run the Madeira Island Ultra Trail 100km on 28 April, but when I heard I was in the World Champs team, I knew immediately I couldn’t do both. So I downgraded to the marathon in Madeira and will use it as a warm-up for World Champs, then stay in Spain for two weeks to acclimatise.”

“The World Champs will be 85km long, and the whole race is basically uphill, but I am so excited about going, because it will be my first time representing SA. I’ve been so close before, and unlucky at other times, like in 2016 when I qualified for the SA B Team at the SA Champs run with the Hout Bay Trail Challenge in Cape Town, only for ASA to cancel our trip to the Grand Trail des Templiers Ultra in France. I am therefore going to make the most of this opportunity!”

RUNNING PEDIGREE
Naomi has been running since her primary school days and says it is part of her lifestyle, not just a sport she takes part in. She has run at provincial and national level in cross country and road running, won the Maties Best Cross Country AthIete award while at university, and was identified as one of the top 10 upcoming female athletes that took part in the Comrades Marathon in 2015. However, her focus is currently on ultra trail running. “I am ranked the third-best long distance and ultra distance female trail runner in SA at the moment by ITRA, and I work and train hard to achieve my goals. I also love to share my running experiences with the friends I’ve made through races and training around the world,” says Naomi.

Naomi’s selection for World Champs is richly deserved. She had a solid 2017, winning the Addo Elephant 100 Miler in a time that took five hours off the course record, and she also won the Chokka Ultra Trail 70km and Karkloof 100 Miler races. Towards the end of the year she added a third position in the Ultra Trail Cape Town 100km, which she says was particularly satisfying. “I had done about 800km of racing in the build-up to UTCT, so was a bit tired. The medics wanted to pull me off the course a few times, because I was so pale, but I have been anaemic for years, hence often collapsing at the finish of races. After Addo I saw a sport physician who diagnosed haemostatic hypertension, which is common in athletes, and suggested I wear compression socks. I think I now know what the problem is and am better equipped to handle it.”

Of course, this condition has not been helped by ultra training done on top of the long hours that Naomi puts in doing practical work at Onderspoort Animal Hospital in Pretoria for her veterinary studies. She first studied animal science at Stellenbosch University, then did an honours in wildlife science at Kovsies in Bloemfontein, worked as a field guide for a year, and then started at Onderstepoort. She is now in her final year of studies, which will be followed by a compulsory service year. “I applied to be placed at the Animal Rescue Unit in Phillipi, Cape Town next year, which will mean I can be close to my family again. But I actually want to work with wildlife, specifically elephants.

BIG ON ANIMALS
Naomi’s passion for animals stems from her days growing up on the family farm near Velddrif, on the West Coast. She says the family did a count recently and worked out that they had 68 different pets or animals that they cared for through the years, including a caracal kitten and penguin chick, so no surprise that her oldest sister Adri is also a vet, while middle sister Alae (also a very talented runner and triathlete) is a doctor. She even had a little hedgehog until recently, but it had a tumor and unfortunately didn’t make it, so now she just has her cat and dog.

Of course, wild animals are unpredictable, and this saw Naomi endure a frightening encounter with a black rhino a few years back while running in the reserve where she worked. “I was actually very lucky, because they don’t see well and can’t gauge distance, but their sense of smell is very good, and when they can’t figure out what something is, they tend to charge. That rhino was extra aggressive and chased me for 2km, which is far for a rhino to run. I only managed to get away when I turned off the trail and he couldn’t see me any more. Then I just collapsed next to the thorn tree I was about to climb in desperation – somehow, when you need a tree to climb, there are only thorn trees around!

Fortunately, Naomi is able to stay calm when in danger, thanks largely to a terrible experience she had just after finishing her Matric exams. She was walking across one of the school’s sport grounds in Stellenbosch, on her way to gym, when she was accosted by a homeless man who wanted money. “When I said no, he pulled out a knife and pushed me down towards the river, where he strangled me, hit me in the face and broke my nose, and told me he was going to rape me and then kill me. I was really lucky that two boys happened to cycle past and saw my stuff on the river bank, then heard the commotion. The guy got a fright when they asked what he was doing, and I managed to run away, half naked and with my eyes swollen shut.”

“The guy was arrested and put in prison, but only for three years, so I always worried that I could run into him again, or that he would hurt someone else. It took me a long time to get over it, and it still makes it hard to head out alone for a run today, even though I carry pepper spray. On the other hand, it was an important event in my life, and where my drive today comes from. I kept thinking this might be the end, and that changes your perspective on how you live your life. I think it changed me in a good way, and it’s also why I am very outspoken about women’s safety, but I decided it wasn’t going to stop me running!”

Images: Xavier Briel

Dumisile Mthalane transformed her body and her life when she discovered triathlon, and after her recent successful outing at the Discovery Triathlon World Cup Cape Town in February, she reckons everybody should start preparing now to be part of the event next year!

Looking at the harbour sea water as she prepared to dive into the swim leg of the Discovery Triathlon World Cup Cape Town, Dumisile Mthalane admits she was panicking a bit. “Everyone had told us that the water in Cape Town is freezing. I come from Durban, where we swim in water of 20 to 21 degrees, so when I heard the water in Cape Town was only about 14 degrees, I started to panic, because I had never swum in water that cold before, but I actually found it OK,” she says.

“In the end the swim was lovely, especially since the water in the harbour is nice and flat, with no waves. After that the bike leg had amazing views, plus we had a bit of wind to cool us and sometimes push us from behind. Then the 10km run was also great, all run in the Green Point precinct, with lots of spectators and more than enough nutrition on the route. I never once felt dehydrated.”

Unsurprisingly, after enjoying such a great day out, Dumi says she can’t recommend this event highly enough. “It was very well organised, all the way from registration to the finish line, and I really enjoyed it. I loved the great atmosphere, with all the spectators shouting your name, and I also love that the event caters for everybody, whether you’re just starting out with triathlons and want to try a sprint distance, or doing the longer standard distance, for those of us who want to push it up a bit or improve our times. It’s a great event, and I hope to see even more people joining us at the start next year.”

Getting into Triathlon
Dumisile’s adventure began when her weight really started to hold her back in 2014. “I felt heavy, and would huff and puff from climbing just one flight of stairs,” says the 35-year-old project manager. At this point she weighed 82kg, with a body fat percentage of 36.9 and cholesterol of 6.9 mmol/l, and says that her weight had gradually crept up over the years. “It started when I moved to varsity in Joburg. I stayed in residence, where the food was not the healthiest, and because I didn’t exercise at all, I gained a lot of weight.”

Having decided enough was enough, Dumi started running in order to lose weight. “I love to be outdoors and I have the beautiful Durban Promenade on my doorstep, so it made sense, but I didn’t enjoy running, so I moved to cycling,” she says. “However, my diet was still not great, so I wasn’t seeing results. Even when I added trail running to my exercise programme, the weight-loss wasn’t happening. Frustrated, I visited a dietician and went from eating three meals a day to eating five, with adjusted portion sizes. That’s when I started seeing my weight drop at last,” she says.

“Then in June 2015 I volunteered at the inaugural Ironman 70.3 Durban, and was so impressed by the athletes. I thought I would also like to see if my body can go the distance in a triathlon. Because I couldn’t swim well, I started lessons with stroke correction a few months later, and I set a lofty goal for the year of my 35th birthday: To do the Ironman Durban 70.3.” And so in August 2016, she took on her first multisport event, at the 5150 Bela Bela Triathlon in Warmbaths, and she says it was a nerve-wracking experience at first.

“I was so scared I would be cut off during the swim leg, because I had no confidence in the open water, even though I had done a few sessions in the sea. Fear of being in the middle of the water surrounded by lots of people swimming faster and better than me, and not being able to touch the ground or a wall, terrified me. But I made it, and I was incredibly proud to win my first triathlon medal! Then I entered my first Ironman 70.3 event in Durban, taking place in June 2017, and having entered, there was no turning back! I enjoyed the training and became far more confident when swimming in the ocean, and I completed that 70.3 in a time of 7 hours, 58 minutes and 38 seconds.”

Change of Focus
These days Dumi says her focus has shifted completely. “My training is no longer about weight-loss, because I found something I love doing, and activities that make me happy. Training for races and collecting medals are much more exciting goals.” Nevertheless, nutrition remains a major part of Dumi’s regime. “I eat healthily because I need to fuel my body with good, nutritious food to perform well in training and races,” she says.

“I used to eat three meals a day, but often I would get so hungry I would buy junk food to fill me up until I got home for supper. Now I eat five smaller meals, so there’s no need to find unhealthy fillers, and I prepare my meals based on my training demand for the next day. I also cut out juice and fizzy drinks, and I drink a lot of water now. I train too hard to be on a bad diet, as poor food affects my energy levels.”

To those who also dream of accomplishing a sporting goal, Dumi says: “Have a plan and stick to it. Remove ‘I can’t’ and ‘I don’t have time’ from your vocabulary. I also find having a buddy or training with a group makes you disciplined, even on days when you don’t feel like training. You become accountable to your training partner, you motivate each other, and it becomes more fun. Do something that you love and enjoy, and I promise you, you will meet your goals. You will see results.”

Make it Fun
She adds that you need to focus on maintaining a healthy lifestyle every day, but you should still make it enjoyable. “If it’s fun, you are more likely to continue with it, and Discovery Vitality has made this healthy lifestyle more fun. I have Vitality Active Rewards and this pushes me to train in order to meet my weekly targets. My team members and I check up on each other achieving our targets, so it goes back to the idea of accountability – you’re in it for the team.”

“I'm a Discovery Vitality member on Diamond status, so the rewards help a lot in that you get cash back and discounts on many of the items that you need to achieve your goals, such as training gear, fitness devices, healthy food, travel discounts, gym memberships and so on. Added to this, the annual health screening tests make you aware of your health status and if you’re not within healthy ranges for things like cholesterol, blood glucose and blood pressure, you get a wake-up call to change your unhealthy habits.”

Since starting training, Dumi says she is more energetic and more focused. “I now look after my health, as I know the consequences if I don’t. I'm doing things that I never thought I was capable of. I am trail running in breathtaking places that I never knew existed; I have met incredible like-minded individuals and made valuable friendships. I feel so much more confident, and it’s amazing to focus on something, see great results, and as a bonus, have fun doing it!”

Ready for the Next Challenge
Besides the Cape Town event, Dumi has also done her first international event this year, at the Ironman 70.3 Dubai. “It was also an amazing experience, with the race village full of athletes from all over the world. The organisers really went all out. The best part for me was getting through the swim, because the water was very choppy and a lot of swimmers pulled out, but I told myself I am going to keep going. I decided that they can cut me off if I don’t make it in time, but I won’t give up, because if I keep pulling out of races when the going gets rough, I will never know if I am winning or losing.”

In spite of swallowing a fair amount of salt water and feeling a bit sick when she came out of the water, Dumi powered through the bike and run legs to add yet another tri medal to her growing collection, as she continues to smash old boundaries and new goals for herself, which include the Ironman 70.3 Turkey this coming October. She now sports a leaner frame at 69kg, and dramatically lower cholesterol levels, and says her achievements have attracted the support of friends, colleagues and family. “They are thrilled that in the process of pushing my body to new limits, I have found new happiness and joy.”