Category: Features

She was the victim of a brutal attack and shocking loss that would have left most people devastated, but instead it made Caroline Peters more determined to make a positive change in her own life, and in her Cape Town community, through running. – BY PJ MOSES

In 2014 Caroline Peters created a beacon of light when she started the Nantes Athletic Club. Not only did she give the community of Bridgetown in Cape Town an alternative way of becoming active, but she reclaimed a piece of herself by naming the club after an area in her neighbourhood that only had terrible memories for her. “There was never going to be any other name for me to choose other than naming it after the place where I was violated as a teenager and saw my friend brutally murdered,” she says. “Women don’t speak out about these things, and even though it makes me feel vulnerable, I feel that I must share to encourage other women to speak up against this ongoing evil in our society.”

In 1980, a then teenaged Caroline was out for a walk with two friends when they were attacked by a gang from a neighbouring township. The two young girls were gang-raped before all three young people were stabbed, beaten and left for dead. Caroline and the boy survived, but their friend died due to the severity of her injuries. “I wanted to do this in her memory, and in the memory of my father who always worked for this community, and believed that there was beauty and light here.”

Active Recovery
In spite of her shocking experience, Caroline recovered, and throughout her school years was an active sportswoman, earning provincial colours in netball, but as she became older and had three daughters, she gained weight and the stress of her work and personal life made hers an unhealthy life. “Years later, my daughter Zaida was pregnant, and I wanted to be an active grandma, not the fat grandma waiting in the easy chair for kisses from her grandchildren. So I went to Rondebosch Common in the evenings after work and would mostly walk at the beginning, before I started running from pole to pole,” she says.

“It took me four weeks to do my first 5km, starting from scratch. My eldest daughter Cindy says that I panted and sounded like somebody who was dying, but I was determined, and slowly built up my body to not only lose weight, but also become strong enough to run up to 5km without needing a walk break. Then, after much cajoling from my friend Fuad Adams, I decided to join Itheko Athletic Club and from there I fell in love with running and the fantastic vibe that existed between members of the running community.”

That saw Caroline build up her racing mileage, until eventually she was running marathons and ultras. “I have finished the Old Mutual Two Oceans Ultra in 6:54, and just missed the cut-off at the 80km mark during Comrades. I was in tears when that happened, because I went to Comrades with an injury and that was one of my biggest mistakes. Runners are always so desperate to run, and we do the silliest things while ignoring sound advice.”

Passing it on
Having come so far with her own running, and seen the benefits it brought to her life and family, Caroline decided she wanted to share the message with her community. “I was extremely proud of all I had achieved within 18 months of starting to run, so I decided I would pass on what I had learnt to others. This is one of the reasons that I first started a Nantes running group, and then a club. We also started a free weekly parkrun at Nantes Park, with the help of parkrun South Africa. The numbers are steadily increasing there as well, and whole families come together on Saturday mornings to up their heart rate the right way.”

Granted, Caroline has had to overcome a few injuries, as well as fight depression and serious health scares to continue her running journey, but none of that has deterred her, and she keeps on breaking new ground. “As a proud confident woman, I must keep breaking down those patriarchal walls put up to keep women from positions of power, not only in the sports that I love, but also in the broader society.” That attitude has seen Caroline rise to become a Community Liaison Officer in the Mayor’s Office, and she also serves on the Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon Board.

As a result of her energy and commitment, Nantes AC has grown steadily, and according to Caroline answers a need in her community. Attitudes and mentalities are being changed, and the very fabric of township reality is changing with every new member who walks through their clubhouse door. “Now we can run right here in our area with no need to go far away to find someplace safe to run,” says Caroline. “This is what people need to know, and that is what I want my legacy to be: A constant, positive change that sweeps across the Cape Flats, to the sound of feet hitting tar!”

Images: Courtesy Caroline Peters

For the last 27 years, Tom Cottrell has written and published the Nedbank Runners’ Guide to Road and Off-Road Races in South Africa, which has become an invaluable aid to South African runners. No surprise then that Tom’s name has become synonymous with race fixtures. – BY SEAN FALCONER

Tom Cottrell is like that grizzled veteran in your running club, telling you about all the races he’s run over the last 30 years, describing the monster hills, the flat PB courses, and the best races for some traditional small-town hospitality. Only, he tells his stories in a book. And a website and app. Now 64, Tom lives in Johannesburg with wife and fellow runner Kay, and they have two daughters and one grandson. He ran the Comrades four consecutive times from 1986 to 1989, and had brought his time down to 8:04 in his last run – or 7:64, as he laughingly prefers to call it – but then a tragic accident took him off the roads for a number of years.

Early in 1990, he was involved in a car accident in which his brother-in-law was killed, and Tom was left with two broken ankles. One was so badly broken that the doctors said he would never run again. “At the time of the accident, Kay actually asked me if she should carry on running, so I said you can stay here and be miserable with me, or go run with my mates. She was out the door before I finished talking,” he laughs. “Not being able to join her, I kept myself busy writing route descriptions of the races she was planning to run, as a kind of therapy to stay involved. Then somebody said you could make this a book, and when somebody starts a sentence with ‘Why don’t you…,’ then you just have to do it! So when I was retrenched in 1991, I decided why not, and that’s how the Runner’s Guide started.”

New Developments
The first edition appeared in 1992, and Tom says he can see how the times have changed. “Those first books reflect the politics of the day, with old provinces that no longer exist, like Transvaal or Western Transvaal. I’ve also seen many races come and go, including iconic ones like the Korkie, but in its place came Om Die Dam. The big change in recent years has been the massive growth in trail runs, and it’s hard to keep track as they sometimes pop up and then disappear just as quickly.”

Having added the Cyclists’ Guide and Swimmers’ Guide to his fixture publishing repertoire, as well as several biographies, novels and coffee table books, Tom is now focusing on the websites and apps for his fixtures. “I still have a readership base for the printed books, but sales are declining, whereas the number of downloads on the apps have skyrocketed. I did the first app in 2011 after another of those ‘Why don’t you…’ conversations with Nedbank, and I will be the first to admit it was a really pokey experiment. Still, the original Cyclists’ Guide app reached number 12 in the sports app rankings, so we decided to invest in more sophisticated apps, and in year two the running app reached number 1 on the Apple apps store!”

“This past year I finally stopped thinking of the app as an extension of the book. I therefore made it free for download, and did deals with retailers that you can buy shoes through the app. Soon you’ll be able to book accommodation for races, enter races online, and find maps to drive to the start. I think the book will become less and less relevant, as I can add so much more to a runner’s life via digital platforms. I want to make the whole experience of running races easier and more enjoyable.”

Back to Running
In spite of what the doctors said, Tom did run again. “Typical runner, I didn’t listen to them and started my second running career, as I call it, just to prove them wrong. I did the Two Oceans and a few other ultras, and then in 2000 I did another Comrades, because that year they gave us 12 hours, so I decided to chance my arm, but more to say goodbye to the race. I finished with three minutes to spare.”

He hung up his running shoes again after tearing his ankle cartilage doing the Antarctic Marathon, but after a recent operation, this grizzled veteran has felt the running bug biting again. “I recently put a pic on Facebook of my new ankle – it looks like a jungle gym with all that steel and titanium! I’ve done a few 5km walks so far, and still have to be very careful, but I’m planning to launch my third athletic career. I want to get out there and walk a few races, and then hopefully build up to a few 10km races. As they say, why don’t you…”

Images: Courtesy Tom Cottrell

If LJ van Zyl can win a medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in April in Australia, it will be a magic ending to an athletics career that has spanned more than 15 years and delivered many records, medals and memories. – BY SEAN FALCONER

At 32, LJ van Zyl is now one of the elder statesmen of the track. The SA Record Holder in the 400-metre hurdles (47.66 seconds) has represented South Africa at the Olympic and Commonwealth Games three times each, and been to the World Champs six times, but it’s his medal haul that really cements his place as one of the all-time greats. That includes a gold medal and world title at the 2002 World Junior Champs, gold at the 2006 Commonwealth Games, silver and bronze at the 2011 World Champs, and many more.

Now perhaps coming to the final years of his competitive career, LJ says these days he just looks forward to being on the track with the world’s best. “When I was young, everything was about winning. It was like full-out war out on the track, and if you lost, you felt like a failure. But you start to realise that athletics should not just be about winning. Yes, it will always be important, and making money is also essential, but being an athlete is part of a journey. Savouring moments on and off the track is just as important as winning, because no athletics career lasts forever, and the friends I have made while racing all over the world is like collecting firewood for later in life.”

EARLY SUCCESS
Having won the World Junior Champs title in 2002 in Jamaica, LJ made his breakthrough at senior level in 2005, finishing sixth at the World Champs in Finland and taking the bronze medal at the World Athletics Final in Monaco, aged just 20. The following year he won his Commonwealth gold in Australia, in a then PB 48.05, and added a silver medal as part of the 4x400m relay team. “That was the cherry on top, and I still refer to that 4x400m final when I talk at schools, because it proved that no race is won or lost until you have crossed the finish line.”

“If you look at a video of the race, you would think there was no way that we could have won a silver medal, because I was running in fifth place coming into the home straight. There was no way through, so the only option was to go wide, and I can honestly say that in those last 50 metres I ran as I had never done before. Looking back, those two races at the Commonwealth Games set up my international career.”

More success followed in 2006, with a gold at African Champs and silvers at the World Cup and World Athletics Final. In 2007 he won gold at the All Africa Games, then retained his African Champs title in 2008 on the way to finishing fifth at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. In 2010 LJ won his third Commonwealth medal, a silver in India, but 2011 was undoubtedly the pinnacle of his hurdling career. In the space of just 95 days, he managed to break through the magical 48-second barrier four times, clocking the four fastest times of the year in the world, and went on to win the bronze medal at the World Champs in South Korea, where he was also part of the SA 4x400m relay team that won a silver medal.

FIRE IN THE BELLY
In 2012 he married SA long distance star Irvette van Blerk, after both had been part of Team SA for the 2012 London Olympics, and in 2015 their son Louis was born. In recent years, he competed at the 2016 Rio Olympics, but missed out on selection for the 2017 World Champs, even though he was still regularly competing in top level Diamond League meets around the world. Now, with his selection for the team to go to Australia, he feels the younger athletes should not underestimate him, because he still has the hunger for competition.

“To be honest, I love to race. There is something special about dueling with other athletes on the track and fighting it out right to the end. That is what an adrenaline rush is all about. I think I got addicted while I was still a ‘laaitie’ racing the farm workers’ children over feeding troughs. The faster and more experienced I got, the more I started to crave the challenge of a good race, so I’m looking forward to these Commonwealth Games.”

LJ’s Incredible Medal Haul
BRONZE – 2001 World Youth Champs Medley Relay
GOLD – 2002 World Junior Champs 400m H
BRONZE – 2004 World Junior Champs 4x400m Relay
BRONZE – 2005 World Athletics Final 400m H
GOLD – 2006 Commonwealth Games 400m H
SILVER – 2006 Commonwealth Games 4x400m Relay
GOLD – 2006 African Champs 400m H
SILVER – 2006 World Athletics Final 400m H
SILVER – 2006 World Cup 400m H
GOLD – 2007 All-Africa Games 400m H
GOLD – 2008 African Champs 400m H
GOLD – 2008 African Champs 4x400m Relay
GOLD – 2010 African Champs 400m H
SILVER – 2010 Commonwealth Games 400m H
SILVER – 2011 World Champs 4x400m Relay
BRONZE – 2011 World Champs 400m H
BRONZE – 2016 African Champs 4x400m Relay

IMAGES: Roger Sedres/ImageSA

Take note of these common pre-race nutritional mistakes and fix them before they slow you down. – BY ESMÉ MARÉ, REGISTERED DIETICIAN

The week leading up to your big race can be overwhelming and the last thing you want to do is eat too much of the wrong foods, and too little of the right foods, or at the wrong times. Here’s what you need to know.

1 Improper carbo-loading
Many athletes eat large portions of carbohydrates, especially pasta, the night before a race, to top up their glycogen stores. However, this could lead to digestive problems on race day. Rather start a week prior to race day, gradually increasing carbohydrate and fluid intake each day. This will maximise glycogen storage.

2 Too much fibre
It’s important for athletes to consume a healthy, balanced diet with adequate amounts of fibre, which aids in the maintenance of normal blood sugar levels, reduces risk of heart disease and reduces the risk of constipation. Consuming more high-fibre foods than you are used to prior to race day could cause uncomfortable bloating and flatulence. If you are more sensitive to foods high in fibre, then cut back on foods such as beans and bran cereals two to three days prior to race day. Remember that fruit and vegetables should still be consumed. If you are racing more often, reduce your fibre intake only on race day to make sure that you are not cutting too much fibre out of your diet.

3 Eating and drinking too late
It’s best to have your last dinner no less than 13 hours prior to your race, and do not over-eat. This will prevent gastric discomfort and a sleepless night, especially if you have pre-race jitters. A liquid breakfast can be eaten two hours prior to the race and a solid breakfast can be eaten three hours prior to the race. This will ensure that you begin your race with sufficient fuel. Practise what to eat at dinner and breakfast before long workouts – this way you’ll be able to determine what works best for you before race day.

4 Trying something new
Avoid eating unfamiliar foods in the week before race day. They could lead to gastric discomfort and diarrhoea, which could leave you dehydrated, slowing you down or causing you to pull out of the race.

5 Skipping breakfast
If you have difficulty eating breakfast before a race, wake up earlier to give yourself enough time to eat your breakfast. A smoothie works really well if you cannot stomach solid food.

6 Drinking too much water
Athletes should drink adequate amounts of fluids the week prior to the race. However, drinking too much water before the race could dilute your electrolytes, which may cause cramping, muscle weakness and hyponatraemia. Electrolytes play a big role in muscle contraction and an imbalance can lead to a decrease in performance.

These common pre-race nutritional mistakes may influence the performance of your race, but every runner is different, so this is a trial and error process. As an athlete you should listen to your body and learn what works best for you.

Having won six SA titles, represented her country more than 10 times, and become a regular on podiums throughout the country, Nolene Conrad has established herself as one of SA’s leading female long distance athletes, but running has brought her more than just success, it also saved her life. – BY SEAN FALCONER

Nolene Conrad is the picture of health and fitness as she bounds into the dining hall for our interview at the Stellenbosch Academy of Sport (SAS), where she works as Athlete Manager for Elana Meyer’s Endurocad and interns on the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon organising team. The 32-year-old recently returned from a month of high altitude training in Kenya to prepare for the World Half Marathon Champs in Valencia, Spain on 24 March, clearly the trip paid off: She clocked a blistering 1:13:05 to finish first woman and ninth overall in the Peninsula Half Marathon in Cape Town on 18 February, just 17 seconds off her PB.

In that kind of form, 2018 looks set to be another great year for her after a brilliant 2017 season. That included finishing runner-up in the Old Mutual Two Oceans Half Marathon, ending third overall on the points table of the Spar Grand Prix Series, and taking 12 minutes off her marathon PB at the Valencia Marathon in November, clocking 2:35:21, the fastest time by a South African woman for the year. She also added still more podium positions and national champs medals to her collection at various SA Track and Field and Road Running Champs, so it’s hard to think that there was a stage when the doctors didn’t think she would make it past the age of 21.

OXYGEN STARVATION
While growing up in Cape Town, Nolene was diagnosed with asthma at age 13, and was constantly in and out of hospital. “My asthma pump became my lifeline, and I slept with one under my pillow, as I often woke up during the night unable to breathe. One night when I was 16 I had a really bad attack, and when I tried my pump, it gave two squirts and ran out. I went to find the spare, and it was also finished, so I woke my parents in a state of panic,” says Nolene. “We didn’t have a car back then, so they called an ambulance, which took some time to get there. I passed out and woke up in the ambulance on a nebuliser, then spent a week in hospital, where the doctor advised me to do some physical activity, like swimming or running, to grow the capacity of my lungs. He said my asthma was getting worse, so I would probably not make it to my 21st birthday if I didn’t start exercising!”

The very next week a determined Nolene went back to school and through a friend joined the Cross Country team, with her first 4km race coming soon after that. “That first season was a struggle, and I needed medical attention after every race. I would collapse and they would need to put me on a nebuliser. The teachers actually suggested I rethink being a runner, but I was adamant I was going to persevere, because of the doctor’s warning, and because I was scared of suffering the same fate as my uncle, who died of asthma.”

By the end of that season she managed to finish a 4km race for the first time, and says that gave her hope that she was on the right track. “I had just been pitching for races, but now I started training regularly and joined the training group at Pen Tech under Tobias Philander. I trained hard for six months, and while I still got attacks, sometimes induced by exercise, they were not as regular. And when the next school cross country season started, I began finishing in the top three regularly. That’s when people started noticing me, and my coach told me I had real talent. I was also part of the MacSteel Micro Development Programme with the Sport Science Institute, which also helped me greatly with my asthma.”

MAKING HER MARK
By the time Nolene finished school, she was receiving offers of scholarships from colleges in the USA, but she made the hard decision to turn them down and stay in SA, because she wanted to run for her country. She took a gap year to focus on her running, before starting her studies in sports management at UWC in 2005. That year she won her first senior SA title in the 3000m steeplechase, breaking the SA Record in the process, even though still a junior, and that paved the way for her selection for the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Australia.

“I was young and inexperienced, but it went well, and it was a great opportunity to see what it was like on the world stage, so it was great for my running career,” says Nolene, who went on to run in the African Track and Field Champs in 2007, as well as the World Student Games in 2005 and 2009. After completing her studies, with a cum laude pass, Nolene was then recruited by the University of Johannesburg to run for them while doing her Honours degree, which she then followed up with a PGCE in education. While at UJ, she won the SA Cross Country Champs 8km title as well as a second SA 3000m steeplechase title, and represented SA at the World Half Marathon Champs and World Cross Country Champs.

After UJ, she began teaching at Vorentoe High School in 2014, where her then coach, Hans Saestad, was Principal and Head Coach, and she taught and coached there for three years. In those years, she added the SA 10km and 10,000m titles as well as third steeplechase title, and made the SA team for the World Half Marathon, World Cross Country and African Track Champs for the second time each. But even better news was that running in Gauteng really seemed to agree with Nolene. “I was getting less asthma attacks, and I think I finally outgrew it – the last time I had an attack was in 2015, and I no longer even keep a pump for emergencies.”

COMING HOME
In 2016 Nolene returned to the Cape when Elana offered her a job at Endurocad. She says she loves the work, even though it is quite a job to manage 50 athletes, which includes looking after their entries and kit, scheduling camps and travel arrangements, and making sure they are in an academic set-up with skills enhancement, so that they are prepared for life after sport. “Working alongside Elana is a dream come true, because I looked up to her as a junior, and I learn from her every day. She is an awesome boss, because she was an athlete and knows how hard it can be to balance work and training, so she gives me the freedom to do things in my own time, like a gym workout at 10 in the morning.”

She adds that working with young Endurocad athletes has led to her own dream of starting training camps for girls from disadvantaged communities. “I feel there is so much talent in those areas, and I want to show them the benefits of training and sport, and that they too can achieve what I have. We need more girls in the system, and my camps will eventually feed into the Enduroad system, but much as I would like to start this year, I have too much on my plate for now. I’m in the prime of my athletic career, so I want to focus on my own running and chase faster times.”

That’s why Nolene headed to Iten, Kenya in January, taking good friend Caroline Wöstmann along to continue her return from a long injury lay-off. “Training there is so amazing, because there are so many routes, including gravel surfaces that are easier on your legs, and it’s very safe, with lots of friendly faces. I felt like I needed to get away from work to focus on training and prepare properly for this season, and I did 160 to 170km in mileage for three weeks. I feel that I am in great shape now, and I’m really looking forward to the World Half Marathon Champs.”

“We’ll be running on part of the same route as the Valencia Marathon, where I ran my PB in November, so I already know the course, and now that I know from previous experience what to expect at the Champs, I am going into these Champs better prepared. I consider my previous two World Half Champs outings as highlights of my running career, first in Bulgaria in 2012 and then Wales in 2016. I finished 34th in Cardiff, and this year I’m not just going to make up the numbers, my aim is to at least make the top 20.”

COUNTING BLESSINGS
With a packed calendar ahead for 2018, including another big city marathon and an attempt to run a 2:30, Nolene says she never takes her success, or her health, for granted. “My career has paid off to the extent that I was able to buy my first car, and later I was able to build my parents a new house, and I have been lucky to have people who believed in my talent, like my parents and siblings, as well as friends like Vonney Dreyer who are like family, and of course my various clubs and sponsors,” she says.

“You can’t always change your circumstances, but you can change your attitude and how you approach life. If I had given up in those first cross country races, I don’t think I would be here today, and even if I had survived the asthma, I wouldn’t have received a free education, or travelled the world and seen incredible places. I genuinely believe I would not have made it to 21 without running.”

Images: Roger Sedres/ImageSA, Jetline Action Photo

One second he was a talented schoolboy athlete showing a lot of promise, the next he was a World Champion, and now 17-year-old high jumping prodigy Breyton Poole is about to jet off to Australia for the Commonwealth Games! – BY SEAN FALCONER

Being selected to represent your country at the Commonwealth Games is one of the highest honours a South African athlete can achieve, and this April the best of our athletes will be in action in Australia – and one of the most excited will undoubtedly be Breyton Poole. Having been crowned World Under-18 Champion last year in Kenya, he has been included in the senior SA team for an international meet for the first time, but he actually didn’t believe it at first when he heard he had made the team.

“The funny thing is I was actually in maths class when I got a phone call from my mom, and I thought this might be serious for her to phone me during school, so I answered ‘skelmpies’ under the desk, because I sit at the back of the class.” he recounts. “She told me I made the final team, and I thought no, she must be joking, but she said it was just on TV – she had taken a photo of the final team on the screen and sent it to me in class. I was just so shocked!”

Speed Jumper
That will see the youngster competing against top-level senior jumpers in Australia, and many will see his inclusion in the team as a good way to get top-level experience, given his age (he turns 18 in late March) and the fact that he is still growing. At 1.73 metres tall, he is actually quite short by high-jumping standards, and when he won his World Champs title last year, the second-placed jumper was some 20cm taller than him. When they stood on the podium for the medal ceremony, Breyton was still shorter than him, in spite of being on the higher step on the podium! However, he says the whole question of his height simply doesn’t bother him.

“It’s an age-old thing now for people to ask if I am not too short to be a high jumper, and I’m used to it now. My height doesn’t hold me back, because I’m a speed-jumper. When I started working with my coach, Bennie Schlechder, he immediately shortened my run-up to just nine steps, because the taller guys need a longer run-up, whereas I am quite ‘rats’ and do better with a short run. That’s why I do more speed work in training these days. And the fact is, being short has actually motivated me to jump even higher to prove those people wrong.”

And that he certainly can do! He went to Kenya with a personal best of 2.18 metres, and when he reached 2.14 he had already won the competition, but he wasn’t even close to being finished. “My coach told me the competition is not over just because your competitors are finished, and since I had worked to peak for that competition, he said I must go on and see if I can beat my PB. I was feeling elated at having won the World Title, and thought what the hell, let’s go for it.”

“I cleared 2.16, then skipped 2.18 and went for 2.20. Having set a new PB, I felt I still had more in the tank, so I jumped 2.22, and then cleared 2.24 on my third attempt! That was quite nerve-wracking. I’m not sure if they showed it on TV, but I went on to attempt 2.27, which would have put me at the top of the junior rankings for the year, but I didn’t clear that height. That didn’t matter, because I was just thrilled to have won, and achieve my goal of a new PB!”

Big Jump
Breyton, who started high jumping in primary school after initially doing gymnastics, went on to jump 2.25 in November last year, in a league meeting in Cape Town, and that meant he qualified for the Commonwealth Games, but the selectors still had to make the decision whether to send a youngster with no senior level international experience. “It’s a big thing for me, because I’m taking a massive jump straight from the under-18 youth ranks, past the under-20 juniors to the senior team, and I will actually miss the SA Under-20 Champs while I am in Australia, but hopefully I can compete with the seniors,” says Breyton.

Besides the Commonwealth team, Breyton has already qualified for the preliminary SA team for the World Under-20 Champs in July, but is quick to point out that he is not just focusing on athletics at the moment, as he needs to make sure he doesn’t neglect his schoolwork. He is busy with Matric at Paul Roos Gymnasium in Stellenbosch, and is determined to study business or marketing at the University of Stellenbosch next year. “I will continue jumping, but I want to study before any thoughts of going full-time with athletics. That said, if I can perform well this year, I might get some invites to jump overseas. I have jumped the qualifying mark for the Diamond League, so let’s see what happens.”

Images: Roger Sedres/ImageSA

Thanks to a number of high profile race wins over the last few years, medical student Annamart Laubscher has made a name for herself in SA trail running, and yet she still sees herself as an amateur runner lucky enough to share the trails with the best in SA. – BY SEAN FALCONER

Take a look through the 2016 and 2017 results of some of the high profile trail races in the Cape and you’ll see the name Annamart Laubscher pop up regularly. Having already won a number of races in the previous few years, in 2016 she won the Sanlam Cape Town Peace Trail Run as well as the Jonkershoek and Marloth races in the Mountain Challenge series, and the Bastille Day Trail Run, and she added a second place in the Redbull Lion Heart Challenge. Then in 2017 she retained her Peace Trail, Jonkershoek, Marloth and Bastille titles, added the Old Mutual Two Oceans 24km Trail Run and Lion Heart Challenge titles, and in December rounded off a great year with first place in the Ultra Trail Cape Town 35km.

Along the way, she beat some of the leading names in women’s trail running in SA, but Annamart remains incredibly humble about her achievements, even showing surprise at being asked for an interview. “Those women have a lot more kays on their track record and a lot more racing experience, and I am just a junior compared to them, just a plain Jane runner, so I still look up to them,” she says.

FITTING IT ALL IN
The other really impressive part of 23-year-old Annamart’s racing success is that she only runs when her hectic medical studies allows. She is currently in her sixth and final year at Stellenbosch University, and this year is based at the Worcester Provincial Hospital. “Tygerberg Tertiary Hospital is over-staffed with students, so I applied to do my sixth year externally, and I chose Worcester. Being here means a lot more self-studying, which is more taxing time-wise, but practically you learn more, which I think will better prepare me for my two internship years and community service year. It’s the harder route, but I think it will pay off.”

One of the bonuses of working in a provincial hospital is that Annamart will not only rotate through the different departments, but can also volunteer to work extra hours so as to gain experience, which should help her decide if there is a specialist field she would like to pursue. “I don’t see myself being just a GP for the rest of my career, but I’m still deciding about a speciality direction. They say you only really know during your internship years,” she says.

However, those extra hours can put a dent in her training time, as does the often hot weather in Worcester, but she says she has adapted her running plans. “Time is a challenge these days, but it’s cooler in the mornings and evenings anyway, so not such a problem being so busy during the day. I just try to run most days and stay active, because I have always found that running augments my studies. It’s a good balancer to get outdoors after working and studying indoors.”

MULTI-TALENTED JUNIOR
Born and raised in Somerset West, near Cape Town, Annamart’s sporting career began in 2008, when she was in Grade 7, with mountain biking, road cycling, and both track and cross country running, which led to multisport as well. As a junior she earned Boland and Western Cape colours on track and in cross country, was runner-up at the SA Triathlon Champs in 2009 and 2010, won her age group at the WP and SA Duathlon Champs in 2011, and went on to represent SA and finish 16th at the World Duathlon Champs.

However, she had to cut back on her sport when she began studying in 2013. “It was hard to fit in swimming, and dangerous to cycle in the Parow/Bellville area, so I turned my focus to trail running. When it came to racing, I started with 10 to 12km, then upped it to the middle distances around 20 to 25km, but I was scared of going further until last year at Ultra Trail Cape Town, when I did the 35km. I think I paced myself well, and actually enjoyed it a lot, because you can relax a bit more over the longer distance, as you go at a slower pace than 10km.”

Looking ahead, Annmart says her 2018 racing plans are very similar to 2017, but it will depend on her studies. “The last year of medicine is very demanding, and I want to finish my degree well, so I don’t want to be over-ambitious with my racing goals. Of course, it would be amazing to take a gap year in 2019 to travel the world and see where my running takes me, but we have to do our three years working for the government straight after studies, so a running gap year is just not possible. Still, even though I have no idea where I will be placed next year, I will carry on running.”

Images: Jetline Action Photo, Wildrunner Events & courtesy Annamart Laubscher

Having recently finished her first Ironman 70.3 race in East London, Rogeema Kenny has not just done something she once thought she couldn’t do, she’s done something that many people said she shouldn’t do. Fortunately, she didn’t listen to either opinion! – BY PJ MOSES

Rogeema Kenny does not like to be told that she can’t do something just because she is a woman. “I hate that society has put limits on what is acceptable for women and girls to do, or what to strive for. There should be no limitations for anyone, men or women, we should all be able to do what we feel we are able to, as long as it does not negatively impact anyone else’s life,” she says.

A qualified electrical engineer, she spent 10 years in the energy industry before changing to management consulting, because it felt more in line with her personal ideology about being a game-changer and a societal boundary shifter. And that is what she has become since taking up running, and later triathlon, but it initially just started as a way to stay fit. “Early on in my working life I started running with my sister, Fadeelah, to keep fit. However, I did not feel any love toward running as a hobby. In fact, I found it tough going and extremely uncomfortable, but what kept me going was this incredible sense of achievement after every run. I pushed at the imaginary boundaries that surrounded me. This was the same drive I felt when I achieved my Second Dan black belt in karate years before.”

As is the case with many runners who step up to the longer distances, Rogeema struggled during her first marathon. “At my first marathon, the Peninsula, I wanted to do well, and even though it felt great getting to the finish, I couldn’t break that magical five-hour mark. I made myself a promise that I will train harder and return stronger.” Clearly the promise worked, because later that same year she ran her second marathon and took more than an hour off her previous time!

“With a qualification for the Two Oceans 56km in the bag, I jumped into my next challenge of doing an ultra. I trained hard and successfully completed the Two Oceans, but still I needed something more… and found something that was not expected as the logical next step. My friend Jacques suggested I try my hand at triathlons, and I was intrigued, but also very sceptical. This would be a major stepping stone into the unknown, because I could not swim, and I definitely was not a cyclist!” Nevertheless, in May 2014, four years after starting to run, Rogeema lined up with Jacques at the start of her first triathlon, an off-road event in Durbanville.

DOUBLE CHALLENGE
Being a triathlon newcomer was hard enough, but being a devout Muslim woman made things all the more challenging for Rogeema. “I spent over twenty minutes in transition each time because I had to stay covered the best I could while readying myself for the next stage of the race. I knew after the race that I was going to have to do a lot of research if I wanted to make things easier for myself. There was nobody that I could ask for advice or for guidance, because there were very few Muslim women doing triathlon back then, if any. I especially needed to sort out the clothing, because you need something practical that won’t hinder your progress. You can’t swim in a doekie!”

Rogeema says that event organisers have been very understanding and she’s never had a problem with officials regarding her religion. The tri community has also been wonderfully supportive, and she now sees them as an extension of her family, especially the Atlantic Triathlon Club and the Embark triathlon training group that she is a part of. However, she has received some push-back from members of the Muslim community who feel that triathlons are not a sport Muslim woman should be taking part in…

“It is a question of balance, in my opinion, between my spiritual life and my physical pursuits. I don’t think I could do one without the other. People may judge me, but I am not doing it for them, and I am not harming anyone in any way, but I am building myself into a stronger and healthier human being. I don’t always handle the negativity as well as I should, but I try to steer clear of those who judge without understanding. I want to educate people that sport is important and that it helps you in all aspects of your life. It changes you as a person and helps you to find the courage within yourself that you didn’t even know existed.”

STEPPING IT UP
Just as had happened in her running, Rogeema found that first taste of triathlon just made her want more. “I knew that I would want to step up a level one day and go on to do the Ironman race, but initially I kept putting my Ironman entry off, until last year I eventually decided to just go for it, and I put in the work needed to be successful at it. It took me a while to get to the Half Ironman 70.3 distance, but it was all worth the effort in the end.”

“The feeling of standing on that beach in January, looking out at the ocean, was indescribable, and I felt very excited about the challenge that lay ahead. I think that is one of the reasons I love the structure and intensity of the training programmes that triathletes put themselves through. It takes away most of the butterflies and doubt on race day. It leaves you with an excited anticipation of the adventure that lies ahead of you.”

“Today I look at my medal and I know that I have finished one of the toughest things I could ever try and do. Months of preparation and sacrifice went into that event, and the emotion of those last few kilometres of my run were so heavy that I wanted to choke up with each step that I took closer to the finish line. This achievement, for me, is up there with finishing the Two Oceans Ultra. It is an empowering moment that I savour.”

GIVING BACK
The journey from Karateka to runner to Ironman triathlete has been an eventful one for Rogeema, and at times a lonely one. Today, she sees herself as an example to women, especially young women, who want to follow a more active lifestyle, and thus she has become active in the Dreamgirls mentorship programmes. “Young women need positive role models and people who can identify and nurture their potential. It took me a while to talk about my sport in public, but since I have done so, many girls have come up to me and said that they feel empowered by my story.”

“All women should use their experiences to help other people, especially young girls. They shouldn’t believe that they can’t do things just because other people can’t do it. There must be a first person to do things, and if what I do can benefit somebody else in their lives, then that is a good reason to keep on doing it. I believe that you must know what you want, have a clear idea of what it will take to get there, and be prepared to do whatever it takes, because nothing worth it is easy. At the end of it, when you achieve that goal, all the sacrifice will have been worth it. The person that starts is not the same person that finishes the race. It transforms you and will make you stronger and better than you were before.”

Here are a few things I would highly recommend if you would like to make a substantial improvement to your running in the quickest possible time, whether you’re a newbie or have been running for a few years. – BY TRAD CRUIKSHANK

I’ve been running for seven years. I started running because I wanted to run the Comrades Marathon, a bucket list thing, but then the proverbial bug bit and after a few months of building a basic fitness, running became more enjoyable. From that point there were small personal bests here or there, but after four years I realised I had reached a plateau. My times were not improving, I didn’t feel any fitter, and my body composition was kind of fit but flabby. So what do I think were the main changes that helped me break that plateau and get to the “next level?” I’m no super-athlete, but considering my first marathon time was 4:45 and my most recent time was 2:43, I think I can make a few suggestions.

1. Long-term consistency trumps short-term intensity, both with exercise and diet.
It’s what you do most of the time that is important and not what you do some of the time. Consistency is doing what we set out to accomplish long after the mood has left and staying committed to build ourselves over a long-term period. This theory applies to long-term training, over years, just as much as it does to our day-to-day training. The correct training needs to be applied consistently and evenly. The alternative is the weekend warrior who doesn’t train for five days and on the weekend tries to make up for it by running too many kilometres, a prime example of how to get injured and never improve your running times.

2. Run solo to improve or social to enjoy.
The South African race calendar is set up for athletes to fail, with races every Saturday and Sunday in many areas. Going to a race implies that there is an expectation of a time, or challenge to beat someone, but consistently running harder that ideal means you never give your body a chance to peak for a performance. You may gradually improve your results using this method, but in reality there are much faster and better training methods to achieve your goals.

The same goes for running too easy. Big social morning runs are great for a chat and coffee, but often these groups accommodate all types of runners and incorporate more walks and water breaks than may be necessary for you. There is, of course, a place for social running groups with motivation and structure, but if you really want to improve, the best thing you can do is run to your own effort and requirements every run.

3. Listen to those with experience.
If they look like a runner, talk like a runner and smell like a runner, they may still know nothing about running… Many runners share advice and what works for them, but you should look for runners in your club or running circles who have improved over a period of time, or have consistently great results, and ask them what they’ve been doing. These runners are not always naturally talented, but most have just worked out the system, worked hard and are a great wealth of knowledge.

For example, I had maxed out on my marathon PB at 3:25 before I asked a good friend with over 20 years’ running experience, Drew Fisher, to help me out. It took some time, but at a target race a few months later I ran a 2:56 just doing the ‘right things.’ Find a mentor or coach to assist you and your improvements will far outpace your expectations.

4. Do you run to eat or eat to run?
Everyone running a marathon burns between 2000 and 3500 calories, which is about the average recommended daily intake, so why is it that some people never seem able to lose weight. The answer is partially due to understanding diet properly, which I believe a sports-specific dietician could assist with, or a mental misperception that “because I run so much, I can afford to eat more.” For weight-loss, or running that personal best, diet is simply as important as training. You cannot afford to have a burger, chips and milkshake after every run. Your body requires protein, and glucose for muscles to recover, but pure sugar and oily fatty food will just clog your system while providing no benefit for the body to recuperate from the hard effort of running. In other words, your diet is the most important factor for recovery.

Final Word
Some people assume they are born fast, or that running is easy for them, but in reality they have to work hard all the time to maintain that level. I truly believe everyone can run well, but if you want to be the best runner you can be, it takes the effort to understand and work at it.

Regularly eating fish as part of your diet can benefit your running, because it’s great for your heart and can improve your physical performance. – BY ESMÉ MARÉ, REGISTERED DIETICIAN

You may already know this, but it’s worth repeating that fish is high in protein, low in fat and offers a wide range of health benefits. White-fleshed fish are generally lower in fat, while oily fish such as salmon, pilchards, sardines, mackerel, herring, trout and fresh tuna are high in omega-3 fatty acids. These fatty acids are considered essential, as the human body cannot make significant amounts of these nutrients, and they can also provide a variety of performance-enhancing effects for athletes of all levels.

1 Great for heart and lungs
Fish is low in saturated fat and high in omega-3, which can lower the amount of cholesterol in the blood and protect against heart disease. Eating fish regularly could also make the lungs stronger and healthier with age, while omega-3 can relieve asthma-related symptoms and improve lung functioning during and following exercise, by reducing various inflammatory mediators.

2 Clearing blood vessels
Eating fish can significantly lower blood pressure through the vasodilation of blood vessels, improving blood circulation and preventing blood clots. This will ensure that hard working muscles have a constant supply of oxygen-rich blood and nutrients needed for performance and recovery.

3 Improves protein synthesis
Omega-3 fatty acids combined with an anabolic stimulus such as running can improve protein synthesis and lean body mass function and quality.

4 Contains essential nutrients
Fish provide us with iodine needed for optimal thyroid functioning, selenium that aids in the production of enzymes to prevent cancer, plus zinc, potassium and vitamins A and D.

5 Increases muscle strength and performance
Omega-3 fatty acids help to improve muscular strength, physical performance and functional capacity.

6 Reduces muscle damage and soreness
Omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to reduce exercise-induced muscle damage, delayed-onset muscle soreness and loss of physical function, which otherwise can have a significant effect on adaptation to training.

7 Strengthens the immune system
Moderate exercise boosts the immune system, but excessive exercise may place stress on the body and weaken the immune system. Omega-3 fatty acids help improve the body’s reaction to exercise-induced stress, with potential benefits for the immune system.

8 Strengthens bones and joint functioning
Research reveals that omega-3 fatty acids and exercise may work synergistically to improve bone health, reduce the risk of hip fractures and promote a higher bone mineral density. A regular intake of fish can relieve the symptoms experienced with rheumatoid arthritis and could also prevent osteoarthritis.

EXPERT TIP
It’s important to obtain omega-3 fatty acids from natural food such as oily fish. Dietary supplements such as fish oil capsules might be an option if your diet is low in food sources containing omega-3 fatty acids, but should not replace a healthy diet. If you eat fish to gain the heart-healthy benefits of its omega-3 fatty acids, baked or boiled fish is better than fried, salted or dried.

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