Category: Features

The weight of expectation can sometimes weigh heavily, they say, especially when you put that expectation on yourself, as 400m hurdles star Wenda Nel has realised over the last year. – BY SEAN FALCONER

The 31-year-old Pretoria flyer finished a long 2017 track season in September feeling the same mixture of satisfaction and disappointment that she has had since the Olympics last year in Rio. That feeling was compounded by her World Champs experience this year, but she says she will get over it soon – and that bodes well for her chances at next year’s Commonwealth Games in Australia.

Upward Trajectory
In 2015 Wenda ran a PB 54.37 in Beijing in May, then returned to the Chinese city in August for the World Champs and made her first global final, finishing seventh in 54.94. As a result, big things were expected of her in 2016 in Rio, especially after she won the gold medal in the African Champs in Durban with a 54.86 and had a great international season in Europe, with a season best of 54.47. However, at the Olympics she only got as far as the semi-final round, being eliminated after clocking 55.83.

“I walked away from Rio a bit disappointed. I was so focused and performance-driven, and really wanted to make the final, coming out of making the 2015 World Champs final, but I learnt so much. I think it brought me back to earth a bit, and made me realise it doesn’t just happen, that your focus, training, nutrition and sleeping pattern must all be on par to perform at the top meets. Therefore, at the beginning of this season I set specific goals, one of which was to make the final of the World Champs in London.”

Heartbreakingly Close
Once again, after a solid European season, including a season best of 54.58, Wenda went to the World Champs aiming to make the final, but once again she faced semi-final elimination. Sadly, her 55.70 was the tenth-fastest time of the round and thus she only just missed out on the final as one of the fastest semi-final losers – and that brought all the disappointment back again, but also more introspection and growth.

“To be honest, I am a bit disappointed with my 2017 season, because I didn’t make the final in London, but the more I analyse things, the more I realise it wasn’t all bad. I was competitive in the Diamond League and had some great races, but I just wasn’t consistent enough and struggled to get my timing just right. I tend to run a season best or a PB just before the big meets, but then can’t reproduce that at the major events. That is something I will be working on for the 2018 season… but Rio and London were still amazing experiences, especially Rio! It’s every athlete’s dream just to compete at the Olympics – but my goal had changed to compete in the final, not just compete, hence I felt disappointed.”

Talking Technicalities
Running the hurdles is an incredibly technical discipline, and Wenda says she is experimenting with her stride pattern to find the perfect mix that will eke out a vital second over 400 metres. “I have a race plan that I normally stick to, 16 strides to the first six hurdles, then 17 strides to the end, but I do experiment and change up the patterns. In my season best this year, I ran a race pattern I had not done before, because sometimes things happen in a race and you have to adapt. Now I am trying something new in preparation for next season, hoping to make myself sharper at the hurdles and allow for fewer strides.”

“I am shorter than many of the other hurdlers, so it’s not as easy to take longer and less strides between hurdles, but 15 strides are so much faster than 16, and my 16, especially later in the season, put me a little too ‘up’ on the hurdles, which means I need to brake a bit, then play catch-up. That’s why I want to change to 15 strides until hurdle three, then 16 to six, and 17 to the finish. I did that in 2015 and 2016 and it worked for me, but this time I may try it in the first race of the season instead of the third or fourth. Basically, I need to go faster to keep up for the first 200 metres, but without wasting energy.”

Looking ahead, Wenda says she is really excited about the 2018 season, given that the Commonwealth Games will be in April. “Normally we have SA Champs in April and we are working to peak then, so preparing for Australia will actually feel normal to us South Africans. I will also give the European circuit a go and will try to do a few Diamond Leagues again, plus we have African Champs, where I will hopefully qualify for Team Africa for the Continental Cup in the Czech Republic in September. So it will be another long season, but I’m looking forward to it!”

Although he is still just 22 years old, Thabang Mosiako is quickly making a name for himself by taking on and beating the ‘big guns’ on the South African distance running scene, and he has some notable wins under his belt from the 2017 season, including an SA title. – BY REGGIE HUFKIE

This has been quite some year for North West Province-based Thabang. It started in January at the always hotly contested Dis-Chem Half Marathon in Johannesburg, where he cruised to a 1:05:53 victory, beating off the fierce competition of Desmond Mokgobu and Lucky Mohale to claim top spot on the podium. Then in April he lined up in the men’s 5000m final at the SA Senior Track and Field Championships in Potchefstroom, in a field containing two SA record holders, Elroy Gelant (5000m) and Stephen Mokoka (10,000m), and once again claimed line honours.

Unsurprisingly, that 5000m final enjoyed a blisteringly fast start, with Elroy leading the pack through 3000m in 8 minutes 15 seconds. Meanwhile, Thabang had worked his way through the field and found himself in third position as the bell sounded for the last lap, but the gap to Stephen and Elroy now seemed too big. However, summoning up every last ounce of speed, he somehow reeled in first Stephen, and had the spectators on their feet as he caught and passed Elroy with 30 metres to go to be crowned SA 5000m Champion.

Glory in Jozi
Thabang then added a third big title in September when he outran the SA 10km Record Holder Stephen to win the FNB Joburg 10K CityRun, and says it meant a lot to beat his role model: “Stephen is the man who makes me go train every time, because I want be strong like him.” In the race, David Manja set the early pace, passing the 3km mark in 8:32 with 20 runners hot on his heels. As they approached the big descent past Ellis Park hill at the 4km mark, Thabang surged to the front and broke the leading group up, with only Stephen and Lucky Mohale able to go with him.

The trio went through halfway in 14:49 before Stephen opened a 20m gap, but at 7km Thabang was back with him, and at the top of the Constitution Hill climb, with 2km to go, the youngster took control of the race. He went on the win in 29:51, with Stephen taking second 25 seconds later and Gladwin Mzazi coming through for third. Afterwards, he said, “This victory means a lot to me because this is not simply a win… I was working very hard to be in the top three, but I saw myself beating this strong man, Stephen, on the last hill before 8km. Jozi is a very difficult place to run in, and it has many hills, so for me to run 29:51 is a great achievement.”

Late Bloomer
What makes Thabang’s success at 22 all the more impressive is that he only discovered his running talent late in high school. “My coach, Spring Phakate, introduced me to athletics in 2011, and in 2012 in Rustenburg at the South African Schools Cross Country Championships, I got position two in the under-17 boys’ 6km,” says the Human Resource Development student, who clearly has his eyes fixed on still bigger achievements in running. “My long term goal is to bring home a medal for my country from the Olympic Games, and short term, well, I want to be fit and strong for any race, but I don’t just want to be strong, I want to be in the top three. On the track, I am focused on the 5000m, but my favourite race is the 10km on the road, and that is where I see myself dominating.”

In order to achieve that, the young man is hard at work in training with the rest of the Spring Training Group, as it is known, under coach Spring Phakate, and it helps that he is surrounded by serious racing pedigree to push him to new heights. The group includes FISU World Student Games Steeplechase champion Rantso Mokopane, Southern Region Half Marathon champion Joel Mmone, former South African junior 5000m champion Xaba Mavusa, and steeplechaser Dikotsi Lekopa, who was part of the SA team for the IAAF World Champs in 2015.

But striving towards success on and off the field, like his training partners, mans that Thabang enjoys a packed daily schedule. “There’s only hard work at training, and we do two sessions most days. In the morning I go for my early run and after that I am on my way to class. After class it’s training again, and if I do not have a session, I just watch athletics videos so that I can learn more.” Judging by his results this year, he’s clearly watching the right videos!

If there is one runner likely to agree with the old saying that “life begins at 40,” it is Ulrica Stander, especially given the amazingly successful year the 43-year-old Capetonian has enjoyed on the road after moving up to the marathon distance and beyond. – BY SEAN FALCONER

After seeing her running take a major dip in 2015 due to long working hours on top of raising two kids, 2016 saw Ulrica return to the type of form that had given her personal bests of 35:25 for 10km and 1:17:34 in the half marathon. She won the Peninsula Half Marathon and claimed the series title in the veteran category of the Spar Women’s Grand Prix, and along the way she was recruited by the KPMG Running Club, and signed up with a new coach in Lindsey Parry. That saw her decide to make her marathon and ultra debut in 2017, and the podium positions have come thick and fast since.

It started with a third position in the NutriBullet Bay to Bay 30km in January, where she was also first veteran over the line in 2:02:35 as she went beyond 21km for the first time. After running the Red Hill 36km as a training run, she then won the Peninsula Marathon in February, posting 2:58:45 on debut to take both the overall and veteran titles. Two months later she stepped things up at the Old Mutual Two Oceans 56km, clocking 4:02:45 and claiming an incredible sixth place (and second veteran) in her ultra debut.

“I was actually very grateful for my performance at Two Oceans, because my training was a bit up and down, and I felt I hadn’t been able to focus properly. I went out with the four-hour bus, then at 23km pushed on a bit with my clubmate Renier Grobler and a guy from Boksburg, but I went through the marathon mark feeling a bit tired. They say Oceans only really starts there at the bottom of Constantia Nek, so I had to dig deep to stay positive when the sub-four bus went past me. What kept me going was the incredible energy of the crowds lining the route, and I remember smiling all the way down the home straight as I came in. It really was a privilege to run such a wonderful race.”

Then in September Ulrica lined up for her second standard marathon at the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon, and in spite of severe stomach issues, improved her PB to 2:54:09 as she finished 14th and once again claimed top spot in the veteran category, added the Western Province Champs title for good measure, and posted the fastest marathon time by an SA veteran woman in 2017. “I was aiming for 2:50, but I think the gel I took at 25km reacted with my stomach and I struggled for the rest of the race. I was still ecstatic with my time and position, but I know I can go faster.”

Natural High-Flyer
Ulrica was born in Pretoria, the youngest of three kids in a close family, and showed a passion for health and fitness from an early age. She started running competitively in high school, focusing on middle distances on the track as well as doing cross country, and soon earned provincial colours in both disciplines. She then attended university in Stellenbosch, choosing to go there because her brother was already studying there, and did a B.Sc. with Human Movement Science, majoring in physiology. While at Maties, she took up triathlon and soon made a name for herself, making the SA training squad for the 1996 Olympics, but unfortunately missed out on the final team selection. She did still represent SA, at the Triathlon World Champs in the USA, and still lists triathlon as one of her favourite sports.

After varsity, Ulrica began working in the pharmaceutical industry, first as a rep and later in a marketing role, doing so well over the years that her current position as Product Specialist in Marketing for Pathcare’s Histology and Cytology departments was specially created for her. Along the way she got married and had two kids, Liam (now 13) and Mila (10), and Ulrica is obviously proud of her two achievers, who both recently won their inter-house cross-triathlon events at school.

“Liam has Western Province colours in rugby and biathlon, captains the swimming and athletics teams, and is head boy at Kenridge, while Mila won the Vicrix Ludorum at the school athletics meet after winning the long jump, both sprints and the 1200m, and she also has provincial colours in biathlon and biathle. We actually all went to the SA Biathlon Champs together and it was lekker to compete alongside my kiddies. Mila finished fourth in the biathle and was chosen to go to Spain for the World Champs, but we decided she was still a bit too young for such a trip. So, we’ve told her she can go in two years’ time.”

Following Her Dreams
On top of family, work and running commitments, Ulrica still finds the time and energy to do even more, including co-chairing her own charity, the Radiance Foundation! A few years back, her long-time friend Madeleine Pretorius entered her in the Mrs South Africa competition and Ulrica made the initial group selection. Part of the criteria for final selection was charity work, but with her marriage of 12 years coming to an end, she decided to withdraw. “The organiser offered me more time, and invited me to enter again the following year, but I felt I had to turn her down. Still, that led to a new dream of a charity to help people, and when Maddie’s friend, ophthalmologist Dr Junet van der Merwe, told us there is a huge need for cataract operations, we decided to do something about it. We started fund-raising two years ago and we’ve already funded 180 operations here in the Western Cape.

Another thing Ulrica would like to pursue more of is TV presenting. In 2012 and 2013 she was sponsored by USN and became one of their health and fitness ambassadors, which led to her appearing on the Espresso Show. “I want to inspire everyone to be the best they can possibly be, and to do it on such a platform, alongside those brilliant presenters, was amazing. The most fun was doing ‘home invasions’ and going through people’s cupboards to suggest healthier nutritional options, and it was so obvious when some people were hiding the bad stuff!”

Getting back to running, she says her list of upcoming races includes the BlueBoost Winelands Half Marathon this November, followed by the same Bay to Bay, Red Hill, Peninsula and Two Oceans programme as in 2017, and after that, perhaps Comrades, too. “Lindsey said at the beginning of this year, perhaps I can run Comrades in 2018 as a training run, then race it 2019, but my focus is on Oceans and I’m hoping for a podium finish. Because of my age, the longer the distance, the more I feel I can compete with the elites, and work-wise and family-wise, I’m now set-up to be able to focus on my running, so my goal is to give it 100% and see where it takes me.”

 

With personal best times of 1:47.74 for the 800m, 3:59.29 for the mile, the SA national record for 5000m at 13:04.88 and 27:41.30 for the 10,000m, coupled with road PBs of 28:18 for 10km and 1:01:09 for the half marathon, Elroy Gelant is one of the most versatile distance athletes in SA, and though he recently made his marathon debut, he still has his eyes firmly fixed on the track. – BY REGGIE HUFKIE

In 2016, Elroy made the men's 5000m final at the Olympic Games in Rio, clinched a silver medal in the 10,000m at the CAA African Championships in Durban, and set a new South African 5000m record along the way when he clocked 13:04.88 in the Netherlands. It was a brilliant year on the track for the Potchefstroom-based athlete. Then at the 2017 SA Champs in his current hometown, the 31-year-old started the 5000m too fast and hit the wall with 2000m to go, but held on through sheer determination for the silver medal, and came back the very next day to win the 10,000m national title.

Unfortunately, he did not quite do enough to qualify for the 2017 IAAF Track and Field World Championships, but that disappointment was tempered not only by his continued success on the track, but also his success on the road. This year has also seen him take home another silver medal at the South African Half Marathon Championships, clocking a blisteringly fast 1:01:30, and he ran an equally fast 28:16 solo effort for 10km in Cape Town, which until recently was the fastest time in SA for the year. Then he made the big move – one he has been talking about for a while now – and stepped up the marathon for the first time, at the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon in September.

Going Long…
“Last year I was a pacemaker at the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon, so this year I decided it's the perfect time to make my full debut. After making the decision, I was totally excited to train for it,” says Elroy, whose 1:01:10 half marathon PB, set in 2014, and a 2017 best of 1:01:30, pointed to him being able to post a really fast marathon time. He ran just behind the leaders until the 30km mark, then tried to close the gap, but found himself running alone for the last 5km and ended up slowing down a bit, eventually finishing in 2:12:49, earning him fifth place overall and first South African over the line, but falling a bit short of his own high expectations.

“My goal was to go beyond my limits and I was looking for a 2:09 or 2:10 debut marathon time, but those last 5km were extremely difficult. I needed to believe I could achieve what I had set out for the race, but I can definitely use these opportunities to learn and prepare for future global marathons, and I am very positive to one day run a good time in Europe.”

However, having said before the race that he hoped to use it as a stepping stone towards qualifying for the marathon at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Australia, in a somewhat surprising move, soon after the marathon Elroy said he is putting the marathon on hold – for now – because he still has goals to chase on the track. “This is a very brief outline of my main goals for the next few years. In 2018 I’m going to attempt to break the South African 5000m, 10,000m and 10km records, and my goal is to finish in the top three at the Commonwealth Games. In 2019 I’ll again be attempting the 5000m and 10,000m records, but I will also be targeting a sub-2:08 qualification marathon, and in 2020 my main goal will be a podium position in marathon at the Tokyo Olympics.”

The Challenge
Away from athletics, Gelant enjoys spending time at his family home in Pacaltsdorp, on the outskirts of George in the Southern Cape, where he was taught the importance of living a purpose-driven life. “What keeps me motivated is the belief that God provided me with a talent, and I want to live out that talent fully by giving my best in each race I participate in. Every time I compete, I run against not only the other guys, but also myself and my own ability. It's the best feeling to know that I gave my best on the day, and all of my failures in athletics just serve as extra motivation. Winning medals or championships is only a bonus for me; it's all about my God-given talent and the happiness that comes with it.”

After two freak injuries, Samantha Schoeman is incredibly lucky not to be permanently paralysed, or to have lost a leg, but both times she fought back to fitness, and even took up trail running along the way… in spite of what the doctors said. – BY SEAN FALCONER

It’s probably a bit of an understatement to describe 36-year-old Sam Schoeman as accident-prone… In 2009, while on holiday in Herold’s Bay, she slipped off a cliff, fell about two stories and landed on her back on the rocks below, and was then washed into the sea by the waves. After 10 minutes of being pummelled against the rocks, her boyfriend spotted her, dived in and rescued her. “At the hospital they said my back was just bruised, but a week later I was still in pain, and when they rechecked my X-rays, they found I had broken the transverse process off my L4 vertebrae. That’s the little wing on the bone where the ligaments attach,” says Sam. “Thankfully, after six weeks, the orthopaedic surgeon back in Pretoria said the bone fragment looked to be sorting itself out, so no operation, but by all accounts, I could have been paralysed!”

Having recovered, Sam went back to one of her greatest passions, riding horses, until a second freak accident. While training a young horse in 2012, she fell off and fractured her patella, and the doctor that cleaned the injured knee apparently missed some dirt in the wound. “A week later I was in hospital with potentially fatal gas gangrene, systemic septicaemia and some of the worst pain I have ever experienced. I had to have an emergency knee op, followed four months later by another op, and not a day goes by that I don't thank my lucky stars that my leg didn't need amputation!

Back on her Feet
To rebuild the strength in her knee, Sam started walking, and before long she was regularly doing 5km, but she saw everybody around her running and wanted to join in. “I hadn’t done any running at school due to asthma, but now I started, bit by bit, and fortunately my knee and lungs held up. Soon I was hooked and absolutely loving it, and in 2014 I decided to challenge myself with some short trail races. Then a friend jokingly challenged me to do the Otter Trail Run marathon in 2015, so I said I would if I could get in, even though my longest run up to that point was just 10km! But then I got in, and thought oh hell, what now?”

So Sam, who is the younger sister of Olympic swimming gold medallist Roland, ran the Bastille 28km down in the Cape, followed by the Crazy Store Magaliesberg Challenge 35km, and duly lined up for the Otter Marathon, but once again things didn’t go to plan. “That year’s race is now known as the ‘Snotter-Otter,’ because it rained non-stop, and they pulled all of us backmarkers off the course at the first checkpoint, just 8km in, because the route was getting flooded. I was livid at the time, because the entry was not cheap, and I had prepared myself mentally for running on the rocky coast, due to my fall in 2009, but I do understand it was a huge responsibility for the organisers.”

“After Otter, I needed another knee op, because I had developed osteochondrosis, where the cartilage in the knee peels away, and before the op, the doctor warned me that I may not be able to run again. He added that even if the op went well, I would likely need a knee replacement in my 40s if I kept on running, but I told him I’m going to need a replacement anyway, so why stop doing something that I enjoy, and he said OK.”

No Holding Back
In the meantime, Sam started a new business, BabaGrub, which makes home-made meals for babies and toddlers, and she’s currently getting a new venture going, The Grub Hub, to make prepared meals for athletes. “I do everything myself – the cooking, packaging and delivery – and I’m hoping to bring in a partner soon to grow it.” Earlier this year she also returned to running after more than a year out of action, but experienced chronic pain when she increased her mileage. “The physio said my muscles and joints were seizing up because my stabilising muscles had atrophied, so I am still busy with a rehab programme, because I want to get back to running crazy races.”

“Next year I really want to do the Isimangaliso Trail in St Lucia on the KZN North Coast, and hopefully in 2019 I will go back and avenge my Otter run, because it’s the only race I have not finished! But I am just grateful to have my leg, to be relatively pain-free, and to be able to run and do things the doctors told me I would never be able to do! Whatever the future holds, I know that I am so much stronger than I ever thought I was.”

Just over a year ago, 40-year-old Johannesburg-based software developer Will Addison found himself in front of the mirror, and he didn’t like what he saw. That prompted him to take up running, and in just over a year he has lost 24 kilograms, run his first Comrades, and found a new lease on life. – BY SEAN FALCONER

The date 15 September sticks in Will’s memory. That was the day he saw the reflection of his round figure, then weighed himself and found he was 96kg, heavier than he had ever been. A father of two, Grace (18) and Dylan (15), Will attributes his weight-gain to a combination of factors. “I played a lot of soccer when I was younger and had done spinning at the gym to keep fit, but after coming out of a really bad divorce a few years ago, I got into terrible eating habits. I think life just got on top of me, with one thing after another, especially when Dylan left to go live with his mother in the UK.”

“When I looked in the mirror that day, I saw a man that had let himself go and realised I had to do something with my life, so I took a ‘before picture’ in the mirror and that same day I hit the gym for the first time in a very long time. I ran 2km on the treadmill that day and nearly passed out, but I persevered, and gradually upped my mileage till I was running 5km. In the meantime I cleaned up my diet – no more alcohol, and no more fast food. It was hard, but running made life better, and I came to love my daily run.”

Setting Goals
With his newfound love for running and having grown up watching the Comrades Marathon on TV, Will decided to make the big ultra his goal, but his fiancée Caryn Wilson, an experienced runner with two Comrades medals, told him he wouldn’t be able to run it just on treadmill training, and that he would need to hit the long road and increase his mileage substantially. “So about six weeks after starting running, I found a night run on a golf course and did my first ever 10km. I actually managed OK, so decided to go further. Then Caryn told me about the RAC Tough One 32km in November. I have never felt more sick and more pain in my life! I finished, but I had to lie down at the end, and I lay there wondering how people actually go further than this, let alone do the Comrades.”

Undaunted, Will continued training and went on to run his first marathon in January, at the Johnson Crane event, where he also qualified for Comrades. He followed that up with the Pick n Pay Marathon, Cape Gate Vaal Marathon, Old Mutual Om Die Dam 50km, and the RAC Long One 60km training run, and by then he had lost 22 kilograms in seven months. “I was really enjoying myself, and life just kept getting better!”

Mission Possible
And so June arrived and Will lined up for his first Comrades. “Honestly, it was the most daunting thing I had ever done, but I had my mentor Caryn running alongside me the whole way, just as she had been throughout my running journey. My aim was just to finish under 12 hours, but at 60km my body started shutting down, and from 70km it became really difficult. On Polly Shortts I saw runners collapsing and throwing up, and at the back of my mind I said I must just keep going. I felt that if I stopped, my legs would seize up and I would be done, so I just kept moving. We finished in 10:40, and I have to admit, I was in total disbelief that I had come so far in eight months. OK, I was completely dead afterwards, but I was so proud, because I had proven a lot of people who had doubted me wrong.”

With a hugely successful first year of running under his belt, Will is looking forward to 2018. “I’m entered again for the Comrades, and I also want to try other races, to see the scenery. I’m mixing running with strength training, because I want to chase my times – not so long ago running 55 minutes for 10km seemed an insurmountable challenge, but now I’m doing 53 minutes and feeling OK. I’m also quite happy with my current weight… I am now 72, so I have lost 24 kilograms in a year! You know, when this journey started, the first few weeks of training were incredibly difficult, but I never gave up, and I hope my story will motivate other people that anything is possible.”

Multi-stage trail running events continue to grow in popularity throughout South Africa, but understandably, they are usually substantially more expensive than single-day running events, as the entry fee often covers accommodation, meals and transport. This means there are some runners who simply cannot afford these races, but thanks to sponsors like RCS Group, a few trail newcomers got to enjoy the spectacular beauty of the recent RCS SOX three-day trail run in the Garden Route area of the Southern Cape. – BY SEAN FALCONER

With a CEO who is an avid runner and has completed the Old Mutual Two Oceans Ultra-marathon, and with many other runners amongst its staff, it comes as no surprise to see that financial services provider, the RCS Group, has thrown its support behind running in a big way. The group sponsors the three-day SOX event, and also sponsors the Gugulethu Athletics Club in Cape Town.

As CEO Regan Adams explains, “RCS has always had a strong connection with the running community, and we have a long-standing relationship with the Gugulethu Athletics Club, which encourages running in disadvantaged communities. We understand the importance of staying active and connecting with nature, and what better way to do this than with one of South Africa’s most beautiful trail runs? We were therefore pleased to invite some of our Gugs members to Knysna and expand their running experience. That’s what we’re about, making things possible for people.”

SIGNED UP TO RUN
That saw RCS sponsor the entries and race participation of Peter Tsawayo, Coceka Qomiyana, Nceba Mabulu and Imran Paya, all going in the team section, and Phumeza Bobotyane running as a solo entry. Imran and Peter were already experienced trail runners, with an impressive record of trail race wins or podium finishes. Imran (40) has been running for nine years and boasts best times of a 2:36 marathon and 6:36 for the Comrades. Meanwhile, Peter (36) has been running for 16 years, and has bests of 29 minutes for 10km and 1:07 for the half marathon. When asked what the RCS sponsorship meant for them, Imran says, “The sponsorship could have gone to someone else, but here I’m the one who was chosen to go. Words can’t justify how honoured and grateful I feel for that.”

On the other end of the experience spectrum, it was a first foray into trail running for Coceka (35) and Nceba (28). Coceka has been running for seven years and has done a 3:55 marathon, and she says running “gives me a special moment to talk to myself.” After two years of running, Nceba can look back on a marathon PB of 3:37 and openly admits to being addicted to running, “but it’s a healthy addiction that makes me feel strong. The thing I love best is that running has taught me that I can do things I never thought I could do!” They also expressed huge thanks for the RCS sponsorship: “I always wanted to participate in a big trail run, and RCS has made it possible for me,” says Nceba.

ENJOYING THE TRAILS
As regular contenders in both road and trail runs, it was no surprise to see Imran and Peter setting the pace on day one, and they led from start to finish in the 30km stage, completing it in two hours 45 minutes. With a healthy lead in the bag, they could take their foot off the pedal a bit on day two and conserve energy for the final day, so they took 2:50 for the next 30km – not that much slower, but running within themselves. They then led the entire 20km of stage three, coming home in 1:39 for an overall time of 7:14:15 for the 80km distance, and the 2017 SOX title.

“I was very happy with my second SOX stage race, because it was very well organised, from our travelling to our accommodation, and we did well, even though we got lost a bit along the way. We could have run faster, but since we were in the lead after the first day, we took it easy the other two days. We enjoyed the run so much because we had prepared and trained hard for the three days, and our sponsor, RCS, gave us everything so we could enjoy every moment,” says Peter.

A bit further back, Coceka and Nceba came home 14th team overall, and sixth in the mixed category, with a combined time of 10:21:38, having both thoroughly enjoyed their first trail experience, while Phumeza finished in 12:26:48. “I must say, it was a memorable experience,” says Nceba. “Running on three consecutive days of tough trails was not easy, and required good mental strength, but if given an opportunity, I’ll definitely run it again!” Echoing his thoughts, Coceka says, “Running SOX was an experience of a lifetime. I feel like a new person after going deep into those forests, crossing those rivers, and climbing those hills, and I am stronger than before. Thanks to RCS for giving me the opportunity to run this amazing event!”

We have so many athletes in South Africa hitting the roads and trails to raise money for or awareness of important, deserving causes, and we want to give them the publicity they deserve for their efforts.

Running for the Kids – By Zoe Papadakis

I am a KZN-based trail runner and when I tackled my first ultra-trail run in August, the 50km Umgeni River Run, I decided to run it to raise funds for Child Welfare Durban and District, so I put out a call for family, friends and members of the public to ‘sponsor a kilometre.’ It was such an incredible, liberating, amazing, tough and challenging adventure, and it was insanely exciting to place second in the race, but there were times that I wanted to just stop, cry and give-up… until I thought about the amazing support everyone had shown to my fundraising campaign, and that kept me going.

I want to share the reasons why I did this, in the hope that it might engage the public to support the initiative. I recently came on board with the organisation as a brand ambassador, and got to know more about what they do. The organisation manages over 4500 different cases involving children that have been at risk. They have several Child and Youth Care Centres that care for 260 children, and nine Community Family Homes, catering for 54 orphans (including siblings). These children have been through so much, and their stories are truly heartbreaking, yet they still manage to smile, to have hope, and to love.

These kids need love, and direction, and this is what Child Welfare is trying to provide. They rely on the public for funding, to provide so many different services to the community, and it is always a struggle to generate enough to do so, and to cloth, feed and care for these kids. This is why I thought it would be ideal to use my running as a fundraiser for them. I think of these children when I am tired, when I don’t want to go out and do a 35km training run, when my body hurts and I want to give up. Because they inspire me with their zest for life, with their strength… and in some way, I hope that my running will not only help with their funding needs, but will also inspire the kids not to give up on their dreams.

For more information, go to https://cwdd.org.za or contact them on [email protected] or 031 312 9313

A Bike for Every Child – By Craig Caldwell

I am a childhood cancer survivor of 30 years, having been diagnosed with osteosarcoma (bone cancer) at the age of 13 when growing up in Vanderbijlpark. That’s why I became involved with CHOC Childhood Cancer Foundation, and besides helping with Camp Quality, a camp for children with cancer, I take part in cancer walks, ran the Comrades Marathon, and ran from Joburg to Durban, all to raise funds for CHOC. I also created the comedy show Laughing Matters and roped in other comedians to back my cause.

Earlier this year my friend, radio presenter and fellow comedian Sean Stevens received a donation of 17 bicycles to give to a worthy cause, and we decided to look for a reliable place to donate them to. Through my fundraising work, I have had dealings with Louise Coxen, Director of Polokong Children’s Village in Sebokeng, which has five houses accommodating 50 kids permanently, and another 350 kids are fed daily through an outreach programme. So we set about asking on social media for more old bikes to be donated, as our intention was to give every permanent child a bicycle.

We knew it would be difficult, considering the current economic climate, but people like Christo and Michelle Viljoen of Bernies Joint in Koedoespoort, Pretoria took up the challenge. Christo and I have been mates from way back in the 80’s, and he said he would deliver 50 bikes. He and Michelle then hounded people for donations and bikes, and on 23 June, Christo, Michelle and the crew from Bernies as well as a group of car fanatics hit the road to Old Vaaltonians Sports Club for the handover.

In Total 76 bicycles were handed over, the majority being brand new – and we still had Sean’s 17 bikes to look forward to! (He was busy with work commitments at the time.) This meant we could give every child a bicycle, and allow them to keep their bike when they leave the home, and we are now in the position to give a new child that enters the home a bicycle as well! It was amazing to see how the crew and friends of Christo and Michelle opened their hearts and wallets and made many children’s dreams come true.

Some 23 years ago, Youssef Kanouni followed his running dreams from Morocco’s northern mountainous region to the foot of Cape Town’s Table Mountain. The quiet man with an iron resolve not only fell in love with the Rainbow Nation and decided to stay, but also found true love here. – BY PJ MOSES

Elana Meyer’s silver medal in the 10,000m final at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics had the whole of South Africa cheering, but it also inspired a young man watching in Casablanca, Morocco. “I came to South Africa as a 21-year-old in 1994 to further my running, because Elana’s medal-winning run in Barcelona inspired me and made me look at South Africa with different eyes,” says Youssef.

He arrived in Cape Town with an impressive running CV, having been part of a golden generation of emerging young Moroccan runners that saw him training alongside Hicham El Guerrouj, who would go on to win two Olympic gold medals and still holds the 1500m World Record. “We trained at the same camp and were from an identical background with a similar upbringing. He showed us what was possible with hard work,” says Youssef. “I was a good school athlete and competed at the Moroccan National Champs. I ran middle distance on track and also ran cross country, winning many races.” Another close running friend was Khalid Khannouchi, who later broke the Marathon World Record twice.

Running Activist
Raised in a devout Muslim family by parents he adored, Youssef was taught to always do his best in life, and as much good as he can. This philosophy still affects everything he does today: A family man and activist, he splits his time between his training and working on various projects in the poorer communities. He’s a police reservist, an activist for low-cost housing, and a charity runner for the Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF). He says he is a firm believer that sport can change the lives of young people and that they can be so much more than their circumstances allow them to be. “I want to teach them that if you can’t do it with a book, you can do it with your legs. The power of a nation comes from its youth, so if we look after the youth, we will have a stronger nation.”

On the road, Youssef boasts a marathon PB of 2:36, and he also took on the big ultras a few years after arriving in SA, with a best of 4:18:42 at the Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon in 1997 and a 7:56:03 at Comrades in 2001 amongst his early highlights. However, he lost the passion for the sport later in 2001 when his mother passed away, and it took him 10 years to rediscover that fire in his belly. That happened in 2011 when he saw some old friends training around Rondebosch Common, and all the old instincts kicked in again. “When I came back I was a little chubby, so I had to do a lot of training to get back to who I was.”

His comeback was greatly helped by finding love on the road with fellow runner Mushfiqah, and they were married six months after meeting at a race. Youssef says their shared active lifestyle has been a blessing for both of them. “She has been my rock, and I think I have been an inspiration to her. I helped to coach her to her first marathon finish, and it took her just two months to go from the half marathon to the full.”

On the Comeback
Having regained his fitness, Youssef posted a brilliant 4:01 in the 2012 Two Oceans, and 4:02 in 2013, just missing out on a coveted silver medal. In 2012, he also set a Comrades PB of 7:22:22, and more highlights were to follow. “One of my proudest moments came at the 2015 Western Province 100km Championships, where I finished in second place.” However, he does not just run for himself: Youssef recently joined the Western Province Pacesetters and loves helping others achieve their running goals. “I always speak to my passengers, because I want them to feel happy in my bus. They must know it is going to take hard work to achieve their goals, but that I will help them to do it – and I always let them cross the line in front of me, because it is not about me.”

Looking ahead, Youssef says his next big goal lies overseas. “I am going to run the Istanbul Marathon in November, but that is just a step toward my ultimate goal of winning the Palestine Marathon.” He also wants to get his Comrades permanent number, needing just two more finishes, but this has unfortunately been put on hold because the 2018 race date falls within the Muslim holy month of Ramadaan for the next few years. A plea by Muslim runners to move the race date has been unsuccessful, but he remains hopeful. “We hope that when the 2019 race comes along, the powers that be will have a heart and move the race to a date that will accommodate Muslim runners. For now, all I can do is train hard and be ready.”

While water can keep you hydrated on the long run, sports drinks give back the carbs, sodium and potassium lost in long-haul, high-intensity events. – BY CHRISTINE PETERS, REGISTERED DIETICIAN

When you exercise, you produce heat, which your body controls through sweating, but you can then steadily become dehydrated, especially if running in high heat or humidity. As little as 2% dehydration can affect your athletic performance, so athletes are told to drink regularly and top up on fluids. Now, if you are running for less than 60 minutes, water should be enough to stay hydrated and save kilojoules, but if running longer than 60 minutes, sports drinks are recommended.

Therefore, sports drinks are recommended for endurance athletes trying to reach peak performance, especially if sweating a lot, because they provide fluids to cool down your body and replace what you lost in sweat, carbohydrates for quick energy, and sodium and potassium, the chief minerals lost in sweat.

Of course, fluid needs vary from person to person, and according to the type of activity and the length of time that you are active, but as a general rule of thumb, runners should:
• Drink one to two cups of sport drink four hours or less before exercise.
• Keep fluids with you when you run and sip regularly to replace water lost through sweat, but let your thirst guide you.
• Post-run, eat your meals and snacks and drink as you feel you need to, but especially drink up to 1.5 cups (375 ml) of fluid if you have not produced any urine, or only a small amount of bright yellow urine.
• Water is always a good option post-run, but you can also drink milk or chocolate milk, 100% fruit juice or another sports drink.

What to Look For
1. Water: Make sure your sports drink is not carbonated, so it is easy to drink and doesn’t make you feel full.
2. Sodium: The white powder on your clothes or skin is the salt you lose in sweat, and this loss can lead to muscle cramps, so sports drinks should contain at least 300 to 700mg of sodium per litre. Athletes prone to cramping may require more.
3. Carbohydrate (sugar): Sugar keeps blood glucose from dropping and helps fuel active muscles and the brain, so 30 to 60 grams of carbohydrate per hour of activity can improve endurance, power output and delay fatigue. To prevent stomach problems, make sure your drink has no more than 80 grams of carbohydrate per litre, as that is generally the limit of what your body can easily absorb.
4. Flavour: Drinks with flavour are easier to swallow, especially when you’re tired.

Most importantly, experiment with a new sports drink in training first before using it in a race, as you don’t want to find out mid-race that something doesn’t work for you, or disagrees with your stomach!

About the Author
Christine is a registered dietician based in the Johannesburg area.