Category: Features

Each year when the school holidays start, the South African news services provide a daily update on the number of deaths on our roads. Most of these deaths are a result of tired or drunk drivers losing control of their vehicles, or speeding and reckless driving, as well as pedestrians run over by vehicles. The rest of the year, that daily counter does not feature in the news, and ‘only’ the particularly gruesome or unusual accidents make the headlines. Unfortunately, when a runner is killed by a car, it makes the news, and tragically, there have been too many such headlines of late. – BY SEAN FALCONER

In the past two months alone, three well-known runners were killed in hit-and-run incidents, once again shaking the running community to its core. On the 6th of June, 42-year-old Nezaam Isaacs of the Lion of Africa Itheko Running Club was killed in a hit-and-run in Claremont, Cape Town. He had weighed 110kg when he took up running a decade earlier to improve his health, and had inspired many with his incredible transformation into a veteran of 17 ultra-marathons. Due to the Muslim Fast of Ramadan, he had taken to training earlier than normal to allow himself time to have breakfast before sunrise. His GPS device showed that he had covered 2.2km in 14 minutes and 18 seconds when he was struck down.

Just four days later, blind runner Malose Richard Monisi (48) died in a hit-and-run accident in Johannesburg. He was walking to the shops, not out running, but his death at the hands of a driver nevertheless rocked the running world, given how famous he had become for his exploits at the Comrades Marathon and other big races, often completing races alone, using his white stick as guide, when running guides could not keep up with him. Just a week before his death, he had run a brilliant 8:38 in the 2017 Comrades, guided successfully by first time ‘pilot,’ Andrew Hall of Celtic Harriers in Cape Town. Richard was a veteran of 13 Comrades runs, and was a former recipient of the Spirit of Comrades Award for his incredible courage and attitude towards running the race.

As if that were not enough, on 4 July news broke that Midrand Striders Men’s Club Captain Leon Baker was struck by a taxi during his morning run in Johannesburg, in yet another hit-and-run incident. He was a talented runner, capable of regularly earning Comrades silver medals and posting sub-40-minute times for 10km, but was better known for the selfless way he would go out of his way to help fellow runners. He had also inspired many with the story of how he took up running in 2004 when his broker told him he would have to pay more for insurance due to being 30kg overweight.

Rising Death Toll
A quick online search for reports about runners killed on SA roads shows that these recent deaths were by no means isolated incidents. What remains one of the most shocking accidents occurred in October 2011 in Midrand, north of Johannesburg, when six runners training for the Soweto Marathon were mowed down by a drunk driver. Geo Tlale, Moroese Mokoatsi, Reneilwe Lesenyeho, Given Mills and Nomvula Dumako were all killed, while Khanyisa Stengile was seriously injured. The runners were members of the Vodacom Striders, Midrand Striders and Goldfields Athletics Clubs. The Midrand Striders still hold an annual memorial run to the site of the accident to commemorate their fallen comrades, which is also attended by Khanyisa, who only returned to running after a lengthy recovery period for both physical and emotional injuries.

In February 2013, 60-year-old Neil Robinson was literally cut in half by a speeding driver that lost control of his vehicle in Pietermaritzburg, and worse, it happened right in front of his partner, Lynn-Rae van den Berg, as they were out training for the upcoming Maritzburg Half Marathon. The driver had lost concentration and drifted into oncoming traffic, then over-corrected and ploughed into Neil on the shoulder of the road.

In another horrific accident in February 2016 in Wartburg, near to Pietermaritzburg, 27-year-old Sithabile Mkhasibe and her boyfriend Xolani Nxele were killed when they were struck by a drunk driver during a Friday evening jog. Both runners’ bodies were picked up and carried further by the car, but while Xolani’s lifeless body eventually slid off the bonnet, Sithabile’s body was pinned against the windscreen and the driver kept going, later dumping her body in a sugarcane field near Dalton. Tragically, she had recently given up a high-paying engineering job in the Eastern Cape to move closer to her family in KwaZulu-Natal. Even though the driver was identified and arrested, her body was only found four days after the accident, because he had been too drunk to remember where he left her!

Also in 2016, top Cape Town veteran Sheryl De Lange (47) of the FNB Multisport Club was killed on 9 September when hit by a car during an early morning training run in Durbanville. She was a top performer for more than 20 years, winning a number of Western Province titles in road running and cross country as well as representing the province at national championships on many occasions. She was actually due to run the South African Cross Country Champs in Middelburg the same week she was killed, having finished second in her age category at the SA 10km Champs earlier in the year.

Run Defensively!
What these tragic deaths show is that the roads in South Africa are not safe for runners, and it is imperative that athletes do their utmost to promote their own safety when out running. While nothing can guarantee your safety, there are some basic tips that may help keep you safer:
1. Always run facing oncoming traffic, so that you can see approaching vehicles.
2. Avoid running with music, or wear just one ear-piece and listen at low volume, so that you can hear approaching vehicles.
3. Wear bright colours, reflective gear or flashing lights when running in low-light conditions. In fact, wear all three!
4. Signal your intentions to change direction or cross a road, much like cyclists use hand signals to notify other road users of their intentions.
5. Try to avoid running on roads that do not have a pavement or shoulder area, which force you to run in the road.
6. When running around a blind corner or rise, assume that a car could be coming and rather be safe by taking the long way round. Better yet, avoid running on roads with these features.
7. Try to make eye contact with drivers, so you know they have seen you. If you don’t see eyes, assume the driver has not seen you.
8. When crossing a road, rather wait till you know it is safe, especially if you are coming up suddenly on cars whose drivers may not have seen you.
9. Watch for danger points, such as entrances to parking lots and entry or exit points to busy highways, where drivers often drive faster or take gaps.
10. Beware high-risk drivers who may be driving under the influence, or may be tired in the early hours of the morning or after a long work day.
11. Assume that every driver of every vehicle is a bad driver, has bad eyesight, is texting on their phone while driving, and has not seen you.
12. Lastly, be courteous on the roads – wave thank you to drivers who see you running and wait for you. That will make them more likely to be aware of other runners going forward.

My long journey to becoming a triathlete has been an awesome, life-changing experience that I can recommend to any person. You will never know until you try a triathlon! – BY MORNE HEYSTEK

My journey started in September 2013 when my family went on holiday to Port Edward with my friend Peter Clark and his family, and they asked me if I had a mountain bike to bring with. I replied that I did, but that it had been locked in my garage for three years and needed some cleaning from all the dust… meanwhile, I was thinking, “Who wants to exercise on holiday? They must be crazy.” That first 4km ride was brutal and I kept checking my pulse to make sure I was still alive, but two or three days later I went for a 10km ride and actually started enjoying this cycling thing. The bug had bitten, and when I came home I continued cycling. Rides became longer and easier as Peter introduced me to road cycling, and soon I was entering races.

TAKING THE PLUNGE
Both our kids were swimming open water events and Peter suggested that we join them. I thought, “You must be joking! Swimming? No thank you, not for me.” Then in August 2014 he did the Bela Bela 5150 on his birthday and I went along to support. I was immediately caught up in this thing called triathlon, and by the end of that day I said, “Next year this time I’m doing this.” So I entered a sprint distance event at Germiston and thought if I can cycle and run/walk, I can probably swim. Biggest mistake of my life! Fifty metres into that swim I was basically drowning, but I prayed, doggy-paddled, and kept myself going with the thought, “If I can get through this, I can cycle, and that’s what I love.” I duly walked the 5km run and finished my first triathlon.

Back to the drawing board: I had to learn how to swim and run, so it was swimming five days a week and running on the treadmill for 20 minutes three days a week. Then I entered numerous open water events and 5km and 10km running races, supported by Peter and our wives, and in August 2015 I was standing at Bela Bela, ready for my first 5150 event. I survived the swim, loved the bike and ran/walked the 10km. Nerves got the better of me that day and I battled the whole day with a tummy bug, but I finished – and I loved it.

So what next? Peter suggest the 70.3 Half Ironman distance. “No ways! I will never be able to run 21km. How do people even do that?” I answered… but after completing a number of sprint and 5150 events in 2015, I pushed up the training and entered my first 70.3 distance event in February 2016, as well as the 70.3 Ironman in Durban later in 2016. That’s when s**t got real! I did numerous 21km road races, and got a Watt Bike, and as both my running and swimming got stronger, so my biking was also getting stronger. Loads of early morning runs and bike rides as well as swimming became a daily thing, and I went on to complete both 70.3 events in 2016.

THE ULTIMATE CHALLENGE
And then the question became: “How is it even possible to do a full Ironman distance 3.8km swim, 180km bike and 42km run? No way I can do that!” But my training was on track – running had become bearable and I was hovering at a 6:30/km average, my swimming was good and my bike was strong – so in December 2016 I looked at the three big races on the 2017 calendar and entered the lot: 70.3 East London, Ironman Port Elizabeth, 70.3 Durban! I pushed my training up to 14 hours a week and eventually it was the ultimate challenge on 2 April. I finished in 14 hours 31 minutes, and the best feeling ever was running down the red carpet to cross the finish line and hearing “You are an Ironman!” I’ve got goose bumps just writing about it.

Of course, none of this would have been possible if I had to do it on my own. Firstly, I need to thank Peter for all the encouragement and pushing me beyond my boundaries, and secondly, people sometimes forget the huge role an ‘Ironman wife’ plays – there is no way I could have done all this if it was not for Jacqui putting up with me during the months of training. That said, becoming a triathlete has brought huge bonuses: I have lost 32kg and five pants sizes, and where three years ago my cholesterol level was 6.3, now it is 3.1. I feel great, and long gone are the days where I was out of breath pushing a trolley in Pick n Pay. I always tell people you either love tri or you hate it, but you will never know if you don’t tri, so get off that couch!

“What makes your heart sing?” That is a line I read in a book, and it made me ask myself many questions. Have you ever wanted to do something completely out of your comfort zone? Ever had the urge to try something new? Have you ever been motivated by someone else doing something spectacular? And have you then done any of those things? Over the last few years I answered yes to all of those questions. – BY CARLA FARINA

We grow up in an environment where we are constantly told who we should be and what we should do. We are very often placed into boxes and the second we deviate from those boxes, we are seen as breaking the rules. I am a tennis player. I am a tennis coach. I am fast, agile, light on my feet, and good at ball sports. Growing up I was told to stick to ball sports, not to do endurance anything. “You are not built for long distance,” they said. Meanwhile, I was in the first teams and got colours for all my respective ball sports, and to this day I’m a high-performance tennis player and coach competing at a relatively high level. These sports always came naturally to me. The training was easy and I enjoyed it.

I was 25 years old when I decided I was going to do my first Half Ironman. It was something that I’d had in the back of my head for years, but it took me another year before I bit the bullet and entered. I was signed up for the Durban 70.3, and suddenly the reality hit: I had no idea whatsoever about Ironman or the training involved. It was something so completely different to anything I had done before.

Suddenly I found myself waking up at 4:30am to be in the pool by 5am, and doing hours of riding in the Cradle, and learning to run long distances. Although it was an incredible challenge, I was really enjoying the process – I was completely out of my comfort zone and found myself challenged in ways I never thought possible, but it was a challenge. And oh how I do love challenges.

Plans Derailed
All of a sudden I was a week away from my first ever Half Ironman, and then disaster – I was put on crutches for a dislocated knee! The doctors said I was not going to be able to race. They even told me, yet again, to stop endurance sport… but I would have none of it. I went down to Durban anyway to support my best friend, who was also doing the race, and at registration I politely asked whether I could maybe just do the swim. (I am, as I have been told, completely bonkers, after all). I was told a firm no, and at race briefing I was even given a special mention: “Please note, the girl on crutches may not do the swim!”

With hindsight, I am quite glad I didn’t do that swim, because it looked horrifying. Instead, I had a wonderful holiday in Durban with friends, and the second entries opened for the following year’s Durban 70.3, I sent in my entry. Training commenced and this time around I focused far more on strengthening my legs and being injury-free. I was going to do the 70.3 come hell or high water! I also picked up a speed trainer to ensure my tennis didn’t go out the window…

A few months down the line I entered the 94.7 Cycle Tour as a training race, and again, disaster: 30km into the race I fell off my bike and broke my scaphoid in my wrist! What did I do? Obviously, I got back on my bike, carried on and finished the race, then did a 1km swim event, and only after that I was put into plaster for 12 weeks… which did neither my training nor my bonkers, adventurous personality any good. I just carried on with what I could, including some running in the Eastern Cape and loads of spinning classes. Then in June 2016 I did it, I completed my first Half Iron. I was so proud of what I had overcome, and what it had taken to get there… but now it was done… and I needed a new, exciting challenge.

In the Deep End
Trail running. I wanted to do trail running. So what did I do? No, I didn’t enter a little starter 10km, I entered the Three Cranes Challenge in February this year, a three-day stage trail run with the daily distances of 28km, 41km and 22km! And why did I enter that? Because I needed accommodation for a wedding in that area on the middle day of the race! Crazy, I know, but that was the weekend I got bitten by the trail running bug.

The weekend was amazing. On the Saturday I did 63,000 steps as I completed 41km, then went to a wedding, had two hours of sleep, and ran the next day. Added to that, the final day was cold, wet and miserable, and my knee was in excruciating pain, but was I going to quit? No! Was I going to bail on the last day? Absolutely not. I just walked day three. I was slow, I was sore, I was grumpy, and I looked as though I had run the entire way on my face, but I finished. And I recovered.

The point is that had I listened to everyone telling me what I couldn’t do, I would never had experienced these things. I would never have learnt what it’s like to cross the finish line of an Ironman, I would never have known how much I love trail running, and I would never have known what I was really capable of. The point is that if you want something in this world, it’s up to you to go and get it. No-one can stop you, just as no-one can do it for you. You have to make it happen, and while you’re doing it, you may as well “go big or go home.”

Life Lesson Learnt
I am still looking forward to many more exciting adventures out there, and making friends along the way. I often sit back and think of what I would have missed out on had I not followed my heart and done all of these exciting things. Sure, it comes with ups and downs, and the road is never smooth, but you have to trust that the highs will outweigh the lows.

I’ve had my fair share of highs and lows over the past two years: I was on crutches three times, I had a broken arm, I had fallings out with friends, I had family troubles, I faced huge obstacles at work and I had financial instability, but on the other hand I had adventure, I learnt new skills, I learnt about myself, I learnt to appreciate those who love and support me unconditionally, and I learnt that you can do anything if you put your whole heart into it.

So what makes my heart sing? Tennis is my first love, but I am so much more than that. I love adventure, challenges, being active and pushing my boundaries, and I will continue to do these things, whether people think I can or not, because at the end of the day we have to find the things we love and we have to do them. So who knows what else lies out there for me. Maybe I’ll see you all at the Dusi…

Get FREE BINS for Your Race with Modern Athlete’s #runclean campaign, brought to you by Garbie.

As part of the #runclean campaign to promote no littering, we are providing FREE fold-up cardboard bins and plastic bin liners to registered #runclean events, in conjunction with Garbie Bins from East Rand Plastics.

Any running or walking event held in South Africa can apply and the requirements for event organizers are quite simple:

1. Register your event online and tell us how many bins you will need for your event.
To register, look for the quick and simple sign-up form via the link on www.facebook.com/runclean, or go to https://modernathlete.co.za/bf.php?fid=287. We suggest you do this well in advance, so that your request can be processed in time and the bins delivered, and you will need lead time to follow through on step 2.

2. Put the #runclean and Garbie logos on your entry form, and race/club website.
Your event should be proud to be called a #runclean event, as you will be contributing to cleaning up both our sport and the environment, and Garbie should be listed as a sponsor of your event, given that the bins are sponsored and delivered FREE of charge to your event. As part of the sign-up process, we will require to send us an example of your entry form and the address of your website.

3. Commit to anti-litter measures at your event.
Actively promote a no littering attitude to your entrants across all platforms, during registration, at the start, on the route and at prize-giving. Get your race announcer to talk about running clean, put up anti-litter posters, incentivise athletes to bring their plastic back to the finish by offering a prize for the best anti-litter effort, or offer a prize for the best race day selfie posted online showing anti-litter efforts. Only by highlighting it will we begin to solve the littering problem.

Once your event is registered and has met steps one and two, Garbie will arrange the delivery of the bins, liners and bags, all free of charge, to the address you have specified in your registration form. Modern Athlete will then also promote your event through our various platforms – magazine, website, newsletters, social media, etc.

Please note that as from the 1st of August 2017, only events that display the Garbie logo on their entry forms and website will qualify for FREE bins.

THINK BEFORE YOU THROW – #runclean
Modern Athlete’s #runclean campaign calls on all runners to stop littering during races. This problem – runners dropping used water sachets or cups in the road – has become one of the most prominent talking points in South African running circles, and while many runners have already stopped littering, some continue to just toss their used sachets on the road, even when dustbins are provided along the route!

Here’s how all athletes can #runclean:
• Throw all water sachets or cups in a rubbish bin, or carry them until you find a bin.
• Wear running kit with a pocket for used sachets, or make a pocket with your licence number.
• Carry your own water in a hydration pack or belt, so you don’t need to use sachets.

Share your #runclean efforts or experiences at www.facebook.com/runclean or mail to [email protected].

When Mark Joubert was dared to run the 2017 Comrades Marathon by his closest mates, they didn’t think he would do it, but he proved them very wrong. Of course, it helped greatly that he stood to win R100,000 if he finished! – BY SEAN FALCONER

It all started during a somewhat drunken bachelor’s party late in 2016. Mark Joubert was one of the groomsmen at a mate’s wedding, and during the bachelor’s, talk somehow turned to the Comrades Marathon. (As happens at all good bachelor’s parties!) Boys will be boys, and the banter became a bit competitive as they dared each other to run the Ultimate Human Race, given that many of them were admittedly a bit overweight at the time, but when it came to Mark, the whole group were in unanimous consensus that he would never run it. In fact, they were so sure that they decided to bet him that he wouldn’t do it.

“A few of the guys had run the Comrades before, and I commented that anyone can do it if they put their minds to it, so they immediately dared me to run it – and next thing it’s six guys betting me that I’ll never do it, since I weighed 110 kilograms. They even gave me 10-to-1 odds, which meant that if I finished the race, I would get R100,000 from the six of them, so I took the bet!”

Built for Comfort…
That saw Mark start training in January, running just one kilometre a day at first – 500m of running and 500m of walking – which he then gradually increased to 2km, then 3km. He admits that running had never been his thing, but he still managed to enjoy the training… some of the time. “My sporting background is in rugby, cricket and squash. I was never a good 100-metre athlete because of my weight, and I never did long distance running either. In my high school rugby days, I played flank up to standard eight, and then became a prop!” says Mark.

“So this running thing was never going to be easy for me, but it turned out to be a lot of fun doing it with the guys. We were a few heavyweights starting this journey, so we got ourselves a sponsorship from KIA East Rand and started calling ourselves the Run Fatboy Run Club. There were three Comrades novices in the group that founded the club, but in the end the guys who had already run Comrades all joined the club because it was a ‘funner’ group to be part of. We didn’t have enough time to form an official running club, but at the end of the day it was a whole bunch of fat guys having fun. That said, I started at 110kg and now weigh 100kg, so I didn’t lose as much weight as I’d wanted to… probably because for every 42 kays I ran, I drank at least 42 kays worth of beer!”

Tough Love Support
On the day, he managed to run fairly consistently through the day, with his average pace staying between 7:30 and 8:30 per kay. He reached the halfway timing mark at Drummond (42.7km) in 5:34:07, and he eventually came home in 11:40:17, crossing the line looking a very tired man before brightening up for the finish line photographers as he realised he’d done it. “I have to admit, it was hard, a real hack for me,” he says. “It was lekker, a real jol, until the top of Inchanga, but then the heat and loneliness at Harrison flats just killed me. After that I just had to try keep going.”

Of course, it helped that Mark had wife Elaine on the route seconding him, and she says she had to use some strong words to keep him going. “At 60km at Camperdown he said, ‘Lovey, I can’t do this,’ and I said you know what, you started this and you will finish it. Here’s your protein shake and here’s your energiser, now run and I’ll see you at the end,” says Elaine. “As a supporter it’s quite hectic, because you’re looking at the app and trying to follow everyone, while trying to drive and navigate, find parking and see them on the road, but it was so much fun. And when he came in to the finish, I was there, screaming ‘Run, Fatboy, run!’ and crying like a baby. It was very emotional… but I’m still laughing about having to help him put his pants on the day after the race!”

“The whole Comrades journey was quite intense, but I’m so proud of him for actually doing it, as I never thought he would. When he came home and said the boys had bet him R100,000 that he wouldn’t run the Comrades, I laughed at him and said it was a stupid bet, but that if he could pull through, then I’d be there with him 100% of the way. I must be honest, I was hard on him all the way. I toughened him up by not actually comforting him when he was sore – I said ‘Butter up, Sunshine, you’re in this for the long run,’ even towards the end of training, when he was like an emotional wreck. He was worse than a chick! But he committed to it and he did it, and I am very, very proud of him.

Another Year, Another Bet
Unsurprisingly, the very day after Comrades 2017 saw Mark already talking about returning for a second run in 2018. “Would I do it again? No problem! I’m definitely doing the Down Run next year. I want my Back2Back medal, and I’m a very good downhill runner thanks to gravity… I might even do a silver!” he jokes. Even more unsurprisingly, the boys have already started joking about raising the odds in 2018 and making another bet with Mark that he can’t break 10 hours. “Ha, ha, the guys are getting tempted, hey. They seem quite confident about this one, but then again, they were confident when they made the first bet!” At this, Elaine just rolls her eyes and says, “Oh my gosh, to go through all of that again!”

Having been unable to complete the 2016 Comrades when aiming for her 30th (and final) medal, 1991 women’s winner Tilda Tearle returned in 2017 for another go at earning her Triple Green before hanging up her Comrades shoes for good. In her typically honest and irreverent way, here is her story.

In 2016 I failed to finish my 30th Comrades as I had been injured and couldn’t train properly. However, I “kept the faith” that I would do it in 2017, because I had made a promise to myself that after I completed 30, I would take Comrades ‘pension’… but then 2017 did not start well. I tore a calf muscle which reduced me to a swimmer and walker for six weeks. Life is not always a bed of roses!

After six weeks I was able to run again and decided to try compression socks. These helped, as I felt I was being “kept together,” but I had not qualified for Comrades during 2016 and had to get my act together. So I entered the Pietermaritzburg 42km on just a few weeks’ training and one 21km run. Phew, I qualified in 4:56 – hurdle number one had been overcome and my calf remained intact.

All in all my training went well. I decided that this year I would not run so many races, but would do a lot of back-to-back training runs, and I also decided to stay off the route and rather use the Chatsworth 52km as my long run. I stayed away from trail runs, and was extra careful while running in the dark, so no further injuries, and as Comrades got closer, I never lost faith in myself. I know I am now quite slow, but I perform like an old truck and can just keep going once I’m warmed up!

Friendly Support
Meanwhile, Stephan Bruwer (aka Fanie), who I have run with for many years, was not as fit as he should have been and was thinking about withdrawing from Comrades. I suggested he run with me and forced him into a few longer training runs. On Comrades morning we met outside the Hilton, and I gave his daughter some GU’s, Rennies and sparkling water, as she would be seeing us at various spots. Fanie and I then walked up to the start and fought our way into a spot amongst the E batch runners.

It was the normal pandemonium at the start… runners jumping the fence, some unmentionable smells, a bit of pushing and shoving. Eventually the Comrades cock crowed, the gun went, and it took us four minutes to cross the start line. We got going with a few leaps over discarded tops and bottles, and potholes in the road. During the early stages of our run we saw the lady being pushed in the adult pram, the lady doing her thing in a racing wheelchair, the “backwards man,” the blind man, and the barefoot man from Celtic Harriers. When we got to the bottom of Field’s Hill we met Fanie’s family and I collected a GU. This was unfortunately the last time I would see them.

Up Field’s Hill I felt like James Brown and started pulling ahead of Fanie and Robbie Richey (who by now had hunted me down, because he has used me as a pacer since 2013!). We still went through Kloof together, but by the start of Hillcrest I had dropped the boys. I only found out later that Fanie encountered problems at Botha’s and had to withdraw… His pulse rate shot up so high he thought he was having a heart attack!

My plan had been to get through halfway around 5:20, so I could walk a lot in the second half. I was a bit off, but still had lots of time for walking. I encountered lots of runners who wanted to chat and wish me well, and I saw everyone I had planned to see along the route, so my day was turning out happy. Meanwhile, Robbie had caught up again and made sure he stayed near me. At one stage I even held his hand to keep him going.

Digging Deep
During Comrades you have to learn not to panic. I had now lost my GU’s, as Fanie’s daughter was nowhere to be seen, but I knew that at Camperdown I had a GU at the Savages table. That thought kept me going, but it was good to see that table! Camperdown is normally the point where you have to start digging deep, and the race is often won or lost in this area. I was still fine, and lucky for me I was carrying my own Rennies, which I have learnt to take for nausea.

At about three in the afternoon fellow Durban runner Gina Hinchcliffe of Stella was suddenly running next to me. Her husband was struggling and told her to push on, and so we stuck together for the rest of the race. She gave me a helping hand down the hills, and we remained in a positive frame of mind as we walked the whole of small Pollies and then the whole of big Pollies. At the top of Pollies, I said to myself, “Goodbye Pollie, I have kissed your arse goodbye… finally!” We were then confronted with the nasty new finish – 7.2km of rollercoaster, but we kept moving. A friend riding a bike reported that Gina’s hubby had been spotted at Pollies. We hoped he would pull finger and finish in time. The same guy then told me it looked like I needed a good meal.

Gina informed me that she had a friend about 2km from the finish waiting with wine. “Yay,” I said, hoping she would share. When we got to the friend, Gina had her sip of white wine and I had 2 big glugs. Tasted so good! Revived and with a grin, off we went. Meanwhile, Body Guard Clive (my husband) and I had arranged that if he could get close enough, he would hand me a banner which I could run in with. I spotted him, collected my banner and Gina and I ran in carrying it for an 11:43:50 finish. My ‘triplets’ had finally been born, and I was such a happy girl. To add to the pleasure, Bruce Fordyce and Alan Robb handed me my Triple Green.

All done… kind of
After the race we went to see my mother, who lives in Pietermaritzburg. She had bought me a teddy bear wearing a hat, and she said this was because she took her hat off to me. She then told me to put my hand on her Bible and swear that I wouldn’t do Comrades again! I said 30 Comrades is really enough for me… but if I am in one piece, I would like to run in 2020 (as a 60-year-old) and in 2025 when it is the 100th running of Comrades. If I am still able to qualify in 2025, I will be at the start. After 32 Comrades’ starts and 30 finishes all I can say is that Comrades is not for sissies. It is ******* hard, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise, but is it absolutely worth it!

Nicky van der Westhuizen’s extraordinary journey to the 2017 Paris Marathon, via the Modern Athlete 9to5 Programme, is an inspiring story that defies medical and biomechanical logic. – BY JEANNIE JORDAAN, 9to5 COACH

I clearly remember the day that Nicky walked into the gym, on 23 May 2015, her birthday. One of her friends had dragged her to my 9to5 Challenge that morning, determined that the best thing to do on one’s birthday is go for a run with a new running group. Nicky confidently introduced herself and took me through a bit of her history with running, and I remember thinking, this girl is going to fly, never mind run. Needless to say, Nicky has proven me right time and time again. She doesn’t do anything in half measures, and doesn’t know the meaning of “stop.” Our running journey together (and our steadfast friendship) began that day, and I can say with both the pride of a coach and of a friend that I am grateful to be able to tell the inspiring story that got her to Paris.

THE JOURNEY STARTS
In November 2015 Nicky decided to compile a list of 40 things she’d like to do in the six months before she turned 40, hence the title of her blog, 40beforeforty. Then at Nicky’s 40th birthday party in May 2016 she received an entry for the 2017 Paris Marathon from her brother, Craig. There was another half marathon on the 40beforeforty list, not a full marathon… but what do you say when you get handed an opportunity to fulfil a dream and run a marathon in one of the most beautiful cities in the world? In Nicky’s words, you say “Wow, wow, wow! I couldn’t think of a more amazing gift.” And so began the training, and the blogging, and her journey to the start line on the Champs Elysees.

However, there is a significant bit of history that is relevant to this story. Nicky was unfortunately born with a club foot: Her left foot was turned inwards and upwards, with her toes virtually touching her shin! Her parents were worried she would not be able to walk, let alone run, and 40 years ago a club foot required fairly extensive surgery, often without much success. That meant her lower left leg was in a cast for much of the first year of her life, with the cast being redone every six weeks to try to straighten the bones as much as possible before three sets of surgeries commenced, the last when she was five years old.

Today Nicky has virtually no mobility in her left ankle and her “little foot,” as her family affectionately calls it, is three sizes smaller and overpronates substantially. This means she has to buy two pairs of shoes every time she needs a new pair, but more importantly, since ankle mobility is essential for the biomechanics of running, running is extremely difficult for her. As she explains, “I didn’t grow up running – in fact, I hated it. I was a tennis player through school and varsity, but after I was unceremoniously thrust into running a half marathon in Knysna in 2007, my road to running started, and thereafter I entered a few races, went to time trials and included a run or three in my week.”

Nicky completed a few more half marathons after that first one in 2007, and then in 2011 she decided to prove to herself that she could complete a marathon, in spite of her foot. She duly ran the Watervalboven 3-in1 Marathon, crossing the finish line in five and half hours, and through tears of joy, said to her watching parents, “I bet when I was born, you didn’t think I’d ever run a marathon!”

OVERCOMING CHALLENGES
Fast forward to May 2016 and we set out to get Nicky ready for Paris in April 2017. “It didn’t take too long for reality to hit, and while running the Paris Marathon sounded super glamorous, I soon realised it would involve months and months of training, hard work, commitment… all that stuff that sounds so noble, but is often hard to follow through with,” says Nicky. “I am not a fast runner, and so the six-hour cut-off time for the marathon was always going to be a challenge, but I was determined, and I would try contextualise my long training runs to see how they would translate into my ultimate marathon time. In other words, would I make it? My training under the guidance of Jeannie and Craig showed that I should (hopefully) make it in under six hours, but it was by no means a sure thing.”

Given her challenging biomechanics, Nicky often picks up injuries from long distance running, and that included a calf injury last September. Although not nearly ready to do a run over 21km after her injury, Nicky travelled to Nelspruit in November and surprised me on the start line of the Kaapsehoop Marathon. With a mixture of joy to see my friend and dread at the thought of what Nicky was about to put herself through, I knew there was nothing I could say to change her mind about running that morning. She assured me that she knew she was not fully fit yet, but still wanted to go as far as she could, which turned out to be 34km. My jaw dropped when I heard later what she had done.

Nicky just kept her sights on Paris and mentally pictured crossing the finish line on Avenue Foch. “That image kept me going many a time, especially on those early Saturday and Sunday mornings when I had to get up at 3:45am – or as my friend and training partner Amanda calls it, stupid o’clock – to be in time for a race at 6am in Pretoria or the South of Joburg,” says Nicky. And all too soon, she found herself in Paris with ‘bestie’ Amanda, lining up to register for the race at the Salon du Running Fair on the Friday before race day.

THE BIG DAY
As Sunday 9 April dawned, the girls made their way to the top of the Champs Elysees, and Nicky says she vividly remembers every step once the race started: “We began moving slowly forward en masse, with music playing, adrenaline pumping, and of course, some tears of emotion seeping out. But that was when my smiling started!” She took in the sights and soaked up the atmosphere, just as she had dreamed of doing so many times, and at 29km, when passing the Eiffel Tower, she thought, “Wow, who has that as a marker in their Sunday run?”

“The last 10km were really tough, but I just carried on… still smiling, still plodding, still making sure there was no walking when I could hear the various bands, and eventually, after 41.5km, I was on the Avenue Foch. The crowds were lining the road, banging on the advertising boards and cheering madly, ‘Allez, Allez,’ and I finished with tears of joy in my eyes, trying to take in as much as possible of the experience – which is why there is not one photo of me at the finish where I am looking in front of me! I did it, 42.195km in 5:49… and it was the most beautiful marathon I could ever have dreamt of, the culmination of a year of planning, training, saving, treating injuries, running races at stupid o’clock, crying, laughing… but knowing that Paris is ALWAYS a good idea!”

I am a lazy person by nature. I once did a personality test and it revealed that my motto should be “Why stand when you can sit, and why sit when you can rather lie down?” And yet I became a runner… – BY LISA MICHELLI MACKENZIE

While at a family braai in 1989, we watched 80-year-old Wally Hayward finish the Comrades Marathon. There was hardly a dry eye as he staggered across the finish line in 10:58:03, making the final cut-off time by a mere 1 minute and 57 seconds to become the oldest finisher in the history of the Comrades. My dad, Giuliano Michelli, watched this and announced that if an 80-year-old can finish this race, then he could walk it, too!

Of course, my mother Gail took him up on his challenge and made a bet with him that if he did not manage to complete the run the following year, he would have to pay for her to visit her sister in Canada. So my dad started to run that year and completed his first Comrades in 1990, coming home in 10:56:07. Since then he has run the race 20 times, finishing it 18 times, and fittingly, the late Wally presented him with his permanent Green Number after his tenth finish in 2000. And that’s how running was introduced into our family…

From Zero to Hero
I was never interested in running myself. I thought that I ‘waddled’ and could not run, and I have never been any good at sports, so the thought never once crossed my mind that I would ever want to take up running. I was always in awe of other runners, especially at the finish line of the Comrades, but I thought that it was something that I could never do, and quite frankly, I was not interested to even try.

The years passed, I turned 40 in 2012, and it felt like I was going through a mid-life crises. I was feeling miserable and felt like I had nothing to live for – that’s how bad it was! – so I went to see a psychologist and my doctor put me on anti-depression pills. Then my dad called me up one Sunday morning and announced that he was going to enter me to run the Comrades Marathon the following year, so best I start running!

On the 6th of November, my dad met me at my house and we went for a short run/walk. I remember not being able to run 100 metres without needing to walk… I absolutely hated running for the first few months. I was always out of breath, everything ached, and it was no fun at all. I was told that running is like a drug to the body and that we get all these “feel-good endorphins,” but I was not experiencing any of that. This felt like sheer torture! But I persevered, and after three months I was going to run my first half marathon. I have never been so scared before, but my dad ran with me and was so patient, telling me when to walk, and to drink, and breathe. I finished it and the feeling was out of this world! Now I finally understood about all those endorphins.

The Lure of Comrades
A few months later, I ran my first marathon, so slowly that the timing mat had already been packed away when I got to the end, and the next day I was so stiff, but words cannot describe the sense of achievement that I felt. I was now a runner! That year I did not manage to qualify to run Comrades, as I was still unable to run a marathon under five hours, but in November 2013 I ran the Kaapsehoop Marathon and eventually qualified in 4:36. I was now able to attempt the Comrades in 2014, but training for it is no easy feat: You have to be consistent in your training, and 100% dedicated to achieving this huge goal. It’s also a mental game, and I had to train my brain to believe that finishing it was indeed possible.

In the six months from January 2014 leading up to my first Comrades, I ran six marathons and two ultra-marathons, and felt that I had put in the mileage to be ready. Even though I was still petrified, I ran the Down Run in 11:18, so I decided to do the 2015 Up Run and get my Back-to-Back medal. I finished that one in 11:38, and then decided that I want to get my permanent number, so I ran the 2016 Comrades in 11:24. Unfortunately, I was cut-off at Umlaas Road in this year’s Comrades, having been nauseous for much of the first half due to the heat, but this experience has motivated me to come back next year even better and stronger, and amped to run my best Comrades ever. Because what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger!

In winter it’s important for athletes to eat healthily and keep warm while beating winter weight-gain! Just one bowl of these wholesome soups a day can give you energy and help you stick to your weight. – BY CHRISTINE PETERS, REGISTERED DIETICIAN

Pea and Ham Soup
Peas are good for your heart because of their high soluble fibre content that reduces LDL cholesterol levels. They also help to lower blood sugar levels and blood pressure!
(35 minutes to make, serves four.)

Ingredients:
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 stalks celery, finely chopped
• 2 carrots, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 500g frozen peas
• 3 cups reduced-salt chicken stock
• 250g lean ham, chopped
• 1/3 cup light sour cream/buttermilk/plain fat-free yoghurt

Step 1: Spray a large saucepan with oil and place over medium heat. Add onion, celery and carrot and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add garlic and peas and cook for a further 3–4 minutes.
Step 2: Add stock and 3 cups water and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes, until vegetables are tender. Remove from heat. Blend well using a stick blender.
Step 3: Return soup to low heat. Add ham and stir until warmed through. Ladle soup into bowls, swirl with sour cream, buttermilk or yoghurt and serve.

Cauliflower Soup
This filling, low-calorie, high-fibre veggie is one of the most powerful healing and cancer-protective foods. It contains high amounts of vitamin C and other nutrients like folate, plus cancer-fighting compounds called phytonutrients.
(45 minutes to make, serves 6.)

Ingredients:
• 700g cauliflower, coarsely chopped
• 1 small leek (white part only), sliced
• 1 medium potato, peeled, cut into chunks
• 3½ cups reduced-salt vegetable or chicken stock
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• ½ cup light cream/buttermilk/fat-free yoghurt for cooking
• pinch paprika
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

Step 1: Place cauliflower, leek, potato, stock and garlic into a large saucepan and bring to the boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes, until potato is tender. Cool slightly.
Step 2: Blend mixture using a stick blender, or in two batches in a food processor. Season with freshly ground black pepper and stir through cooking cream. Sprinkle with paprika and chopped parsley before serving.

Spiced Carrot and Lentil Soup
Carrots are high in B-carotene and fibre, which help protect against certain cancers and high cholesterol.
(40 minutes to make, serves 4.)

Ingredients:
• 3 cups reduced-salt veggie stock
• 2 onions, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 teaspoons caraway seeds
• 1kg carrots, peeled, chopped
• 2 stalks celery, finely chopped
• ½ cup red lentils
• 4 tablespoons toasted almonds, roughly chopped
• fresh coriander, to serve
• 4 pieces pita bread, to serve

Step 1: Add ¼ cup stock to a large saucepan. Cook onions and garlic until softened.
Step 2: Add caraway seeds, carrots and celery and a little more stock, if needed. Cook 8-10 minutes.
Step 3: Add remaining stock, lentils and 2 cups water. Bring to the boil and simmer 10 minutes.
Step 4: Purée soup in blender until smooth, but slightly chunky. Divide soup between bowls. Top with almonds and coriander. Serve with pita bread.

Thanks to his expert reporting and incredible ‘hands-on’ coverage of events via radio, social media posts and videos, and through his incredible photography, Jeff Ayliffe has built a huge reputation in sports journalism in South Africa, and one of his favourite events to cover is the Absa Cape Epic. – BY ROXANNE MARTIN

Through the years, Jeff has worked on some of the biggest sporting events South Africa has to offer, and you will be hard-pressed to find an adventure-based or endurance sport that Jeff hasn’t reported on. Amongst his favourite events to work on he includes sailing’s Volvo Ocean Race, mountain biking’s Absa Cape Epic, as well as trail running’s Otter Trail Run, and he says these events have provided some of the best moments of his career. “During the 2015 Otter Trail, I was running alone with Swiss runner Marc Lauenstein, filming his record-breaking run, and it was such an honour to be there alone – to watch and feel this legend at work, that moment is one of my career highlights,” says Jeff.

A natural thrill-seeker – Jeff has made close to 3000 skydives, competed internationally for South Africa in the sport, and also ran a skydiving school – he is often rewarded on assignments with thrilling moments that make him thankful for the opportunity to do what he does. “Covering the Volvo, I have raced with some of the top sailing teams in the Pro-Am, and I get to set up on the mast or on the rigging in 30 knot winds, reporting on the race. It’s a thrill every time,” he says, adding that a visit to the Kyalami Race Track produced a moment that he will never forget. “Sitting in the passenger seat of a BMW touring car with Williams Formula One driver Thierry Boutsen at the wheel, it was raining and we went through a mineshaft corner at 170 kilometres per hour. That was a definite career highlight!”

EPIC LOVE AFFAIR
Jeff has worked on the Absa Cape Epic for seven of the 14 years that it has taken place, and he has gained a deep understanding of the race, allowing him to get to know the riders and bring many great stories to light. “My secret is that I live like the riders, including sleeping in the tented village,” explains Jeff, even though he says that always being on site means he is invariably always working. “I really don’t mind that, though, because I don’t view the Epic as a job, I’m always finding something to do, someone to interview.”

For example, former Springbok rugby player Joel Stransky crashed out of this year’s race, suffering serious facial injuries in the fall, but a few days later was back to support his team mate and the other riders still in the race. Jeff immediately pinned the World Cup winner down for a video interview that went viral on social media.

Thanks to being so close to the riders, Jeff says he thinks they feel comfortable talking to him, even when they’ve had their worst day or terrible luck on the trails, because he has taken the time to develop a relationship with them, even becoming friends with many of the riders. “What’s always interested me about sport, and the coverage of it, is not the technical aspects of the sport, but rather the human element, what makes these riders tick as humans,” says Jeff. “I have seen the best and the worst of many of the riders on the Epic, and that’s what gets me excited as a journalist.”

DEMANDING SCHEDULE
This year’s race saw Jeff mostly working on the live streaming and coverage of the event, alongside anchor commentator Gerald de Kock and former professional rider Neil Gardiner. While Gerald did commentary from the race village and Neil was doing live coverage from the race helicopter, Jeff did radio updates from spectator points and refreshment points along the route, and at the finish, plus video shoots for Absa, video work with Spur-Specialized’s Ariane Luthi, edited daily videos of his own footage for his own Facebook page.

“Each year the Epic is an eight-day blur of amazing athletes, moments, friends, sights, sounds and experiences that leave me equally exhausted and exhilarated, but it’s such a privilege to be a part of this beautiful race,” says Jeff. He also says working under such pressure taught him a valuable lesson this year: “I discovered that it’s always worthwhile double-checking your hashtags when you post an image on social media, because sometimes auto-correct has other words in mind. I posted an image in a rush the one day, and added #lovemyjob, but auto-correct decided that I meant to say #lovemaking. Thank heavens it was on my personal page and not the official Absa Cape Epic page. I was very #embarrassed!”

PASSION AND PERSEVERANCE
What sets Jeff apart from other journalists is his passion for the sports he covers and an attitude that there is no limit to how far he will go to get the best shot, or an interview, and it’s why so many of the biggest races in the country choose to use him as part of their media teams. Those are the same characteristics that first opened doors for him and brought him success in the media world. Jeff grew up in Durban and says he always had a keen interest in radio. “I used to listen to Capital Radio 604, which in the 80’s was the only independent radio station, and their whole style of broadcasting appealed to me.”

He initially tried breaking into the radio industry by doing a brief stint at ‘Main Control’ at SABC Durban, but that didn’t lead to anything concrete. Then his break arrived when he was a member of the SA Skydiving team that was getting ready to depart for Brazil for the World Championships: Capital called to ask if one of the team members would be able to do a daily 45-second voice update on the event, and Jeff jumped at the chance. Those short but sweet radio crossings made him decide that radio was definitely the best career path for him, and to be the best he had to learn from the best, so in 1989 he approached Capital for a job. “There were no openings, but they offered to teach me on weekends for no pay, if I was serious about learning. I grabbed the opportunity with both hands, spending every weekend in studio, and I learnt that being a good broadcaster comes from the heart, from the passion you have for what you are covering. It wasn’t about money or reward.”

RIGHT PLACE, RIGHT TIME
When a spot eventually opened at the station, Jeff was first choice, because he was already part of the team. “I had done the hard work and proven my passion, so I was in,” says Jeff. That was also when he began working for Dave Mcleod, who became the mentor that would shape his career for many years to come. “He taught me about passion, accuracy, integrity, and every other area of being a solid sports presenter. I’ve held onto those lessons,” explains Jeff. “Possibly the biggest lesson that Dave taught me is to build a sense of integrity and trust with the people you interview, and most importantly, to always honour your word. If they trust you, you are sorted. If you lose their trust, you’re dead in the water – as simple as that.”

Jeff has gone on to work as a professional radio sports presenter for a variety of radio stations throughout South Africa, including Capital Radio 604, Good Hope FM, 94.5 KFM, 567 Cape Talk, Talk Radio 702 and East Coast Radio, and throughout his 28-year career he has continued to implement that lesson from Dave as he has met and interviewed some of the biggest stars in world sport, including the late Ayrton Senna, Nigel Mansell, Tana Umaga, Bruce Fordyce, David Beckham, Shane Warne, Steffi Graf, Kelly Slater, Karl Platt, and more. “As the years have gone on, so my relationships with top athletes has grown too, and I have built a relationship based on understanding – to treat them with respect at all times, even if that means losing the interview. They appreciate that,” says Jeff.

And while he has met many of the greats, Jeff says he still relishes meeting his listeners and followers on the street, that the real golden moments of a career in broadcasting have been when a stranger approaches him in a restaurant or shopping centre, introduces themselves and tells him how they listen to him every morning and how they really feel like a friend. “When I saw how much a smile and a kind word touched those people, and how much it meant to them that I took an interest and made an effort to connect, that made me realise how special my job was,” says Jeff.

ACTIVE LIFESTYLE
These days Jeff provides freelance digital media services in Cape Town, including radio, photography, video, MC’ing, writing and social media. “I take pride in being able to cover a wide cross-section of areas for events, so a client can use me in various roles if need be. I believe I’ve put in the work to reach a standard in all of these areas that I’m proud of.” When he is not working, you will often find him taking to the skies to paraglide around Cape Town, and when the wind doesn’t allow for flying, he’ll be running along the mountain trails, rock climbing or surfing. In between pursuing this active lifestyle, Jeff says he simply loves the work he does, and the people he gets to work with, and thus he adds that he is already looking forward to covering next year’s Absa Cape Epic!