Category: Features

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!

Micronutrients are those vitamins and minerals required in very small quantities by our bodies for growth and development, but as athletes they take on an even more important role, which is why supplementation with a multivitamin could help your sports performance – but only if you need extra vitamins and minerals. – BY CHRISTINE PETERS, REGISTERED DIETICIAN

When we exercise, we place certain stresses on our bodies which may lead to the loss of micronutrients in the body. These micronutrients play an important role in energy production, maintenance of bone health and adequate immune function, to mention but a few. They also help with the synthesis and repair of muscle tissue during recovery from exercise and injury. Therefore, a greater intake of micronutrients may be needed in athletes for building, repair and maintenance of lean body mass.

The most important vitamins and minerals include:

•Calcium: Especially important for growth, maintenance and repair of bone tissue, maintenance of blood calcium levels, regulation of muscle contraction, nerve conduction, and normal blood clotting.

•Vitamin D: Important for calcium absorption, regulation of serum calcium and phosphorous levels, and promotion of bone health.

•B Vitamins: Important to ensure adequate energy production and building and repair of muscle tissue.

•Iron: Required for the formation of oxygen-carrying proteins, haemoglobin and myoglobin, and for enzymes involvedin energy production.

•Zinc: Plays a role in growth, building muscle tissue, energy production and immune status.

•Antioxidants – Vitamin C and E, Beta-Carotene and Selenium: Play important roles in protecting the cell membranes from oxidative stress damage.

•Magnesium: Plays a variety of roles in cellular metabolism and regulates membrane stability and neuromuscular, cardiovascular, immune and hormonal functions.

SO WHO NEEDS TO SUPPLEMENT?
Athletes consuming a healthy balanced diet don’t necessarily need to supplement with vitamins and minerals, as their diets will still be adequate to supply these higher micronutrient needs. However, athletes who are at greater risk include those who restrict energy intake or have severe weight-loss practices, those who eliminate specific food groups from their diets, and those who consume unbalanced and low micronutrient diets.

Therefore, supplementing with vitamins and minerals will not improve athletic performance in athletes who eat nutritionally balanced diets, and these athletes do not necessarily need to take a multivitamin to meet higher micronutrient demands placed on the body by athletic activities. And you should also always read patient information leaflets before taking supplements, or consult your doctor or chemist when taking other medication.

Christena Walter is a 57-year-old Irish mother of four with a Swedish husband who landed on our shores in mid-2014. Having lived all over the world and taken up running along the way, it was in South Africa that the running bug really took hold of her! – BY TREVOR HOSKINS

It was while living in Baghdad in 1986 that Christena started running, out of boredom with the repetition of her normal gym routine. She quickly grew to love it, and even though Iraq was then at war with Iran, running became a regular part of her routine. Later that year she was persuaded to run her first marathon, which was four laps of a 10km route with an extra bit added to make up the distance, and she finished it in a little under four hours.

In the years that followed, Christena gave birth to four daughters while the family moved several times around the globe, and she continued running casually in between the pregnancies and moves. It was only when living in Kenya for five years that her running moved to a new, more formal level, when she joined a running club, but even this was ‘ casual running’ by comparison to what she found in South Africa when she moved here in 2014.

UNIQUELY SOUTH AFRICANSoon after moving into their new home in Dainfern in Johannesburg, Christena was encouraged to attend a runners’ meeting at the local clubhouse, which was her first interaction with what she calls a bunch of crazy South African runners! “There was nothing casual about their approach to running, however, in that their distances were longer and more regular than anything I had been used to, but what amazed me most was how friendly and accommodating everyone seemed to be,” says Christena.

This friendliness extended beyond Dainfern into races and Christena says she was simply blown away at the level of organisation of SA events, especially in terms of what is offered at the refreshment stations. “I remember running the Kilimanjaro Marathon one year and only one station, at the 32k mark, offered anything other than water – and that was after a 16km climb to get to that point!” she says. The other aspect of SA races that she immediately took to was the spirit and vibe amongst the runners. “The amazing camaraderie here was certainly not what I had experienced internationally. I had competed in several international big city marathons around the world and none even come close to the vibe experienced here.

”Another highlight of SA for her was the availability of running-related gear here, which she describes as phenomenal, and she also speaks glowingly about our sports medicine options. “The injury care options here are also simply amazing,in that specific treatments are carried out to address specific problems, whereas my experience, including in some First World countries, is generally that medicine is just prescribed to deal with various issues. Put all of these things together and you’ ll see why I strongly believe that South African runners are spoilt for choice in every respect!”

LOVING THE RACES However, probably Christena’ s favourite aspect of SA running is the full race calendar throughout the year, which she says is not the case anywhere else in the world, and she has found herself on the top step of the podium in the women’ s masters 50-59 age category several times over the past few years. Her most recent achievements include winning her category at the Forever Resorts Loskop Ultra-marathon and finishing second master at the MiWay Wally Hayward Marathon. Interestingly, she refuses to put herself under pressure during races by wearing a watch!

Unsurprisingly, the seed of running Comrades was planted very early on in Christena’ s association with the Dainfern crowd, and she says the race has become one of her firm favourites. “Mention the word Comrades internationally, more so if you have a medal, and people are in awe – it just seems to be a bucket list race for so many people all over the world.” Christena clocked a 9:11:44 for a bronze medal in her first Comrades in 2015, then posted 8:29:08 last year to take a Bill Rowan medal.

Sadly, the 2017 Comrades will be her third and last for the time being, because in June she and her husband are moving home yet again, this time to Bangalore in India. She has already made contact with a running club there, who are apparently over the moon that a runner from Comrades country will shortly be joining their ranks, but it is with a heavy heart that this adopted South African will be leaving all this behind. “There is nowhere in the world that has the same passion for running, atmosphere and camaraderie as in South Africa, but I will take with me the most amazing memories that I will cherish forever.”

World-renowned South African golfer Gary Player is a nine-time Major winner, but he is also a 1000-time major winner in the winning-people-over category. He demonstrated that again recently when the six top golfers from Grey College were invited to his Rietfontein farm, outside Colesberg in the Western Cape.

The 81-year-old golfing legend invited the young men to spend a day with him after he was a guest speaker at the Bloemfontein-based school last year. Gary has pledged to speak to millions of children about diabetes, physical exercise, a healthy mind and good nutrition, and when he challenged one of the fittest boys in the school to do push-ups with him on stage, he out-worked the lad… in a three piece suit, nogal! That’ s when the light went on for many of them. “Work hard and be strong!” he told the boys. “And you guys thought I’ d come out here with a Zimmer frame, eh?” Gary chuckled.

But, you may well be asking yourself, what is a story about a golf legend doing in Modern Athlete magazine? Well, Gary is the epitome of a modern athlete, even though he is now in his ninth decade.

LEADING THE WAY
From his earliest days, Gary realised that he needed to cross-train, and to do a lot of it. Small of stature but big of heart, he pushed weights, ran and ate in the most nutritious way possible… all things that most modern athletes take for granted, elements that you have to weave into your daily training routine to become better, faster, stronger. But here’ s the thing, Gary did this in the early 1950’ s, and as a result, most people in (and out) of golf thought he was mad.

Yet, 60 years on and one of South Africa’ s all-time greatest sportsmen is still going strong, as he demonstrated to the young men when he welcomed them at his front door and made each one coffee individually. He then ran them all up “his mountain” to not only show them the awesome view, but also to make them understand that you have to overcome hardship and adversity to get to the top.

“I was seven when I had to travel right across town in Johannesburg to go to school. My mother had just passed away and I was all alone. When I got home at night I had to cook for myself, as my dad was a miner and was workinghundreds of metres underground,” Gary told them. “More than 70 years on, I am glad for that. It made me who and what I am today. Never let adversity break you, let it make you stronger.”

HEALTHY START
In his kitchen in the beautiful farmhouse in the heartland of the Karoo, Gary personally made the group a berry smoothy and then a green juice that he drinks every day, which includes water cress that he grows himself. His brand new Nutribullet had already clocked some interesting ‘ kilometres’ and certainly works overtime in the Player kitchen.

After this hearty breakfast, which was washed down with a healthy muffin and fresh juice, the lads were bundled into the game-viewing vehicle and taken to the other side of the hill, where they all hit golf shots for the maestro and he gave each of them an impromptu golfing lesson. His supple powerful frame still takes the club back and follows through with that swoosh that only great golfers create, and the ball leaves the club with a distinct click that just a few on the planet achieve.

Imagine that, 16 years old and you get a lesson from one of the world’ s best, while all the time he is instilling his incredible work ethic into your psyche! Overall, though, the lesson here is that you are never too old to be a modern athlete… and Gary Player is the epitome of that!

Cape Town-based endurance junkie Miguel Netto has completed two Comrades Marathons and will be aiming for a third this year, but he has never actually flown into Durban for the race. That’s because he has always ridden there on his bike, and is set to make history by doing so once again this year. – By Sean Falconer

When 1931 Comrades Marathon winner Phil Masterton-Smith climbed on his bike in 1933 to ride from Cape Town to Pietermaritzburg to go run the Comrades, because he could not afford the train fare, he could not have foreseen that nearly 80 years later his incredible feat would become the inspiration for an annual ride that not only commemorates his journey, but also raises a huge amount of money for charity. And he definitely would not have predicted that somebody would repeat his gruelling trip three times… but that is what 31-year-old marketing executive Miguel Netto is set to do this year.

Known as Unogwaja – Zulu for a hare – Phil took 10 days to cover the 1600-plus kilometres to Maritzburg, arriving the day before the Comrades, which he then ran and finished a remarkable 10th. That story inspired Red Sock founder John McInroy and friends to take on the first Unogwaja Challenge in 2011, to raise money for the Comrades charities, and every year since then they have repeated the trip, with athletes from all over the world applying to be part of the team and riding to raise funds for the Unogwaja Light Fund, which channels money to various causes around the country. A few athletes have completed the trip twice, but this year Miguel will become the first to do a third Unogwaja!

ENDURANCE JUNKIE

Miguel’s sporting background includes playing cricket in the UK, but his focus has always been on endurance sports, notably in ultra-distance triathlons as well as ultra running – he did his fifth full Ironman this year, rode the Absa Cape Epic in 2016, and prior to his first Comrades in 2015 he had completed the Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon as well. In that first Comrades, he posted a time of 11:31:53, following the gruelling 10-day ride from Cape Town, and the following year he improved his time to 9:39:46, remarkable given that he had once again done the long ride to get there. When asked why he would want to put himself through this gruelling trip yet again, Miguel simply shrugs his shoulders and smiles…

“There are a few personal reasons, and a few practical reasons. On the personal side it’s the best way to experience the mind-blowing beauty of this country we live in, and it’s a channel for me to make the biggest difference in the field of what I love doing,” says Miguel. “Also, what I’ve gone through with Unogwaja for the past two years has been simply life-changing, so going back and adding a personal tribute by becoming the first to do it three times also adds a little bit to it. But it’s more about signing off on what is probably going to be my last Unogwaja – at least for now – and trying to make sure that my chapter closes with a bang, both charitable and personal.”

From a practical point of view, Miguel explains that the Unogwaja team likes to take some ‘experience’ out on the road each year, hence asking some riders to return for a second year. “At the farewell breakfast after my first Unogwaja in 2015, I was asked to return in 2016. I had a week to consider it, but I’d already decided on the flight back that I wanted the whole experience again… it was a no-brainer! It is a long and daunting journey, so my role in 2016 was as a second to Stoff, John’s dad and the leader of the trip, and if someone had a puncture or needed help, I was the guy to help them. This year may be Stoff’s last Unogwaja, and we’ve walked a special journey together, so it’ll be special to finish off with him. Also, the team this year is perhaps stronger in running and not as strong a cycling team, so there is an element of being able to help them out on the road again.”

Mainly, however, Miguel admits that he is driven by the goal to become the first South African to do three consecutive Unogwaja rides to Durban and he also has some unfinished business with the Comrades route. “My first Comrades was not great – I only just got to the finish – but last year I finished in just over nine hours, so this year, if I could do a sub-nine, that would finish off the personal goal. But the first priority on any Unogwaja is to get every single team member to Durban, and then get them to the finish line of Comrades. If you have to go back to fetch someone on race day, than that’s just what you need to do. Whatever happens on the day, if I can finish, that will be great, and I can go out with a bang!”

INSPIRED BY HISTORY

Miguel’s path to the Unogwaja Challenge began when he met John through the weekly Red Sock Runs. He saw the Red Sockers out running one Friday morning and by chance happened to meet John a few days later, where they spoke about Unogwaja. “The story captivated me right from the beginning. Apart from the history, it struck a huge nerve with me, given my personal endurance background of pushing the body to its limits, plus it had the charitable and empowering point of view, of doing something for this country. At the time I didn’t actually think it was possible to cycle to Durban and run the Comrades, but now I’m about to do it for the third time!”

Unsurprisingly, Miguel says his first Unogwaja was quite an eye-opener, given that he was going into unknown territory that he had not even experienced in his Ironman or Cape Epic events. “It’s such an interesting thing that goes on in your head. The cycle is so daunting, but with nine strangers you’ve just met, you get on the road and you make it through day one… Everything is sore, but somehow you get through day two, and everything is still sore, and then your body just adapts, and it becomes a rhythm. Then you arrive in Durban to take on the Comrades – and everything is still sore – but the great thing is that there is no expectation on you. Having cycled there, no-one is looking at you to do a great time, your goal is simply to get to the finish line.”

“In my first Comrades, the team got me through to halfway and then we just did what we could to get the rest of the team home. It felt like my teammates were kilometres ahead or behind, but the support group told us afterwards that we were actually just a few minutes away from each other most of the day. The whole day we were passing each other and helping each other, and it was the most special way to run my first Comrades.”

LOOKING AHEAD

If all goes smoothly this year and Miguel ticks off his third Unogwaja, he says he already has plans for the next goal on his bucket list, and says his wife, Rosalind, knows all about his plans. They met through mutual friends while both studying at Stellenbosch University, but went their separate ways until meeting again by chance some years later on a boat cruise in Hermanus. They’ve been married now for nearly two years, and Miguel says she is the best race second he could ever ask for. “Shame, she has to put up with my bucket list of endurance events, but thankfully I’m ticking things off quite quickly.”

“After Unogwaja, I want to go back to triathlons, because I’ve had an overwhelming desire for a couple of years now to go to Hawaii for the Ironman World Champs. I fell just short this year, but my dream is to qualify for Kona, even if it takes a few years. I might also try riding the Epic again.” And his fund-raising efforts for charity will also continue, even if he is no longer riding and running for the Unogwaja Light Fund. “I started my own charity a few years ago called Miles for Miracle Kids, when I did my first Ironman, so I’d like to get something like that going again, but I also want to keep the balance between giving back, and personal achievements and having fun.”

“That’s why I have so much respect for John and his Red Sock and Unogwaja initiatives. Anyone can start a charity to raise money for something, but to make sure it has a living legacy and to make it about more than just charity – about using what we do to empower the nation – and to bring a story to life and make it grow all over the world, that is why I’ve hung around so long. Unogwaja is not just a South African thing, it is made up of six or seven different nationalities at any given time on the road, and it just shows that people believe in what we are doing. That’s really special.”

To learn more about the Unogwaja Challenge and to support Miguel and his fellow rider-runners, go to http://unogwaja.com

Can you imagine running some 400km non-stop over five days, on some of the gnarliest trails, fighting extreme fatigue and muscle soreness much of the way? Well, that’s what it takes to run the Munga Trail Run, and we caught up with the winner of the inaugural race, Bennie Roux, to find out more about the experience. – By Brendon Lowson

From the 19th to the 24th of April, many trail running fans across South Africa were glued to their computers and cell phones, tracking runners and following the updates posted on social media as a tiny group of 23 ‘guinea pigs’ took on the inaugural running of the new Munga Trail Run. This 400km self-supported, single-stage race from Belfast to the rim of the Blyde River Canyon in Mpumalanga was the brainchild of Alex Harris and Erik Vermeulen, and it took them 12 months to put the whole thing together, plotting a route that would involve only about 20km of tar, with some 200km of single-track through virgin grassland and forests, and the rest made up of forestry tracks and gravel roads.

And then they gave runners a 120-hour cut-off, which meant that runners needed to cover on average 80km a day for five days in a row! Think about it… that’s pretty much running five Comrades Marathons on five consecutive days. No wonder Alex and Erik dubbed their new event the “Toughest Race on Earth!” But tough is a word that gets South African trail runners going, and none more so than Bennie Roux.

Running Latecomer

Growing up in the Free State, the 39-year-old father of three from Pretoria says that while he played rugby, soccer and cricket at school, he was never really keen on any of these sports. Instead, he found himself drawn to mountain biking and swimming, preferring the individual endurance sports, but running was not his thing as yet. That changed when his brother ran the Comrades Marathon. “I only started running to prove to my older brother that I was a better Comrades runner,” he jokes. He completed his first Comrades in 2000, finishing in a time of 10 hours 21 minutes, and the running bug had bitten.

Last year he ran his 10th Comrades, posting his best time of 6:53:55 on the Down course to go with his 7:05:38 PB on the Up course of the previous year. However, as impressive as his road running credentials are, it is as a trail runner that Bennie has gained the most attention. As he says, “I became addicted to trail running, and as my running improved, I decided I wanted to become famous for winning races, but for a while my most famous trail running moment was getting stuck on a mountain ledge during a race, waiting for four hours to be rescued, and making the front page of all the major newspapers!”

That was in the 2013 Brauhaus 45km Trail Run near Rustenburg, which Bennie was leading at the time when he and the second-placed runner took a wrong turn. Having lost the trail, they attempted to climb down a kloof by jumping from ledge to ledge, and both got stuck, needing to be rescued later by the Mountain Club of SA. While it was a scary experience for him, due to having a “healthy respect for heights,” Bennie did not let it stop him from returning to the trails, but it does mean that the first piece of advice he gives to beginner trail runners is always “Never jump when lost on a mountain!”

Winning Ways

Since then Bennie has become used to the top step of the podium – he won the 2014 Namaqua 120km four-day trail race, the 2014 and 2015 Wolkberg 60km two-day trail race, and the 2016 Addo 168km trail race, amongst others – but the Munga was on another level completely. When the race started, the field of 23 initially stuck together, since nobody seemed quite sure how best to approach the daunting task ahead, but by the 25km mark, Bennie had decided that it was time to go for it. By the time he reached race village three at 250km, he had built a commanding lead of nearly six hours, while behind him the battle for second was now between two women, Nicky Booyens and Tatum Prins.

But while Bennie seemed to be cruising, he did have a few problems along the way. “Being unfamiliar with races this long, I completely forgot to charge my electronics. I ended up in a forest one night, when there was almost no moon, and the unmarked trail was extremely difficult to pick out. Suddenly, I realised my GPS was almost flat and I was only carrying one spare battery! I got a huge fright, because if I’d lost power then I would never have found the trail again.”

Another night he lost all sense of direction in tall grass at the bottom of a valley. “The grass was so thick, and it was very disorientating. Eventually I came out the other side and saw the trail markers, and I was so pleased with myself, until about 300 metres later when I looked at my GPS and realised I was running back along my old path, in the wrong direction! My only choice was to turn around and go through it all again.”

Navigationally Challenged

While those incidents were mildly amusing, they allowed Nicky to close the gap and she ran with Bennie for quite some way of the race. Bennie eventually pulled clear again, but then made a serious navigation error just 24km from the finish, which allowed Nicky to take the lead. “It couldn’t have happened at a more critical time,” he says. “At first, I just thought my GPS was being funny and would auto-correct, but it didn’t, and I ended up having to run hard for an extra 14km to make up for that mistake.” In the end, he only just snuck back into the lead, coming home first in 101 hours and 25 minutes, with Nicky finishing just two minutes later!

Looking back on his epic run, Bennie can joke about the lessons he learnt along the way. “Realising that I couldn’t fully plan my run, I decided to just take it as it comes and adapt. For example, I slept when I needed to, and when I was feeling good, I just kept moving. Still, I’m surprised how well my race went – at no stage did I feel any pressure on myself, except for that last section just before finishing – but next time I will definitely pack more batteries and a good powerbank or two… because if it’s not on Strava, it didn’t happen!”

Having made the finals in the 3000m steeple-chase at the African Track and Field Championships last year but then missing the Rio Olympic Games qualifying standard by just one second, three-time SA steeple-chase champion and also former SA 1500m and Cross-Country champ Rantso Mokopane has dug still deeper this year in his quest for international success on the track. – By Reggie Hufkie

It’s turning into quite a 2017 season for 24-year-old Rantso Mokopane. Under the watchful eye of his new coach, Spring Phakhati, he has clocked 14:05.04 in the 5000m, 8:05.16 in the 3000m, 3:38.83 for 1500m, and 8:34.47 in his focus event, the 3000m steeple-chase. These were, at the time of writing, the best inland times run in SA for all these distances, and in April he showcased his great form by bagging three medals (two gold and one silver) at the University Sport South Africa (USSA) Track and Field Championships in Cape Town.

It is not the amount of medals, but rather how he earned them that caught the attention: On day one of the USSA Champs Rantso won the men’s 1500m and just 30 minutes later added a second gold by winning the 3000m steeple-chase. Then the following day he finished second in the 5000m, only just narrowly missing the World Student Games qualifying mark for that event.

The three medals point to the fact that all the hard work in training is paying off as Rantso chases his goals for 2017 and beyond. “I want to stay as healthy as I can so that I can fight for a position in London come August. The dream is to successfully contest the men’s 3000m steeple-chase in Taipei, China at the World Student Games later this year, and qualify for the World Champs in London. After that, I am working towards the 2018 Commonwealth Games final, and as for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, I want to compete in two events and come back with a medal in one!”

With that all said, in his typically humble way Rantso adds that medals are not the main focus for him: “Obviously you would think gold medals, and travelling to fancy places, are the highlights for me… but no, my highlights are those moments where I can inspire an African child to be better. I like to help where I am most needed, where I can raise kids’ spirits and perceptions, so that they can also become successful like me, or hopefully even better.”

RUNNER AT HEART

Born in Saaiplaas, Virginia, a small town in the heart of the Free State, Rantso was always running. Despite contracting TB and pneumonia at the age of four, which meant he was not allowed to engage in any physical activities, as it would place stress on his cardiovascular system, the youngster just would not stop running. “If it was not running to the Spaza shop for my parents, it was running to school,” he says. Then, when he moved up to Hentie Cilliers High School in grade eight, his life changed forever. It was here that athletics coach and teacher Mrs van Graan really ignited Rantso’s passion to run.

“I was always a runner at heart, but this time it wasn’t just merely running, but running with purpose and having a purpose-driven life,” he says. “I liked my high school, because the teachers were like mothers and fathers who pushed me hard in class to pass, and who also supported me on the oval track to raise the name of the school high, and this helped me balance everything, from school to athletics to life’s issues.”

ACADEMIC ENDEAVOUR

After school Rantso moved to Potchefstroom to study at the North West University, and he has gone on to earn a degree in health science as well as a post-graduate degree in business – and he has achieved that in the ‘normal time,’ in spite of spending on average three months of each year abroad for athletics in the last few years. Ironically, he describes himself as being “not so academic,” but his can-do attitude has ensured academic success to go with his athletic success.

“I do my academics in silence and run aloud, but if these qualifications could speak, they would tell you of the many nights where my body was tired from doing lactic sessions, gym and runs, but I still worked on academics. Or the times when I was not present in class, but managed to submit and be graded like a normal student… so these qualifications mean a lot to me,” says Rantso.

And he is in good company in Potchefstroom, sharing the same gymnasium facilities at NWU with the likes of Olympians Caster Semenya and Elroy Gelant, and he says being part of this group definitely helps spur him on. “I take my motivation from people who have done or accomplished something – it might be spiritually, in sport, or academically. I believe the human species is complex and we need different stimulation.”