Category: Features

They come running into the finish line, chanting, dancing, big smiles on faces, obviously having a whale of a time even though they’re tired, sweaty and sore. On the one hand, they’re relieved to be finishing, and ecstatic to have hit their target time, but on the other hand they don’t want the race to end, because they’re having so much fun! These are the passengers of Madoko’s Bus, driven by legendary pacesetter and coach Madoko Ndhlovu. – BY SEAN FALCONER

With his distinctive singing, chanting and even some dancing, well known pacesetter Madoko Ndhlovu has his bus passengers hanging on his every word as they follow him home in races. “At the beginning I tell them, I am Coach Madoko, I am your driver today, and I am going to change the way you run, talk and smile. I want them to know what to expect from their driver, right from the first kilometre, and then it’s tuck in your stomach and heel to toe!” says Madoko. He also teaches his passengers a few songs and chants, including what has become known as Madoko’s Anthem, Morena re hauhele (a Sotho hymn, which translates to Lord have mercy on me). “When it is tough out there on the road, I start humming the song, and the people just hum along. But when it’s going good, we sing and chant, and people like the vibey atmosphere.”

Unsurprisingly, Madoko’s buses attract a lot of passengers, but he says, “I’m not worried about the size of the bus, I’m worried about how people will finish the race, so I make sure that even the person right at the back of the bus gets the info. That’s also why I ask everybody to pick a partner and work together – they must know each other’s names, and motivate each other to keep going, like brothers in arms. I’ve seen people exchange telephone numbers after the race because they want to stay in touch after the incredible brotherhood of the bus. I also get people who have run Comrades for 20 years saying they have never enjoyed it more than when running with my bus, and that makes it all worthwhile.”

Leading the Way
Madoko (50) runs his own building construction company in Pretoria, having previously worked for Telkom for 20 years, and he is married, with two sons aged 26 and 19, both very talented soccer players. As a youngster, Madoko played volleyball, softball and soccer, but he started running in 2000 with his brother, who was working and running for Transnet, and that’s where he heard the guys talking about Comrades and decided to run it in 2001. “That was fun, something out of this world. I ran one of my best times that year, 8:40, but I also saw people were suffering due to inexperience, so the following year, by which time I had become chairman of the Telkom running club, I started training the members. That’s where my coaching and mentoring started,” he says.

Soon he was pacing clubmates in races to achieve target times or qualifiers, and in 2004 he unveiled his now famous Madoko Bus flag, so that any runners who wanted to stick with him could find him at races, and his buses became hugely popular. “I ran sub-4:00 buses at most of the marathons I was doing and delivered them all on time, but I realised the faster runners can often do it by themselves, whereas the slower runners need more help, so I moved to sub-5:00 to help others qualify for the big ultras.”

After he brought a huge unofficial sub-10:00 bus home at the 2005 Comrades, he was invited to become an official Comrades Pacesetter for the first time in 2006, and for the next few years he was a regular sub-10:00 Pacer. In 2011, however, he ran his 11th Comrades and it would be his last for five years, partly due to injury, but mostly due to the tragic death of his sister Abigail in a motorbike accident that December, which Madoko says hit him very hard. “She always supported me in my running, and she and my wife were my number one supporters. Coping with her loss, that took me three to four years. Fortunately, I was eventually motivated to come back to running by my wife and kids, and all my running friends who wanted me back on the road, so in 2015 I started running seriously again. People kept asking me when I will be back at Comrades, and in 2016 I ran it again.”

Back on Pace
Madoko went straight back to pacing at Comrades 2016 and brought his unofficial sub-11:00 bus home in 10:54:21, and that saw him brought back into the official Modern Athlete Comrades Pacesetter Programme in 2017. Now specialising in a sub-11:00 finish, he led his passengers over the line in 10:58:29, and this year repeated the feat with a 10:57:21 finish. He says that 2017 run really stands out as a highlight, not just for the incredible spirit in the group, but also thanks to one specific passenger in the bus.

“I was standing at the start of the 2017 race when a runner called Johan came up to me and said, ‘Madoko, you helped me run my first sub-nine in the 2008 Up Run, and now you are doing the sub-11:00 bus. Well, this is my wife Martie, and I want you to please assist her now, because she is doing her fifth Comrades and couldn’t finish either of her two previous Up Runs. I told her she must run with you and she will make it.’ Well, Martie then stuck right next to me the whole way!” says Madoko.

“We reached halfway in 5:30 and she turned to me and said, ‘Are you for real? I’ve never made the halfway cut-off before!’ Then as we reached the bottom of Polly Shortts, she asked me if I was going to keep my promise to get her up that hill. Well, when we reached the top, Martie was so overjoyed she stopped at the SABC TV camera for a quick interview. Then her phone rang, and it was her husband, telling her that he had just watched her on the big screen at the finish. She put the phone on speaker mode and we all heard her husband cheering her on while she just cried with joy and emotion.”

“I lost her in the crowd at the finish, but two months later I received a call from her. She said that she had been trying to track me down, so that she could thank me. She was so incredibly happy about finishing, and now every time I am asked for a motivational story about Comrades, I tell the Martie story. It proves that everybody can finish it! She had been unable to finish the Up Run, and then she ran a sub-11. It’s a mind game, that’s why I work with the runners’ minds right from the start.”

Coach and Mentor
Pacing is just one way Madoko is helping his fellow runners. Over the last few years he has also developed training camps to help novices get to the Comrades, and thus far he has a 98% finish rate amongst his trainees. “I just love to help others by sharing a winning formula, and it is all done from the heart, because I don’t ask people to pay me. I now have people coming from all over the country for my training camps, and I focus on the core, not only on running, because running is easier if you have a strong core. I was very pleased when a lady from Gugulethu in the Cape ran in my bus this year at Comrades and told me she got my training programme from my Coach Madoko Training Camp Facebook page –and that it really works! Again, that makes it all worthwhile.”

With his customary “Hello, Hello,” followed by whistling, click sounds and shaking knees as he ‘calls the route’ for the day, Dean Wight begins the briefing for another Beloved Long Run. It’s just part of the popular weekly training runs taking place all over the KwaZulu-Natal province. – BY SEAN FALCONER

Our Beloved Chairman… that’s what the members of Queensburgh Harriers nicknamed Dean Wight when he served as Club Chair from 2006 to 2017, and when it came to choosing a name for the long training runs he has been organising each weekend since 2008, it just seemed right to go for Beloved Long Runs. “I would get up at 2am or 3am and go hide drinks and sweets in the bushes along the route, then go meet up for the run,” recalls Dean. Now, 11 years later, those Queensburgh club runs have grown into multi-club runs that attract from 60 to 250 runners each Saturday morning, who turn out to run up to 32km together, with water tables every three to four kays serving water, cold drinks and snacks. Oh, and lots of crème soda… because Dean really loves his crème soda!

Dean (50) works as a rep for Asics in the KZN and Eastern Cape areas. He was introduced to running at the tender of age of 11, when he did a 5km fun run in La Lucia in December 1979. “I was initially reluctant to participate, but instantly fell head over heels in love with the sport. After that I continued running every fun run I could find until I was finally old enough to join Queensburgh Harriers in 1984. I ran my first marathon in 1986, and my first Comrades in 1988, and I’ve now done 27. My target is 40.”

Going the DIstance
In 2014, Dean and wife Des – “My biggest long run supporter and go-to girl,” says Dean – moved to Gillits, but as a life member he stayed with Queensburgh and carried on organising the training runs. He started charging R10 per run to cover the costs of the drinks and snacks, and says he had a contact list of 20 to 30 guys in a database that he would mail the weekend’s plans to, and they would then send-on to their friends. By the time Dean organised a big Hillcrest to Beachfront training run in January 2016, he was being asked to organise more runs, “So I decided to start organising runs all over the province, find volunteers for seconding tables, and create a webpage and Facebook page to promote the runs, while also upping the fee to R20 to cover the additional costs.”

When he was approached later in 2016 by several running clubs that wanted to be part of the runs, he grabbed the opportunity. “We were taking up too much parking at shopping centres and garages, so in 2017 we started partnering with various clubs and running from their clubhouses. The clubs could then make their showers, clubhouse and bar available, which could bring in some money while also offering runners a safer running environment. A large percentage of our runners are women, who are attracted by the increased safety of our group runs.”

The Beloved Long Runs are mostly on out-and-back routes, so runners can turn wherever they want to, and all take place on Saturday mornings. “I never clash with races on Sundays, because these runs rely on the clubs for support, and even on those weekends with really big races, I still still get a good turn-out.” Added to the weekly runs, Dean organises the ‘Comrades in Three Days’ on Easter Weekend, and helps organise the 56km Comrades Route Tester in early May, in conjunction with the long-standing Collegians and Hillcrest route tester runs. “We’ve brought 14 more clubs on board to help with the water tables, and it has really grown in popularity.”

Running for a Cause
One of the most commendable aspects of Dean’s runs is that once he has covered his costs for catering and logistics from the ‘entry fee,’ the rest goes to charity. He also puts out a donations box for any runners that may want to give more, and in 2016-2017 they raised R70,000 for various charities. However, much more was to follow this year. “The Hillcrest Aids Centre Trust was nominated as an official Comrades charity and early in 2018 they approached me to become a running ambassador for the Centre, but I said I wanted to do more by partnering the Beloved Long Runs to their charity.”

“I set an initial target of raising R10,000 for them, but then said, hold on, we’ve got over 3000 Facebook members and can aim higher, so I increased that to R100,000. An old school friend of mine then said that he would double the money if we reached that target, which we did in the first week of May. With R200,000 raised, I upped the target to R250,000, then R300,000, and eventually a few weeks after this year’s Comrades we finished on R327,000! It really is terrific to see how much the runners are willing to give back.”

To find the next Beloved Long Run, go to www.belovedlongruns.co.za or www.facebook.com/groups/belovedlongruns.

IMAGES: Jetline Action Photo & courtesy Dean Wight

Whether it is triathlons, trail running or life-saving competitions, Linda Detering has the talent and potential to become a major force in every sport she tries. – BY PJ MOSES

With her red hair blowing in the wind and a steely look in her eyes, Linda Detering has in a still short sporting career proven that she is a force to be reckoned with. Winning has become a bit of a habit, and she has collected a number of podiums over the course of the last two years, including taking first place over the short distances at the Old Mutual Two Oceans and Volunteer Wildfire Services (VWS) trail races in 2017. This year she maintained that form by placing second at the Two Oceans race, and once again taking victory at VWS.

Now most people would be happy with talent in one sport, but this 18-year-old ‘wunderkind’ decided to give multisport a go as well, after watching some of her friends participating in a triathlon. With the help of Mike Reddington of the Embark Triathlon Club, she was able to win the Freshpak Fitness Festival sprint triathlon last September, and followed that success by entering the IRONMAN 70.3 race in East London in January. Surprising even herself, she finished second in her age group, and earned herself a slot at the 70.3 World Championships to be held this coming September in PE. “I never expected to do that well. It was just a bucket list item that I wanted to tick off, but naturally I am happy and excited with how it all worked out in the end,” says Linda.

With that success still fresh, Linda took on a new challenge at the Walker Bay Extreme Big 6 Challenge earlier this year, where competitors had to do six events over four days. “It is a whole weekend of adventure and you have to do a mountain bike race, a swimming leg, a triathlon, a street mile run, a run/swim/run, and a trail run. It was tough and very tiring, but I managed to finish in second spot overall in the women’s division. It is not always about chasing podiums for me, but when it is there to take, I won’t let it slip by. It just adds to the fun I am having out there.”

GAME FOR ANYTHING
Born close to Munich in Germany, Linda and her family moved to Cape Town in 2011. The eldest of three kids, she’s always been active, with her main sport being horse-riding when still living in Germany. However, the warmer SA climate and the beautiful mountains around her Hout Bay home inspired her to try new sports, including running, cycling, swimming, surfing, lifesaving, water-skiing, paragliding and skydiving! “In South Africa there is just so much more to do, and I love being outdoors. I’ve also made so many friends doing all of these things, and nothing beats the vibe around an active lifestyle. But I still find time to relax as well: I love movie nights with my family, or socialising with my friends, also reading good books and taking my dogs for long walks.”

Unsurprisingly, trail running and triathlon are not the only sports that Linda excels at. She is also part of the Llandudno Lifesaving Club, and at this year’s SA Lifesaving Champs, she won both the junior and senior women’s 2km beach runs, on the same day. “It was 500m loops on the beach and the crowd really helped me, because the atmosphere was so fantastic. I knew this was my last opportunity to compete in both events, so even with little turn-around time between races, I just gave it my all.”

INSPIRATION AT HAND
In spite of all the success Linda has enjoyed in a short period, there have also been a few low points and disappointments, but she stays motivated, and gets herself race-ready, by watching one of her favourite videos on YouTube, called Rise and Shine. “It puts me in the right frame of mind, and if things get really tough, I just take a deep breath and look around me. The beauty of nature reminds me why I am doing this. I do it because I love it, and that there’s nowhere else I would rather be.”

With her focus currently on training for the 70.3 World Champs, she says she knows that finding balance is of the utmost importance, too, if you want to be at your best. “I think there is a time and a place for everything, and you have to get your priorities straight. You can’t be out the whole night before a race and expect to do well the next day. People just need to choose what is important to them, but never forget to have fun. Do the things you love and don’t force yourself to do anything that you don’t want to.”

IMAGES: Kara Bruins-Robertson, Michael Theunissen, Oakpics, Threshold Photography & courtesy Linda Detering

In South African athletics history, only high jumper Jacques Freitag has ever won a clean-sweep of World Titles at Youth, Junior and Senior levels, but now that hurdler Sokwakhana Zazini has added the 2018 World Junior title to his 2017 World Youth title, he may just be on his way to emulating that feat. – BY WILHELM DE SWARDT WITH SEAN FALCONER

In the lead-up to the IAAF Junior World Championships in Tampere, Finland in July, Sokwakhana Zazini went on record stating that he absolutely hates losing on the track. Not that he loses all that often in the 400m hurdles, take note… the last time he didn’t win a youth (under-18) or junior (under-20) age group race was in 2016, and that impressive streak includes winning the 2017 Youth World Champs title in Nairobi, Kenya, and setting a Youth World Record of 48.84 during the 2017 Gauteng North Championships.

In Finland, it was clear that he had no intention of seeing that streak end, but he had to work hard for the win in the 400m hurdles final. The man they call ‘Socks’ appeared to run fairly relaxed for the first 200m, but that saw him caught up in a fierce four-man tussle with just 60 metres remaining. However, the Tuks High School matric pupil was able to shift up another gear for the last two hurdles and final dash for the line to narrowly take the gold medal in 49.42 seconds. Bassem Hemeida (Qatar) was second in 49.59 and Alison Santos (Brazil) third in 49.78. In an interview straight after his win, the ecstatic double World Champion just had this to say: “The competition was really tough, but I'm thrilled with my support team. This is an exceptional and proud moment for me and my country.”

This latest title is yet another highlight in a great 2018 season that has also seen Socks taking on the seniors for the first time. In March he finished second at the SA Senior Champs, running 49.32 to beat the likes of three former Olympians, LJ van Zyl, Cornel Fredericks and Le Roux Hamman. Then in June he, he competed for the first time in an international race in Prague, and placed fourth in 49.56. He attributes this success against the seniors to the mind shift he made at the beginning of this year: “I told myself that I don’t consider myself to be a junior athlete anymore. I will race anyone, anytime, no matter how old they are or what they have achieved. If I get whipped, so be it, I will take it like a man. The only thing that matters to me is that afterwards, I should know that I raced to the best of my ability.”

Still Learning
In spite of this success, Socks feels that his hurdling technique is not yet what it should be. “I am getting better, but my technique going over the hurdles is not yet as efficient as it can be. There are a few other small things we are also working on. Once I have mastered it all, I think there will be no limits as to what I might be able to achieve. I just have to be prepared to put in the hard work. I don’t ever focus on what others are doing, I do my own thing, but most important is to enjoy what I am doing.”

Meanwhile, he is no slouch over the 400m flat sprint. At the 2017 SA Junior and Youth Championships, he won the youth 400m in 47.23 and the 400m hurdles final in 50.85. Then in March this year he repeated the feat by winning both junior titles, clocking 45.86 and 49.98 respectively. That also meant that he became only the second SA junior ever to break 46 seconds over 400m, the first being Riaan Dempers, whose SA Junior Record of 45.15 has stood since 1994. “It had been my goal for a while to break the 46-seconds barrier,” says Socks. “The secret is to be focused, so when I settled in the starting blocks that day, I told my mind to switch into racing mode. It is always special when you get to achieve the goal you set yourself.”

When asked about his future plans, especially if he will continue racing both events, Socks says, “The reason I love competing in the 400m is that it helps to improve my speed, but I am first and foremost a hurdler.” And that speed is going to come in handy, because his coach, Hennie Kriel, believes that Socks has a realistic chance of being good enough in 2019 to compete for the first time in the hurdles at the Senior World Champs. “I do not doubt that Socks has the makings to become one of the greats of international athletics. He has the hunger and is a quick learner. To top it all, he has ‘big match temperament.’ For him, it is a case of when the going gets tough, the tough get going.”

IMAGES: Reg Caldecott

With a streak of race wins in trail running events, Cana Peek is making a name for herself in the sport, on top of already being a Dusi Canoe Marathon winner. As she explains, the two sports really do go together well. – BY SEAN FALCONER

The FNB Dusi Canoe Marathon covers just over 120km from Pietermaritzburg to Durban in KwaZulu-Natal each February, and some people joke that it is actually a running event with a bit of paddling thrown in. That’s because some rapids or weirs are too risky to shoot in the boats, or long loops can be cut out with an over-hill portage, so paddlers do at least 20km of running during the three-day event, with their boats on their shoulders.

It goes without saying that being a strong runner really helps, and that’s why 20-year-old Cana Peek has excelled in the Dusi. “I think running is a huge aspect of the race, especially for me. I don’t think I have a natural build for canoeing, because you need a lot of power and strength to push through the water, especially on the flat water and sprint sections. But being so light does benefit me in rocky waters, and more importantly, it means less muscle mass to carry when out of boat,” she says.

Paddling Prowess
Cana began paddling while attending Epworth High School in Pietermaritzburg, just a few kays from the Dusi starting point, and says it all started thanks to the annual Adventure the school offers. “One was to paddle around Mauritius, so I had to be fit enough to be chosen to go. I soon found that I was getting better at paddling, so I started doing races, and I also enjoyed the outdoor element far more than being on a hockey field or the squash court.”

That led to her doing her first Dusi in 2014, at the age of just 15. That year it was the K2 two-seater race, so she paddled with a schoolmate and they finished first in the under-18 girls’ category and seventh female team overall. The following year was a K1 race and Cana surprised everybody, herself included, by finishing second overall. In 2016 she partnered with Kyeta Purchase and they once again won the under-18 category as they finished third overall.

After skipping the 2017 race while taking a break from paddling, to begin her B.A. Sports Science degree at Stellenbosch University, Cana returned this year to partner her older sister Jordan (24), who was also studying at Maties, and they dominated the race from start to finish. “This was the first time we paddled the Dusi together, and just to go through all that experience, the training and the race, with my best friend and my role model was awesome. With a sister you can be absolutely blunt and honest, you shout at each other and you have to be tough, but the whole time there is banter and we keep each other entertained on the water.”

Running Talent
At the same time as getting into paddling, Cana also discovered a talent and love for running. “I did athletics from grade eight to grade 10, running the 1500m and 3000m and earning provincial colours, but I found the training on the track got a bit boring. I preferred running cross country, and in high school I ran every single race for Epworth in the inter-school league from grade eight to grade 12, and won every race. I was awarded school colours and became the school cross country captain.”

Now Cana has taken to trail running in a big way. At the time of writing, she had competed in nine trail races in 2018, and won them all, including the 24km event at the Jonkershoek Mountain Challenge in Stellenbosch and the first race of the Cape Winter Trail Series. “At both races, I was behind at the start, but passed the leading women on the technical downhills. I seem to be able to go faster there,” she says. “Everywhere I travel, I try to do trail runs, because it’s a great way to get out and see places, but I am trying to be smart with races. I would race every weekend if I could, but I know that’s not healthy – and I want to see how far I can go in the sport.”

Looking ahead, Cana says her preference now definitely lies in running rather than paddling. “During school I couldn’t choose a favourite, but now I really do prefer my running. Canoeing in the Western Cape is not as supported as back home in KZN, whereas trail running here is much bigger, with a great vibe and social aspect. Also, it’s a lot easier to pick up your shoes and hop out on to the mountain, versus taking your boat and equipment to a dam!”

Images: Mark Sampson, Anthony Grote/Gameplan Media

Three years ago well known back-of-pack runner Keith Solomon lost his great running friend Malcolm Marks, and every step he runs these days is in memory of their incredible friendship. – BY PJ MOSES

Every runner soon finds people who share their passion for running when they get into this sport, but the really fortunate ones make actual friends who become more than just ‘sole mates’ on the roads or trails. That is why from the moment Keith Solomon met his late friend Malcolm Marks at a race, they were inseparable. “We used to call each other ‘Munchie’ and always had a lot of fun during races,” says Keith. “Malcolm would do silly things like try and hide behind a lamp pole or come up with funny definitions for road signs along the route.”

There was no distance that the duo would not take on, and their encouragement of one another helped during the tougher sections of ultra or multi-day races. “We always supported each other in our running. Sometimes Malcolm would do more mileage than me and at other times I would do more than him, but there was never any envy or competition or anything like that.”

Taken Too Soon
Sadly, their long running partnership was broken when Malcolm suddenly passed away in 2015, a week after what would be their final run together. “I couldn’t believe it. We were still planning what adventures we were going to try after his retirement, which wasn’t far off. He was looking forward to travelling overseas for running, especially to run on the Great Wall of China.”

At first Keith found it hard to return to running following Malcolm’s passing, but eventually he decided to continue, because that is what his friend would have wanted. And every step would be in memory of their friendship. At the multi-day circuit races that both loved so much, Keith stuck to their agreed total of 50km per day, even though he could do more. “I didn’t want to do any more than what we used to do together, and I would usually finish my total distance with a day to spare.”

“I finally broke this mourning period of the past three years at a recent six-day race in Germiston, when I did an extra 50km to finish with a total of 350km. After that last lap, I looked up and said, ‘Munchie, this one was for you!’ Now I want to organise a multi-day race in Cape Town, as a way of remembering Malcolm. I know that he would look down on us with a smile and shake his head saying: ‘Look at these moegoes!’ That will be a really special race for me.”

Mind Over Matter
Keith has always been active, playing soccer and hockey, and venturing into cycling – he is a nine-time Cape Town Cycle Tour finisher – before the running bug bit in 1998. He originally joined Atlantic AC, then ran for Hewat AC, Pinelands AC and Central AC before ultimately returning to Pinelands. In that time, he has attempted Two Oceans and Comrades many times, successfully finishing Oceans once and Comrades twice, but he prefers the challenges of the circuit races. “There is so much opportunity to test yourself and the mental side of the races are very tough. To get up every day and do a marathon or more is not easy on your body or your mind.”

He averages about two races a week and will do anything from 10km up to whatever distance is on offer, but he has had to be a bit more careful in recent times after developing a condition known as Athletic Heart Syndrome (AHS), or ‘Athlete’s Heart.’ This means the heart is enlarged, and the resting heart rate is lower than normal. “I only discovered this after fainting during a run at Rondebosch Common. The doctors struggled to find what caused me to faint, but after many inconclusive tests, they asked me what I do to keep busy and I said I’m a runner. Then they smiled and said, ‘Ah, you have Athlete’s Heart!’ At first, I thought they were taking the Mickey out of me, until I Googled it and found that it is a real thing.”

Keith says he prefers simplicity to complications in his life and in his running. “I don’t have a special diet and I don’t use supplements. My shoes are neutral, with a minimal sole. When I run now, I don’t overexert, I just run at an even and slow pace from start to finish. I only have two speeds: Slow and stop! Yes, I run a lot, but I don’t believe in punishing myself, because running is about the joy, not the pain. That’s why I always tell people to check the fine print on the entry form, because I am sure it states that the bailer’s bus is included in the entry fee. I make use of the bus when I feel like it, to relax and get full value for my money! And when people ask me what training programme I follow, I just say I run every weekend and rest in between. Simplicity.”

Images: Ashraf Mallick, Gerhard Fourie, Kanakana Mushanganyisi, Keith Linderoth & Moegsien Ebrahim

The old saying “Dynamite comes in small packages” could have been written for Shafeeqah Gordon, a Cape Town trail runner with the heart of a warrior and the motivation to prove that you are not policed by your circumstances, but freed from it by your self-belief. – BY PJ MOSES

Petite 24-year-old trail runner and Salomon brand ambassador Shafeeqah Gordon from Westridge in Mitchell’s Plain is understandably proud of her achievements in trail running thus far, given where she comes from. “There is a perception that girls from the Cape Flats are only here to fall pregnant or use drugs, but I am proof that there is a lot more to us as people than just doing that. Knowing where I am from drives me to where I want to be.”

A late starter to the sport of running, this former netball player fell head over heels in love with the amazing highs that trail running brings her when she is out in nature, and she also likes the discipline it takes to become good at it. The University of the Western Cape graduate, with a BA in Sport Science, says that going out there to explore her favourite rock, Table Mountain, is something that she never gets tired of. “The view of the city from the top of the mountain is just so spectacular and it blows my mind every time I see it.”

Overcoming Obstacles
Shafeeqah admits she didn’t have a clue as to what she was doing when she took up trail running. “My big mistake when I started was that I didn’t train properly. I would just run as many events as I could, with no training in between, and this led to me suffering from runner’s knee and having a frustrating time. So, I decided to change this and get a proper training programme, after which my form and my times improved in leaps and bounds.”

An even bigger obstacle was overcoming the pressure of having a fulltime job while also studying and training, as well as the fact that running is not a norm in her community, but she says the love and support from her family and friends, especially the ones in the Cape Town trail community, help her to keep pushing forward. “My parents don’t always understand this trail life, but they support me, and I think they are just happy that I am keeping myself busy with the right things, and not off being irresponsible. There were no guidelines to becoming a trail runner for a young Muslim woman from Mitchell’s Plain. But just like there was no one else in my immediate family in whose footsteps to follow on getting my degree, I don’t mind finding my own way. I am always a Muslim first and a trail runner second.”

Highs and Lows
This trail journey has not been without its low points, though. There have been recent races, like the UTCT 35km and the UTD 30km, where the doubts overcame Shafeeqah, and she says the tears flowed freely. “You question yourself in those moments, and ask whether all the effort and sacrifices are worth it, but what helps me is that I look back to where I started, from scratch, with nobody seeing the dream but me. That helps me get over all the fears, and to finish these races, knowing that I am stronger than I was before, and that I will get where I want to be.”

Her commitment coupled with the guidance she got from top trail runner Meg Mackenzie throughout last year saw her take fifth place at the Helderberg Mountain Challenge last May. “I am inspired by the women in trail who have gone before me, and I want to learn as much as I can from them. This year, my focus has shifted to running longer distances and more technical terrain, and I have Linda Doke to coach me. My goal is to work hard in reaching my potential as a trail runner, and I’m doing my first international race this October, the Salomon Cappadocia Ultra Trail in Turkey, where I’ll run the 38km.” Her family and best friend Jadè are going along to give her moral support, and she says, “I’ve always wanted to run overseas, and it’s going to be extra special having my loved ones there and sharing it with them.”

Apart from the strong women in trail she looks up to, Shafeeqah also takes inspiration from books, like the Ryan Sandes book, Trail Blazer. “I love to learn, and this is just another way of learning to overcome the obstacles that life throws at you. There are always doubts when you set out into uncharted territory, but I back myself to get to that higher level. I have learnt not to stress about things that make you unhappy, but to change them. For any of us to succeed in life, we need to take responsibility to make ourselves happy first. And my trail life makes me happy.”

After surviving a brutal attack in February that had many thinking his running career was prematurely over, Thabang Mosiako not only returned to running incredibly quickly, but also stronger than before, and he says it is all down to magnesium. – BY SEAN FALCONER

The South African running community was shaken in February when news broke of an apparent racially-motivated attack near the North West University campus in Potchefstroom on two well-known black athletes, SA 5000m Champion Thabang Mosiako and SA 3000m Steeple Chase champion Rantso Mokopane, along with their friend Sandy Londt. The initial reports said that Thabang was in a coma after suffering severe head injuries, having had his head repeatedly kicked and bashed against the pavement. There were doubts whether he would recover from his head injuries, let alone run competitively again.

In 2017 Thabang claimed the men’s 5000m title at the SA Senior Track and Field Champs, putting in a stunning last lap to close down Olympian Elroy Gelant’s 200m lead. Later that year he won the FNB Joburg 10 CITYRUN, and in January the second-year human resource development student at Boston City campus in Potchefstroom won the SA Cross Country Trials to qualify for the SA team going to the CAA African Cross Country Champs in Algeria in March, but the brutal attack seemed to have put an end to those plans.

Amazingly, though, he made an incredible recovery from his injuries and not only resumed running, but made it to the African Champs just over a month after the attack, where he finished a very creditable 26th and third South African home in the men’s 10km. “My preparation did not go to plan because of the attack, but after running my race, I was so happy, because I had managed to finish, and under the top 30 as well. It really showed me that I can run again,” says Thabang, who went on to finish 12th and fourth South African in the FNB Cape Town 12 ONERUN in May.

THE FATEFUL NIGHT
According to Rantso, the three friends stopped at Varsity Café in the early hours of the morning to buy some food. While Thabang and Sandy waited outside, he found himself in the queue to pay behind three apparently drunk white men, one of whom began swearing at the elderly black woman working the till. That prompted Rantso to intervene. “I asked them can you please pay and go, because what you guys are doing is not right, but those guys got angry. There was another white guy behind me in the queue, and he also said to the drunk guy to stop, but nothing happened to him. The drunk guy just focused on me.”

When Rantso came outside, the group had grown to about 10 men who then attacked him, so Thabang and Sandy tried to help their friend. Passing police officers came and stopped the fight, but appeared to take the side of the white men. “The police started beating us with batons, as if we were the ones who were in the wrong,” says Rantso. Having received no help from the police, the three tried to get away from their attackers, who began chasing them. “It happened so quickly, and then we were running for our lives,” says Thabang.

Shockingly, Rantso says they came across another police vehicle and asked desperately for help, but were ignored, and stopping for help just allowed the chasers to catch them once the police drove away. “Sandy went one way and Thabang went the other. I was fighting two, but then they left me and went to Thabang. I saw them hitting and kicking him, and when they finished he was lying unconscious with blood on his head. Then more police came and they called the ambulance.”

RECOVERY BEGINS
Thabang woke up the next day in hospital and says while lying there, his thoughts turned to the attack, and how he had kept thinking about his wife Thandi (who was SA under-23 Champion over 1500m last year), and their young son Mpho. “I thought I would die there, and kept thinking what would happen to them if I lost my life,” he says. Fortunately, his injuries were not as severe as initially feared, so he was up and about a few days after the attack, but he was left with sever headaches, especially when he tried running, and believed his opportunity to represent his country in Algeria was gone. “I was overcome with despondency, and I had given up on the Algeria trip,” he says.

Then out of the blue he was contacted by Benita Niemann of Magnesium Café and everything changed. “She tracked me down before African Champs and told me to try the product, that I will see the results.” Having heard of the attack and Thabang’s struggle to recover, Benita had decided to offer what help she could. “It was really sad for me, because when I first made contact with Thabang, he had two hands full of tablets, and not one was magnesium. As soon as he started to drink the magnesium, he started to recover. People don’t understand the importance of magnesium,” she says.

Thabang continues the story: “Everyone thought I would only be running again next year, or at least after six months of recovery, but I went to African Champs. What really helped me recover was the magnesium products, and I can’t thank Benita and Magnesium Café enough. It took away the headaches, and gave me the energy and focus I needed in training. Physically I am OK now. The terrible headaches I was getting are not so bad now, only coming now and again, and I plan to keep using the product, because it saved my career!”

Unsurprisingly, his training mates noticed his rapid recovery and quick return to form, and began asking him about the wonder supplements he was taking. That saw coach Springs Phakathi ask Benita if she would consider sponsoring more of his training group, so now Rantso, Thandi and Puseletso Mofokeng are all using her products, and Rantso is equally effusive about the effects of magnesium. “It seemed to really help Thabang. Initially he used to stop regularly in jogs due to the headaches, but gradually improved once he started using magnesium. Previously I never believed in supplements, but now I’m also using magnesium, because it’s the best thing I have found for recovery and energy.”

ENDURING FRIENDSHIP
No suspects have been arrested following the attack, in spite of Rantso following up with the police and university authorities, and he says the latest information they have points to the fact that it may have been men from Pretoria, with ties to Potch students, that attacked them. “Ironically, Thabang always avoided coming out in the dorp at night due to previous attacks or incidents like this, usually with drunk guys. To be honest, I don’t go out at night any more, because I don’t feel safe.”

He says he wished the attack had not led to his friend suffering so much, but he nevertheless does not regret getting involved in the café. “The first thing I thought was, what if that had been my mother, just doing her job… so I had to speak up, because we must protect people that can’t stand up for themselves. I had no intention to fight, but I am still responsible for what happened. I used to think maybe we were at the wrong place at the wrong time, but seeing my friend almost get killed made me stop and say this must not happen again, and that is what I am fighting for.”

Meanwhile, Thabang says the physical injuries of the attack may now be largely healed, but the psychological and emotional scars are still healing. “When people talk about the attack, it really hurts me, because even today nobody has been arrested. It hurts because I haven’t got justice yet. Still, I am really proud of Rantso for standing up for that cashier, even though we got attacked. He is a true friend.”

IMAGES: Tobias Ginsberg, Back Track & Courtesy YouTube

After coming back from an operation on her foot and having to learn to walk again, multiple SA Champion Rikenette Steenkamp had been frustratingly close to breaking the 21-year-old SA Record for the women’s 100m hurdles, but in June she finally claimed the record for herself. – BY SEAN FALCONER & WILHELM DE SWARDT

If ever an athlete deserved to break an SA Record, it was Rikenette Steenkamp. Throughout the 2017 season she had been knocking on the proverbial door of dipping under 13 seconds and improving on Corien Botha’s SA Record of 12.94 seconds, which had stood since 1998, and the same had continued in 2018. She had finally broken that 13-second barrier, and then had actually run a 12.92, at the Resisprint International Meeting in Switzerland, but the wind from behind was unfortunately too strong for record purposes.

Undaunted, Rikenette (26) continued chasing the record, and in June she finally did it at the Memorial Josefa Odlozila Meeting in Prague. Former World Junior Champion Elvira Herman of Belarus won the race in 12.69, with Rikenette finishing second in a brilliant new SA Record of 12.91 – and that in spite of not having the best of starts, coming out of the blocks second-last, but still leading over the first four hurdles.

“To at long last break Corien Botha’s record was amazing. I have dreamt of doing so for the last seven years. What excites me is that it was not the perfect race. My technique going over the first four hurdles was possibly the best I have ever done, but I was coming onto the hurdles so fast that it led to me losing a bit of rhythm. Then I hit the sixth hurdle – I can’t remember when last that happened!” says Rikenette. “I was quite emotional afterwards, especially when I met up with my coach, Hennie Kriel. I owe so much to him for the way he guided me to break the record.”

Starting from Scratch
What makes Rikenette’s SA Record all the more impressive is the fact that just two years ago she had to learn to walk properly again after an operation on her foot! Having won the SA Schools title in 2009, then recording a hat-trick of titles in 2010 by claiming the SA Schools, Junior and Senior titles in her matric year, then going on claim the gold medal at the 2014 African Champs in Morocco, she saw her career derailed by constant pain in her foot.

“After a six-week off-season break in September 2014, I started training again, but slight pains in my right ankle started bothering me. Despite consulting various physios and doctors, the pain gradually increased. In early 2015, I tried training three times a week at about 60% intensity, but that was just frustrating, and at the end of 2015 I consulted a foot specialist, Dr Fief Ferreira, and he finally identified the problem,” says Rikenette.

“I had an extra piece of bone about 15mm long in my ankle, which impaired my mobility and therefore caused a lot of pain when running. There was no other option than to do surgery, followed by six weeks’ bed rest, two months’ physiotherapy and two months of swimming, whilst working with a biokineticist. That rehabilitation period was difficult, although I knew it would all be worth it, but I could only return to the track in September 2016! There were moments when I thought I won’t ever run again, but I am so blessed with an amazing family and support system that carried me through this time. They always helped me to focus on the next part of the process, and we celebrated every small victory.”

Bouncing Back Strongly
Today, the pain and frustration of her operation and recovery are distant reminders of how far she has come, spurring her on to still greater achievements, and up to her record run in Prague, Rikenette had posted a remarkable series of results in European races, winning four races and finishing second in a further two. Also, it shows how far she has come, in that posting a second sub-13 in a week, at the Diamond League Meeting in Stockholm, just after the record run, actually left her feeling a bit disappointed…

“I guess I should be satisfied with a time of 12.99, as it is only the third time officially that I managed to dip under 13 seconds, but after my 12.91 in Prague, I know that I am capable of running faster times. Still, I am overwhelmed with thankfulness after the setbacks and challenges that I’ve been through the last two years. The biggest lesson I have learnt is that it is OK not to have everything under control. I view things very differently now. Life almost never works out completely as planned, so I enjoy my running a lot more now when I am relaxed and make jokes. I also don’t see mistakes or bad races as failures. It is part of sport to go through processes, and it’s not possible to run a personal best in every race.”

Postscript: Rikenette Shatter Own Record
Having set a new SA Record of 12.91 in the 100m hurdles just a few weeks earlier in Prague, Rikenette produced another breakthrough performance on 1 July in Switzerland. She obliterated her still new record with a 12.81 in the final of the Resisprint International meeting in La Chaux-de-Fonds, after clocking 12.70 in the qualifying heat, but that mark was run with the benefit of a tailwind and is not record-legal.

IMAGES: Reg Caldecott

 

Winning the Comrades Marathon is considered one of the pinnacles of achievement in South African road running. It brings a massive payday, makes you a household name and really puts you on the running map, with sponsorships, endorsements and media opportunities that follow, as Bongmusa Mthembu found out in 2014. However, winning it again takes things to another level, let alone a third time! – BY SEAN FALCONER

It wasn’t so very long ago that Bongmusa Mthembu was struggling to find work and just keeping his running ticking over, having moved from his hometown of Bulwer to nearby Pietermaritzburg in the hopes of finding more opportunities. “It was hard to get a job, but eventually I got hired as a bricklayer, and at that time I was just training to keep my body healthy,” he says. “Then in 2004 I started to enter some of the local races, and in 2005 I won the Maritzburg Marathon, even without proper training. That was when I started thinking about taking part in the Comrades Marathon, and in my mind I already had the dream of winning Comrades one day.”

He ran his first Comrades in 2006 and earned a silver medal in 6:25:19, followed by two more silvers and a highest finish of 31st in 2007. Then in 2009 he rocketed up the placings as he came home seventh for his first gold medal, followed by third position in 2010, 12th in 2011 and the runner-up position in 2012. He didn’t finish in 2013, but in June 2014, he set out from his home city and clocked 5:28:29 to win the Down Run and fulfil the promise had shown over the preceding years.

A disappointing 17th place followed in 2015, but he bounced back with third place in 2016 for another gold, and then in November that year he added the SA Record for 100km to his list of achievements, clocking 6:24:05 to finish second at the 2016 IAU World 100km Championships in Spain and finally beat Bruce Fordyce’s 27-year-old SA Record by 62 seconds! That cemented his status as one of SA’s premier ultra-runners, but more was to come. In 2017 he won his second Comrades title, crossing the line in Pietermaritzburg in 5:35:34 to add an Up Run title to his Down Run win of 2014. That already put him into a select group of men with multiple Comrades wins, but in 2018 even more glory was to come his way.

WHERE FEW HAVE TROD
Prior to this year’s race, just nine men had managed to win the race three or more times in its nearly 100-year history, and of the further eight men with two wins to their name, Bongmusa was the only one running in 2018. Furthermore, just 11 men had ever managed to win the Comrades in back-to-back years, and there again Bongmusa was the only man in this year’s field in the running to change that record. Happily for the affable Arthur Ford AC runner, he was able to do both in his 13th Comrades run.

Having broken away from the chasing pack on Cowies Hill, with about 19km to go, Bongmusa stormed home to break the tape in 5:26:34, beating second-placed Joseph Mputhi by 8 mintes 35 seconds. This made him the first South African to win the race in consecutive years since Bruce Fordyce last managed this feat in 1987 and 1988 (the last two of his eight consecutive wins from 1981 to 1988), and just the third man since Bruce to record back-to-back wins.

Back to Back Men’s Comrades Winners
1922-25 Arthur Newton (4)
1933-34 Hardy Ballington
1953-54 Wally Hayward
1956-57 Gerald Walsh
1963-64 Jackie Mekler
1969-71 Dave Bagshaw (3)
1974-75 Derek Preiss
1976-78 Alan Robb (3)
1981-88 Bruce Fordyce (8)
2007-08 Leonid Shvetsov
2009-11 Stephen Muzhingi (3)
2017-18 Bongmusa Mthembu

After the race, Bongmusa said, “I am very emotional about this win, because the Comrades means so much to me. The experience of my previous Down Run victory helped me a lot, and I decided in Pinetown to break away from the others on Cowies Hill. The Down Comrades only really starts in Pinetown.”

Interestingly, if Bongmusa can win the 2019 Comrades, he would become just the sixth man ever to win the race in three consecutive years. Another Comrades win would also put him level with Alan Robb on four wins, and just one away from joining the Big Five of the race who posted five or more wins. Given the way he has performed over the last few years at Comrades, he looks like he could do just that!

All-time Leading Men’s Comrades Winners
9 Bruce Fordyce
5 Arthur Newton
5 Hardy Ballington
5 Wally Hayward
5 Jackie Mekler
4 Allan Robb
3 Dave Bagshaw
3 Vladimir Kotov
3 Stephen Muzhingi
3 Bongmusa Mthembu

ANN’S AWESOME SURPRISE
In contrast to Bongmusa, who was widely touted by many experts to be a favourite to win the 2018 Comrades, Ann Ashworth was only considered a safe bet for a top 10 position and a gold medal by most pundits. As the old saying goes, shows what they know, because the 34-year-old advocate from Johannesburg pulled off one of the biggest upsets to comfortably win the women’s title in 6:10:04, after a gutsy run that saw her take, then lose and retake the lead in Pinetown. Pre-race favourite Gerda Steyn, the 2018 Old Mutual Two Oceans Winner, was second home in 6:15:34

Ashworth crossed the finish line with a big smile and received a massive hug from her coach, John Hamlett, who added a women’s win to his four men’s wins as a Comrades coach. After catching her breath, she said her race plan had worked out perfectly. “I had started building up for the Comrades with a win in the Legends 68km last year, followed by a fifth place in the Two Oceans and second in the Loskop 50km this year. John told me he believed I could win it, but still, I don't think anyone is more surprised than myself that I am sitting here as the winner. I took two months off work to train for the Comrades, and I want to thank everyone who made sacrifices to help me achieve this.” (Look out for an in-depth interview with Ann in an upcoming edition. – Ed.)

IMAGES: Jetline Action Photo