Category: Features

In an incredibly successful career spanning 15 years, Sunette Viljoen has competed in four Olympic Games, as well as the Commonwealth Games, World Champs, African Champs, World Universiade and many major world meets, bringing a veritable treasure trove of medals back to South Africa, including a silver medal from the recent Rio Olympics, and making her one of the country’s all-time greatest athletes. We caught up with her for a Q&A. – BY SEAN FALCONER

MA: Tell us about your younger years and when you started with athletics.
SV: I grew up in Klerksdorp in the North West Province, then we moved to Rustenburg. At school I did all the different sports, from athletics and cross country to tennis, netball and cricket, and if I could have played rugby, I probably would have! After matriculating in 2001, I got a bursary from North West University in Potchefstroom and started specialising in javelin with coach Terseus Liebenberg, who is still my coach 14 years later.

MA: Looking back on all your achievements, what are the major highlights that stand out?
SV: Each medal and title had its own unique meaning, but my Olympic silver medal that I just won in Rio is definitely the highlight, followed by my two Commonwealth titles in 2006 and 2010. That said, my World Champs bronze in Daegu came in one of the best javelin meets ever, with the top two women throwing over 70 metres, while I threw 68m to win bronze and set a new African and SA record. Also, I think I am the only athlete with five African Champs titles.

MA: Do you still feel pressure to do well after such a successful career?
SV: I think I have set a high standard for myself and for the people of SA, so every time I step onto the field they expect me to win a medal. But I think I have grown as an athlete, and at this stage of my career I compete for the love of it. I just want to keep winning medals, because I see how much that Olympic medal means to people at home. Being a sportsperson lets you bring joy to the country, and they unite as a nation in getting behind you.

MA: What keeps you motivated to compete at the top level?
SV: You have to have passion and a love for what you do, and you also need goals. I still have dreams that I want to fulfil in the next few years, like winning the 2017 World Champs, and winning back my Commonwealth title in 2018.

MA: How did you feel going into the Rio Olympics?
SV: I was a totally different athlete than in London in 2012. There I went in as world number one, with a lot more pressure on me, and I wanted that gold too much. Going into Rio I was not number one, so there was less pressure. Also, the Olympic javelin final takes over two hours and you have to stay mentally sharp for much longer, and keep your emotions intact. That is something I taught myself between London and Rio.

MA: What was the Rio experience like for you?
SV: The big difference between London and Rio was the atmosphere in the stadium. In London, there were 110,000 people in the stadium, sitting right up close to the athletes, which created an electric atmosphere. In Rio, it felt more like a local athletics meet, because tickets were expensive and the people of Rio did not fill the stadium. But Rio is a vibrant city with friendly people, and I would love to go back for a vacation, since I didn’t get to see much of it during the Olympics. Overall Rio did a good job, and it was a brilliant Olympics for me.

MA: What do you think winning Olympic medals means for young South Africans interested in getting into the sport?
SV: It’s wonderful to see how much our Rio medals inspire youngsters, but I think they must also know that it is not easy to win an Olympic medal, that the road is tough. We may have wonderful facilities in SA, but other sports offer more money, so many talented youngsters leave athletics, or give up when the going gets tough. If you have a dream, you must pursue it.

MA: You have been very outspoken about athletics administration in this country. What do you hope will change?
SV: We have to look after our talent from a young age. In other countries they have structures in place to do that, and ideally I would like to see our federation being able to pay its athletes. Then we would have a lot more athletes staying in the sport. I am fortunate that I now get invited to compete in Diamond League meets overseas, but others don’t have that, and they need funding to help them get to that level. We also need sponsors in the sport. When I started my career, we had the ABSA Series, and the Engen Series, then the Yellow Pages Series, but all of these sponsors have withdrawn. The bottom line is that our athletics federation is not in a financial position to help its athletes, and companies don’t seem to want to invest in athletics… and yet we are still winning medals, because we have the talent!

MA: What are your goals in athletics going forward, and will you compete again in four years time?
SV: I am nowhere near retiring! Next year’s World Champs in London is a big goal, because I specifically want to win there after my big disappointment in 2012. Then it’s the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Australia, where I want to win my title back. After that I will reassess, and if I have the strength, motivation and passion to carry on for two more years, I will push for the Tokyo Olympics. If I get there, I think I will be the only South African ever to compete in five Olympics.

MA: Any plans for your son Henre to follow in your footsteps?
SV: You won’t believe it, but he recently threw 35 metres, aged just 11! He is such a lovely kid, with a lot of natural sporting talent, so he plays rugby, hockey, cricket, and throws javelin, but I don’t put any pressure on him whatsoever. It is his journey.

MA: When you do eventually retire, will you focus on coaching?
SV: Yes, I really want to build a school of champions, to give young athletes a platform to develop. I already coach kids in my off-season, and enjoy giving back and making a difference. Also, one of my three degrees is a teaching diploma, so I may go into that as well.

MA: What do you do to unwind outside of athletics?
SV: I love fly-fishing! I love going to the Vaal River and catching fish in the rapids. The line just lands in the water and you start reeling them in! I also enjoy quad biking, stand up paddling, going to the movies and nice restaurants, but best is any time spent with my loved ones, LiMari and Henre. LiMari and I have been together for four years, and she was the driving force behind me coming back so strongly from my London disappointment.

MA: What is the legacy you want to leave in SA athletics?
SV: The first day I stepped onto the track at Potch, my coach said to me I will be the best javelin thrower this world has ever seen, and that still motivates me to this day, but I just want to be remembered as someone who never gave up, who kept fighting and throwing through good or bad times. And I want to be known as SA’s best athlete ever.

He has 20 Comrades medals and represented Great Britain, Scotland and South Africa in running and triathlon, he travels the world regularly to coach or measure courses (including three Olympic Marathons), does media work for print, radio and television, has written books on running, is one of the most respected athletics people in SA, and did his first bungee and parachute jumps at age 59. It is impossible to tell you the entire Norrie Williamson story in the space available here, but we’ll give it a try anyway… – BY SEAN FALCONER

Stop by the Old Mutual stand at one of the big race Expo’s and chances are good you’ll see 61-year-old Norrie Williamson manning the Virtual Coach desk, dishing out pacing charts and chatting up a storm in his still distinct Scottish accent. Norrie has helped many a runner earn a coveted medal, and his expert knowledge sees him flying all over the world to measure event routes or share his vast coaching knowledge. In fact, he is away from home more than he is home. “This year I have been in Zambia twice, India three times, Dubai six times, and of course Rio, amongst other places. I think I’ve only been at home in Durban a total of 70 days all year, usually only two to three nights at a time,” says Norrie. “I could earn a lot more using my training as an engineer, but I get far more reward flying around the world for athletics.”

FROM RUGBY TO RUNNING
Norrie can look back on an illustrious running career, filled with race wins and international accolades, but it is hard to think that he actually began his sporting life in school as a front row forward in rugby back in Scotland. “I was the slowest, heaviest guy in my class, hence I played hooker, and I wasn’t really that talented, but I did a lot of analysis of the game and preparation. That saw me eventually play premier league rugby and turn out for my provincial and district teams at senior level, and I was even on the bench against the All Blacks in 1980. Then I headed out to South Africa in February 1981 to work in Durban, and on the flight I read an article in the British Jogger magazine about the Two Oceans and Comrades, and that made me change to running. Back then the forwards were binding much lower in Scotland and we actually hooked the ball with our heads. I got into running instead, because I would have broken my neck playing here!”

That saw Norrie run his first marathon in March 1981 at the Savages Marathon, then he finished 11th in the Arthur Newton 56km between Pietermaritzburg and Hillcrest, and followed that with a 7:09 Comrades debut. The following year he ran his first 100-miler as well as the first of his 10 Two Oceans ultras, all of which produced sub-4:00 silver medals. In 1983, Norrie won the Star Mazda Johannesburg to Durban 1000km race. “We started in Joburg, ran out and back in various directions for five days, and then ran down to Durban. I won it, and Kenny Craig and Dave Park were the only two others who made it to the end!” Another notable achievement in 1983 saw Norrie run a 2:42 in the London Marathon and then post a 2:45 the very next day in the Boston Marathon. “I had to finish London in sub-three to make my flight to New York to get to Boston!”

TRI-ING TIMES
Around that same time triathlon was becoming popular in South Africa, and Norrie finished 11th in the Durban Ultra. “I did the marathon in just over three hours, but if that 5km swim had been 5.1km, I think I would have drowned! I was so cold that I got onto my bike in my tracksuit, after taking more than 20 minutes to change! The next year went much better and I finished second, and that got me to Kona for the Ironman, where I finished in about 10:40, which was good enough for seventh place in my 30 to 34 age category. We also had the Leppan Ironman canoe tri here in SA, and I finished 13th in 1983, then top five in 1984, and that helped secure our team sponsorship for the London-Paris Triathlon.”

So Norrie joined Mike Hogg, Dave McCarney and Philip Kuhn in the UK for the ultra tri relay event, with Bruce Fordyce and Tim Noakes as support crew, and as the strongest runner in the team he did the largest share of the run from London to the coast. “On the other hand, I did the least amount of swimming in the Channel, just 15 minutes at a time, because I was seasick! We won the event, on the Champs-Élysées in Paris, and it was all over the newspapers, which led to us starting the SA Triathlon Federation when we got back home.”

MULTI-TASKING MAYHEM

In 1985 Norrie became an accredited IAAF course measurer, went to the USA to try make the top five at the Western States 100 Miler (an allergic reaction to a bee sting put paid to that), and ran a 2:35 marathon PB in Edinburgh. In 1986 he started writing columns for the newspapers and doing TV work, set a 24-hour and 100km World Record for running on a treadmill, completed his third Dusi Canoe Marathon, and was part of founding the International Association of Ultra-runners (IAU). In 1989 he was supposed to run across South Africa, but the project fell through, so instead he finished 26th in the Comrades with a time of 6:07:59 – well, 27th, to be exact, because that was the year that Frith van der Merwe finished 15th overall.

In 1992 Norrie finished sixth in the 250km Spartathlon in Greece, which saw him selected to run for Britain in the European 24-hour Champs and World 100km Champs, and for Scotland in the Commonwealth 100km, all while he was heavily involved in the unification of sporting codes back in South Africa as the country finally abandoned its Apartheid policies, and he played a leading role in the founding of Athletics South Africa (ASA) in 1994. “That went on into 1995, when I was offered a three-year contract doing athletics development work in Scotland, but as soon I got ‘home’ I realised it was a mistake, as South Africa had become home. But those three years taught me to see things from a different angle.”

“I’ve been back in South Africa since 1998, and I have no regrets about coming here. I would never have achieved what I have if I had stayed in the UK. In fact, I probably would only have left Scotland for an annual holiday. Instead, I have had an amazing life, have travelled widely, and been incredibly lucky in having such a supportive wife in Karen. Although we are now divorced, we’re still incredibly good friends. I think my Scottish beliefs of 25 years, then 35 years in SA, have shaped me into something different. I am very outspoken, and that sometimes makes me very unpopular, but I believe that my passion for the sport is what is important.”

Perhaps known better for her canoeing feats, including five wins in the Unlimited Dusi Canoe Marathon, Robyn Owen (neé Kime) can also claim an impressive record in trail running, having represented South Africa at the 2013 World Trail Champs, and now adding a win in the prestigious Otter Trail Marathon. – BY SEAN FALCONER

The Otter Marathon is known as the Grail of Trail because it is not only a stunningly scenic trail to run, but because for 363 days a year it is strictly off-limits to runners, with only hiking allowed. On those other two days in mid-October, it is reserved for a 42km trail run that brings runners from all over the world to the Southern Cape for the annual run between Storms River and Natures Valley. The race is run in the reverse direction in alternate years, known as the Retto, while the original direction is known as the Classic, and winning it is a real feather in the cap for any trail runner. Which is what makes Robyn Owen’s win in this year’s Retto all the more special, because it was the first trail run she had ever won… and boy did she do it in style!

Robyn ran nearly the entire race neck-and-neck with Stevie Kremer of the USA, but then used her technical running skills to full impact as she streaked clear in the last three rocky kays to win the race and set a massive new women’s course record for either direction. She clocked in at 4 hours 49 minutes 45 seconds, whereas the previous Retto record was 5:11:46, run by Landie Greyling in 2014, while the Classic record stands at 2013’s 4:55:48, by Ruby Muir of New Zealand.

Duel To The End

“It’s definitely my biggest win. In fact, I don’t think I have ever won a trail race before, and I’ve never beaten any of the serious, professional runners before, so this win means a lot to me,” says Robyn. “The first three kilometres were flat and chilled, but then we got onto the technical trail and Stevie really went for it. I just tried to stick with her, but I was battling to keep up with her on the ups, so I had to go hard on the downs, which meant we were constantly swapping the lead. We were back together at 5km to go, and then at 3km to go it gets very technical on rocks and I pulled ahead.”

Robyn is too modest to say it, but she actually streaked clear in those last three kays, opening a gap of about three minutes, and she says the final rocky section gave her the edge. “I prefer the Retto, because I think I’m not as good at running, whereas I like the technical stuff and am perhaps better at skipping over rocks. Therefore, finishing on a rocky section was good for me – I don’t think I would have been on the podium if we had run in the other direction.” (In her only previous run on this trail, Robyn finished fifth in the Classic in 2013, with a time around 5:30.)

Also typically modest about her new record, Robyn says it was more down to the ideal conditions that made it possible for both the men’s and women’s records to fall. “We had very good conditions this year, so everybody went faster, because the trails were dry, the rivers low, and it wasn’t too hot. Those were record-breaking conditions. Still, last year they said it was impossible for the men to break four hours on this trail, and they put up an incentive of R100,000, but Marc Lauenstein of Switzerland came out and broke the barrier with about 30 seconds to spare, and this year he went quite well under, posting 3:54:52. I was just focused on beating the pro runners, so it is even more special that I beat a record set by a pro!”

Multi-Talented Sportswoman

Robyn (27) grew up in Pietermaritzburg, where her father worked in forestry and her mother gave swimming lessons. The family was always active, going on mountain bike rides and hikes, and Robyn did various sports at high school, including hockey, waterpolo and cross-country, as well as canoeing. “The school would take a bus down to the Fish River race in the Eastern Cape, so that’s how I got started in canoeing, and I went on to win a few races as a junior. I love being on rivers – the rapids are exciting and the places we paddle through are beautiful.”

She went on to dominate the Dusi, winning it five times from 2010 to 2014 – three times in a K2 boat with a partner, and twice in a solo K1, as the race alternates the class each year. Robyn’s younger brother Lance is also a great canoeist, and they are the only brother-sister combination to both win the K1 class at the Dusi in the same year. “The Dusi is special for me because it’s a big thing in Pietermaritzburg. I also really enjoy the extra dynamic that the long portages introduce, where my running strength helps a lot.”

Even so, she surprised herself when she finished on the podium at the 2013 Jonkershoek Mountain Challenge in Stellenbosch. The race doubled as the SA Long Distance Mountain Champs, and that saw her selected for the SA Team for the World Long Distance Mountain Running Champs in Poland later that year. “World Champs was a good experience and I had a good run. I came 24th and was the highest SA finisher, but I was still ridiculously far out of contention, about 45 minutes behind the winners,” says Robyn.

Time for Travelling

For the next few months Robyn focused on finishing her degree in civil engineering at Stellenbosch University, graduating in March 2014, and then she went travelling for just over a year with then fiancé, now husband Mike, visiting Nepal, the UK, Morocco, Spain, France, Switzerland, and working for a while on a ski resort in the French Alps. Returning in mid-2015, she took up adventure racing, joining Team Merrell Adventure Addicts, for races in Swaziland, Australia and Brazil, and then they headed to Chile in February for the 612km Patagonian Expedition Race. “The weather in Patagonia was extreme – rain, cold, four seasons in one day, very dramatic – but our team came third out of the only four teams that finished, out of 26 that started! It was extremely tough, and wild… sometimes we got the feeling that we were the first people to ever go there!”

After that Robyn decided to take a break from adventure racing, but then Jeannie Dreyer of Team Sanlam Painted Wolf got injured and the guys in the team, Andre Gie and the Collins brothers, John and Mark, needed a replacement for the Expedition Africa event, since AR teams must have one woman in the foursome. They went on to win the race, which in turn meant they qualified for the AR World Champs in Australia at the beginning of November, along with the Merrell Addicts. And after 300km of mountain biking, 130km on foot, 120km of paddling and mystery disciplines, the Painted Wolves finished fourth out of 99 teams at World Champs, thanks to an incredible sprint finish to pass an Australian team just before the finish line!

Planning for the Future

Now that Robyn is back from Australia, she plans to put more time into the new business she and Mike have launched, For the Love of Adventure, offering guided hikes or trail runs around the Stellenbosch area, but also as far afield as the Cederberg. “We can also do overseas trips on request, going to places we discovered on our travels. My civil engineering degree is the back-up plan, and I might go back into that field later, but for now that’s not where my passion lies. Mike is still working as a lecturer in mechanical engineering at the University, but ideally we’d like the business to take off in the future so we can both go full-time with guiding.”

Looking ahead, Robyn has her sights set on the Coast to Coast Challenge in New Zealand in February, a gruelling solo multi-sport event that includes trail running, mountain biking and paddling, but she is also thinking about running competitively. “I already have my 2017 Otter entry thanks to winning this year, and there’s a big incentive to go under 4:30, just as the men were challenged to go sub-4:00. There may be R200,000 up for grabs for the two records! It’s not about the money, but it is nice to have a target to aim for, and beating the record this year has got me thinking about taking trail running more seriously. I have never thought of myself as a good runner – I rather saw myself as a good runner, for a paddler – but I am keen to try a few more big events and let’s see what happens.”

Most of us are aware of the negative short- and long-term effects that excessive alcohol can have on our bodies. These include sleep disturbances, irritability, anxiety, depression, anaemia, osteoporosis, pancreatitis, type two diabetes, liver cirrhosis, and cancer.

Also, let’s not forget alcohol’s massive contribution to our annual road death toll. Athletes however don’t seem to comprehend that they can get something as severe as liver cirrhosis! The fact is that drinking does not have to reach that level of abuse to affect sports performance. With this in mind, let’s focus solely on alcohol intake from an exercise/performance point of view.

METABOLISM OF ALCOHOL
When alcohol is consumed, it passes from the stomach and intestines into the blood, a process referred to as absorption. Alcohol is then metabolized by enzymes, which are body chemicals that break down other chemicals. In the liver, an enzyme called alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) mediates the conversion of alcohol to acetaldehyde. Acetaldehyde is rapidly converted to acetate by other enzymes and is eventually metabolised to carbon dioxide and water.

The liver can metabolise only a certain amount of alcohol per hour, regardless of the amount that has been consumed. The rate of alcohol metabolism depends, in part, on the amount of metabolising enzymes in the liver, which varies among individuals and appears to have genetic determinants.
In general, after the consumption of one standard drink, the amount of alcohol in the drinker's blood (blood alcohol concentration, or BAC) peaks within 30 to 45 minutes (a standard drink is defined as 340ml ‘lite’ beer, 125ml of wine, or 25ml of 80-proof distilled spirits, all of which contain the same amount of alcohol). Alcohol is metabolised more slowly than it is absorbed. Since the metabolism of alcohol is slow, consumption needs to be controlled to prevent accumulation in the body and intoxication.

ALCOHOL AND WEIGHT/FAT BALANCE
Alcohol is a non-essential nutrient. We cannot store alcohol in our bodies. When consumed your body basically recognises alcohol as a toxin and preferentially uses (oxidises) alcohol as an energy source, rather than fat, and to a lesser degree carbohydrates and proteins.

This means that the fat that your body should be burning off is stored as adipose tissue, reducing fat loss! Alcohol is also energy dense (27kj/g or 7kcal/g) and contributes significantly to total energy intake. A recent study showed that alcohol consumption does not naturally reduce food intake. Therefore people who consume alcohol should reduce consumption of other dietary sources to maintain energy balance. For example, if one has two units of alcohol they should compensate by reducing their fat units by two. However, reducing the intake of nutritious food units to compensate for ‘empty’ alcohol units can be detrimental to the athlete.

ALCOHOL AND SPORTS PERFORMANCE
Moderate alcohol intake does not appear to affect performance, provided the correct amounts of carbs, proteins and fat units are consumed on a daily basis. Remember that too few carbs means too little fuel for the liver and muscles. Moderate drinking means not more than seven units of alcohol weekly for a woman and not more than 14 units for a man, however this is very general.
The effects of alcohol and how much alcohol can be safely consumed vary widely amongst individuals and also depend on weather conditions. After a race in hot weather, two beers may affect you like a six pack! Besides the well-known, short-term effects on the brain such as impaired reaction time, balance and hand-eye coordination, the negative effects of alcohol consumption for runners include dehydration and delayed recovery.

ALCOHOL AND DEHYDRATION
Drinking one or two beers or a glass of wine the night before a race in which the weather will be cool, will likely have very little effect on your performance. Before a race in hot weather however, one of the major limiting factors to your performance is your hydration level, so starting the race partially dehydrated from a few beers the night before is not a good idea.

In addition, sending blood to your skin (vasodilation) is one
of your body’s cooling mechanisms. When you are dehydrated, there is less blood available to be sent to the skin and less for the working muscles, so performance decreases and the risk of heat injury increases.
Going into a summer race after a few beers the night before means you will perform below par when the gun goes off, and your performance will get worse from there as you sweat out additional fluids. Similarly, starting out your Sunday long run in warm weather after a night of drinking is likely to make you struggle through it.

Coffee is another dehydration culprit. That early morning cup of coffee may wake you up, but it is actually counterproductive to rehydration as coffee is a diuretic. If you do indulge the night before a race, stick to low-alcohol beer, or alternate a glass of water or sports drink (if you are not trying to lose weight) with each unit of alcohol.

There are also dangers in drinking alcohol while taking anti-inflammatory medication or pain relievers. Drinking alcohol while taking these may lead to liver damage. In addition, taking ibuprofen or aspirin with alcohol substantially increases the risks of stomach irritation and internal bleeding. If you take anti-inflammatory medication or pain relievers, stick to the recommended doses and avoid alcohol.

ALCOHOL AND RECOVERY
In the first hour after a race, you may feel like a beer, but what you really need are fluids and carbohydrates. After a race, drink to replace fluids and replenish your carbohydrate stores, and when you have accomplished that you can afford to have a couple of beers or glasses of wine. Note that a can of beer only contains about 14g of carbohydrates, so contrary to popular belief, beer is not a particularly good carbo-loader or rehydrater! Additionally alcohol may cause the opposite effect and interfere with muscle glycogen refuelling.

Alcohol slows recovery both through its diuretic effect and because it is processed by your hard-working liver, which is also instrumental in many of the processes involved in recovery. If you want to recover as quickly as possible from the race, you should not drink any alcohol. If your life’s balance includes social drinking, however, try to drink an equal amount of water or sports drink for each beer or two glasses of water for each glass of wine.

It is important to remember that running is often associated with muscle damage and soft tissue injuries. Standard medical practice is to treat these injuries with vasoconstrictive techniques (e.g. rest, ice, compression and elevation).

Since alcohol is a potent vasodilator, it’s suggested that large amounts of alcohol may cause undesirable swelling around damaged sites and impede the recovery process.

Always remember, drink sensibly and avoid binge drinking!

A 1% loss in body weight due to dehydration typically leads to a 2-3% reduction in running performance. The link between dehydration and running performance is:
 Your blood volume decreases, so less blood returns to your heart.
  The amount of blood your heart pumps with each beat decreases.
 
Less oxygen-rich blood reaches your working muscles.
  Your muscles have less oxygen with which to produce energy aerobically.
  You must run at a slower pace.

IT’S ALL ABOUT CHOICE AND MODERATION
Try to keep the following points in mind before you down that drink:
 Alcohol is not an essential nutrient, but there is no evidence of impairment to health and performance if alcohol is used sensibly.
 Moderate intake really depends on your body composition (weight, fat percentage, etc) and genetics, but generally equals one unit per day for women and two units per day for men.
 Since alcohol tolerance is variable, it’s difficult to set precise guidelines or a definition of ‘heavy intake’. It is suggested that women should not consume more than 20-30g of alcohol (two/three units of alcohol) per day and men not more than 40-50g (four/five units) for men. An intake of 80-100g of alcohol (eight to ten units) generally constitutes a heavy episode of drinking for the average weight male.
 Alcohol is a high-energy, nutrient-poor fluid and should be avoided when trying to reduce body fat.
  Athletes should avoid heavy drinking the night before an event, as one to two units will have negative effects in most people.
  Intake of alcohol immediately before or during exercise will not enhance performance and can often impair psychomotor performance and judgment.
  Heavy alcohol intake is likely to have a major impact on post recovery due to dehydration, impaired glycogen recovery and repair of soft tissue damage.
  An athlete should rehydrate with appropriate fluids, and carbs immediately after an event, to aid muscle glycogen recovery and rehydration, and then only start consuming low-alcohol drinks (if no soft tissue damage has occurred).

 

Check out all the latest news and important info from the world’s biggest, oldest and most famous ultra, the Comrades Marathon. – BY DELAINE COOLS & NONKULULEKO MDLALOSE

2017 COMRADES MARATHON ENTRY UPDATE

In mid-October, halfway through the 2017 Comrades Marathon entry process, the Comrades Marathon Association (CMA) announced that more than half the 20,000 available entries had been taken up. CMA Race Director, Rowyn James confirmed that the entry process has proceeded smoothly, with runners from around the world showing a heightened interest in the world’s most gruelling ultra-marathon. “At the time of writing, we have captured nearly 11,500 successful entries so far, which equates to 56% of our entry quota.”

The actual entry breakdown at this point looks as follows:

•   South African entrants: 10,447

•   Rest of Africa entrants: 144

•   International entrants: 763

As part of the CMA’s Runners First Initiative, a Comrades club manual has been developed, which will assist running clubs to make better use of the Comrades entry system. In light of this commitment to improving its relationship with running clubs across the country, the CMA hosted an interactive club session on 22 October, to assist club managers to update details and qualifying times of runners who do not have the facilities to do so. Club managers also now have the ability to verify which club the athlete belongs to as well as his/her qualifying details, and all athletes who are flagged by club managers will be contacted by the CMA’s in-house entries team.

The three-month entry window will close on 30 November 2016, or as soon as the entry cap of 20,000 has been reached, and James calls on runners to act quickly and avoid disappointment. “With less than two months to go till the 2017 Comrades entry process closes, we would like to urge runners who have not yet entered to do so as soon as possible.”

For details on how to enter and other information, please visit www.comrades.com.

MEET VELANI SOSIBO

THE FACE OF THE #COMRADES2017 CAMPAIGN

“My name is Velani Sosibo. Most of my friends know me by my nickname Marvy. I was born in a dusty deep rural area in Nkwezela location in Bulwer, outside Pietermaritzburg in KwaZulu-Natal. I have three siblings – two sisters and one brother – and I have three children, Nomonde, aged 17, Athandwa, aged 12, and Sisa, aged 8. I am currently employed as an administrative clerk by the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health at Gwala Clinic.

I love running. I started this joyous pastime in 2014. Since then, running has been the most relaxing thing for me. My best marathon time is 2:43. I have completed the Comrades Marathon twice. My first Comrades was in 2015 and my second was in 2016, and my best Comrades time is 6:28. I am very humbled and motivated to be the face of the 2017 Comrades Marathon. It is an amazing feeling and personally, the best thing that has ever happened to me. #Zinikele – It takes all of you!”

COMRADES BRAAI DAY

The CMA hosted an exciting Heritage Day social at Comrades House on 24 September. Members of the Association converged in droves to partake in the Proudly South African festivities, while running celebrity Willie Mtolo wowed the crowd with his cheerful Comrades experiences and running stories of days gone by. Lucky draw prizes and a host of other goodies were up for grabs as well during this amazingly fun day.

OFFICIAL OPENING OF COMRADES MARATHON MUSEUM

Having been first opened to the public 28 years ago, the newly revamped and refurbished world famous Comrades Marathon Museum saw its official reopening on Friday 30 September. Speaking at the opening, CMA Chairperson, Macdonald Chitja said, “Comrades Marathon House was built in the early 1900’s. The exact date is lost to us, due to a fire in the Municipal Archives that occurred in the 1930’s.”

“The building was purchased by the Comrades Marathon Association in 1985 with the museum being originally opened to the public on 16 March 1988. The building was later declared as a Heritage Site in the late 1990’s.” Thousands of Comrades enthusiasts and visitors from around the world have since paid homage to the greatness of the Comrades Marathon via its Museum, which stores archived material and keepsakes from the race.

CMA Heritage & Traditions Sub-Committee Head, Jeff Minnaar said, “Ten months of restoration on the building, combined with meticulous research and months of installation has resulted in a modern museum environment that still holds true to the essence of the Comrades Marathon. The CMA would like to thank members of the public for their generous donations of Comrades artefacts and memorabilia from days gone by. These priceless contributions have allowed us to create new and informative displays.”

The rich Comrades history, dating back to 1921, is beautifully depicted with never before seen images and artefacts. The race room boasts a scale route model that tracks all the major hills, landmarks and points of interest along the iconic Comrades route. An interactive treadmill allows you to experience the level of competency needed to earn the spectrum of medals that the CMA awards its finishers.

The Green Number Club members will get to enjoy the new social space dedicated to them and the general public will now be able to enter the boardroom space, giving them insight into the scope of volunteerism at the Comrades Marathon Association. The museum will also host a new ‘Comrades Shop’ where memorabilia, books and Amabeadibeadi charity products can be purchased. Entry to the museum is free.

CMA General Manager, Chris Fisher said, “It is an absolute pleasure for the CMA to welcome everybody to our grand museum re-opening. The various exhibitions contain valuable information for Comrades runners, historians and everyday people alike. Visitors to the museum will see that it takes over 6000 volunteers to make the Comrades dream a reality every year.”

For more details, kindly email CMA Museum Curator Roxanne Thomas at [email protected].

FIRST OFFICIAL COMRADES WOMEN’S

WINNER ATTENDS MUSEUM OPENING

The CMA was honoured to have 1975 Comrades Women’s Winner, Betty Cavanagh (85) at the reopening of the Museum on 30 September. The 1975 edition of the Comrades Marathon was notable as the first year that both females and people of all races were allowed to officially participate in the race, and Betty, who resides in Pietermaritzburg, is recognised as the first official female winner of the Comrades Marathon. She humble former winner truly delighted the audience with her attendance, and grabbed more hearts as she donated her famous Comrades Blazer to the Museum.

CMA Heritage & Traditions Sub-Committee Head, Jeff Minnaar, who received the Blazer from Cavanagh, said, “This is a special moment in Comrades history. This Comrades keepsake, having belonged to the very first official women’s winner of the Comrades Marathon, will now occupy a very special place in our Museum. We are indebted to Mrs Cavanagh for the courage and determination that she displayed in the 1975 Comrades Marathon, going on to win the women’s race and continuing to be a role model to female runners everywhere, and for being an inspirational ambassador for The Ultimate Human Race.”

CMA Chairperson, Macdonald Chitja said, “We were deeply honoured to have Mrs Cavanagh with us at the official opening of our Comrades Museum. She is an incredibly warm and humble person who has captured many hearts since winning the Comrades women’s race four decades ago.” The proud Green Number holder has ten Comrades medals under her belt, having run her first unofficial Comrades in 1970. All of her Comrades races prior to 1975 have since been verified and recognised by the CMA retrospectively.

10^th GREATER EDENDALE RACE – COME RUN WITH US!

The CMA has called on runners to join in the 10th running of the popular annual Greater Edendale Race, which takes place on Sunday 13 November 2016. The CMA will once again host the race at the FNB Wadley Stadium in Georgetown, Edendale, in Pietermaritzburg, as part of its social responsibility programme. Safety and security is overseen by the SAPS and local traffic police, as well as sixty marshals who will be on duty on the day.

Over the years, the race has attracted nearly 2000 participants on an annual basis, and it is also a major attraction for local schools, with grand prizes for those schools with the most number of finishers. Prize money totalling more than R21,000 is up for grabs, including a generous first prize of R3000 for the first man and first woman over the finish line respectively. The first three male and female walkers will also be rewarded. Additionally, every finisher will take home a medal in addition to all 10km runners receiving an Edendale 10km Race T-shirt.

Pre-entries will be taken at Comrades Marathon House (weekdays between 8am and 4:30pm), and the local race organising committee will be at the FNB Wadley Stadium taking entries on Saturday 12 November from 11am to 2pm. Registration will also be open on the day of the race from 5am to 7am. The entry fee for the 10km race is R40 and participants must be at least 14 years old. Temporary licenses will be available at Registration at a cost of R10 for those runners who are not licensed members of running clubs. Anyone over nine years old may enter the 5km Fun Run, which forms part of the world-renowned AIMS Children’s Series Race. The entry fee is R20, but free for school children.

GET YOUR 2017 TRAINING PROGRAMME

The official Comrades Marathon Coach, Lindsey Parry, has devised a comprehensive training programme to get you to the start line of the 2017 Ultimate Human Race and help you achieve your coveted Comrades medal. You can find the programmes and training tips at www.comrades.com.

MY COMRADES STORY

CSI NEWS UPDATE

A STARFISH STORY TO INSPIRE

The Comrades Marathon makes a positive difference to the lives of the less fortunate by supporting six official Comrades Charities, and runners are invited to support these charities through the Amabeadibeadi and Race4Charity initiatives. One of those six charities is the Starfish Foundation, which with Leseding Caregivers, is helping this youngster from the KwaZulu-Natal midlands…

“I am 15 years old and live on a farm with both parents and my elder brother. My parents are both farm workers and they never dream of leaving the farm. I once asked them what will happen to me when I finish school. My dad says that I will also be a farm worker. It breaks my heart to know that my life will end on the farm.

Both my parents are alcoholics and there is never a passing day without them drinking. It annoys me so much to have such a family, and as for my brother, he is a drug addict and couldn’t give a care in the world. I dropped out of school for about a year, but because of the love from strangers, I realised that there is more to life than being a child from the farms.

Leseding Caregivers found me in the midst of misery. I had given up altogether, realizing that my parents could not care about me or the things I wanted to achieve in life. Ever since I become a part of Leseding Caregivers, I have seen life differently. Coming from the farm does not mean that you should end up being a farm worker. That’s what I learned from one of the caregivers at Leseding.

I am very proud to say that I am a beneficiary of Leseding Caregivers. I am thankful for all that I have received from them – food parcels, school materials, and other material support. Thank you so much Leseding and Starfish for your support, I have now gained self-confidence and believe that my life won’t end as a farm worker. I now have hope.”

With IRONMAN 70.3 and IRONMAN PE awaiting just aroud the proverbial corner, it’s time for the Modern Athlete DARE TO TRI Programme’s athletes to get serious in their training!

It’s just three months to go before most of you line up for the start of the Standard Bank IRONMAN 70.3 South Africa in Buffalo City, East London on 29 January 2017. This will be the 10th anniversary of what has become one of South Africa’s iconic sporting events, and the 70.3 distance is ideally suited for novice triathletes to step up to. That’s why each year sees close to 50% of the field being novices, and the amount of women doing the event has also increased.

What makes this event so special, and thus on all triathletes’ bucket lists, is a very tough bike route on a national highway with full road closure. The hilly bike course is one of the toughest on the 70.3 world circuit, but after the bike leg, athletes on the run get the most incredible crowd support, especially on the infamous Bunkers Hill, as well as in the finishing straight.

Then, it’s five months to go before some of you line up for the start of the Standard Bank IRONMAN African Championship in Nelson Mandela Bay, Port Elizabeth on 2 April 2017. This will be the 13th edition of the great race and the city of Port Elizabeth residents come out in their numbers to support this one. Recently, IRONMAN South Africa was voted the best race venue and best run experience in the world in the global IRONMAN Athlete Choice Awards, so you have something to look forward to!

DARE to TRI will once again be training for both these events, and we currently have 52 athletes signed up for the programme. Our record from 2016 proves that our programme works. In IRONMAN 70.3 we had 33 finishers and yet another 100% finisher rate, including 17 novices finishing their first 70.3. At IRONMAN South Africa, we had 15 finishers out of 16 starters, including 10 novices.

Sign up today!
Take note that November is your last chance to sign up for the 2016/2017 season. Join the Modern Athlete Dare to Tri Academy for just a R1265 once-off payment and you will receive expect coaching and group training from when you sign up till IRONMAN PE in April 2017. You cannot get this level of coaching, including coached weekend group training sessions, for this period of time at this cost anywhere else.
Go to https://daretotri.canbook.me/e/view/10091 and follow the prompts to register.

The success of the DARE TO TRI programme is that it is an affordable, manageable and sustainable training programme that fits in with your family, work and social commitments. The programme is designed to take complete novices to the ultimate triathlon finish of an IRONMAN event and this is done with a carefully planned gradual build-up.

The DARE TO TRI training works on the following basis:
• Each week (usually on Mondays) all members receive an e-mail detailing the week’s recommended training as well as the month ahead.
• The programme will have two training plans – one for novices and one for those who have already completed a half iron triathlon and are looking to improve their times.
• Weekday training is done by yourself or with a group/club that you may belong to.
• Weekend coached session will be presented by DARE TO TRI COACH Derick Marcisz and ALL athletes are encouraged to come along and train with the group.
• Specifically structured training is available if you require it – for example, you may need a beginner’s programme for one of the sports.

The weekend group training sessions will be as follows:
• RUN training on Saturday mornings from Jeppe Quondam, Bedfordview, Johannesburg.
• SWIM training on Saturday afternoons – open water swims at Homestead Dam, Benoni.
• BIKE training on Sunday mornings, either out in the Cradle or in the South of Joburg.

The DARE TO TRI ACADEMY will host the following specialised workshops:
• SWIM WORKSHOPS – one indoors and one outdoors, focussing on swim technique and open water swimming.
• BIKE WORKSHOP – basic bike maintenance.
• BIKE/RUN WORKSHOP – learn how to transition from bike to run.
• PRE-EVENT WORKSHOPS – covering everything you need to know about the event.

So sign up today. It’s time to Dare to Tri!

The phrase ’I am so tired’ is common in the vocabulary of many runners this time of year as they step up their training ahead of the big ultras. The early waking hours, increased weekly mileage and general muscle stiffness and soreness all add up to the exhaustion they feel, but many runners don’t realise that a simple change in eating habits can eliminate some of this fatigue.Next time you sit down for a meal, consider the following factors:

1.    Fuelling your engine adequately
Waking up early and increasing your training runs means limited time in the morning to prepare for the day. You don’t expect your car to go from Pretoria to Johannesburg on R5 worth of petrol, so how can you expect your body to power you through a three-hour run without the correct fuel? Without fuelling up, you won’t get through a run, let alone the rest of your day. Many of us skip breakfast, go hours without eating until we are absolutely starving and then gobble down a double helping of convenient, often non-nutritious food. Or we get so busy that we forget about eating altogether and rely on caffeinated drinks to power us through the day. These habits lead to fatigue and body breakdown.

2.    Eating regularly
In some individuals, failure to eat can cause precipitous drops in blood sugar that can cause flagging energy. Eating three meals a day regularly, with healthy snacks such as fresh fruit and nuts in between, will ensure a ready supply of fuel.

3.    Loading up on caffeine
While caffeine can lift your energy, what goes up must come down. Regular users of caffeine may suffer from problems associated with caffeine withdrawal, notably fatigue. And take note of hidden caffeine in tea, chocolate, fizzy drinks, diet fizzy drinks, fat burners and energy supplements.

4.    Getting enough vitamins and minerals
A balanced diet with plenty of nutritious fruits, vegetables and whole grains will supply vital vitamins, minerals and antioxidants needed daily. When it comes to fatigue, lack of iron and the group of B vitamins can often be the culprit.

•    Iron is an essential blood-building nutrient that is required to prevent anaemia. However, even in the absence of anaemia, low iron levels can cause fatigue and low mood. The best blood test to determine iron level is the ferritin level test (the accuracy of the haemoglobin test can be thrown off by a runner’s greater blood volume). You might want to talk to your doctor about getting your ferritin level checked if you think you’re a prime candidate for low iron. Higher risk individuals include women with heavy menstrual cycles, people with gastric bleeding or those on many prescription medications, runners with eating disorders or those who simply have a bad diet. Your diet should include lean meats and/or vegetarian sources of iron, such as whole grains, dried fruits, deep green vegetables and foods fortified with iron. Eat a vitamin C source (tomatoes, strawberries and citrus) with any non-meat iron sources to enhance the iron absorption. Only take an iron supplement with a doctor’s recommendation as there are risks associated with them.
•    B vitamins drive energy production, so the lack of them can contribute to training fatigue. A variety of foods provide B vitamins, including great carb-containing foods like whole grains and low-fat dairy. A multivitamin/mineral supplement typically provides enough extra B vitamins for a runner, so you don’t need to take separate forms of the Bs to combat fatigue. Vitamin B12 or complex injections can only benefit individuals with a deficit, but vitamin B12 may be harmful if taken too often, or may mask other problems.

5.    Eating the best and right amount of carbohydrates
We should all be consuming about 50-60% of our diets as carbs. Many of us eat less than this, hoping to lose some weight and this can be detrimental to runners. Carbs fuel muscles and help with muscle recovery. Depending on your training and body weight, make sure to include one/two servings of healthy carbs per meal. Try slower energy release carbs throughout the day (low-GI carbs e.g. sweet potato, basmati rice, whole oats, oat bran, seed bread, Ryvita) and only ingest quick energy releasing ones around or during training (high-GI carbs e.g. litchi juice, rice cakes, white bread, energy drinks, gels, energy bars, gums).

6.    Starting your recovery quickly enough
You should eat or drink a recovery beverage or snack soon after your longer runs. Remember that you get the greatest refuelling benefit if you consume some form of carbohydrate and protein (e.g. low-fat smoothie) within 30 minutes of a run. The longer you wait, the less benefit.

7.    Staying hydrated
Every 1% loss in body weight through dehydration reduces your running performance. Dehydration is not only dangerous due to the increase in body temperature, but it is also an unnecessary cause of training fatigue (linked to changes in blood volume). Stay hydrated all week; it is easier to keep up with hydration than to play catch up.

8.    Rest is best!
Most athletes’ fatigue is mainly due to overtraining and not enough rest. No matter how good your nutrition is, if you don’t get enough rest you will never combat fatigue!
 

In August the prize-giving of the 1000km Challenge for 2015-2016 took place in Cape Town, with Hettie Fourie winning the Lady of the Challenge award with 4006km of mileage in official events, and husband Gerhard Fourie placing second in the men’s category with 4445km. What makes these totals all the more impressive is they did it all by walking, which means they couldn’t do many of the marathons and ultras on the calendar. – BY RACHEL PIENAAR

In order to amass these incredible totals, the couple from Stillbaai in the Southern Cape travelled all over the country for races, often being away from home for up to three weeks at a time, or just touching base for a few days before heading off to other parts of the country for various events. This saw them visiting more than 50 cities or towns in the year, and lining up at the back of the pack in events ranging from marathons and multi-day circuit races, to any shorter distance race they could find that fit into their travel schedule, including trail events, fun runs and parkruns.

When asked what motivates them to do so much travelling and racing, Hettie says “It’s being in nature and the camaraderie you get and the friendships you make. It’s a combination of so many things.” Gerhard adds, “Some of the highlights for me are the people you meet and the places you go to, because it gives you the opportunity to do races in different places and do something different.”

ACCEPTING THE CHALLENGE
The Johnny Kambouris Memorial 1000km Challenge was run for the first time in 1990. It was started by Jenny Kambouris in memory of her late husband, Johnny, who died tragically in a motor vehicle accident in 1989. Jenny married Paul Selby in 1996 and together they kept the challenge going for 20 years, challenging runners, walkers and wheelchair athletes to complete 500km or 1000km in road or trail events, from the day after the Comrades Marathon to the following year’s Comrades (although doing the Comrades itself is not compulsory).

Today the 1000km Challenge offers special incentive medals, trophies, distance badges and permanent numbers for the more competitive athletes, but for most it is about the camaraderie and motivation of taking on the challenge. And as you can see from Gerhard and Hettie’s final tallies for the 2015-2016 Challenge, some athletes really do go the extra mile for this competition!

It was an injury that inspired Gerhard to sign up for the 1000km challenge for the first time in the late 90s. “Initially the concept was very interesting to me and I did it because of a knee injury, to motivate me to get going again,” he says. A few years later in 2004, when the kids were all grown up, Hettie joined him and they have been walking together in nearly every race since then, and normally finishing together as well. “There are one or two races that he breaks away in the last kilometre, but most of the times we are shoulder to shoulder all the way,” says Hettie.

The added challenge for Hettie is making the cut-offs in longer races, which means that she needs to do all the shorter races to still amass such a huge total of mileage. “Gerhard walks the marathons, because I haven’t made the cut-off times as yet, but I take part in the half marathons and circuit races as well.” She says that they aim to walk below three hours in the half marathons, while Gerhard aims to walk a sub-six in full marathons.

HIGHS AND LOWS
In between all the travelling and walking, Gerhard works as a technical specialist at a bank and Hettie is a home executive. To date, they have racked up over 25,000km and 15,000km in racing mileage respectively, and have experienced many ups and downs along the way. Gerhard says one of the highlights of the past year’s Challenge was taking part in the Capital Classic six-day circuit race in Pietermaritzburg, in September last year. He completed 332km and Hettie did 305km. “It was a good race. The days went very well and straight after that we came through for the Cape Town Festival of Running 50km. That was probably one of the best memories, because it was a good week,” he says.

Of course, it is inevitable that sometimes things don’t quite go to plan: “I had a bad experience at the Soweto Marathon last year, because I had a difficult day and missed the cut-off, but it happens sometimes,” he says. He admits that it has also become a bit of a ‘healthy addiction’ for them: “It is a motivation to get up in the morning and do the races instead of sleeping in… I realise, in a way, the races can become addictive, because you get withdrawal symptoms if you can’t go and do a race!”

The tendency is to think that running is something everyone does naturally, and that we should first learn to run slow and then get faster, but is that the truth? – BY NORRIE WILLIAMSON

Generally we first learn to run by accident around 18 months of age. Having managed to get onto two legs, we start ‘tottering’ forwards, from table (or Granddad) to the safety of some other piece of furniture. It’s all about balance and getting to grips with our centre of gravity. Too much backward lean sees kids planting their bum on the floor; too much forward lean has them giggling in a rush of feet towards some point of safety, or sprawling on all fours.

 

Kids master the run with short efforts repeated many times. They go a few metres at a time, using relatively fast speeds, interspersed with walks, stops or falls, and then they’re off again. At school this process is typically extended on a field that is no longer than 100m long and 50m wide. Runs are rarely longer than 60m and in matches, typically only 5m to 20m, so acceleration is key instead of endurance. And acceleration comes from leaning forward, with short fast strides, landing on the ball of the foot, and driving backwards.

Take the Brakes Off

Similarly, appreciation of the centre of gravity compared to the foot position is the essence of distance running: With the centre ahead of the landing foot, we ‘fall’ into a run with the ball of the foot as the initial point of contact. With the centre behind the landing foot, we are forced into ‘sitting back,’ or braking our movement. Because speed is the focus at school level, once momentum has been achieved, many teachers (mistakenly) tell kids to stretch their stride by throwing the foot further forward. But every time a foot hits the ground ahead of the centre of gravity, there is a ‘braking’ action, unless there is sufficient momentum to carry the body over the centre of gravity.

 

In reality it takes 20-30 metres to accelerate to top speed, so only sprinters over short distances ever truly benefit from planting their foot forward – and they use spikes to pull back against the ground. So, running for any extended distance is about allowing the foot to land directly under the centre of gravity (or just very slightly in front), on the ball of the foot.

 

Also, it is counter-productive to use rigid shoes for an economic running style, unless we are running so slowly that we are almost walking. This ‘jogging’ action was developed in the early running boom of the 1970’s to cater for the mass portion of the community. Jogging is a heel-toe action that is encouraged by shoes where the heel is at least 12 mm higher than the forefoot. The cushioning is in the heel to counter the jarring from the braking action of landing ahead of the centre of gravity. A further challenge of jogging and heel-landing is that the whole foot is involved in the movement from heel to toe, whereas when landing on the ball of the foot, the impact of the heel is almost negligible and considerably shorter in time, allowing a reduction in the control measures required in the shoes.

The Right Shoes

However, joggers account for about 10% of the population of the USA – around 29 million people – whereas it is estimated that there are only 400,000 runners who run under five hours in a marathon in the USA, so no surprise which market the shoe industry designs most shoes for. This explains why so many people are in the wrong shoes for running (correct for jogging) and why the natural running style we learn as kids is forced out of us by the shoes we wear. Every running shoe manufacturer has good running models, and good jogging models. The challenge is to ensure that your shoes work towards your running objectives… which is why lightweight, low-heeled, flexible shoes continue to be the choice of most elite runners.

 

So, if we want to practise style and form, we must repeat it many times over short distances of 20m to 40m, focusing on the techniques and skills of a good running style. One to two form sessions a week and the correct shoes can revolutionise the running ability of any person who wants to run under 60 minutes for 10km, or five hours for a marathon. All you need to do is get back to basics.

Norrie is a civil engineer and originally from Scotland. He represented Scotland and Great Britain in numerous ultra-distance events and championships, then emigrated and represented South Africa in triathlon. He is an IAAF-accredited coach and course measurer and is the official Old Mutual Virtual Coach. He coached or managed various Scottish, British and South African teams to World Championships in running and triathlon, has authored two books (Everymans Guide to Distance Running and Every Beginners Guide to Walking & Running), and counts 21 Comrades medals amongst his more than 150 ultra-marathon medals. More info at www.coachnorrie.co.za.

It’s been quite a year for elite road and trail runner Eric Ngubane. He can look back on a win in the Old Mutual Two Oceans Trail Run, and a fourth win in the Mont-Aux-Sources 50km trail event, and second place in the SA Ultra Trail Championships in Cape Town in July, which earned him selection for the IAU World Ultra Trail Championships in October. Sadly, he and his team mates never made it to Portugal, because ASA withdrew permission for the team to compete due to the disputed status of trail running within the national structures of the sport, but his motivation to chase more racing honours is stronger than ever. – BY RACHEL PIENAAR.

Eric first heard the news that he was no longer going to Portugal for the World Ultra Trail Champs via a team Whatsapp group, and it was later confirmed on social media. “Our manager did send a message to the group informing us, but I only really figured out what was going on when I saw a Facebook post saying that ASA hadn’t given us permission to compete,” says Eric. “I can’t find the right words to express my disappointment. When you’ve trained so hard for something, it is always sad when you don’t get the chance to compete.” However, in spite of his disappointment, the KZN-based athlete says he is going to remain positive about the sport and hopes to get another opportunity in the future to represent South Africa on the world stage.

RUNNING MENTOR
Eric first took up running in school, thanks to the encouragement of his teacher, Xolani Cele, who had spotted the youngster’s obvious running talent. Growing up on a farm in Cato Ridge, between Durban and Pietermaritzburg, Eric had to run around tending to the family’s cattle, even in the rain, so running had always been part of his daily life, and at school he showed great promise in cross country, winning most of the races that he entered.

“While I was growing up, I played a lot of soccer, but Mr Cele kept nagging me, saying forget about the soccer, just do the cross country,” says Eric. “He would drive up to 40km to take me to the cross country events to compete.” Eventually, the perseverance of his teacher coupled with the thrill of winning most of the races he entered, sparked a passion for running in Eric that still burns intently today, and has helped him carve a name for himself in the sport. “I’ll never forget how Mr Cele helped me,” says Eric.

THE BUSY ATHLETE
These days Eric finds himself working at the Sports Zone Running Company store in Durban North to support his family and his parents. He says he’s on his feet all day, but still manages to balance work with family and his passion for running. A typical day for Eric begins at 2:30am with a 20km run before he heads off to work. Thereafter he runs another 20km in order to get home to his family. Despite this demanding schedule, Eric still manages to spend as much time with his family as possible. He loves to play with his children and relax with his partner, and then spends much of the rest of his free time researching and studying techniques and training tips.

He says he has never had any professional coaching, and instead has developed his own training schedule and diet plan, built around his racing schedule. “Sacrifice is not easy. You have to discipline yourself, but I just love running! When you’re talking about running, you’re talking about me, and I always try my best in every race,” says Eric, adding that his family are very supportive of his running. “When I am disappointed, my family encourages me to get up, try again and train even harder for the next competition.”

Besides his love of running, another thing that inspires Eric to do well in the sport is his passion for his home community in Cato Ridge. He says he wants to inspire the young people with his achievements, in order to get them to reach for their dreams and to never give up. “I’d like to take it back to the community… Because I know there are a lot of kids that have the ability to produce good results. Success shouldn’t just be about you, it’s for who comes after you, how you can help and inspire the next generation, so you have to give it back to the community.”

CARVING A NICHE IN TRAIL
Eric’s love for running extends to both road and trail, so he trains on both, with most of his off-road training done on dirt roads and amongst the sugar cane fields near his home. On the road, some of his most notable achievements include clocking a marathon best of 2:31:04 in 2013, winning the Wings for Life World Run South Africa in 2015, covering 68.86km before the catcher car caught him, and finishing the Comrades 11 times, with a best of 5:50:29 in 2012 for his second Wally Hayward medal. This highly prestigious medal is awarded to athletes that clock a sub-six-hour time but finish outside the top 10 gold medal positions. Having come so close to the golds at Comrades, it is no surprise that Eric says he has unfinished business there: “I want to start training early this year to build up for the Comrades Marathon next year, because I know I can win it!”

However, it is in trail running where Eric is really making a name for himself. He has won the Three Cranes 100km Stage Race three times, posted wins at the Ultra Trail Cape Town 100km, Mount Moodie 80km Ultra Trail and the Old Mutual Two Oceans 22km Trail Run, to go with his four wins at Mont-Aux-Sources and various other trail events. That saw him being selected last year as part of the Trail South Africa Development Team that competed in the 76km Grand Raid Le Templiers in France. Although the race didn’t go as he had hoped, as he was plagued by fatigue, he came away with valuable experience of international trail running, and looked set to put that experience to use at the World Champs this month, until ASA’s decision not to send the team. As he says, “You have to motivate yourself through the tough moments in a race, you must be mentally prepared.”

SEEKING NEW CHALLENGES
In spite of the disappointing news, Eric remains positive, saying that although he trained hard for World Champs, he is always hungry for the next challenge and wants to do his best in every race. “I still look forward to representing my country in the future. I will carry on training, and you have to keep your standard high and keep the motivation going, because opportunities come and go and you must be prepared for them.”

Eric says he loves to read about other athletes and draws inspiration from them, but his greatest inspiration is former Comrades winner and Nedbank Running Club National Manager, Nick Bester, who has been helping him to improve his training since he joined the Nedbank club in 2014. “If you look at Nick’s background, he was a very determined runner, one of the guys who was always looking for a challenge, always part of the leading bunch in a race. That is what I admire about him, he is like a headlamp for me, highlighting where I want to go with my career.”