Category: Features

Our Modern Athlete correspondent Ciara Picco brings us the experience of her journey to the Puma Disc Launch in Jamaica! A day at the track watching the Boys & Girls Championships, a chance to see the best rising talent Jamaica has to offer! It was going to be a great day! 

The body clock had me up early today, so another easy start to the day, bath time, breakfast a bit of the T20 World Cup then off to the lobby for our first transfer.

Again PUMA had us in suspense with our initial destination.

Just down the road from the hotel we found ourselves stopping in at Chris Gayle's Triple Century Sports Bar. In what I've come to experience as the norm here in Kingston, the serving staff are only too happy to get you what you need. First come a wave of waters, then Coke, Sprite and even a few Red Stripes. Next it's onto the food a selection of wings, quesadillas, spring rolls, pork wraps, shrimp kebabs and salads. We ate our fill then it was off to the track champs!!

At the bar, the champs were on the big screen and so we got a taste for what was waiting ahead at the stadium. Claxons blaring, flags flying fanatical supporters willing their talented athletes home.

It was an electric atmosphere with insane amounts of energy on and off the track, the three favourite teams on the day are Kingston College KC, Jamaica College JC, and Calabar.

After my conversation with Jevon Francis I could only come here and support Calabar. As it turned out our tickets were in a section dominated by the Calabar faithful, right into the noise and right into the winning team we went.

Overnight Calabar were in third but with their performances earlier in the day, by the time the 110m hurdles came around they were consistently edging ahead. C'Bar took the race with a 1,2 finish.

The roar you hear in the race is consistent with every event no matter the age group, everyone gets the same amount of spurring on. The crowd even erupted for the Honourable Prime Minister Andrew Holness when he arrived.

The pride, passion and professionalism shown by the athletes, the organizers and the 30,000 strong crowed really lends itself to a great development structure for the youth to flourish through. These champs are definitely, one hundred percent, the reason why Jamaicans excel in track and field, and consistently swap world records with each other.

Our final stop of the evening was at Tracks and Records. After a long day out on the track it was now time to refuel. Naturally the championship was showing on every live screen in the restaurant so we were able to catch the final events which included the 4 x 400m relay. Just like in the stadium, the restaurant erupted, with the news of Calabar's win in the race and overall in the meet.

The last week has been a great success, not only for the puma athletes, but for the brand themselves on the whole. With my Disc Ignites put to a full day’s work I'm still walking on fresh feet, happily trotting back to my hotel room for a good sleep before departure.

That's it from Jamaica, thank you for having me.

Our Modern Athlete correspondent Ciara Picco brings us the experience of rubbing shoulders with the rich and famous while attending the very exclusive Puma Disc Launch in Jamaica! 

When leaving for the launch we were told to bring our passports with, that was it. I grabbed mine got in my transfers and drove out of town traffic to our unknown destination.

It was an airfield! How exciting!

Once going through security checks we congregated in the enclosed area at the start of the apron, and when the time was right we were called onto the apron to stand in front of a hangar. This turned out to be so apt with the Disc Ignite and the Disc Spike having a similar amount of engineering in them as a small plane.

Adam Petrick, Global director of Brand and Marketing at PUMA, gave us a historical view of the German engineered shoe and its beginnings 25years ago. From its conception the shoe has gone from strength to strength branching into more than just track and field.

From here came the introduction of Kohei Hagio PUMA'S Senior Head of Product Line Management for Running and Training Footwear. Kohei took us through the two products, the advancement in technology and the key features of each shoe.

What is most exciting about the brand is that they test their products with the young athletes who compete at the boys and girls national champs. Not only does this give PUMA really quick in-competition feedback but it also allows those boys and girls an opportunity to be supported to do their best in the competition by way of using top quality equipment. So it creates a win-win balance for both PUMA and the athlete which in turn is crucial for the development of track and field.

This became apparent while speaking to Jevon Francis (21), who in his time at the boys and girls champs broke the 400m record once held by Usain Bolt.

He told me when he was a young teen teachers and friends convinced him to participate in track and field even though his first love was football. He showed promise and was given a pair of spikes which he took home and kicked ball in. His mum scolded him and said to him to respect what he had been given, because it was given to him and him alone to do great things with. From that day on Jevon worked at track and trained everyday harder and longer than any of his team mates until he surpassed the expectations of even his coach. Jevon said that if it weren't for track and field and the support he has received from PUMA he would have been lost in the system, and up to no good. Now he is another up and coming Jamaican fast man and an Olympic hopeful.

It's stories like Jevon's, like Bolt's, that truly allow you to see the positive impact that brands like PUMA have in the world.

Tomorrow we are off to boys and girls champs to see the future of Jamaican track and field.

Our Modern Athlete correspondent Ciara Picco brings us the experience of her journey to the Puma Disc Launch in Jamaica! A day at the track and watching world-famous athlete Usain Bolt in action – all in a day’s work!

Amazing what a good night’s sleep can do for you.

Had a bit of spare time first up, so I was in no rush to get to breakfast. A nice rejuvenating shower and an AC electricity reminder (hair dryer is too powerful for the island) I was off to see what the buffet had to offer.

It seems earl grey is the tea of choice here YAY! Warms me to the core to be offered earl grey ahead of any other beverage.

The schedule for the day moved up quite a bit so after breakfast I stopped by the business centre for a bit of work and to check in with home and familiarize myself with the events ahead, oh, and to get the cricket score. That I could've skipped out on. Everything started sinking in, in a few hours I was going to see the world’s fastest man! Live! In the flesh!

A quick change into my Modern Athlete shirt and I was ready to go meet my transfer in the lobby. Gosh today was hot. Side note I might see snow on Sunday in New York.

We arrived at the University of the West Indies to various international broadcasters doing TV interviews with the man of the moment. He kindly obliged to a Mariokart derby and of course won, is there anything he can't do?

The print and online media were then taken to the basketball court for our time with the lightning Bolt. Colin Jackson former world champion, another of Puma's brand ambassadors introduced Usain and from there we had answered many questions on varying subjects.

In summation the man's preparation for the upcoming Grand Prix and Championship are on track, despite an early season injury, he eluded to participating in the 200m at the Grand Prix however left his Olympic events unconfirmed.

Usain's thoughts on his new togs are ones of a very pleased sprint champion, he is the first athlete to use both the Disc Ignite and the Disc Spike in training and the products support him fully to be where he is. It was comically mentioned that when he ran his 100m world record his lace came untied so he's quite happy not to worry about laces anymore.

We got a full feel of passion and pride for Jamaica while listening to Usain talk about his success thus far and the success of Jamaican sprinters in general. He loves his country and countrymen more than anything in the world, his main goal is to do right by them, and by doing right by them this allows him to do right by the international audiences. 

On the development of talent, he spoke highly of the boys and girl’s national champs, the fierce rivalry of young men and women competing yearly for their school to win a national title is what breeds the winning instinct of Jamaican athletes. From this young high school age, the athletes learn to compete with a stadium full of people egging them on, and every Jamaican talent has been spotted at these champs from an early age and so the level of hunger to achieve in the teens is high.

The big 'R' came up too and Usain was quick to wave it away ensuring us that he will not retire at this year's Rio Olympic Games. He is keen to take it one year at a time and also still has a goal to run the 400m in under 45sec, which his coaching and management believe is an achievable goal. On age, the only difference from when he was 21 to now that he is almost 30 is that it takes a little longer for injuries to heal, but the champ is just as excited and hungry to compete as ever. When the day comes that he leaves competing he wishes only to be remembered as an inspiration to young people, the cool guy who had fun living his dream through hard work and determination.

Well, I will certainly remember him like that always. A very humble, fun loving hard worker and ambassador for track and field.

On 18 January, Cape Town-based runner Kim Stephens wrote a Facebook status update about President Jacob Zuma and running. Within days it had gone viral and been shared over 20,000 times, featured in the news, and Kim had been asked to do interviews for several radio stations and newspapers. As the 36-year-old explains, it was just something she felt like saying, and she had no idea the effect it would have on people… – BY SEAN FALCONER

“I feel like Zuma needs to go for a run. Takkies on, lube up, head out for a trot, sir. One foot in front of the other, on the pavements of your country. Pass your voters, and non-voters. You can't tell them apart via race, sir. Foot in an uncovered manhole? Sorry about that. Dodge the human waste of the homeless. Run on. Wide berth around the tik-head that might take your emergency R20 Coca-Cola cash. Run. Run some more. Pass the businesses advertising closing down sales, the derelict office blocks. Pass the homes with laundry hanging on communal fences. High-five the babies playing in dirt. Steer clear of the children that should be in school. The school with the long drop, no text books, and an underpaid teacher. Run, Zuma.

Greet the doctors and nurses stumbling bleary-eyed on to public transport to return home after a 48-hour shift for pittance. Breathe deeply as you pass the sewerage pumping into the sea. Smell that? Nearly halfway now, Zuma. Sweating? Run some more. The committed flower-seller, the Big Issue peddler, the beggar. Another beggar. Oh, look sharp, Zuma! Stay right, blue light brigade coming through. Big cars, flashing lights. Someone more important than the man voluntarily patrolling his neighbourhood to protect his children and neighbours. More important than the Big Issue salesman, the beggar. VIP in a big ass car. Run on.

Pass the men sitting on upturned boxes waiting for manual work. Any work. Around the pothole. Climb higher. Run that hill, now. Report the water gushing out of an unkempt pipe as you run by. Spare a thought for the farmers suffering through the drought while you do so. Climb. Push up, past the sprawling informal settlement awaiting housing. You might want to keep your head down here, sir, as you promised them service delivery in return for their votes… years ago. Keep going.

Now from that summit, as you sweat, look down. Look at your people, voters and non. See the big shot businessman quietly funding a school project. See the housewife paying school fees for another woman's children. Look at that beach clean-up team, the students volunteering in an orphanage and the food parcels arriving from a leading grocery chain. You didn't, so they did. Observe the community spirit when a fire breaks out and ravages the shacks of an under-resourced community. Or when a fire ravages part of our precious natural heritage.

Look far from your vantage point and note the unity, mixed marriages, mixed families, students of all races standing together for a common cause. See the colour-blind children of South Africa. Observe keenly the pain and suffering of the poor, with their lack of role models and inefficient education. Take note of the growing force that is standing up against you, to uplift the poor and bring about true equality. See the privileged communities becoming aware of their position, and using it to improve the lives of others. You didn't, so they did. Now run home, Zuma. Back to your 20th child. Back to a life of luxury and total lack of empathy. Mind you don't trip on your shoelace as you go.”

Overnight Fame
Kim says that she put her thoughts into a running context because the sport plays such a central role in her life, but the post was just something she felt like saying, given her concerns about what is happening in SA at the moment. “I am passionately pro-SA and all its beauty, diversity, and complexities, but I don't claim to know it all, and this was just a Facebook status update. I certainly did not pen something with the intention of gaining such a vast reaction, and never in a million years did I think I would be managing personal media appearances and permissions over a Facebook status update.”

“Some people sharing my post absorbed my intention and the messages I received from around SA blew me away. We're beautiful, the citizens of this crazy land, and hopeful, and so strong. Unfortunately, others turned it into something else and sprinkled it with their own agendas, but every negative comment was an opportunity for me to learn. And to those who said that I was posting from a privileged perspective – you're right, I am very privileged, compared to the vast majority of South Africans. That is what moves me to want to see change. I am also passionate about understanding our divides, and finding ways to bring us all closer together, because united we’ll thrive. We need to be cognisant of our past, and positive about our future. We need to give back, uplift and listen.”

Late to Running
Born and raised in the Western Cape, Kim moved to PE at 15 and finished her schooling there, but says she was definitely not sporty. She studied business communications after school, then started a family, moved back to Cape Town, and after her third child, a friend encouraged to her to start walking to lose the baby weight. “I entered the Knysna Forest Half Marathon, which I ran to raise money for a charity that created maternity packs for hospitals. It took me forever to finish, over three hours, but when I came in, I said to my dad I think I’m ready for Comrades!”

As Kim upped her mileage, so she found that she loved the ultras most, and today she has run Comrades twice, done the Two Oceans ultra twice, plus two Puffers and three Otters. “I have an equal love for road and trail – trail running is a spiritual place with beauty that can’t be beaten, but on the road I can just switch off and meditate through the motion. Also, I love road running because it’s one of few communities in SA that is fully integrated. Once we’re all in club kit, nobody knows how much money you have or what job you do – that can’t make you run faster.”

Mixed Reactions
Kim says that the initial media circus around her post lasted a week or two, but things soon quietened down again. Still, she says her efforts to get people thinking will not end there. “I am still getting three or four friend requests a day, and I’ve had amazing conversations with people from all over SA who wanted to converse, not fight. It was very uplifting to see how many people are willing to hold hands and run for the finish line together. That doesn't mean we must stop talking and listening, learning more about the communities around us, and letting go of the prejudices that hold us back. We need to keep running and connecting. Also, I have learnt much through the journey… including, if you write something that might catapult you to some kind of temporary internet fame, use paragraphs!”

Ed’s Note: The publication of Kim’s piece is in no way a reflection of any political views held by Modern Athlete magazine and its staff. Also note that we inserted paragraph breaks in her original Facebook post to make reading it easier.

When it comes to getting the most out of races and just enjoying being out there, few runners do it better than Caroline Lee, who seemingly has a camera glued to her right hand. – BY SEAN FALCONER

It is unlikely that Caroline Lee will ever run another personal best in a South African race. Even a fast time is improbable, because this 51-year-old anaesthetist from Johannesburg chats to everybody in races, from fellow runners through race volunteers to spectators, and takes hundreds of pics as well. “I’ve made so many friends along the way and now everybody wants to chat, even when I come down to Cape Town, and all my PBs were run overseas, including 4:00:24 in the Munich Marathon in Germany. One of my running goals is a sub-four marathon, so I was close. Then again, I did take 360 pics along the way that day,” she laughs. “I usually take a few hundred pics per race, and do about 60 races a year – some trail events I took over 1000 pics! So I have many great memories.”

What’s Up, Doc?
Caroline (51) was born in Taiwan, then moved to Africa aged 13 when her diplomat father was transferred and the family spent two years each in Lesotho and Swaziland before moving to SA. She matriculated in Bloemfontein, then studied medicine at WITS in Johannesburg, specialising to become an anaesthetist. Today she is divorced with two sons, aged 20 and 15, and operates out of various hospitals in Joburg. She also has a reflux-testing unit at Donald Gordon Hospital, attached to WITS, and it was thanks to her medical training that she kind of ‘fell’ into running in 2007.

“I was not a runner at all, but a friend was worried her husband would collapse in the Valentine’s 10km night run, because he’d recently had Achilles tendon surgery, so she asked me to run with him and keep an eye on him. We finished in 1:09 and I quite enjoyed it, and when I saw the Morningside club tent at the finish, I decided to join them. My second race, still with no training, was the Two Oceans 21, which I only ran because friends had invited me down to Cape Town for Easter. At the finish all the spectators were banging on the sideboards, so I thought I was about to miss the cut-off and I sprinted home, only to see my finishing time was 2:00:10, way under the cut-off!”

Later in the year she was hit by a truck while training for the 94.7 cycling event, so was out of action for about a year, and then in early 2009 she was involved in a car accident, but by the end of that year she was able to run two half marathons in one weekend. “The Club Captain said if I can do two 21s in one weekend, I can do a marathon, so they invited me to go with to the Kaapsehoop Marathon. I ran the first half in two hours, then walked the whole second half – couldn’t run another step – but I finished in 4:57 and qualified for Comrades. It had been a dream of mine since 16 to run the Comrades, so it only took me 30 years to fulfil, but I got my medal. Of course, I said never again, but the club told me I would not only get a second Comrades medal, but a third medal for running them back to back – and I do love my medals!”

Say Cheese!
Meanwhile Caroline had also started running overseas marathons. In 2010 she went to Amsterdam, then New York in 2011, and Berlin in 2012. “I just couldn’t resist running, and I wanted to see the world, so the two went together naturally for me. The problem was, I ran Amsterdam and couldn’t’ remember anything of the route afterwards, so in New York I carried my camera and took about 10 pics. I realised it was quite easy to run with a camera, and that’s how I became a running photographer.”

However, she doesn’t need photographs to remember her experience at the 2013 Boston Marathon. That was the year that two bombs went off right near the finish line, killing three spectators and injuring an estimated 260, and the race was immediately called off as emergency services flooded the area. “I was just 600m from the end when they went off,” says Caroline. “I heard the first one go off and thought it was a 4:00 cut-off gun, but then a second one went off 30 seconds later, so I asked a guy next to me what it was and he said he thought it was probably a cannon being fired to celebrate Patriot’s Day. Then a policeman ran in front of us and stopped us. Everybody just stopped dead, nobody tried to go past, and we stood there for close on two hours, in two degree temperatures, not knowing what was going on and still hoping to be allowed to finish. They just said there had been an incident at the finish.”

“The worst was for the runners around me, many of whom had family waiting for them at the finish line, so there was huge panic amongst the runners. By the time I got back to the hotel, it was already dark, and then I realised people back home had been panicking about me, because they had been tracking me online and my running time had me down as finishing in 4:09, the exact time the bombs went off! However, the race is run mat-to-mat with chip timing, and I was actually a little bit further back after only crossing the line a bit after the starting gun. It was a frightening experience.” But that didn’t stop Caroline going back in 2014, when the organisers invited some 5000 non-finishers from the previous year to come back and run it again, without needing to meet the normal strict qualification criteria. “They did give us a medal in 2013, but I went back and finished the race officially.”

Busy Year Ahead
Today Caroline can look back on over 8000km in race mileage, including 10 marathons in 2010, 11 in 2011, 12 in 2012 and 16 in 2013! “Ok I went a bit overboard in 2013, but not bad for somebody that does no training at all because I have no time in the week to run. My races are my training runs, and if you do two marathons in one weekend, I think that is enough for the week!” She has the Tokyo Marathon this March and will then run Comrades again later in the year, followed by the Frankfurt Marathon in October. Of course, her camera will go with to all these events…

She also has some long trail runs pencilled in. “I’ve done most of the long trail events, including the Outeniqua Quest, Cederberg Challenge, and the Mutter in the Drakensberg, but there are others I still want to do, like Blade Canyon, and the AfricanX is on my bucket list – when I can find somebody slow enough to run at my pace, and who doesn’t mind stopping for me to take hundreds of pics!”

It’s been years since US-based Colleen De Reuck competed in a South African running event, but on 26 March she will line up for the Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon, thanks to sponsors KPMG, and then in May she will take on the Comrades Marathon, to finally run two of her all-time bucket list races, and make one of the most anticipated ultra-marathoning debuts in the history of SA road running! – BY SEAN FALCONER

She’s a four-time Olympian, a World Cross Country Champs bronze medallist, holder of two former world records, winner of Big City marathons in Europe and the USA, as well as holder of multiple SA and US titles, and can even lay claim to being an age-group World Champion at both IRONMAN distances, but now Colleen De Reuck (52) is set to finally take on the two biggest ultra-marathon races in her mother country. Naturally, the pundits can’t wait to see how she goes, but she is taking it all in her stride, simply saying that she has always wanted to run both races.

“My husband Darren was fourth in the Two Oceans Marathon in 1992, and my brother Colin was 10th the previous year, and my sister-in-law Kerry also ran it in 1991. In the Comrades, my Dad, Frank, ran it 15 times – we used to second him along the route – and Colin has four medals, including a gold for seventh place in 1995, while Kerry also earned a medal in 1992, so both races have always been a family affair. Recently I spoke to Helen Lucre, telling her I was interested in running them and asking if she knew of any clubs who would sponsor me. She put feelers out, spoke to Bob De La Motte, and next thing I was invited to come over by KPMG. They’re sponsoring me and I will be running for them, so I am very fortunate.”

Having grown up in KwaZulu-Natal, Colleen says she understands the incredible history of the Comrades, and that running it is a real achievement in most people’s eyes. “One year Colin and Kerry moved into a new house, so Darren and I visited for a house-warming party. Now that year Colin, Darren and I had all made the KZN Marathon Champs team, but when the new neighbours heard Kerry was training for Comrades, she was the instant hero of the day. Now I will finally be able to say I also did it!” she jokes.

World Class Talent
Colleen is one of the best female long distance athletes ever produced by South Africa. Over 10km, she has the second-fastest time at 31:16, just three seconds slower than Elana Meyer’s SA Record, and she has the sixth-fastest 15km time at 48:19 and tenth-fastest time over 21.1km at 68:38, with only Elana having ever gone faster. In the marathon, Colleen’s best is the 2:26:35 she ran to win the Berlin Marathon in 1996, which was on a record-legal unaided course, whereas Elana’s SA Record 2:25:15 was run on the aided Boston Marathon course. Colleen also won the Honolulu Marathon in 1995.

Unfortunately, the first 10 years of Colleen’s running career were limited to competing only within South Africa due to the country’s expulsion from international sport during the Apartheid years, but in 1992 she finally got her chance on the world stage at the Barcelona Olympics, finishing ninth in the women’s marathon. In 1996 she ran the 10,000m at the Atlanta Games and finished 13th in the final, followed by 31st in the marathon at the 2000 Sydney Games. She also placed fourth in the 1995 World Half Marathon Champs, was eighth in the 1997 World Champs 10,000m final, and 15th in the 1998 World Cross Country Champs.

Having moved to Boulder, Colorado in the USA in the early 90s so she could pursue a pro career in running, Colleen and Darren became US citizens in December 2000, and she brought home individual bronze and team silver medals for her adopted country at the 2002 World Cross Country Champs in Ireland, as well as a team bronze in Switzerland the following year. Then in 2004 she won the US Olympic Trials Marathon to qualify for the Athens Games, where she finished 39th in the marathon, and also won the US Cross Country Champs in 2004 and 2005. Back on the road, she finished fourth in the 2005 Chicago Marathon, eighth in the 2009 Boston Marathon, and won the 2010 Copenhagen Marathon.

While Colleen had an amazing career before she turned 40, including world record times over 10 miles and 20km, she posted some of her most impressive results after turning 40, setting 10 American masters records, including a 1:16:19 half marathon and 2:30:51 marathon when she was 46, and was voted the 2009 Master’s Athlete of the Year by USA Track & Field magazine. In 2012 she also turned to triathlon, winning an IRONMAN 70.3 age-group World Title in 2013 in Las Vegas, then adding a full IRONMAN age-group World Title in Hawaii last year, with a marathon run leg of 3:19:09, the 18th fastest among all female competitors on the day!

In Fine Form
On 13 February this year, Colleen ran in the 2016 US Olympic Marathon Trials race in Los Angeles, which she qualified for by winning the 2013 Indianapolis Marathon in 2:39:22. Even though now much older than most of her competitors and unlikely to qualify for the Rio Games, just being invited to the Trials is a huge honour in American running, so Colleen says she wanted to race it – and it would be great training ahead of Two Oceans and Comrades. Colleen duly clocked an impressive 2:49:57 in very hot conditions, and says “I’m in good shape, so now I hope to keep it going to Two Oceans, then step it up to Comrades. I don’t think it would be wise for me to race both, so Oceans will be a build-up for Comrades, but I am a competitive athlete, so when the gun fires, we’ll see what happens.”

Looking ahead, Colleen says her plan is just to keep fit and healthy, as her top level competitive days are behind her now, and she is focused on her career as a personal trainer. “It’s nice to compete, not just train, but I had originally decided that I didn’t want to race any more, because I was getting slower and it was not fun any more. However, running is part of my lifestyle, and Two Oceans and Comrades have given me a new goal and put the spark back into my running.”

“I’m also really looking forward to coming back to South Africa because it’s been two years since our last visit. My mum will be coming down to Cape Town, and we’ve plenty of family and friends to catch up with when we go to Durban. We might not live in South Africa anymore, but my daughters Tasmin and Tara tease me about some of the words I still use, like ‘petrol’ instead of ‘gas’ for the car, and I still say ‘ja’ now and again. In some ways, I will always be a South African.”

Running has always meant a lot to me, so when I met the man of my dreams through running and we could share running as well, it made me so incredibly happy. – BY NANDI ZALOUMIS-MITCHELL

My running is my closest friend, my counsellor and my confidante. Running is who I turn to in dark times, and also in times of joy. I am running, and it is me. That’s because running saved me when I was a teen suffering the depths of despair as an anorexic. It was my freedom to just be me. Running never judged me. As I grew stronger and was able to gain control over the anorexia, my running remained a vital part of my recovery, and to this day is a constant in my world.

I know that I run faster than my daily challenges and problems, because after a run it takes them a while to catch up to me. I am also inspired by the strong women at the sharp end of the field who do not make excuses in times of adversity and when training is difficult. They simply find a way to get out and make the sacrifices necessary to be a top runner. That motivates me to run 80 to 90km per week, enjoying both trail and road running, and I have now run the Comrades Marathon on two occasions, clocking a 10:19 in 2014 and an 8:40 in 2015. I have also run the Maritzburg Marathon and the Mandela Day Marathon, and I traditionally do a New Year’s long run as well, and this year I did 65km.

Best Running Shoes Ever!
I met my love through running and we were married in October. Jody has also run the Comrades, and he knows how much running means to me. That even inspired his proposal. We went into the Nike Store at Gateway Mall and there was a surprise waiting for me: A pair of customised shoes, with the words “I Love” on the right shoe and “Nandi” on the other, along with a stunning diamond ring tied to the laces. He proposed to me right there in the store!

Our shared love of running is amazing, as it gives us the opportunity to share our sport and be the best partners we can be to each other. We start our day together with a 4am run, and on most afternoons we also run a few kilometres on the trails together. Our world would not be the same without running, and I know that running will still take us on many adventures together, and that we are going to see amazing places, share special moments and meet new friends along the way.

No Horsing Around
We were married in October, which turned into quite an adventure in itself. We planned a Saturday morning 5:30am sunrise ceremony on Mpate Mountain just outside Dundee, where we run each morning, thinking it would be the perfect time and place to share with our family and friends, some of whom flew out from the States and Australia for the wedding. Then on the Friday afternoon I was washing my one horse when he kicked me, shattering my arm in four places and dislocating my elbow. I was rushed to Newcastle for emergency surgery and the doctors told us to reconsider the wedding, as I would only be released the next morning.

So we phoned around to postpone the ceremony, and when I was discharged at 7:30am, we still had the reception at 9:30, which carried on through the day, and then we had the wedding ceremony on the Sunday at 5:30am. I had planned it as a weekend away for many of the guests, including an early morning run on Sunday, so luckily quite a few could stay for the ceremony. It was simple, no chairs, misty conditions on the mountain, my mother played the flute for my wedding entrance, and it all went well, but I have to be honest, I don’t remember that much due to the morphine I was on for the pain!

Stronger Than Ever
Two weeks later I started running again, against the doctor’s wishes – they ended up replacing my cast twice due to it stinking so much from sweat – and funnily enough, I ran my fastest marathon in training just after that, so two weeks off did me the world of good! Now my goal is to get my marathon time under three hours, and after that I want to get as close to a silver medal as I can at Comrades.

On 31 December 2014, I had a little drinks session on my balcony to welcome the new year in. As part of the fun, I put up a whiteboard for everyone to write down their goals for 2015, and most of the 30-odd guests wrote something down. Mine was to do 12 marathons and 21 half marathons in the coming calendar year, a commitment of about 33 weekends of the year. – BY JONATHAN KAPLAN, FORMER RUGBY TEST REFEREE

The year got off to a slow start, as I was still recovering from a nerve issue developed towards the end of 2014, and I could only really start running again in the middle of January. The Peninsula Marathon was my first, which I had to do – it starts practically outside my house! Besides a little hurricane in Lakeside, it was a fine plod, although running a familiar route (my fifth) didn't make the last bit any easier – the sun really starts to beat down as you approach the last little mound leading to the finish – but there are no time pressures for me these days.

The Cango Caves 42 has always been one of my favourites, and my AAC club had quite a large contingent going through, so it made it a lot more fun! Essentially a downhill marathon with a sauna waiting at about the 32km marker, it was nevertheless the same fun as before. Thanks to my old mate Jonny Aitken of Wanderers for keeping me company for about 10 kays and reminding me that I'm a little heavier than when he used to chase me round the rugby fields in Joburg.

My seventh Two Oceans was run in perfect weather, with a light drizzle accompanying us for the first 21 kays. Then we climbed this unfamiliar 7km hill that is Ou Kaapse Weg, from the back side, and it became a little tougher. It did, however, give me time to absorb the incredible damage that the recent fires had done to our environment. The highlight of the race was encouraging a much younger and fitter athlete, who was having a bad run, to plug on to the finish. For about 8km I cajoled and confused him into not just going home – he lived “around the corner.” My medal has more colour than those finishing ahead of me… it appears to have been reserved for those that are slightly older, more mature and a little heavier.

Overseas Expeditions
I had planned a trip to France to run the Paris Marathon and I wasn't disappointed. I joined up with a group from Regents in KZN, and the greatest photographer I know, Brett Florens (20 Comrades as well). A little night out with an extended group and the race was upon us, setting off down the Champs Élysées towards the Louvre. The initial group of friends eventually splintered, but I was happy to share the maiden journey of Sam Edwards (along with new running friends Paul, Melissa, Vanithay, Ed and Paige). My race itself was one of my all time fav’s, with many sights along the way, massive support and lots of amazing and very noisy bands! What a privilege to have run this race. We went for a few drinks afterwards and that quiet little afternoon decision turned into a huge night for some. We ended up at the Buddha Bar. That's all.

Next I hopped over to England for some chill time with friends, and the next Saturday, six days after Paris, I was in a tiny little village in East Anglia called Bungay. After a few of the local beers and a pizza to prep for the race (Prof. Noakes would not have been impressed), the next day I ran the Black Dog 42 along with about 350 others. The weather was unreal, staying around 10 degrees, and the course was mostly flat. We did two loops of Bungay to Beccles and back, on country roads through some really quaint places, and as I was finishing the first lap, I had to run past the half marathon start and got a round of applause from the 1000 odd runners. A couple of minutes later, I got swallowed up as they started their race.

I returned to SA and made the trip to George to run my fourth marathon in 21 days. The Outeniqua 42 is a beaut of a race run from George to Wilderness, with breathtaking scenery, and I was running slow enough to enjoy most of it. The last 10km are mostly downhill, which gave me a chance to find that delusion once again that I am actually Superman. Or is it Kaplan America?

Tough Day in the Office
After a few weeks’ break, I ran my seventh Comrades. I thought the prep went ok, but I suppose I just had one of those days. The huge doses of echinacea that I was taking before the race to offset a little cold could possibly have hidden illness, but I really had a poor run. The special event that this is, is made by the camaraderie of the runners and the support of the public, and there was plenty of it. I had some retching and vomiting for about 20km from about the 28km mark, and from then on I was a mess. Too proud to stop, I just continued on at a really pedestrian pace (pun intended) and finished 10 minutes before the cut-off. Thanks to Candyce Hall for parting with her flavoured milk at the finish as I attempted to put a smile back on my face, and Craig, our club captain, was incredibly helpful after the run as my body went into a cramp frenzy. I must have resembled a spastic break-dancer as I lay on the ground recovering!

A winter fattening up of sorts followed, but the lure of Knysna proved too enticing, and before I really had time to recover, I found myself lining up at the start of the Knysna Forest 42. I don't remember the first 15km, because I hadn't yet woken up… which was a good thing… and I shuffled through this very tough expedition to finally arrive at the festive finish with another one in the bag.

I love a little weekend getaway, and Riebeeck-Kasteel is one of my fav destinations, with the Royal Hotel one of my fav hotels. A near perfect run weekend followed with a great crew of five of us running one of the best social runs known to mankind – Jana, Craig, Caroline and Terry stuck with me for most of the way and waited when I wilted, so that we could all finish together (in a heap). The gin and tonics at the Royal are beyond tasty, and we drank them dry, joined by Kenny and Lisa Jackson. We had the time we were all after.

The Cape Town Marathon is one you simply have to do if you live here. The course was improved from previous editions as the race attempts to stamp itself in the World Class category, and I ran a bit with Marius Hurter (Bok prop) and Ryan Williams (UCT & False Bay), and finished with a wet sail storming home strong on the inside rail!

‘Heatwave’ in England
Whilst doing some ‘work’ at the Rugby World Cup in England, I snuck in a marathon in Chester. What a fantastic event! Run in perfect conditions, it didn't stop some of the locals complaining about the boiling temperature – it never rose above 16 the whole day – or the hillock at the end, which was nothing more than an oversized footbridge! I wasn't the only AAC runner there, and neither was I the only South African, as I was met at the start by my running friend Adnaan from Central Athletics. At the start they introduced some bloke who had done nearly 400 marathons – made me think my attempt to get to 100 was child's play! The race itself was bloody awesome, and if I'm ever in that neck of the woods again, I will definitely be going for an action replay!

My 12th was the Winelands Marathon in Stellenbosch. It was my fourth take on this race, but my first in 25 years… Long time between drinks! Anyhoo, I arrived in time for the start, only just, but fell behind looking for some of the others whose numbers we were holding. I had told Sabine I was going to run her first with her, and whilst there were some gaps missing from the picture, I did start and finish with her. For me, the finish line was a big relief as the commitment finally came to an end. I did enjoy every step of the way… almost.

Just one more…
Not having had enough, I decided on the spur of the moment to drive through to Heidelberg for the Vlaktes 42. I stayed at Swellendam the night before and woke up at 4am to get to the start on time. After an initial bit of climbing to get through to the 12km marker, we were treated to a gradual downhill drag to Witsand. The weather was very good, the finish on the beach was lekker, and the baker’s dozen was in the bag.

One last plod awaited, and such a friendly mob in PE easily distracts one from the inevitable windy conditions, but the route itself was flat and pretty forgiving. It was my 50th standard marathon and 70th overall, and with that I finally caught up with the number of test matches that I had done as a referee. I have 30 to go to reach the magical 100, and it all starts again in 2016 with the Miami Marathon on the way to my nephew’s Barmitzvah in Toronto.

These marathons are just small journeys, little steps joined together to form the greater journey. I know there are others who have done much more for much longer, and I take my hat off to them all, but it doesn't make me any less proud of my little steps.

In the last three years, Anel Oosthuizen has established herself as South Africa’s best senior female race walker since the reign of 2004 Olympian, Nicolene Cronje, who was also coached by Carl Meyer. – BY MARK MUNDELL

In 2015 Anel took her 20km PB time from 1:42:40 to 1:38:03, an improvement of 4.81%, and the University of Johannesburg athlete says her sights are firmly set on Rio in August. “Olympic qualifying of 1:36:00 is my goal for 2016, and everything that comes with it will be a bonus,” says Anel. “Last year was my first senior year, and just like 2014, I had a phenomenal year, despite some setbacks when I twisted my ankle badly, which carried over into 2015, but through proper care I managed to race well.”

Anel had very good coaching as a youth and junior athlete, where a good foundation was laid, but it’s when she teamed up with Carl Meyer in her last junior year in 2013 that her performances improved markedly. “Since then I have learned how to train at the correct intensities. Other than that, the only other secret is to follow my programme – achieving the small milestones helps me to believe in my goals, and with the help of my coach to set realistic goals.”

“In the last three years I have also overcome my fear of disqualification, as my coach helped me to improve my technique to the extent that I have not had any judging problems in any of my local or international races since 2013. I became more confident and I can now focus more on racing well.”

Dreaming of Rio
Like 2015, this year promises to be another one of excellence for South African race walking, with the possible inclusion of four race walkers in the Olympic team. Two have already qualified, Marc Mundell and Lebogang Shange, and all eyes will be on Wayne Snyman and Anel Oosthuizen, the two walkers most likely to achieve qualification as well. “I plan to have my first Olympic Games qualifying attempt in March, when I will be doing two 20km events in Europe,” says Anel. “Thereafter I hope to have another opportunity at the World Race Walk Team Championships, and possibly a final attempt towards the end of May at another event in Europe.”

Regular Race Waking columnist Marc Mundell is a 2012 Olympian and the SA and African 50km race walking record holder (3:54:12).

When radio personality Phindi Gule, a self-confessed non-runner, decided to run her first Comrades in 2012, she went on air and told 1.2 million listeners about her goal. No pressure, then! But she did it, and that led to a whole host of running adventures and initiatives, including the Comrades Women’s Seminars. – BY SEAN FALCONER

She will be the first to admit that she got into running by accident, through her husband, Englishman Kevin Burley, and that her first training run was a real shock to her system, but Phindi Gule has never looked back. “In 2011, I figured that since I was already getting up with Kevin to go to all these running events, why not do them, so we started running together. But the first time I went out training, I couldn’t even run one lamppost to the next! My first race was the Youth Run just before Comrades, and it was pure torture, but I finished, and that feeling was priceless, so I made it my business to stick to it. Later Kevin said, ‘I think you can do Comrades.’ I said, ‘Are you mad?’ But running sucks you in…”

“Now I always need to find a really good reason to do something, and stick to it, so what pushed me to continue running and go for the Comrades was that in KZN there wasn’t an on air radio personality who ran Comrades. I had never been a runner, but I had eight months to train for it, so I told 1.2 million listeners my goal, and next thing I knew I was back in Soweto, my hometown, for my qualifier.”

Phindi duly lined up alongside Kevin for her first Comrades in 2012, but he was not feeling well due to flu. “Eventually he told me to go on and leave him, but at first I didn’t want to go – I even said I don’t know the directions! Later I was passed by the 12-hour bus, but I thought of all those people supporting me and that motivated me not to give up. When I ran into the finish, it was already dark and cold, but I saw supporters with boards with my name, still waiting for me, and when I finished in 11:59:03, I celebrated like I was the winner!”

Helping Others
Phindi’s experience in the build-up to that first Comrades, which included looking for women-specific advice, sparked an idea, so she contacted Gary Boshoff at the Comrades Marathon Association to suggest a series of Comrades Women’s Seminars. “I was seeing a lot of women out running, but far less in the Comrades, and I thought it was because the recommended training was too hard – six days a week for somebody with a job, kids and husband, and more, was perhaps just too daunting. So I proposed the idea of seminars covering all the bases, where women could get all the info they needed to run Comrades. The CMA loved the idea, and we started with three in 2013, in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban, added Pretoria in 2014, and we’ve added PE this year. I am still amazed that we even get women at the seminars with Comrades Green Numbers, who come for new info.”

Having MC’d the Women’s Seminars, Phindi lined up for the 2013, 2014 and 2015 Comrades Marathons armed with plenty of great advice herself, but things did not go to plan. “I had run and finished my first Comrades with Kevin, but in the second one I ran alone. Physically I was fine, but mentally I was not ready, and just before Fields Hill I was tempted to walk, until a guy just behind me said, ‘No, you can’t walk, I’m using you as my pacer.’ So we started running together.”

“Around Hillcrest he was feeling sick, so we stopped for help, then got going again, but just before halfway he was really out of it – I could see the whites of his eyes, so I decided to stay with him until an ambulance came. Then I had to sprint for halfway to avoid the cut-off, and just missed it by 14 seconds – but I am OK with that, because I can live with my conscience.”

Things went much better in 2014, but once again Phindi just didn’t have enough in the legs. “I missed the final gun by seven seconds! That is the worst, when you reach the finish, but no medal – but it was still a wonderful experience.” Then came the 2015 race, which saw Phindi running as one of four athletes being followed by a documentary film crew, and this proved the undoing of her race. “I had to be up at 2am for the first recording, and then had the camera crew following me in the race. I thought it would be doable, and everything was fine until just before halfway, when I felt a sharp pain around my heart. I told Kevin, but said I was still OK to run.”

“However, around 50km in the pain was getting severe. He said I must stop, I said another 5km, but I could hear Comrades Coach Lindsey Parry’s voice in my head, ‘If you have pain that is uncomfortable or unfamiliar, you have to stop, and come back and try again another year.’” That saw Phindi and Kevin catch a bailer bus at 56km, and later the doctors told her it was anxiety. “Of the four of us being followed by cameras, only one finished, and I think it was too much mental pressure to deal with. Luckily I was fine physically after the race, but that emotion and pressure was visible in the video, and I still get people telling me that it gave them goosebumps. So I’ll be back to try again this year, but no camera crew this time!”

The Right Voice
Born and bred in Joburg, Phindi studied chemical engineering at Cape Tech, specialising in IT, and initially worked for SAA as a programmer. However, after listening to a news reader on Radio Metro, she decided she could do better. “I have a passion for public speaking, so I called the station asking for a weekend job to read the news.” Within a week she was on air. After initially working part-time in radio, Phindi went on to work full-time at various radio stations, relocated back to Johannesburg, studied journalism part-time, then relocated to Durban, eventually ending up as station manager at Vuma 103FM. “I came into the job with 15 years of experience in radio, but well aware that there are few female station managers in this country. It was a huge challenge, but they believed I could do it, and that made me feel confident. The other thing that made me feel like I could do anything, was having run the Comrades.”

Today Phindi is still involved in radio part-time, but her current day job is alongside Kevin in the Phindi Gule Group, doing marketing and communications work, plus leadership development and wellness presentations. “Running has actually become a job – who would have thought! – and we incorporate running in everything, because health is one of the key things holding companies back.” She has also developed her Master Class workshops for beginner female runners. “There are lots more women starting to exercise and changing their lifestyles, but they need to start at the right point, with the right info.”

Besides her seminars and workshops, Phindi is quite the running motivator. Recently, using radio and social media, she got people all around the world to join her in the 10×10 Challenge, running 10 kays each day for 10 days, then 25km on Christmas Day, followed by 31km on 31 December. Her next project is the 30-day, 900km KZN Challenge in April, where she and Kevin will run the length of the KZN coastline to raise funds for the Live Foundation, which cares for orphans in Verulam, near Durban.

Another project on the cards is the launch of Phindi Gule World, an innovative TV app that will allow people to watch health, fitness, wellbeing and motivational content on their phones. And then it will be the 2016 Comrades, if her legs have recovered in time from the KZN Challenge. “I would love to run, but I’ll have to see how I feel. Comrades is just so addictive!”