Category: Features

He has conquered the world’s highest mountains and trekked to the most extreme locations in the Arctic and Antarctic, but now Sibusiso Vilane has been challenged to do something he’s never done before, his first triathlon later this year, with the help of the Modern Athlete Dare to Tri programme. – BY RAYMOND TRAVERS

Sibusiso Vilane is truly an adventurous spirit. Besides climbing the highest mountain on each continent, including the highest on the planet, Mount Everest, he has also taken part in a string of sports endurance events, including multiple Comrades marathons, the Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon, the Old Mutual Wild Series and AfricanX. On the cycling side, he has competed in various mountain bike stage races, including the FNB Wines2Whales and the Old Mutual Joberg2C.

This former goat herder is the only black South African to complete the Grand Slam of adventuring, the Three Poles Challenge, to reach both Poles and climb Mount Everest, which he completed in 2012, and he has even met Queen Elizabeth II, but there is one thing he cannot do: Swim.

It was in a 2013 television advert for Windhoek Lager that he revealed this fact about himself. “Yes,” he commented in the advert, “this is not a joke. I cannot swim. But I am prepared to learn, as I never back down from a challenge.” And it was this fact about Sibusiso that prompted the challenge that will see this Nelspruit resident tackling his first IRONMAN event in 2017.

But unlike many other athletes that are ‘challenged’ in this way and just dive straight in, if you’ll excuse the pun, Sibusiso is planning his attempt with a little more care. “I believe in proper planning, preparation and execution for the attainment of anticipated results,” he says, “so in this case one has to be realistic. Ideally I’d prefer to plan for my first ever ultra-distance triathlon to take place in 2017, simply because I need enough time to learn how to swim – and swim very well.”

Nevertheless, Sibusiso has chosen the South African leg of the ITU World Triathlon Series, the Discovery World Triathlon Cape Town, over the 23rd and 24th of April 2016 as his baptism of fire for multisport events. He will take part in the Sprint distance event, which consists of a 500-metre swim, 20-kilometre cycle and five-kilometre run, to build his confidence and knowledge about tackling multisport races before trying out a long distance IRONMAN.

Sibusiso seems confident about the cycling and running legs of the triathlon. “I’ll need to get a good road bike,” says the adventurer, who has done plenty of mountain biking, so he is used to pedalling, “and I will need to train hard, but it will be up to me how much training I commit to. I know what the challenge will require of me and I am ready to take it up. I do not take it for granted, and I never bring the ‘I-have-done-this-and-that’ attitude. I respect every challenge that I undertake.”

Running is actually Sibusiso’s strong point. “I run for exercise and always take part in a number of marathons and even ultra-marathons each year. Running is not my concern,” he says confidently, “and that is one aspect of the Discovery World Triathlon Cape Town that I will not even worry about. My only concern for the whole thing will be the swimming part,” he confirmed.

Sibusiso has now been appointed a brand ambassador for the Modern Athlete Dare to Tri programme that will prepare him for the Discovery World Triathlon Cape Town. “I accept brand ambassador roles simply to inspire others to understand and become involved with that particular organisation or programme,” he says. “I will be honoured if I am one of the people who will be the figure to look up to, and it is a great opportunity to be asked to fulfil such a role.”

So, once he learns to swim, Sibusiso will no doubt rise to this challenge, just as he was able to rise to the challenge of climbing Mount Everest – a challenge that ironically was also issued to him by a friend. “And I took that challenge and pushed myself to the top,” he concludes.

Sibusiso will be part of Modern Athlete’s Dare to Tri Programme, and you can join him on his journey from non-swimming novice to triathlon finisher.

There is a finishline pic of me in my first Comrade Marathon in 2013, wearing my H seeding number and looking elated with my sub-11 finishing time, while the runner next to me, wearing an A seeding number, looks exhausted and ready to collapse. However, 20 minutes later I was not feeling so well. What I did that day is quite embarrassing, but at the time, I never thought there would be any negative consequences… – BY MARC BESTER

I had trained very hard that year and just prior to Comrades I had done the Two Oceans Ultra, IRONMAN 70.3 and the Full IRONMAN, plus three more marathons and various triathlons and long trail events. I was fit and ready. Now I had always followed the rules of not eating or drinking anything new, nor using any supplements on the day, that you had not used throughout your training. Like many runners, I had usually suffered with severe cramps, which I always thought was due to dehydration, but I had never taken more than cramp-blockers in a race. However, I was very worried with Comrades, especially when I heard it was going to be very hot and windy, so I had asked around all my running mates and on the Comrades Facebook page what medication to take if in serious pain.

Mostly I was told just be a man and run though it, that’s what Comrades is all about. I was also told by someone that if I feel the pain coming along, “just pop two myprodols.” It was not until two days before the race that I decided to take Myprodols along, just in case, having only ever used them when I had a serious back strain or various sports injuries, and I only recall ever using two at a time. Well, I conveniently packed a strip of them – for me and any runner who might also want, of course. I didn’t even research the pill, and was not worried that it could cause me damage or be harmful. I just didn’t think I was doing anything wrong…

Runner’s High?
Well, I had a great race. I suffered like everyone else with heat and dehydration, but from the start I thought I could pop two pills every two hours or so, just to keep the pain away. To be honest, I felt no negative effects. I ran the entire race to my exact goal, finishing under 11 hours, and I never had any cramps at all. Every two hours I just took two more and stayed hydrated. I’m not sure if I was supposed to have experienced anything negative, but I got to the end totally elated. I was probably high, as I had taken 12 pills along the route!

After finishing I sat for about 20 minutes with friends and then started to feel weak and dizzy. I tried to get up but fainted, and I was taken to the medical tent and placed on a drip. The tent was overflowing with runners and I was shocked to see the carnage of the day. As the doctor came to me, she said “Mr Bester, you are severely dehydrated and need a drip, so I need to ask you some medical questions. Firstly, have you had any Myprodols?” Immediately the alarm bells rung in my head. I stuttered and mumbled yes, that I had in fact had four. Big lie! She shrieked and scolded me, telling me I was crazy, and didn’t I know the side-effects and the possibility of renal failure, and how the meds block the body from pain even though I pushed my body to its capacity. I lay there for probably 45 minutes thinking I was very lucky to still be ok. I really did not want to expose how many I actually had and then be hauled off to hospital for a stomach pump!

Lesson Learnt
Fortunately, I never had any negative side-effects, but since then I never touched Myprodols again, including during two more Comrades runs. I do think runners should be wary of what anti-inflammatories are used for, and should not push their bodies to a point that they need meds to get to a goal or a finish line. I’ve heard horror stories of long-term damage caused by lesser meds used by runners, and I’m really glad my story turned out ok, and that I lived to run another day.

Ed’s Note: This article is not meant as criticism of any specific medication, but rather to warn athletes to use all medication carefully, and only with instruction from a properly qualified medical professional.

He’s one of the most irrepressible spirits of the Western Cape running and multisport communities, but just a few years ago Ashraf Orrie was going through hard times, and he says it was running that got him through it. – BY SEAN FALCONER

When his construction business took a downturn in 2010, Ashraf Orrie took a lot of strain, eventually ending up with depression, but things started to change for the better when he decided to take up running in order try take his mind off things. “That was when I realised what I had been missing all my life. Not only did I get fitter, lose weight and feel great, but you make so many contacts through running, and I picked up many jobs through the sport. Also, when I was having financial troubles I was sleeping 10 to 11 hours at a time, but now I feel fully recharged with just five or six hours. I was sleeping my life away!”

By 2011 Ashraf had been joined on the road by his whole family – wife Roldah, daughter Nabeelah and sons Zunaid and Riaz – and they all took to the sport so well that the whole family went home with awards at the 2014 Lion of Africa Itheko Athletic Club Awards. “Our kids are very dedicated to their studies, top academic achievers, but come race day, all the talk in the house is about running. We really went through a total lifestyle change: No more burgers, curries and biryani, now it is salads or tuna for supper. We train together, and shop together for sporting goods, and there are running magazines on all our dressing tables.”

With three Comrades to his name, including a best of 9:44:59 last year, Ashraf (47) says he felt he had come full circle in running, having done all the races in Cape Town and a few others around the country, as well as joining clubmates on two overseas tours to run marathons in Athens, Barcelona, Rome and Istanbul. “I decided my next challenge would be triathlon, so I did the ITU Cape Town Tri and the XTERRA at Grabouw, but just as a social athlete. My first proper triathlon race was at Slanghoek near Worcester in September, and I finished third veteran. I came out the water mid-field and stayed there in the cycling, but then made up all my time on the run. Now in January I’m taking on my first IRONMAN 70.3, and then it will be the full IRONMAN a few months later.”

Running Cameraman
If you spot Ashraf at a race, chances are he will be pointing a camera at you, and he has been known to take between 300 and 400 photos during a half marathon! “I run with my camera if I am doing an easy run, and everything goes up on Facebook, where people can tag themselves. I also post my diet and training programmes, and I have a lot of contact with youngsters who say I inspire them. They even joke that I am now a bit of a target to chase,” he laughs.

“I regard myself as a very unselfish person – I’m happy to share what I have learnt, and my door is open to all. Some of the young guys know where I live and that they can get a plate of food there, and I also give them lifts to races, or help them with supplements, or accommodation. I don’t ask for a cent; my satisfaction comes from seeing their faces when they realise somebody is prepared to help them. I simply love running. I only started running late in life, so now I’m grabbing all the opportunities, making the most of it, just enjoying myself, but also trying to help others along the way.”

One of those philosophical questions people like to ask each other is, mountains or sea, which do you prefer? One person who would undoubtedly choose the mountains would be Jacques von Wielligh, who has a burning passion for visiting high places, preferably by running up to them. – BY SEAN FALCONER

By day he works in IT in the tourism industry, but give Jacques half a chance and he will don his running gear and head for the nearest mountain. The 39-year-old husband and father of two from Kuilsriver in the Cape simply loves getting to the top of high places, and he is currently ‘collecting’ trigonometric beacons by running to them and photographing them, in what he calls his 100 Trig Beacons Challenge – and that is just a logical extension of his other great adventure, the Nine Peaks Challenge.

Jacques excelled at rugby at school and also did athletics, clocking a PB of 2:03 for 800m, but after school he made a name for himself in road cycling, winning the prestigious Die Burger Sanlam Tour in 1997 and earning himself a pro contract to ride in Belgium. However, he soon became disillusioned with cycling: “I was heading towards a serious career in the sport, dreaming of riding the Tour de France, but I saw other riders taking EPO right in front of me, and that put me off, because I was not prepared to cheat. So I came home, and I haven’t owned a bicycle since. Then I saw an interview by Ryan Sandes about running the 4 Deserts Challenge, and seeing the places he was getting to visit made me also want to get out there. Back then, even running 10km was an achievement for me, but now I run up to 150km at a time, and I’ve seen some incredible places, so I’m very grateful to Ryan – if not for him, I would not have gone out there.”

Accepting the Challenge
About two years ago Jacques read online about a challenge to run the highest peak in each of the nine provinces of South Africa, which would entail a total elevation gain of 10,300m, but after doing some research he realised there was very little info available for some of the peaks. “I wanted to go map out routes for others to summit, because I never just do things for myself. I had just run a sub-five-hour Two Oceans, so I was fit, and I am quite computer-savvy thanks to my work, so I pulled out Google Earth, plotted the routes, exported the files to my GPS device and then took my cycling mate Nigel Isaacs with me for support and followed the little arrows to the highest summit of each peak.”

Typically, Jacques is understating the magnitude of the trip. They started in the Limpopo Province and in just under two weeks he and Nigel worked their way down to finish in the Cape, with Nigel summiting some of the easier peaks alongside Jacques, and him doing the rest solo. First up was Iron Crown (2126m), then Die Berg (2331m) in Mpumalanga. “Die Berg is not difficult to get up to, because there is a tar road all the way to the summit, but I mapped out an off-road route where there is so much more to see, including animals, rivers, pools, a waterfall… If you don’t go my route, all you see is the road.” Next was Nooitgedacht Wes (1806m) in the North West, which Jacques describes as a sacred place. “It’s a mountain sanctuary park, and we ran up a river gorge system, where I incidentally lost my wedding ring, did a circle route on the other side, then came back down through the gorge. Absolutely stunning!”

The fourth peak was Toringkop (1913m) in Gauteng, where no running is actually allowed. “It’s not really a summit, just the highest point, and we found a note left on our vehicle to call the officials, because we had been spotted running on the hiking trail.” Then it was on to Namahadi (3275m) in the Free State, and Jacques says the adventure really started here. “If I could recommend one place in South Africa to run, this would be it. It’s so beautiful there, on the border with Lesotho, and the Mont-Aux-Sources trail race is run on the same route. Some people think Monties is the highest point, but you actually have to go quite a bit further to get to Namahadi, although it is actually just a few metres higher. You park at Sentinel Parking Point, go up the chain ladders, and what an amazing view!”

From there they headed to KwaZulu-Natal for Mafadi (3451m), the highest point in SA in the Drakensberg. “We went up Leslie’s Pass, past the natural marble baths, into the snow. You can’t really run there, it’s more like crawling as you follow the Lesotho border, but there’s a cave up there where you can overnight and then watch a stunning sunrise the next day.” Next was KwaDuma (3019m) in the Eastern Cape, where they stayed overnight in a local village, having handed out food and other goods, before heading up the peak. “That was something special, untouched beauty, with wild horses running free up on the escarpment,” says Jacques.

It was a quick 10km summit to Murch Point (2156m) in the Northern Cape, but also a hair-raising one. “There was mist over the Kompas Berge mountains, so I could not see the view, and then suddenly lightning struck the ground less than 300m away as I came down, so I ran very fast to get to the car. It was very frightening!” And that left Seweweekspoort (2325m) in the Swartberge, about 60km from Laingsburg in the Western Cape. “Nigel tried to go up with me and didn’t make it, because my route was too rocky with dense bushes, so I went back later with a foreign running mate, Frenchie, who is a real trail runner, and we found a better route.”

Passing on the Info
Jacques says the round trip can be done as an active 12-day holiday, if you’re fit, but he warns that some of the summits involve a long trek, and for some you need to go equipped with a tent and emergency gear. “Being in the tourism industry, I can take people on the tour, or can arrange a tour bus, accommodation and tour guides, which will make it a nice experience. There are also so many things to see along the way, including some 200 caves to explore on the various peaks. That’s what makes me tick. It’s all about exploring, experiencing amazing journeys and discovering new things. The mountains were there long before us, and will be there long after us, and I find peace and freedom up there. It is mind-blowing to reach a summit, and if you can share a mountain with somebody, the memory will last a lifetime. That is what motivates my running now, not competing against the clock or other runners. If I could relive my life, I would touch the top of a mountain every day.”

To read the full story of the 9 Peaks adventure, go to http://issuu.com/jacquesvonwielligh/docs/the_9_peaks_experience.

If you had told me two years ago that I would one day run a half marathon, I would have laughed in your face, but once in a while you need to blow your own damn mind. – BY DIANE SHEARER

I was never much of a runner until I started going to parkrun on Saturday mornings. That’s when I realised 5km is much further than you think. At first I absolutely hated parkrun… It was self-willing torture, where I would wake up at a ridiculous hour on a Saturday morning to run for what felt like the longest half hour of my life, but I think my endorphins overruled the feeling of torture, because I just carried on going back. I have now run over 50 parkruns, and I went from 5km to doing a 10km and then to entering a half a marathon in just a few months.

Now I don’t half-ass things: I either give it my all or I just give up, and so, when my boyfriend Jason wanted to do a 10km training run the week before the race, which would be my first 21km and his first marathon, I think I had a moment of optimism… I was meeting family at Gilroys Brewery for lunch and couldn’t do both, unless I ran there, but it is 21km from my house to Gilroys. I was waiting for a “Just kidding,” but those words just didn’t come.

Full Dress Rehearsal
We duly headed off, telling my parents to keep an eye out for us in case we needed a lift, and at first I thought this isn’t so bad, but that was quickly replaced by, “Woah, you’ve clearly forgotten that you’ve never run more than 10km in your life!” However, quitting was not an option and I forced my legs to push harder. Once I start something, I will always finish it, no matter how hard I have to push myself.

We got to a seriously long hill and I was really wondering what I had gotten myself into as I felt my throat close up in panic. However, I felt a surge of adrenaline and eventually got into the rhythm, and I could feel my heart beating in my feet as they hit the ground. We ran 15km in one hour 40 minutes and that was when we saw my parents anxiously waiting for us, but we stupidly decided not to take their offer to drive us the rest of the way, as we only had 6km left. That’s like a Parkrun, it would be easy…

We stopped at a garage for a quick Coke and carried on running. Big mistake, because it’s hard to get those legs moving again. The last 4km, with about 3km uphill, was probably the hardest thing I have ever done – everything in my body just said “No!” My muscles were sore as I stomped one foot in front of the other, but I tackled that long hill and continued running, probably because I was so desperate to finish. We took 45 minutes to run the last 6km, but we were done, and there was a light at the end of the tunnel: A beer never tasted so good! I was so tired I couldn’t even lift my beer mug, which is strange, because I didn’t run on my arms… although at some point I’m pretty sure I was crawling.

The Real Thing
Official race day came, and I couldn’t believe I woke up at a ridiculous hour to stand in the freezing cold to put myself through that torture again. The timer started, the crowd of runners started moving, and I quickly felt the warmth seep into my muscles and my breathing matched the beat of my feet hitting the round. It suddenly felt so easy, as though I was flying on autopilot. All I can say about that race is that I just ran and ran and ran, and it felt so good. (Oh, and it’s harder than you think trying to drink out of a cup while running, but it just felt so unnatural to walk!)

I finished my first official half marathon in two hours and eight minutes, and still felt strong as I moved my legs as fast as I could towards the finish line. I did not expect it to go that well, my mind was blown, and that prompted me to do an illustration about my experience. I still have no idea why I run. I just can’t stop. Maybe it’s the feeling of accomplishing something I never imagined doing.

Having won the ITU Duathlon World Champs Junior Women’s title in Australia in October, Gizelde Strauss appears to have a bright future ahead of her in multisport. – BY SEAN FALCONER

The lead pack of four girls competing in the ITU World Du Champs in Adelaide stuck together for the 5km first run leg, and then through the 20km bike leg, but after just 100 metres of the final 2.5km run leg, SA’s Gizelde Strauss put the hammer down and pulled away from her competition, quickly opening a 20-second lead and holding it all the way to the finish to claim her first World Title. Not bad for a 16-year-old competing in the 16-19 junior age category against older girls.

Gizelde says she went into the race with a clear gameplan. “I was stressing a bit when they called us to line up, but soon as the gun went off I forgot about everything and did my race as I was supposed to. The plan was to stay with the pack at first, because I run well, so I can break away early, but my cycle is not as strong, so it doesn’t help to go too early. Therefore, I stayed with the pack on the first run and the bike leg, then broke away on the second run. Winning the title for SA felt really great, like all my hard work paid off, and I would definitely like to stand on the podium to hear our National Anthem played again!”

Starting Young
Gizelde was born in the Free State, has grown up in Limpopo Province, and currently attends the HPC High School in Pretoria, where she is coached by former Olympic and Commonwealth triathlete Katie Roberts. Her older brother Yanich is also a talented multisporter, and Gizelde says she got into sport thanks to him. “When I was five, my brother did running and swimming, so I also started, just having fun. I got SA colours for the first time in Grade 0, in biathle, and also did cross-country and biathlon, and I started with duathlon and triathlon when I was 12.

This year has been particularly successful for the youngster, as she won the SA titles in her age category in both duathlon and triathlon, then won the African Champs title in Duathlon in Egypt before claiming the World Champs title in Australia. “I was also selected for the World Champs in triathlon, but Kate and I decided my swimming is not good enough yet, and it would not make sense to spend all that money to go there and then not even finish due to possibly being lapped and eliminated, so I will work on that in the coming year and hopefully get to both World Champs next year.”

Unsurprisingly, Gizelde also dreams of turning pro after school and one day competing at the Olympics, but she also wants to study sports nutrition and go into that after her competitive days are done. Either way, the future looks bright for this young World Champ.

Alcohol is deeply entrenched in our culture as a way to have fun, relax, and be social, especially during the Festive Season and December holidays, but here’s how it affects your health and your waistline. – BY CHRISTINE PETERS, REGISTERES DIETICIAN

Most of us enjoy a drink, but the truth is that alcohol, when not consumed in moderation, has negative effects on weight-loss. An occasional drink can have a place in a healthy lifestyle – many experts even believe that consuming a single drink per day can be beneficial – but if you are exceeding one drink daily, you might be sabotaging your weight-loss plans. That’s because alcohol is metabolised differently than other foods and beverages.

First Priority
Under normal conditions, your body gets its energy from the calories in carbohydrates, fats and proteins, which are slowly digested and absorbed within the gastrointestinal system. However, this digestive process changes when alcohol is present. When you drink alcohol, it gets immediate attention, because it is viewed by the body as a toxin, and needs no digestion. On an empty stomach, the alcohol molecules diffuse through the stomach wall quickly and can reach the brain and liver in minutes.

This process is slower when you have food in your stomach, but as soon as that food enters the small intestine, the alcohol grabs first priority and is absorbed quickly into the bloodstream. As the alcohol reaches the liver for processing, the liver places all of its attention on the alcohol. If you drink very slowly, all the alcohol is collected by the liver and processed immediately, avoiding all other body systems. However, if you drink quickly, the liver cannot keep up with the processing needs and the alcohol continues to circulate in the body until the liver is available to process it. That's why drinking large amounts of alcohol, or drinking alcohol quickly, affects the brain centres involved with speech, vision, reasoning and judgment.

But wait, there’s more…
Alcohol is also a diuretic, meaning that it causes water-loss and dehydration. Along with this water-loss, you lose important minerals such as magnesium, potassium, calcium and zinc. These minerals are vital to the maintenance of fluid balance, chemical reactions, and muscle contraction and relaxation.

Added to that, when the body is focused on processing alcohol, it is not able to properly break down foods containing carbohydrates and fat. Therefore, these calories are converted into body fat. Alcohol contains seven calories per gram and offers no nutritional value. It only adds empty calories to your diet. So why not spend your calorie budget on something healthier? Also, skipping a meal to save your calories for drinks later is a bad idea. If you come to the bar hungry, you are even more likely to munch on unhealthy snacks, and drinking on an empty stomach enhances the negative effects of alcohol. If you're planning on drinking later, eat a healthy meal first. You'll feel fuller, which will stop you from over-drinking.

Alcohol affects your body in other negative ways:
1 Drinking may help induce sleep, but the sleep you get isn't very deep. As a result, you get less rest, which can trigger you to eat more calories the next day.
2 Alcohol can also increase the amount of acid that your stomach produces, causing your stomach lining to become inflamed.
3 Over time, excessive alcohol use can lead to serious health problems, including stomach ulcers, liver disease and heart trouble.
4 Alcohol lowers your inhibitions, which is detrimental to your diet plans. Research shows that if you drink before or during a meal, both your inhibitions and willpower are reduced. In this state, you are more likely to overeat, especially greasy or fried foods, which can add to your waistline.
5 Alcohol actually stimulates your appetite.
6 Many foods that accompany drinking, like peanuts, pretzels and chips, are salty, which can make you thirsty, encouraging you to drink even more. To avoid over-drinking, sip on a glass of water in between each alcoholic beverage.

Moderation is key
In any weight-loss plan, there are three main components that should be priority: Diet, exercise and sleep. As stated, a moderate amount of alcohol can increase total calories, decrease your motivation for exercise and healthy eating, and negatively affect your sleep. Despite this, many people can enjoy a drink or two without throwing those three components completely out of whack.

On the other hand, drinking heavily can significantly derail energy levels, has a larger influence on dehydration, negatively impacts hormonal levels, and can significantly disrupt your sleep. Therefore, limit your overall levels of alcohol and put yourself in the best position to reap some of the benefits of alcohol consumption, while not derailing your overall progress. As with all things in life moderation is the key.

After years of running with a prosthetic blade, inspirational Eastern Cape ultra-marathoner Japie Greyvenstein is now struggling to complete races, and is looking for help to get a new running leg. – BY SEAN FALCONER

Life changed forever when Japie was just 21 and working on the railways in Queenstown. He was on night shift when he slipped and fell under a moving train, resulting in two amputation procedures on his right leg to just below the knee, and he also needed an iron pin with four screws in the left ankle. Having been a runner before the accident, it took Japie nearly 20 years to try running again, but it all started 13 years ago when he visited his sister in Plettenberg Bay and saw people running on the beach, so he decided to try running again.

“I started with fairly long runs on the beach sand, with my walking leg and in my Hi-Tec boots, and when I got back to Queenstown, I started running 12km morning and evening on the tar. A local runner then suggested I run the Bongola Half Marathon, and soon 21km was just not enough – I was not really tired by the end – so I tried a marathon, and I have done about 110 now.”

Geared Up
Japie originally ran on his walking leg, then received a sponsored running blade eight years ago, courtesy of the Sports Trust, and went on to run the Old Mutual Two Oceans Ultra six times, finishing it officially twice, and he attempted the Comrades three times as well, making it as far as 71km one year. However, in recent years he has picked up problems with his legs. “I now I have to stop six or seven times in longer runs to massage my leg, because it goes lame. My stump has changed over the years and the blade’s socket had become a bit too long, so I ran lopsided and started picking up problems in my left knee, until I finally had the socket shortened, but the sleeve still hurts my stump and I now have to bandage it and change the sleeve several times during a long run.”

Now 53, Japie survives on a small disability pension from the railways and supplements that by doing painting and maintenance work around Queenstown. He is also caring for his sickly 77-year-old mother, and says life is just getting more costly. The railways pay for a new walking leg every five years, but he is unable to afford a new running leg, and while friends like Peet van der Walt and Janneke Du Preez have tried to help him find a sponsor for a new leg, they have not had much luck yet.

“I really love running, I’m pretty much addicted, and I still manage 10km in the morning and evening, with a 35km long run on weekends, but I have to stop all the time because of the leg. It is frustrating that I can’t finish longer races now, not because I am not fit enough or too tired, but because my leg is so sore. I want to try Comrades again in 2016, and I want to inspire people and show them that having a disability should not restrict you from doing what you love – but then I need a new running leg.”

If anybody is able to help Japie obtain a new running leg, or a multipurpose socket for both walking and running, they can contact Peet van der Walt on 079 231 1907.

She has excelled in road running, cross-country, trail running and now obstacle course racing (OCR), including representing South Africa at the 2015 OCR World Champs in the USA, and still Trish Bahlmann says she is driven to achieve more. – BY SEAN FALCONER

Earlier this year, Trish Bahlmann was standing at Durban’s King Shaka Airport with boyfriend Claude Eksteen, about to board a Thursday flight to Cape Town for the three-day Pronutro AfricanX Trailrun, when her phone rang and she heard that her running partner for the event had just been involved in an accident and could no longer run. “My bags were already on the plane when I got the news, so I had to have them removed, but then Claude said I should change my ticket to Saturday morning and join him for the trip to the Impi in Gauteng, and I won it.”

The rest, as they say, is history. Trish focused on OCR for the rest of the year, going on to win the Cape Town Impi as well as taking line honours in one of the Jeep Warrior series races, and she came frustratingly close to adding several more Warrior titles. “The transition from trail running to OCR has taken me a while. You need more upper body and grip strength, so that you can hang on to ropes and rings with your full body mass. As runners we don’t really use our arms or hands, so it was a huge adaptation.”

“I’ve run ultras on the road and trails, but never been in such a mind-game as in OCR. In running you can still walk to the line if you blow, but if your arms blow, there is no way you can get over a tough obstacle. Where I often come short at Warrior races is the last big obstacle. Thanks to my running strength I am usually well in the lead, but then I sometimes get stuck and the other girls pass me. OCR can be one of the most frustrating things in the world, but mind you, I’ve only been in the game about 10 months, and I’m getting better all the time.”

World Champs
In spite of a few frustrating losses, Trish did enough to secure a spot on the Jeep-sponsored SA team selected for the OCR World Champs in Oregonia, Ohio on 17-18 October. “It was a huge honour to be selected to represent SA for the first time, and it was also my first time travelling overseas. I’m not a great flyer, though, so that was my first obstacle to get over. Next time somebody must just knock me out when we have to fly! But what an experience to compete against people who make OCR a profession, and the level of racing was unbelievable. At Impi and Warrior we normally do 15 to 18km with about 30 obstacles, but the World Champs course was 17km with 53 obstacles! Granted, the obstacles were generally easier than what we have back home, but the running was proper trail, either steep up or steep down – the only flat section was the finish line!”

The SA team also had to contend with freezing cold, rainy conditions, what Trish describes as “the worst conditions I’ve ever had to compete in, despite growing up in the Free State where it can get bitterly cold. It was zero degrees on the Saturday morning of the individual races, and we went straight into the water near the start, so we couldn’t even warm up. You know something is happening if you get handed a space blanket halfway through an event! It’s amazing what the cold can do to you – you think you’re strong and fit, but it’s horrible when your body is shutting down. It became a survival race for all of us, and took us hours after the race to stop shivering.”

In spite of the cold, Trish and Hanneke Dannhauser still did well in the open elite category race, which started first up at 8am, with Hanneke finishing sixth and Trish coming home 10th. Most of the other South Africans elected to run in specific age categories, which started an hour or two later in the day, when it was slightly warmer. “That made things a bit easier for them, in my opinion, because the ice was pretty much scraped off the obstacles by then. I went there thinking I can probably win my age category, but I wanted to compete against the best in the world, and I am really chuffed with 10th place, as I only started OCR this year.”

The second day of the Champs saw the team races take place, with Trish and Hanneke teaming up with Dominique De Oliveira for SA team 1. “I was the designated runner, so I went off first, with a few obstacles, then Hanneke did a strength section, and then it was back to me for another run section, followed by Dom doing a technical section. Hanneke then did another strength section, and then all three of us had to join up for the last section. It was hard because we got cold in between our sections, and Hanneke lost a few positions in the first strength section because of an issue with her ankle, but I pulled us back from eighth to fourth in my second run, and then we took third from the other SA women’s team on the last obstacle.”

Running Background
Trish is a divorcee with two young sons, Keegan (7) and Daniel (4-going-on-13), both of whom are showing a talent for running. She also excelled at track and field and cross country while growing up in the Free State, and says, “My love of running started when a friend asked me to come run with her because there were so few runners taking part in cross country, but I beat them all, so that friendship didn’t last…” Trish would go on to medal at the SA Cross Country Champs in 2012 and 2013, winning silver in the 30-34 age category and then silver for 35-39s, plus a team gold.

Her love of running also prompted her move into road running after school, and this eventually saw her to take on the Comrades Marathon for the first time in 2004 and 2005, both of which she says she just ran to finish in nine to 10 hours, but she returned in 2012 to post an awesome 7:31, narrowly missing out on a silver medal. She then ran 8:18 in the heat of 2013, followed by 7:40 in 2014. “I still have unfinished business with the Comrades, because I missed silver by less than two minutes, and that leaves a bad taste in my mouth,” she says determinedly.

However, she adds that road running had started getting a bit boring, hence she went over to trail running in 2014, and instantly fell in love with it as she won the Lesotho Ultra Skyrun 50km, Golden Gate 3-day stage race, Mont-Aux Sources 50km and 1000 Hills Crazy Stores 35km, along with other podium finishes, but it also left her feeling tired by the end of the year. “I knew I needed a break, so I asked Claude how to take time off my legs but still benefit my running, and he suggested strength work and obstacle racing. That saw us launch our business in March this year, Adventure Obstacles Training, which focuses on strength training and coaching, and we have a lot of runners in our regular training groups. We also do a lot of corporate functions, team-building exercises and kids’ parties, so there is plenty going on.”

Looking Ahead
In terms of 2016, Trish says her focus will be a combination of OCR and trail running, and she is hoping to once again get to the OCR World Champs while also doing some of the big trail races, including the Otter as well as teaming up with Claude for the AfricanX and Southern Cross stage races. “I’m hoping that 2016 will be even more successful, and I’m now on a level where I can continue training for OCR, but still go do some awesome trail running. But next year the OCR World Champs are in Canada, which will probably be even colder, so we’ll have to train in freezers!”

My goal when I started running was to be able to call myself a runner. It took me a while, but I got there. – BY LIZETTE DU PLESSIS

I'm definitely not built like a runner. I’m not fast, nor am I breaking any records (other than my own personal bests), and the only reason I started running was because someone told me that I cannot do a half marathon. So my friend and I started training… but while she complained about it, I secretly enjoyed it. I loved that burning feeling in my lungs when you're just about tapped out from doing sprints over and over and over again.

I especially loved early morning training. The sunrise, the smell of a fresh morning rainfall, and so on. It just became second nature to me. Even if I was hung-over from the night before, I would still make myself go out and run, because nothing cures a hangover like a long hard run!

It took me a long time to admit to people that I am a ‘runner,’ but only because I didn't feel worthy of the title. I’d show up to races feeling slightly out of place when I saw other women warming up. Everyone seemed to have more toned legs and fancier gear, and projected confidence that I was lacking. I’d hide towards the back of the pack, hoping not to get in anyone’s way as the starting gun sounded. I desperately wanted to join the ranks of the runner girls I had put on a pedestal, but wouldn't allow myself entry into the club.

With a few years under my belt, I now realise that I was always a runner, and any doubt about that label was unfounded. My legs still aren't as toned as I’d like, but who cares – they've carried me over distances I never thought imaginable. Somewhere along the way I found the confidence. It might have been at the finish line of my first half marathon, or the time I scored a new PB… No matter when it was, I’m happy to proclaim that I am a runner! I now believe that you don’t have to run a marathon, or a specific kilometre split, to be part of this community that I've grown to adore. You just have to lace up your shoes and run. You are a runner if you run. Period!