Category: Features

Having won medals at the African Champs, World Champs and Commonwealth Games, and having just added a seventh senior SA title to his list of honours 12 years after his first as a 17-year-old in 2003, star 400-metre hurdler LJ Van Zyl is not only raring to go for the World Champs in Beijing in August, he is also eyeing an Olympic medal in Rio in 2016.

With a new coaching team behind him and fatherhood on the near horizon, LJ van Zyl is running better than ever right now. Just before jetting off to Europe to begin his international campaign last month, the 29-year-old chatted to Modern Athlete about his revitalised form going into 2015, including that SA title in 49.29 seconds in Stellenbosch – his fourth qualifier for Beijing – as well as a new 200m dash PB of 20.71 (following shortly on another new PB of 20.86). He says his great form is largely thanks to working with his new coach Irma Reynecke at the High Performance Centre (HPC) in Pretoria.

“With Irma, it’s a lot of focus on speed work. You’re never slower than 85% in training, which is quite something! It took me about three months to get used to her programme, because I come from a more endurance background, but I’ve seen it work. My 200m flat-out time is faster and my confidence is growing,” says LJ. “Also, being set up at the HPC, from being one of their first athletes back in 2005, I have an organised base camp as well as all my medical covered. Without that help, it would be very difficult for an athlete.”

All Systems Go
Starting with the GreatCity Games in Manchester, LJ says his international campaign will be all about enjoying the ride and loving the sport again. “The City Games is a unique experience and great warm-up because the organisers build an arena in Albert Square in the heart of the city. I won my event there in 2013, so it’s a great way to start my season before the real tester at the Diamond League meeting in Doha on 15 May,” he said.

Doha remains a special venue for LJ, as he holds the Diamond League meeting record there with his 48.11 finish in 2011. It’s a platform where he will be hoping to sneak under 49 seconds again and build more momentum towards the World Champs. Another Diamond League meeting in New York later in June will also tell him where he stands with his training and what he can target in Beijing. “At the 2011 World Champs in Daegu, South Korea, I won a bronze medal, so I want to go to Beijing with a little bit more,” he said. “My planning has gone well and I took a little rest after the national champs, visiting my parents to recharge, but the season is on again and it’s all systems go.”

Eyes on Rio
The three-time African champ, Commonwealth gold medallist and South African record holder (47.66) is hoping that a solid 2015 will set him up nicely for Rio 2016, where he is dreaming of a podium spot. “I’ve really won every medal in the 400m hurdles that I can, except that Olympic one,” he said, as he recalls his fifth placing at the 2008 Games. “I want to leave Rio with something, so this season will hopefully set me up perfectly for that moment.”

And with wife and fellow runner Irvette set to give birth to their first child in September, LJ has a lot more than hard yards on the track to give him the inspiration for next year’s showdown. “I’m so excited and it’s definitely a reason to get up with more fire every morning! Maybe our kid will follow in our athletic footsteps and have that speed from Irvette and me. Either way, it’s a great time for us, so I’m positive about what’s around the corner.”

LJ’s Major Honours

World Championships
Silver 2011 4x400m Relay
Bronze 2011 400m Hurdles
Commonwealth Games
Gold 2006 400m Hurdles
Silver 2006 4x400m Relay
Silver 2010 400m Hurdles
All-Africa Games
Gold 2007 400m Hurdles
African Championships
Gold 2006 400m Hurdles
Gold 2008 400m Hurdles
Gold 2008 4x400m Relay
Gold 2010 400m Hurdles

For 20 years, Yolande Maclean has been a prolific name on the road running circuit, notably for her Comrades gold medal runs, but a knee injury six years ago put the brakes on her running for a while. Now her hunger to compete has brought her back firing, and she chats to Modern Athlete about new experiences as an athlete and her promise to embrace every opportunity.

When Yolande won the mixed team category of this year’s Pronutro AfricanX Trailrun presented by New Balance, alongside Team CW-X Ultraspire running partner Nic de Beer, she says she learnt a few things along the way: That she was tougher than she thought, but that trail is unforgiving. “We were the first mixed team and seventh overall, beating the likes of Landie Greyling and Carla van Huyssteen! It was my first stage race and it was a new challenge and that’s why it was an easy decision when Nic contacted me,” she says. “You have to deal with the technical parts, monitor what you eat and be aware of teams chasing you, but luckily there was such an easy flow between Nic and me.”

The effortless introduction to trail comes after a spectacular start to Yolande’s year on the road. Having finished second in the Dis-Chem Half Marathon in January, March saw her crush the course record by 11 minutes at the Johnson Crane Marathon, clocking 2:46:56. She followed that up with another win at the Sasol Marathon a week later, crossing the line in 2:46:51. While she was aiming for a top-10 finish at last month’s Two Oceans, she managed a well-deserved 11th place in 4:09:52 after struggling with sciatica pain in her leg the week before the race. “Six years ago, I tore a muscle in my knee and that was me out for six months. It’s taken a while to build up again, but I figure if you’re a true athlete, that hunger to be back never dies. Just like at Oceans, when I was at 26km I thought I’d bail, but then I thought I’d take Ou Kaapse first and see. While I was in pain, I knew I had to make peace with it and just finish!”

The Ultra Bug
Unsurprisingly, Yolande’s hunger to compete started at an early age. At school she ran the 100m, 200m, 400m and 1500m, cycled, played soccer and did a few triathlons. “What really got me going was my uncle and dad, because they were sporty. I eventually started running 10km races with my dad, and he beat me and teased me, so I wanted to improve,” she says. She stepped it up to longer distances and suddenly Comrades became a must. “My dad had done it and I was ready at 18, but after some injuries from cross country, I had to wait. Finally, at 25, I ran my first Comrades. Then it was onto Oceans and Loskop, which I won on my second go in 2003.” To date, Yolande holds five Comrades golds (6:29 PB) and four Two Oceans golds (3:47 PB), but admits that the desire to do it all back then was perhaps a stretch too far for someone so young. “When you’re pumped up like that, you don’t hold back, and the wear and tear showed.” That’s when her injury struck and she was forced to start over.

“I started to slowly run again and do it for fun. I implemented strength work, concentrating on my arms and core, and mountain biking became a great off-switch from running, which is high-impact stuff, so you need a break.” Then in 2013, she entered the Jeep Warrior Black Ops Race and tore ligaments in her foot, so she turned to cycling to regain her fitness. That took her to the start of the 2013 RAC Tough One, which she conquered in 2:09, but she knew there was a lot to improve on. “I figured I’d target the 2014 Loskop to see where I was and ran a 3:23 to come second. That was great, because I hadn’t been there for years, and I went on to break my time at Deloitte – a 2:50 from a 2:55 finish – and knew I was in form.” Then, having finished second at this year’s Dis-Chem Half, she decided that the ultras were on again.

“Johnson Crane was a last-minute decision but I felt good enough to go for the win. Same with Sasol. At the end of last year I promised I’d agree to every opportunity that came my way, so when the Discovery Surfer’s Challenge invited me, I went for it – even in winds of 17 knots!” It was also her start at Born2Run Athletics Club last year that brought her to an environment where she felt like she was part of a family. “Ann and David at Born2Run are great and I get a lot of support. My running is on me, though. My parents divorced years ago. At 16, I got my learners and had two jobs over the weekends to get pocket money. At 18, I got my Gran’s old car and got my own car eventually, and my mom has always helped me, but I’ve always had to be independent and self-driven.”

A Bright Future
After all these years, Yolande says she has also learnt when to go ahead and when to hold back. “People panic when others pass them, but I’ve learnt to stick to my own plan and be confident. At AfricanX, I used that, and I would love to run more stage races in the future!” And following a disappointing result at Oceans, she’s motivated to tackle it with more emphasis next year, while she’s still pondering about this year’s Comrades. “I’m entered and will make a call soon,” she says. “You have to take on Comrades when you’re 100%. It’s so special, and if I’m not running, I’m usually watching with a big knot of nerves and excitement in my stomach!”

She’s also planning to keep her promise to herself to embrace the unknown, and so she has plans to do both trail and MTB stage races, but also wants to chase down a 2:40 marathon this year while bettering her shorter distance times. There’s also talk of taking on Ironman sometime in the near future. “I want to try new things, otherwise it’s boring! My injury never let me down because running keeps me alive, and that fire never dies. It makes me a better person!”

Without investment, no one will reap the rewards… That’s what KPMG Financial Services Director Pierre Jacobs has always believed in, and why he’s invested in the KPMG-Vorentoe Running Academy, a platform where the country’s young middle-distance stars can flourish.

When the government withdrew its funding in 2013, it looked like the end of the Vorentoe Running Academy, based at Vorentoe High School in Johannesburg under Coach Hans Saestad. Fortunately, KPMG stepped up to the plate in 2014 with funding and today the academy consists of a group of 36 boys and girls – a vastly different picture to the handful when it started in 2000. “It’s rewarding to see this group of young athletes becoming fantastic people. They train hard and it’s our hope to make it easier for them,” says Pierre, who is justifiably proud of the success the academy has seen. This includes scooping the Best School Sports Team in the country at the prestigious South African Sports Awards last year, and sending a group of athletes to last month’s IAAF World Cross Country Championships. The academy also scooped up a whopping 19 medals at the recent SA Champs in Bloemfontein last month.

“We pay for the athletes’ school fees, food, medical expenses, training camps, travel expenses as well as transport to their homes. We’re also supplementing the salaries of coaches, cooks and teachers involved, making sure the athletes have proper after-school care, too.” Also in the pipeline is distribution of vitamins and minerals for the year as well as sanitary packs every month for the girls.

Tangible Change
Pierre adds that it’s the importance of assisting in all areas of an athlete’s life that remains the backbone of the programme, and that it’s not just about the hours spent with Hans on the track, it’s also about giving the athletes the tutoring they need to transition from teenager to adult. “A lot of our athletes don’t come from good schools, so there’s a gap when they arrive at Vorentoe. Now staff are tutoring the athletes in Afrikaans, English and Maths, with improved results,” says Pierre, who cites one of the academy’s brightest talents, cross-country star Tumisang Monnatlala, as a success story. “His Maths percentage was low, but after three months of tutoring, his marks went up!”

Another project this year will be upgrading the girls’ accommodation and ablution blocks. Instead of the ice-cold, concrete ablutions building that they have to walk a good 100m to reach each morning, there are funds to make it more comfortable and welcoming.

The Next Step
“We want to focus on what the athletes do after school, where they can step it up on the international stage,” says Pierre, which is why he and the Academy leaders are also in talks with running legend Elana Meyer and Endurocad to potentially bring the academy athletes into the Endurocad programme for more senior, long-distance athletes. However, for now Pierre says it’s about baby steps to maintain the academy’s top performance at the SA Schools Champs, and then to get the academy’s athletes exposed to international competition.

“If you expect these athletes to perform, the least you can give them is decent accommodation, food and medical back-up,” says Pierre. “There’s a buzz around running and all that this country needs is a willingness to mobilise that enthusiasm, but we need to keep these youngsters in the system, and we’re committed to giving them the opportunities.”

For more info on the project or to get involved in any way, contact Pierre on [email protected]

A year ago many of us had never even heard of Caroline Wöstmann, but after finishing first South African woman at the 2014 Comrades and winning the 2015 Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon, she has become one of the most talked about female ultra-marathoners in SA!

When Caroline Wöstmann came home sixth in 6:51:43 in the 2014 Comrades Marathon, many South African runners and fans of the sport could have been forgiven for asking, “Who?” She was relatively unknown, having run just three Comrades before, with a best time of 7:16:48 to finish 15th in 2012. Before that, in her two previous Comrades runs, she had finished in 9:17:39 in 2009 and 8:33:29 in 2011, so she was an outside bet at best when the pundits discussed their favourites for the top 10 gold medal positions for 2014. Her only run at the Two Oceans Marathon, in 2013, had seen her finish 83rd in 4:54:42, so that also did not point to her making such a breakthrough in the 2014 Comrades, but that’s what she did, seemingly quite comfortably, too.

Now however, after her spectacular win in the recent 2015 Two Oceans, her name is on everybody’s lips in running circles, because she stormed through the field to claim the women’s title in 3:41:24, passing second-placed Tanith Maxwell on Southern Cross Drive and then storming past defending champion Nina Podnebesnova of Russia with less than 5km to go. As she took the lead, the 32-year-old broke into a huge smile, which one commentator described as almost unbelieving, and it stayed on her face right to the finish as she became the first South African woman to win the race in 14 years.

Great Expectations

Unsurprisingly, the winner’s tape had barely hit the ground and the pundits were talking about her chances of winning the Comrades at the end of May: Will her legs recover in time, does she have the speed and endurance to win it, and more. Caroline herself is upbeat about it all, saying that she has faith in her coach, Lindsey Parry of the University of Pretoria’s High Performance Centre, to see her through to Comrades. He has been coaching her since September, and Caroline says he has helped change her outlook completely, resulting in one personal best after another, including a 2:44:57 marathon in Port Elizabeth in December.

“He said I should aim for 3:50 at Oceans, and I said no, that is too hard, so I don’t know how it happened that I ran 3:41. They say that a good Two Oceans blows your Comrades, but I’m sure Lindsey will know what to do, and he thinks my legs will be fine for Comrades. My main aim is to enjoy it – I simply can’t imagine how anybody could run that far without actually enjoying it. It’s supposed to be about enjoying the journey, not just about the destination, and there are so many people to chat to along the way, crowds to enjoy, beautiful views to take in. That’s why I run the Comrades.”

Family, Work and Running

Caroline was born in Johannesburg and lived in Midrand most of her life, but now lives in Pretoria, where her husband Haiko works, and she commutes to work in Johannesburg. She studied at the University of Pretoria to become a chartered accountant, then worked for Deloitte for a few years as an audit manager before accepting a post lecturing management accounting and finance at Wits. The couple have two kids, Gabriella (7) and Isabell (4), and Caroline says Haiko does a bit of running and often comes with her to races, where he sometimes does the 5km fun runs with the kids, but mountain biking is more his strength.

It was actually having kids that got Caroline motivated to run. “About a year after Gabby was born, I hadn’t managed to lose my pregnancy weight, so I decide to try running. My sister Christine started with me late in 2008, as she was staying with me at the time while doing Matric, and we would run around an 800m block in our suburb, but she would wait for me at the top of one hill, as I was that bad back then! But after a couple of months of running, instead of feeling terrible, I started feeling good, so my New Year’s Resolution was deciding to run the 2009 Comrades! Everyone thought I was mad, but I was determined.”

Caroline ran her first race at the end of October 2008, joined Midrand Striders and then moved onto the DisChem Half Marathon in January 2009, but that didn’t quite go to plan. “Christine and I missed the start after getting stuck in traffic and struggling to find parking, so we ended up starting with the 10km or 5km athletes, but we still loved it, and did about 2 hours 30 minutes.” A month later she did her first 42km at the Pick n Pay Marathon, clocking a respectable 3:52. “I now look at it as a terrible finishing time, but my clubmates were all wow at the time.”

Comrades Debut

That saw her qualify for the 2009 Comrades, but she says her first Big C was really tough. “At 70km I was crying on the side of the road. My hubby had driven along the route with Gabby and stopped at three or four points to support me, and I told him I couldn’t go on, but he said I can do it and kept me going. He wasn’t going to let me quit after all the effort to get there, and I got my bronze in 9:17:39. I missed the 2010 race due to being pregnant with Isabell, but was back to earn a Bill Rowan in 2011, then a silver in 2012. In 2013 I got a bit overambitious and wanted a gold medal, so I overtrained and landed up with a stress fracture. But then came 2014 and I got my gold.”

“I didn’t expect to be the first South African woman that year, because I had joined the Nedbank club and had been training with Charne Bosman. I fully expected her to be first, but I felt confident of getting a top-10. I was actually surprised that nobody else believed it. Afterwards people said I was smiling the whole way, looking so comfortable, but I actually struggled a bit in that Comrades, due to a minor injury picked up five weeks before the race. I was actually a bit worried throughout and don’t think I was smiling that much, and the last 10km was really hanging in there.”

Winning Ways

Moving into 2015, Caroline says the recent Two Oceans was the best race of her life, and from beginning to end she just felt great. “The crowd support was so amazing, and I used it to fuel my running. I was thanking people for their support, so got still more support, and when I moved into third, the guy on the bike next to me even said wow, what incredible support.” However, Caroline says that passing Tanith to take second place was a bittersweet moment: “I am actually a big fan of hers, and wanted to see what she would do in her first ultra, so I actually felt a bit overwhelmed passing her. I wanted to say you’re such a legend, but at the same time didn’t want to say too much, so I just said hi. She was probably a bit more conservative, as she was going into unknown territory beyond the marathon mark, but I saw footage of her coming home and she looked so strong, so I definitely think she can go faster in future.”

As for her own future plans, Caroline says her ultimate goal is to win the Comrades: “I don’t know if I’m capable of winning it yet, because there are such great athletes that come out to run it, and I don’t know if I’m at their level yet. So I’m not going to go for the win this year, I will go for a specific time. But then I never would have dreamed I could win Two Oceans – I didn’t think I was fast enough, let alone able to run under four minutes per kay for 56km. My strength has always been going far, not fast, and I was stuck with the speed thing for a while, hence I approached Lindsay to coach me, and since adopting a targeted approach to speedwork, I have seen a huge improvement. But still, I think I was more surprised than anyone else about winning Oceans!”

The Modern Athlete Pacesetting Buses for the 2015 Comrades Marathon should be the biggest and best ever, thanks to the stellar crew of bus drivers and conductors being assembled, and with more buses than ever before, notably in that massively important last hour of the race when more than half the field comes home. Here are the pacers to look out for on 31 May.

Sub-12:00 Vic Clapham Bus

Vlam Pieterse
23 Medals
Club: Hartbeespoort Marathon Club
Vlam is a pacesetting legend, having finished in the last 15 minutes of the race 18 times, both as an official and unofficial pacesetter, so he knows a thing or two about getting to the finish in time to beat the final cut-off. “Driving the sub-12:00 bus is really living life on the edge – great if you make it, heartbreaking if you don’t – and I have learnt to remember that I am a pacesetter, not a nurse, so I must stick to my pacing chart to ensure that everyone in the bus gets to the finish on time, I cannot slow down or stop for anybody who can’t keep up, even though it breaks my heart to see them drop off the bus,” says Vlam.
Last three Comrades: 2014 – 11:53:40, 2013 – 11:58:13, 2010 – 11:50:28

Derrick Rondganger
7 Medals
Club: Telkom Athletics Club
Another veteran of pacesetting, having brought home many get-you-round buses in Cape races as well as the sub-12:00 Comrades bus, Derrick got into pacing four years ago when he was asked to lead a sub-12:00 bus for a group of friends who had lost their regular ‘driver’ due to a pre-race injury. “I fell in love with pacesetting in that race, and I particularly love pacing the last group home, because I think it means the most to them,” says Derrick. “Also, pacing with Vlam is an honour – he is a legend and I am still learning from him, but I think we compliment each other well.”
Last three Comrades: 2014 – 11:53:40, 2013 – 11:56:50, 2012 – 11:38:17

Sub-11:45 Vic Clapham Bus

Frans Campher
19 Medals
Club: Lewensentrum Athletic Club
Frans is one of two Comrades pacesetting brothers – he has carried the sub-12:00 flag in previous years, while Jackie has led the sub-11:00 bus home. Once again both have agreed to pace in 2015, and Frans suggested a mid-point sub-11:30 bus to try relieve some of the congestion caused by so many runners joining the sub-12:00 bus. When he heard there was already a sub-11:30 bus in place, he immediately suggested a sub-11:45 bus. “There is a big demand for an 11:30 bus, but also for a bus to go just in front
of the 12:00 bus, and I think many runners will appreciate the extra choices this year.”
Last three Comrades: 2014 – 11:37:56, 2013 – 11:56:52, 2011 – 11:48:50

Sub-11:30 Pink Drive Vic Clapham Bus

Wietsche Van Der Westhuizen
37 Medals
Club: Bellville Athletic Club
As one of the most experienced Comrades runners, Wietsche also knows a thing or two about pacing. Some years back he twice led the sub-9:00 bus home, and has also done sub-6:00 and sub-6:30 buses at Two Oceans, most notably the fun sub-6:30 Pink Drive bus in this year’s Oceans. He even donned a pink bra! “Besides running for a target time, we’re running for a cause, so I’ll be running Comrades with my pink bra again. I believe running is a sport you must enjoy – and if you’re not having fun, you should go play bowls!” he says. “My aim is to make sure everybody gets to the end and enjoys it – they will have pain, but they’ll want to come back next year.”
Last three Comrades: 2014 – 11:46:15, 2013 – 11:37:45, 2012 – 9:24:20

Hilton Murray
11 Medals
Club: Bellville Athletic Club
Having shot to fame as the man in the penguin cap who did 10 Comrades back-to-back last year, running 89km per day for nine days and then the Comrades itself on the 10th day, Hilton has now turned his running talents to bus conducting. At the 2015 Two Oceans he joined clubmate Wietsche van der Westhuizen in leading the sub-6:30 Pink Drive bus, and says, “At Comades, we’re going to turn our bus into the first ever Pink-legal-abnormal-overload-human&apenguin&achicken-bus on the N3 from Durban to Pietermaritzburg, a road notorious for overloaded runaway buses, but seldom pink! Standing room unlimited on this bus!”
Last three Comrades: 2014 – 11:46:14, 2013 – 10:45:48, 2012 – 9:42:38

SUB-11:00 Bronze Bus

Jackie Campher
13 Medals
Club: Lewensentrum Athletic Club
Jackie was one of the first volunteers when Modern Athlete ran its first Comrades buses in 2011, and he successfully brought home three consecutive sub-11:00 buses to great praise from the runners around him. “I enjoy leading buses and helping other runners achieve their goals in races, whether it is a sub-11:00 or qualifier of five hours, or even a sub-4:00 marathon, which they might have tried but could never do. I am flattered that there have been runners asking on Facebook if I am taking the 11-hour bus again this year – these are people I met while leading buses in races, and I am proud to be able to help them.”
Last three Comrades: 2014 – 9:45:52, 2013 – 10:56:42, 2012 – 10:51:33

Buks Van Heerden
15 Medals
Club: Nedbank Running Club Vanderbijlpark
Buks also goes into this year’s Comrades with a large following, thanks to the fact that he has paced in a whole series of races in the Gauteng area in the build-up to the Comrades, and built up quite a fan club along the way. “For me it is the feeling of taking people through and seeing their happiness when they make it. Being a pacesetter has taught me that there is more to running than winning. It’s about helping people to achieve something that they may not believe they can do, or are not sure they can get there. I know that these buses make a big difference in people’s lives.”
Last three Comrades: 2014 – 8:46:08, 2013 – 9:54:57, 2010 – 10:07:54

Jeff Ramokoka
16 medals
Club: Eskom Athletic Club CGA
Last year Jeff volunteered at the last minute to lead the hitherto driverless sub-11:00 bus, and he soon had a massive following out on the route. The photos of the bus tell the story, with Jeff out front conducting a singing, dancing throng of runners down the road, with an awesome vibe that carried them all the way to the finish. No surprises that a number of his passengers wanted their photo taken with him at the finish! Chances are his bus will go a little bit faster than the other one led by Jackie and Buks, thus giving runners more than one option as they chase their bronze medals.
Last three Comrades: 2014 – 10:42:15, 2013 – 9:12:15, 2010 – 9:18:22

Chris Kubeka
13 medals
Club: Eskom Athletic Club CGA
Chris missed out on the fun in 2014 due to an injury, but still travelled along the route, moving from point to point, in order to second his friend Jeff and help where he could with the bus. This year, back from the injury, he will join as Jeff’s conductor and co-driver on their sub-11:00 bus. “I saw how great the spirit was in the bus last year, so this year I want to be part of it with Jeff,” he says.
Last three Comrades: 2013 – 10:44:44, 2012 – 10:16:33, 2011 – 9:16:36

Sub-9:00 Bill Rowan Bus

Johan Van Tonder
12 Medals
Club: Alberton Amateur Athletic Club
Johan is one of the country’s most experienced Comrades pacers, having carried his first sub-9:00 flag as far back as 2003, and done so most years since. Even in the years when things did not go well for him – as can so easily happen in a 90km ultra – he dropped back and joined one of the slower buses, sometimes even bringing that bus home when its driver experienced problems along the way. “I love my pacesetting so much, because seeing people reach their goals reminds me of the promises I made to my family to help others whenever I can. I love giving back to the sport, and will keep pacing for as long as I can.”
Last three Comrades: 2014 – 8:56:00, 2013 – 9:07:07, 2012 – 11:57:10

Note: Some Pacesetters may change before race day due to unforeseen illness or injury, and additional Pacesetters may still be added.

The week leading up to your big race can be overwhelming and the last thing you want to do is eat too much of the wrong foods, and too little of the right foods. So take note of these common pre-race nutritional mistakes and fix them before they slow you down. – BY ESMÉ MARÉ, REGISTERED DIETICIAN AT CHRISTINE PETERS & ASSOCIATES

1 IMPROPER CARBO-LOADING
Many athletes prefer to eat large portions of carbohydrates, especially pasta, the night before a race, to top up their glycogen stores. However, this could lead to digestive problems on race day. Rather start a week prior to race day, gradually increasing carbohydrate and fluid intake each day whilst tapering down. This will maximise glycogen storage.

2 TOO MUCH FIBRE
It’s important for athletes to consume a healthy, balanced diet with adequate amounts of fibre, which aids in the maintenance of normal blood sugar levels, reduces risk of heart disease and reduces the risk of constipation. Consuming more high-fibre foods than you are used to prior to race day could cause uncomfortable bloating and flatulence. If you are more sensitive to foods high in fibre, then cut back on foods such as beans and bran cereals two to three days prior to race day. Remember that fruit and vegetables should still be consumed. If you are racing more often, reduce your fibre intake only on race day to make sure that you are not cutting too much fibre out of your diet.

3 EATING AND DRINKING TOO LATE
It’s best to have your last dinner no less than 13 hours prior to your race and do not over-eat. This will prevent gastric discomfort and a sleepless night, especially if you have pre-race jitters. A liquid breakfast can be eaten two hours prior to the race and a solid breakfast can be eaten three hours prior to the race. This will ensure that you begin your race with sufficient fuel. Practise what to eat at dinner and breakfast before long workouts – this way you’ll be able to determine what works best for you before race day, and what does not work at all.

4 TRYING SOMETHING NEW
Avoid eating unfamiliar foods to your regular diet a week before race day. Foods unfamiliar to your body could lead to gastric discomfort and diarrhoea, which could leave you dehydrated, slowing you down or causing you to pull out of the race.

5 SKIPPING BREAKFAST
If you have difficulty eating breakfast before a race, wake up earlier to give yourself enough time to eat your breakfast. A smoothie works really well if you cannot stomach solid food.

6 DRINKING TOO MUCH WATER
Athletes should drink adequate amounts of fluids the week prior to the race. However, drinking too much water before the race could dilute your electrolytes, which may cause cramping, muscle weakness and hyponatraemia. Electrolytes play a big role in muscle contraction and an imbalance can lead to a decrease in performance.

7 CAFFEINE CONSUMPTION
If you consume caffeine on a regular basis then it would be best to go caffeine-free for a week prior to race day, to experience the performance enhancing benefits of coffee on race day. If you do not consume caffeine on a regular basis and do not know the effects it may have on your performance, rather avoid it. Caffeine may have a negative effect on your stomach, causing cramps.

These common pre-race nutritional mistakes may influence the performance of your race, but can vary from athlete to athlete, so this is a trial and error process – as an athlete you should listen to your body and learn what works best for you.

For Pretoria-based sprinting sensation Akani Simbine, dipping under that magical 10-second barrier in the 100m does not look far off. Modern Athlete chats to the young star about his dream to become the fastest out the blocks.

MA: You’ve had an incredible couple of months with a 10.04s finish at the Gauteng North Championships in March as well as a 20.27s PB in the 200m, which qualifies you for the World Champs in Beijing later this year. Was that your immediate goal in 2015?
Akani: My focus was better times and getting back from the torn hamstring I suffered after the Glasgow Games. There was a lot of rehabilitation at the beginning of my season and it helped me get back to my best. There is no scar tissue and working in the gym with more focus than previous years has really helped.

MA: You must be bombarded with this question lately, but I’ll ask it again: Can you break that 10-second barrier?
Akani: I’m training hard for it, but I never want to put a lot of pressure on myself. For now, getting the best form out is what I want, so if it clicks on the day, it clicks.

MA: Word is you initially preferred your soccer boots to your running shoes?
Akani: It’s funny, because soccer was my number one. Growing up in Kempton Park, I did athletics at school but never took it seriously. I remember the sports department head at school telling me that I should run, because he had spotted my talent, so I told my parents about it. I went to work with a coach close to home and that’s when it all started. I was 16 and the second-fastest junior in the country at the end of my first season. That next year, I was second in 100m at the SA Champs and sixth in the 200m. I wanted to qualify for the World Youth Champs but got injured. I came back and it spiralled in the right direction. I was chosen to represent South Africa at the Zone 6 Games in Zambia in 2012 and ran a 10.19 PB there with a national junior record. There was a lot of confidence gained from that!

I started struggling the year after at the IAAF World Champs in Moscow. I couldn’t budge below 10.30 because I was doubting myself and I figured I was one of those wonder kids that would never improve. But I trained harder and became focused. Right now it’s all about getting and maintaining that sub-10 in the 100m. I don’t want to reach it only once. As far as the 200m goes, it’s not really my race, but I compete because I can. It’s about getting faster.

MA: Has the pomp of Varsity Sports Athletics also given you room to improve?
Akani: It’s definitely a sneak peek into how things are done in Europe. There’s the crowd factor and the exposure the sport is getting through media coverage. That brand is growing and it reminds me to enjoy myself. I get so much positive energy from family and friends who watch me race. They ask on Facebook where I’ll be or send me good luck messages. I’m in it to entertain. There’s nothing better than getting that adrenalin going!

MA: You mentioned putting in more focus on gym time. Do you make sure you allow sufficient recovery?
Akani: Every Thursday, I’ve got a session in the pool or a meeting with my physio to make sure everything is feeling right. That and my Sundays off are recovery days. I have learnt to listen to my body and allow for that regeneration period. I do a lot of high-quality sessions during the week, and that puts the body under stress – from speed intervals, acceleration days as well as fitting in strength work, stability exercises and core work. You need that breather!

MA: What is your long-term vision for your athletics career?
Akani: If you want big things to happen, you have to dream big. I want to be one of the fastest, if not the fastest. Dipping under 10 seconds would be the start of that.

If everything goes according to script, the finish of the 2015 Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon is going to herald one especially amazing finish when 64-year-old Louis Massyn comes home to not only claim his 40th Two Oceans medal, but also become the first athlete to complete both the Oceans and Comrades ultras 40 times. And there’s no sign of him stopping there, either.

Having run his first Comrades in 1973, Louis Massyn undertook his first ‘voyage’ at Two Oceans in 1976, and he can still remember the details. “My ticket to fly down to Cape Town from the Free State cost R47, and when I went back on the Drakensberg train, the ticket cost R45. I still have both tickets in my scrapbook,” he says. “The race was very small back then, just over 300 runners, and I can still remember that I ran in race number 118 and Alan Robb was wearing 119. It was raining that year, and when we started on the rugby field inside the Brookside sports grounds, there was a hell of a bottleneck at the gate to get out. As the years went on and the field got bigger, the start moved to the road outside the grounds. Now it’s so big that we have to finish up at UCT!”

This year, Louis and Tony Abrahamson should become the second and third runners to earn their ‘Quadruple Blue,’ joining Noel Stamper (41 medals) in the Two Oceans 40 Club, but Louis will add another remarkable record to his name when he becomes the first athlete to finish both of South Africa’s premier ultras 40 times. He is currently on 42 medals for the Comrades Marathon, tied second on the ‘Big C’ list. His Two Oceans medal haul consists of six silver, 31 bronze and two blue medals, and he can boast an impressive PB of 3:41, which he ran in 1981, and he says his 3:57:30 silver in his tenth Oceans remains one of his favourite running memories. However, it is the silvers he missed out on that he remembers more clearly. “In 1988 I missed that four-hour cut-off by less than a minute, and I never ran another silver after that, so I remember it for all the wrong reasons. But other than that I only have good memories of Oceans, and that’s what keeps me coming back year after year.”

One Heck of a Sermon!

It all started in 1972 when 22-year-old Louis was sitting in the Anglican Church in Odendaalsrus, listening to the Bishop of Bloemfontein comparing confirmation to the physical nature of the Comrades Marathon. “It slowly dawned on me that I had to run the Comrades Marathon. Not later in life, but now,” says Louis. “At the time I was working for Ford in the motor industry, so I got one of our dealers in Durban to organise me an entry form, and then my mom offered to buy me my first pair of running shoes, so of course, I went to the sport shop in Welkom and chose the most expensive adidas pair, for a whole R23! The guy selling them to me still said, ‘Pal, you know how far Comrades is? You need at least two pairs of shoes!’ I thought about that while travelling to Durban by train, so a few days before the race I went and bought a R4.99 pair of no-name brand shoes, and then I decided to run in them, to save my expensive ones.”

Louis duly finished that Comrades without any problems, but he admits the race was tough. After all, it was his first ever race… he didn’t run anything shorter to build up to the 90km ultra! “I can remember it like the palm of my hand. I didn’t know what the black stuff was that the other runners were drinking, so asked my seconds to ask them, and found out it was Coke. So I bought myself a few tins along the route and also drank Coke.”

Years later he was back, this time in his adidas shoes, and since then he has not only changed brand, because he says the adidas shoes have always fitted his feet so well, but he also kept every single pair he ran in. “I always said I would build them into a bar counter, but that never happened. Instead, the guys at adidas had a huge perspex 40 display made when I ran my 40th Comrades and mounted all my shoes in it, and that is now on display in our Goudveld clubhouse in Odensdalsrus. Since then adidas has sponsored me as well, and I am very grateful for that.”

On the Road Again

Louis lives in Odendalsrus with wife Rita and for the past 10 years has worked as a medical rep selling Drawtex, a locally produced absorbent dressing for wounds that works on a similar principle to moisture-management sports clothing. It means he is on the road a lot, travelling all over the country, but he doesn’t let that stop him from running. “I make time to run, and enjoy running in different places and meeting new people.”

Looking ahead, Louis says he has no intention of hanging up his running shoes any time soon. “My goal is to run until my body will no longer carry me – totdat my bene stompies is – and they’re not stompies yet! I would eventually like to have the most medals in both races, but I’m just taking it one year at a time and enjoying my running. We have a great camaraderie amongst the 40 Club runners, and always support each other, so it’s just an honour to be amongst such great runners.”

Multi Medal Man

In terms of the unofficial world rankings for years participating in ultra-marathons, Louis is currently ranked 17th after 42 years of running, and will move up to 12th position after the 2015 Comrades. (That list is still headed up by the late Wally Hayward, who first ran the Comrades in 1930 and then ran his last one 59 years later!) But when you look at the combination of medals earned in the Two Oceans and Comrades, then Louis jumps right up to the top of the rankings.

All-time Two Oceans Medallists
41 Noel Stamper
39 Louis Massyn
39 Tony Abrahamson
37 Riel Hugo
36 Ian Bocock
36 John Mugglestone
36 Mark Wagenheim

All-time Comrades Medallists
45 Dave Rogers
42 Clive Crawley
42 Barry Holland
42 Louis Massyn
41 Dave Lowe
41 Alan Robb
40 Kenny Craig
40 Riel Hugo
40 David Williams

All-time Oceans-Comrades Combo
81 Medals (39 TO / 42 C) – Louis Massyn
77 Medals (37 TO / 40 C) – Riel Hugo
67 Medals (34 TO / 33 C) – Hercu Hofmeyr
65 Medals (28 TO / 37 C) – Wietsche van der Westhuizen
64 Medals (26 TO / 38 C) – Caspar Greeff
64 Medals (31 TO / 33 C) – Ricky Knoesen
63 Medals (31 TO / 32 C) – Ian Benson
63 Medals (33 TO / 30 C) – Frank Clarke
63 Medals (27 TO / 36 C) – Lionel De Haas

* All medal tallies taken before the 2015 editions of the Two Oceans or Comrades.

It’s not every day you get to meet the world’s fastest man, so when Puma invited me to New York for the launch of their new Ignite running shoe and the chance to interview multiple world record holder, Olympic and World Champion, Usain Bolt, I had my passport out in a flash! 

Jamaican sprinting superstar Usain Bolt is one of the most recognised sports icons in the world, as famous for his dominant wins in all the major meets as he is for the ‘Lightning Bolt’ pose that follows. He is the first man to hold both the 100m and 200m world records (9.58s and 19.19s) since automatic time measurement became mandatory in 1977, and also holds the 4x100m relay world record (45.28s) along with his Jamaican teammates. He is the reigning Olympic champion in all three events, the first man to win six Olympic golds in sprinting, the first man to do the ‘Double Double’ of 100m and 200m titles at consecutive Olympics (and the first to do the ‘Double Triple’ with the relay thrown in), and is an eight-time World Champion.

And yet, in spite of all the medals, records, endorsements, awards and media limelight, he is an approachable, down to earth guy who is clearly very focused on his athletics career, and I was blown away by the great man’s candid honesty and terrific sense of humour. Here’s what he had to say.

MA: Your 2014 season was hampered by a hamstring injury that eventually required surgery. How are you feeling now?
USAIN: Last season I felt the pain all the time, but didn’t pay it much mind – I just thought it was normal track and field pain. But then it became a problem. The surgery went fine and it’s all good, so now it’s important for me to stay injury-free this season and go into next season on the front foot for Rio. The competition should be good this season, especially the World Champs in Beijing later this year, so I am looking forward to it.

MA: If you win a gold medal in Rio, you’d be the first man to win three Olympic titles in a row…
USAIN: I will win in Rio! I live for competition, and it means a lot to beat the best in this sport.

MA: Do you reckon you can go faster than 9.58?
USAIN: My motto in life is that anything is possible, so it’s all about getting into the best shape. And you’d be surprised to hear what my coach says. I remember the first time I ran a world record, here in New York, and I thought that was the perfect race, but he said no. Then I ran another great race in Berlin and he said I slowed down again just before the line. I think coaches see things differently, the little things that can be adjusted to improve still further, and every time I run a fast race he still finds something to say about it. I remember at the London Olympics, I said I want to get a good start, and he said ‘Listen, stop worrying about the start, because you’re not a good starter – you’ve only ever had one good start in your career – so just go out there and you’ll be alright.’ That actually put my mind at ease.

MA: Is there anything you are doing differently as you get older?
USAIN: I just tweak things here and there, because as they say, if nothing’s broke, don’t fix it. One thing I have changed, though, is my diet – a lot more vegetables, and I’ve backed off the fast food, which I used to eat late at night. Now if I’m hungry, I eat fruits, which is just weird! But that’s what coach says, and it works, so it’s alright.

MA: Having won everything, is motivation an issue for you these days?
USAIN: I have discussed it with my coach, and one of the things he has pointed out to me is protecting my legacy in the sport, because it just takes one championship to go wrong for people to start writing, ‘oh, maybe he’s not so good.’

MA: It seems unthinkable to picture Usain Bolt at 33, still competing and starting to get beaten, so do you see yourself going out at the top, perhaps with another three medals at Rio 2016?
USAIN: That was the initial plan, to go out after Rio, but my sponsors have asked me to do one more year beyond Rio, to go to the 2017 World Champs in London, but I’ll just be doing one event then, focusing on the 100m.

MA: And after that?
USAIN: I was really thinking about football, but I did a photo shoot recently in Europe and we were wearing shorts, socks, normal football kit, and it wasn’t even snowing, but it was so cold. I thought to myself, I can’t do this, because this cold is ridiculous! Also, I had always wanted to play for Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, but now he’s retired, so it’s looking doubtful.

MA: Puma is now sponsoring Arsenal, so if you were offered a few hundred thousand pounds a week to play for them, would you do it?
USAIN: No, I could not play for Arsenal ever! I actually knew before they announced it that Puma was going to sign Arsenal, so I said ‘Bosses, let’s talk about this. I’m not going to do any shoots with Arsenal kit on, and don’t even send me the gear, because I don’t need it!

MA: You’re known for your showmanship and clowning around as much as for your speed…
USAIN: I have always tried to be a funny person and I think that’s what makes people enjoy watching me compete. I bring a lot of energy, and I think people want to see your personality, so I try to have fun and make people laugh. Also, I’ve learnt over the years that if you think too much about your race, the only thing you do is make yourself more nervous… so I try to enjoy the moment as much as I can. And then when it’s time to get into the blocks, there’s no time to get nervous, you just get on with it.

MA: What inspired your Lightning Bolt celebration?
USAIN: It just happened, really. It was a dance in Jamaica called To the World, and I just put my own spin on it and made it my own. It was one of those moments, like when Michael Jordan dunked in basketball and that became his pose forever, and it works for me.

The men’s marathon world record has come a long way in the last 100 years, but now the question on everybody’s lips is whether anyone can dip under the two-hour mark. Yes, say a group of leading sports scientists from all around the world, and hopefully soon, too.

In 1908, the first time the standard distance of 42.2km was run at the London Olympics, the world record was set at 2:55:18 by American John Hayes. (The race was actually won by Italian Dorando Pietri in 2:54:46, but he was famously assisted by race officials after collapsing several times on the track, and was later disqualified.) By 1925 Albert Michelsen of the USA had broken through the 2:30 mark, and the first sub-2:20 was posted in 1953 by James Peters of Great Britain, followed 14 years later by the first sub-2:10, by Derek Clayton of Australia. The next 21 years saw just five new marks set, culminating in Ethiopian Belayneh Dinsamo’s 2:06:50 in 1988, and that record then stood for more than 10 years, seeming unbeatable…

However, in 1998 Ronaldo da Costa of Brazil got the record ball rolling again, and the next ‘barrier’ to go saw Kenyan Paul Tergat clock 2:04:55 in 2003, and then his great rival, Haile Gebrselassie of Ethiopia, took the record one second below 2:04 in 2008. After that it was all Kenya: Patrick Makau of Kenya clocked 2:03:38 in 2011, followed by Wilson Kipsang’s 2:03:23 in 2013, and then Dennis Kimetto set the current world record of 2:02:57 in September 2014 at the Berlin Marathon. And after every one of these records was set, the whole debate about whether any man can still go faster was argued all over again – and whether the two-hour barrier will ever be broken. Some reckon it is only a matter of time, while others say that the human body is simply not capable of doing it. But then, that’s what they said about the four minute mile back in the 1950s, and today the mile world record stands at 3:43:13!

MARATHON MISSION

Now there is an international group of scientists heading up the Sub2hr project, the first dedicated international research initiative made up of scientists, athletes and industry partners, who are pooling their resources and expertise with the aim of achieving that magical first sub-2:00. Launched in December 2014 and led by Professor Yannis Pitsiladis of the University of Brighton, the group includes former marathon world record holder Haile Gebrselassie as well as Cape Town’s Professor Andrew Bosch of the Sports Science Institute of South Africa. (He also coaches top SA female marathoner Tanith Maxwell.)

“We believe that left to the current situation, the world record will just carry on improving little bit by little bit, and maybe in 20 to 30 years a sub-2:00 may become a possibility. However, our project hopes to fast-forward the process, by making the best science, medicine and technology available to targeted athletes, and help them get there sooner,” explains Andrew. “We’re going to try to adopt a Formula 1 mentality in marathoning: Throw enough money at it until you can go as fast and possible! Even if that is not sub-2:00, we at least hope to see a big jump in the record, and show how science and medicine can contribute to running progress.”

NUTS AND BOLTS

Andrew explains that the plan is to spend the first year putting the infrastructure in place to generate funding and getting the various sub-sections of the project established. “For example, I am involved in the nutrition package, and the other packages include biomechanics, training, psychology and anti-doping. The programmes developed will be tailored to the specific needs of the athletes we identify to be part of the project, and we will look at current world leaders as well as the emerging next generation, so we may see somebody currently running 26 minutes for 10km and identify that athlete as a potential world record marathoner of the future.”

That all said, one athlete who will not form part of the study but who will still be very much involved is Haile Gebrselassie, who is not only a close personal friend of the study leader, but is very much behind the project, says Andrew. “He is keen to see the two-hour barrier approached, if not broken, and he told us his only regret is that this project didn’t happen long ago, so he could have had a go at the barrier!”

For more info on the project, go to www.sub2hrs.com

Kimetto Can
Having run the fastest marathon debut in history when he clocked 2:04:16 in the 2012 Berlin Marathon, Dennis Kimtto then went on to break the world record in Berlin in 2014, lowering the mark to 2:02:57.

MA: Last year in Berlin, were you chasing the record, or was the win your first priority?
DENNIS: I went there to win the race, but when I reached 25km and saw the time on the timing car just in front of me, I said to myself, this can be done. I felt like I could break the record, because in Chicago I tried but didn’t succeed, running 2:03:45. So from there, I started pushing, but I was still surprised when I finished and saw I had not only broken 2:03, but taken 26 seconds off the record!

MA: No doubt everybody keeps asking you about the record and if you can go faster?
DENNIS: Many people ask me, so you’ve broken the record and gone under 2:03, now can you break it again, and even go under two hours. I think that is possible, because they give me enough faith to believe in myself and think I can still do it.

Wilson Wants it Back

He saw his world record tumble just a year after he had set it, but 2:03 marathoner Wilson Kipsang says that just motivates him even more to reclaim it.

MA: How did you feel about losing your world record?
WILSON: I really didn’t feel disappointed, because records are meant to be broken. I took the record from Patrick Mackau and now Dennis has taken it from me. It’s a positive challenge to me, to try to run faster than his time. I think I can run at least a 2:02:30.

MA: Do you think a sub-2:00 is possible?
WILSON: In 10 years I think the record will come down to 2:01, but not sub-2:00. Not yet. I think that could happen in the next generation, but I don’t think the current generation can do it. Now that we have a 2:02:57, the guys will be trying to break 2:03 again, then it will come down to 2:02:30 and 2:02:20, and soon we will have a 2:01. It all starts with the mindset of the athletes, who will go out to beat 2:02:57.