Category: Features

Having
just recently run the Two Oceans and then facing 20 hours of flying to get to
Boston, Chris and I knew that we weren’t going to be in tip-top form, so we
decided to soak up the experience and have the time of our lives. We got to
Boston on 12 April, did some sightseeing and commented a few times about what a
safe and beautiful place it was… The registration and Expo were unbelievable
and we were like two kids in a candy store. We also took a bus tour of the
route, and I must say that their much-feared “Heartbreak Hill” has nothing on
our Chappies or Fields Hill!

Race
day arrived on Monday 15 April, Patriots’ Day in the USA, but also known as
Marathon Monday in Boston. Our day began with an early bus trip from Boston to
the start, where we waited for three hours in the athletes’ village and
marveled again at the safety and security as Americans packed their phones and
wallets in their post-race, pick-up tog bags. Being from South Africa, we
didn’t even consider this – and arrived in black plastic bin bags!

TRAGEDY STIKES

I
was just 500m from the finish line when a barrier was suddenly placed across
the road to prevent runners going through. I had heard a loud bang just before,
but there was a lot of noise from the crowd, so it didn’t register that anything
was wrong. I just thought maybe they were allowing traffic through for some
reason. Minutes later an official announced that there had been an explosion
and that we should wait until further announcements as to how we could finish.

We
stood there for about 45 minutes and runners were using their phones to call
loved ones waiting for them. Many were worried about people waiting at the
finish. I quelled my own anxiety by trying to reassure others – I also think
that living in South Africa sadly creates resilience, as most of us have been
touched directly by violence. I was nevertheless very worried about Chris. He
should have finished about an hour before and the plan was that he would wait
for me at our hotel about 1.5km from the finish. I just hoped that he had not
decided to wait at the finish after all.

A HELPING HAND

In
the meantime the people of Boston gave us water, food and plastic bags to keep
warm. One very kind woman just gave me the coat off her back! Eventually the race
was abandoned and we were directed to leave the course, so I made my way on
foot back to our hotel. It was the longest walk of my life, as I still had no
idea about Chris. In the meantime, he was in the hotel, oblivious to what had
happened, until he turned on the TV. He reckons it was the longest few hours of
his life as he waited for news of me!

Not
finishing was extremely disappointing, but this was far outweighed by the joy
of knowing that we were both safe. Events like this make you take stock and
redefine what is important. We are both still shocked and sad,
but we are determined to return to Boston and show that a small number of
cowards can’t defeat the spirit of the runners and the good people of Boston.

The last
30km of Comrades 2012 was no fun for Zola Budd Pieterse. At the marathon mark her mind went blank
when she realised she had already run a marathon but was not even halfway yet!
And from the 60km mark she was in pain and found it hard to believe that there
were still some 30km left of this race that thousands choose to run each year!
Zola did finish, alongside running friend and mentor, Bruce Fordyce, and
although she swore to herself many times during the race that she would never
run it again, she crossed the finish line knowing she would be back. “I
finished the race and told myself I could do better!”

Now Zola is
back to tackle Comrades 2013, but is humble in her expectations and says she
just wants to finish. “That is my first goal. If I feel OK at the 60km mark I
will try to run faster than last year. And that will be great! I would be very
grateful for a silver medal, but it is not the main aim.”

At the
recent Old Mutual Two Oceans Half Marathon, Zola crossed the line in a
respectable 1:24 and says she was pleased with the result, especially
considering she only arrived in SA the week before and then worked three full
days at the expo. Her training for Oceans was all Comrades-based, which meant
she was not sharp or race fit, just covering the distance, she says. “I would
love to run the Oceans Half again and see if I can run faster than this year! I
would also like to do the ultra, maybe in three years when I am 50. I can’t
wait for my new age group.”

LIFE IN THE USA

Zola, her
husband and their three teenagers have been based in the USA for the last five
years. They initially moved to Myrtle Beach so Zola could compete on the
Masters Athletics circuit. “Now the kids are in high school and we don’t want
them to change schools again. It will depend on their education when we move
back to South Africa,” says Zola. She visits South Africa four times a year as
promoter of Newton Running Shoes. “I miss South Africa a lot, especially our
running community. And I really miss running with friends and in Bloemfontein
on the farm roads.”

Zola still
tackles her beloved cross-country races in the USA and loves racing 5km
distances. “There are loads of 5km races over there. My favourite was the Foot
Locker cross-country race last year. I won my age group in 17:30,” says Zola,
who in 1983 clocked 8:39.00 for 3 000m before breaking the 5 000m world record
in 1984. She represented Great Britain at the Los Angeles Olympics and went on
also win two World Cross-Country Champs titles.

THE ‘BIG C’

Zola admits
that she never thought she would be tackling the 90km between Durban and Pietermaritzburg,
let alone running it a second time. “Comrades challenges your normal day-to-day
existence and it makes you feel part of something bigger. I think all Comrades
runners have to be a bit crazy, because you have to rationalise why you are
doing it, and craziness is the closest or best answer I can find.”

This year
she is definitely in better shape physically, having done more long runs and
track workouts, and also emotionally. “I think the most important factor in Comrades
is how fresh and injury-free you can get to the start. You need to look forward
to running it and not dread it.” She adds that she still turns to Bruce for
training advice, but with all the travelling she does it has been difficult for
her to follow a set programme. “I have a general guideline and then apply it to
my day-to-day circumstances.” The former barefoot starlet also hopes the Up Run
will suit her better than the Down Run. “I have never liked running down hill. If
you are tired going down hill you can’t really walk, but uphill it is easy to
walk!”

THE ROAD AHEAD

She is not
sure that she will be running Comrades every year, but she would like to do it
again when she turns 50. “I think people run Comrades because it adds meaning
to their lives. You are not just a runner, but a Comrades runner. It is a
challenge on a physical level, but even more on an emotional and spiritual
level.  It also makes you part of
something bigger than yourself, and bigger than just a race.” She is also considering
tackling a Half Ironman race this year in the USA and Ironman next year. “I
believe you have to keep challenging yourself!”

A year ago, Ludwick crossed the Comrades finish line first in
5:31:03, sparking huge celebrations in his Limpopo
hometown. Then the news broke that his A sample had tested positive for
methylhexaneamine, and a while later confirmation came that his B sample was
also positive, which resulted in a huge knock to his reputation and a loss of lucrative
sponsorship deals. Now, a much-delayed
inquiry has found multiple irregularities in the testing process and cleared
Ludwick of all charges, and at the beginning of May he was finally
awarded his winner’s medal and trophy by the Comrades Marathon Association.

Now he says he now hopes for a better future
in the sport he loves. “It was a very low moment going through these
allegations,” says Ludwick. “I had to allow the law to take its course. Maybe
it was God’s will, but I knew of my innocence from the beginning. I won fairly.”
He adds that he knew he would have to fight for his name to be cleared: “I
walked a dark road, but I always felt that positive things would eventually
come.”

Cleared to
compete again, when asked if he fears being watched and doubted, Ludwick
remains positive. “People can judge. I know the truth and that I ran fairly,
doing what I love best. There is always hope after a storm and now I’m on top
of the world!” And for Ludwick, there is no better response than going into competition
harder than before.

NEED TO EDUCATE

Ludwick continues
to stand by his ‘work-hard-to-get-ahead’ philosophy and feels that the
drug-testing irregularities found in his case is a definite wake-up call for
South African athletes. “It’s an eye-opener to the procedures, and we need to
educate athletes,” he says. “And as athletes, we need to take responsibility.
We need to ask ASA what they’re doing. Some of the top athletes in this country
don’t know what’s happening when they cross that finish.” He uses a very
powerful image of a climber trying to climb Kilimanjaro without the tools to do
so, when describing the knowledge the average SA runner has: “One can be very
talented, but then one doesn’t know about the processes involved in testing,”
he says.

For an
athlete who has avoided alcohol and smoking throughout his career, the doping tests
were indeed a mountain to climb. While suspended and trying to clear his name,
the champ still turned to running to help him cope, despite the media circus over
the last few months. At home in his village in Ga-mamabolo, Polokwane,
Ludwick’s loving wife, Loreto, as well as his friends and the community all stood
by his side. “For months I could not provide for my family, so we took a knock,
but we survived,” he explains. “Running just made me happy at that point, and
it helped me get rid of my stress.”

That saw
him return to fulltime running late last year, and early in the New Year he came
back to Gauteng
and joined Bedfordview Athletic Club. “They took me in as their son,” says
Ludwick. “I was lost and they accepted me, despite the dark cloud that followed
me. It gave me more strength after the criticism out there.”

COMRADES AND BEYOND

Now the
champs says the 2013 Comrades is his priority, and the Big C will always be his
main focus. “The race is a privilege for any athlete, it’s the nation’s and
world’s ultimate, and something every South African should honour.” He’s eyeing
another top finish this year and has spent a few weeks in KwaZulu-Natal restudying the route. For now
he is remaining tight-lipped about where he wants to be in the next few years,
simply putting it this way: “I’ll always be back and grow stronger!”

RULING SUMMARY

Here are
just a few of the points in the inquiry findings that saw the doping charges against
Ludwick dropped:

?        
There
was an absence of control over the Doping Control Station (where samples were
taken), regarding who entered it and the reasons for athletes leaving and
returning.

?        
The circumstances of the sample collection process were found to be such
as “to cause some doubt to be placed on whether or not the samples that were
tested were in fact those of Mr Mamabolo.”

?        
The panel found a
“remarkable lack of concern for the need to record precisely what happened or
the rationale for the documentation and information required.”

?        
Mr Mamabolo was described as “a patently honest witness.” By contrast,
the credibility of three SAIDS witnesses was called into question.

Vanessa’s competitive edge was challenged
when she was invited to run the Otter African Trail Marathon in 2011. She had always
wanted to hike the Otter Trail, so she jumped at the chance. “I had never run a
marathon before, only a half marathon, so I trained very hard and luckily had a
great coach… The ‘Sandman’ himself!” says Vanessa. “I cannot describe how much
I enjoyed the race. It was so tough, but it’s the most beautiful trail I have
ever run on, and 7:08 seemed like a very long time to me, but apparently it was
a great time.” And not many people can say they grabbed a 12^th
position in their very first marathon.

BRAVERY TO BEAUTY

In Vanessa’s earlier years she says
she was painfully shy and a very awkward teenager. Her mother thought modelling
and finishing school would help Vanessa gain confidence, and by the age of 22
she had become a beauty queen, strutting her stuff at Sun City as a Miss South
Africa finalist. Thereafter, her modelling and acting career took off and she
travelled all over the world for work. “It was a very exciting time in my life.
I’ve always loved entertaining and it’s in my blood. I feel most comfortable in
front of the camera,” says Vanessa. “However, the film and television industry
is also a very difficult one, as the work comes and goes, and sometimes it can
be a little soul-destroying, as I’m sure all actors will agree with me. So I
wanted to be involved with something more positive and something I had more
control over. I believe what I put in, I will get out.”

That is why Vanessa chose to pursue
her sporting life as well in recent years. Growing up in Mpumulanga had a great
influence on her love for the outdoors and for sport, and she began to realise
that without sport, her life would be empty. Vanessa adds that Ryan was a major
catalyst to this “more serious” approach to sport. “I’m happy to say that I am
now a semi-professional mountain biker! Every facet of what I do is highly
rewarding. In this day and age, sport is more than likely the only thing that
unites people from all backgrounds. It knows no colour or creed, it promotes
health and wellbeing, it changes people’s lives for the good. Being outdoors
and active is my ‘church.’ It’s where I connect with our Maker, and I clear my
mind and revive my soul,” says Vanessa.

EPIC ADVENTURE

Vanessa recently participated in her
second ABSA Cape Epic mountain biking event alongside riding partner and TV
personality Dr Michael Moll. Their team name was The Doc-Ness Monsters and
Vanessa became widely known as ‘Epic-Ness.’ She completed the eight-day Epic in
2012, uncertain of what she had gotten herself into, but crossed the finish
line in good shape. This year she knew what to expect and made sure she was
even fitter than before, but on stage five she suffered an acute asthma attack
and was hospitalised when she got to the end of the stage. After being in ICU,
Vanessa got back on her bike the next day and completed the rest of the race.

“The Cape Epic is ALWAYS tough and
it can throw anything at you!” says Vanessa, who reckons she gets through tough
races by switching off from the pain and removing thoughts of failure. “I don’t
have a quit button, so not completing a race or training session is not an
option. There are varying levels of suffering that require different methods of
mind-control, though, so when things aren’t too bad I like to think happy
thoughts, like lying in a hammock on a tropical island, or repeating mantras to
myself about strength and resilience.” Vanessa also admits to having two pairs
of ‘lucky earrings’ that she likes to ride with, and she did the Epic with a
charm bracelet, one of the charms being an eye. “It’s the eye of God and He
watches over me. I’ll probably never run or ride without it again!”

VANESSA AND RYAN

Vanessa met Ryan at the Knysna
Oyster Festival via a mutual friend. “We have been together since that day, so
it probably was love at first sight!” She admits that Ryan has had a great
influence on her sporting career. “I have never met a human being who is as
focused and dedicated to his career. I cannot describe how hard he trains and
how much he puts into what he does. This has motivated me in every sphere of my
life and his passion for life and sport has influenced me greatly.”

She likes to support Ryan at his
races and says that she cries buckets of proud tears when he crosses the finish
line. They also recently teamed up for the four-leg Terra Firma race in the
Totalsports Challenge and were placed fourth in the mixed teams category. “We
are very supportive of each other personally and in our careers. We communicate
about everything and share our thoughts and fears when doing so.”

THE ROAD AHEAD

The Trans-Alps Challenge is still on
Vanessa’s bucket list, as well as the joBerg2C and Sani2C, but her priority for
now is to complete the Cape Epic in 2014 and thus gain membership to the
exclusive Amabubesi Club. The name means ‘pack of lions’ in Zulu, and you can
only belong to this club once you have completed the Epic three times. She is
also an avid golfer and enjoys water skiing, and add, “I wouldn’t mind giving
snowboarding a proper go, but there’s one problem: No snow in SA!”

Vanessa says sport has taught her
patience, tenacity and immense mental strength. “In sport, I live by Albert
Einstein’s quote: ‘Only those who attempt the absurd can achieve the
impossible.’”

VANESSA’S TRAINING TIPS

?        
Commit
to a sport or event.

?        
Employ
a good coach under the recommendation of a friend or fellow athlete, and stick
to what he or she says – don’t cut corners!

?        
Find
a good training partner or group, because it’s safer to train with someone and
the company is also great. Identify a mentor within that group or someone you
look up to and inspires you.

?        
A
healthy balanced diet is essential when you’re training hard. You should try to
balance carbs, protein and fat, whether you’re training or not. You have to eat
before a training session or race, because your body needs the sustenance. Try
eat an hour or two before, though, as you don’t want a heavy tummy sensation
when exercising.

?        
It’s
also important to find a supplement range that works for you.

With a solid win in the Dis-Chem Half Marathon in
Johannesburg in January, to retain the title he won here in 2012, Elroy Gelant
has started the year in the form he hopes will allow him to compete with the
best at the World Half Marathon Champs in Copenhagen, on 29 March. Having
finished third at the SA Half Marathon Champs last September, the
Potchefstroom-based star is expected to be part of a strong SA team in Denmark
alongside Stephen Mokoka, Lusapho April and Gladwin Mzazi, and they’ll be aiming
to repeat the team gold medal that Hendrick Ramaala,
Abner Chipu and Mluleki Nobanda won for SA in 1999 in Palermo, Italy.

The win at Dis-Chem is actually
just the latest in a string of great results for Elroy over the past year. He recorded
a unique ‘double’ at the SA Cross Country Champs in Potch by winning both the
12km and 4km events, and made it to the final of the 5000m at the IAAF World
Champs in Moscow, finishing 12^th. He also narrowly
missed Shadrack Hoff’s 18-year-old national 5000m record of 13:14.16, clocking
13:15.87, so once the World Half Champs are out of the way, his focus will
shift back to the track ahead of the Commonwealth Games in Scotland in late
July, and in the lead-up to Copenhagen he also aims to do well at the World
Indoor Champs from 7 to 9 March in Sopot, Poland.

Elroy says he appreciates the
competitive atmosphere on the different circuits and surfaces, and picks out
last year’s Track World Champs as his highlight thus far, running alongside the
likes of Olympic champion Mo Farah and former World Champ Bernard Lagat. “You can feel the tension and everyone looks so
focused. I just remind myself of my plans and I don’t worry about anyone else. God
provided me with a talent to achieve great heights, and athletics is my soul. I
can’t imagine life without it. Also, athletics has made me tough, disciplined
and a respectful person.”

SPORTING YOUTH

Elroy grew up in Pacaltsdorp, near George, and was
very active in his school days. “I was always the all-rounder. I played rugby
and cricket in school, and started cross country in Grade 3, going on to
represent the South Western Districts and winning a medal when I was only nine.”
At North West University in Potchefstroom, he initially specialised in the 800m
and 1500m, but his current coach, Jean Verster, and former SA middle distance
great Hezekiel Sepeng, helped him move up to the 3000m and 5000m, and he has
subsequently also excelled on the road. “I knew I could show what I’m capable
of in 10km and 21km after doing them for endurance training,” he says, “and
after Rio 2016, I plan to step up to marathons.”

Currently holding down a
full-time position at North West University as a Human Resource Assistant in
the Department of Human Capital and Client Services, Elroy still manages an
intense training programme while representing the Traumeel NWU-Pukke team in
all three running disciplines. “It’s not easy! I wake up at 4:30am every day to
train and get home by 6am to shower before work. After hours, I train again
before 5pm, and it’s tiring, but what keeps me motivated are the goals I
continually set myself.” Added to work and training, Elroy also has to fit in hitting
the books, as he’s currently registered for a Diploma in Sports Science, having
already completed his B.Com and Honours in Human Resource Management and Labour
Relations.

A typical day in the week sees
him doing a 15 to 18km run in the morning and afternoon for endurance, with two
days a week set aside for afternoon sets of eight 1000m bursts. Elroy also
focuses on tempo runs and hill sessions to work on his speed, while Sundays are
for long runs ranging from 20 to 25km. He is just as dedicated when it comes to
his diet: “We hit 120 to 160km a week, putting a big demand on our bodies, so it’s
important to get the right nutrition in order to thrive and recover.”

BIG GOALS FOR 2014

Elroy says he wants to make 2014
a successful and injury-free season, and is aiming for top-eight performances
at the World Indoor Champs and Commonwealth Games, and his long-term goal is to
get to the Rio Olympics in two years in the 5000m. Before the showpiece in
Brazil, he also wants to compete at next year’s World Cross Country Champs in
China. “My 12^th position last year in Moscow is my stepping stone to
Rio, and I want to make the country proud!”

(Strap) FEATURE

Ask Gill about about 2013 and she answers quite
frankly: “I’m not one for excuses, but I did not realise how much 2012 and the
lead up to the Olympics took out of me. There were still some good results –
African Champ, European Cup podium, top 10 in Yokohama – however, I expected so
much more of myself,” says Gill. “I do take great heart, or maybe relief, in
scrolling through the London 2012 results and noticing that it was not just me
who failed to make an impact on the circuit last year. I think people
underestimate how much an Olympic year takes out of you and the difficulty in
coming back the following year from such a high. However, it has made me hungry
again. While I felt deflated at the end of last season, I feel ‘uber-motivated’
now! I can’t wait for the 2014 season and to express my full potential.”

NATURAL ATHLETE

Gill (32) grew up in Pietemaritzburg and soon proved a
gifted runner and swimmer, in keeping with the family trend. Her father,
Kenneth Curr, had run the marathon for SA in the SA Games in the 1970s, then gone
on to ultra-marathons and competed at numerous World Triathlon Championships,
while her mother Margaret earned SA colours for the 100m, 200m and 400m. Older
sister Rowena was also a talented triathlete, so it was no surprise that Gill
also got into multi-sport at the tender age of nine, and when she was just 13,
she finished fifth in the 13-15 age group at the 1995 World Tri Champs in
Mexico, going on to represent her country many more times.

After school, Gill moved to Stellenbosch University for
five years to study law, and while there she met her future husband, Mark, a
cricketer at the time and also originally from KZN. Having completed her
studies, she moved back to Pietermaritzburg and subsequently became the youngest
female lawyer to appear in the High Court in South Africa. Then the opportunity
arose to go work in London, and it was here that Gill found herself racing on
the elite ITU circuit. However, balancing a demanding legal career with tri
training and competition was proving too much, so at the end of 2010 she
decided to put her legal career on hold in order to turn pro.

OLYMPIC HIGHLIGHT

The move paid off handsomely when Gill was selected to
represent SA in London, and she says the Olympics have definitely been the
highlight of her career thus far. “I finished 19^th out of 55 girls,
and I was really pleased with that, as I had only been racing for 18 months as
a full-time athlete.” Looking ahead, she says the long-term goal is getting to
the Rio 2016 Games, but for now she is building up to the Commonwealth Games in
August while also focusing on getting more great results on the ITU circuit.

“I’ll be 34 come the next Olympics, so I’ll probably
have to think of packing it in after that, but I might as well make the most of
it while I can! When I do retire, I have the option to return to law, but I
think I’d like to give back to the sport a bit before I do that, somehow get
involved in triathlon to help other athletes, and see where that goes.”

RUNNING FUTURE?

Gill is also considering a switch back to road running
once she retires from triathlon. “I haven’t run many flat road races for a
while, but I’m capable of a low 34 for 10 kays off the bike, so I’d like to
think I can run a low 33 straight. I love running, it’s my favourite discipline
of the three, and I think that’s where I will end up. But for now I get to do
what I love, which is swimming, cycling and running, competing in triathlons at
the highest level while travelling to the most awesome cities all over the
world. I’ve got this short window, just a couple of years in my life to do it,
and I’m just loving it.”

This is going to be a ‘consolidation year’ for 21-year-old
trail star Kane Reilly. He did well on the SA trail running circuit in 2013 and
was selected for the SA Team for the World Mountain Running Champs in Poland
last August, but the Stellenbosch University B.Comm student says his studies
suffered as a result, and his three-year degree has become a four-year plan as
a result. “My main priority this year is to finish my degree. I’ve only got a
few subjects to finish up, but I want to get them done, and that’s why I have
only picked three target races for 2014 to focus on.” This will see Kane lining
up for the ProNutro AfricanX Trailrun in March, teamed up with his good friend
and World Champs teammate, Thabang Madiba, followed by the SA Long Distance
Trail Champs at the Outeniqua Traverse in June and the Otter African Trail Run
in September. “I enjoyed the 2013 Otter and felt I was close to getting it
right, so this year I want to put into practice what I learnt last year.”

HARD WORK PAYS

Kane took up running at school at Bishops in Cape Town,
but says he only got serious about it in Grade 11. “I did well in the southern
suburbs schools scene, but when I ventured into the club cross country races, I
was being smoked by some of the club runners. So I came out to Stellenbosch in
2009 and started working with Jacques van Rensburg, and within a year I was running
in the same Western Province team as those guys.” That improvement also allowed
Kane to chase down his first big running goal, to break the school’s 3000m
record, and in Matric he shattered the old mark of 9:02 with a stunning 8:45!

Since then, he has enjoyed much success, but there
have also been some disappointments, like finishing fourth in the Jonkershoek
Mountain Challenge Marathon in Stellenbosch last May. The event served as the
SA Mountain Running Champs and the top three men and women would be selected
for the World Champs in Poland, so Kane gave it everything and with just 5km to
go was in the lead. “In my mind I had already won it… I was not celebrating
yet, but I was getting a bit emotional, because that feeling of being an SA
Champ is a phenomenal feeling! But it all changed in the last kilometres, and I
was very disappointed to only get fourth, because it’s every athlete’s dream to
represent your country.”

So when he was offered an extra slot in the team if he
could cover his own expenses, he jumped at the chance, and then AJ Calitz had
to withdraw from the team anyway, so he was in… but in Poland things just
didn’t work out for Kane as he finished 307^th. “I was over-trained,
had a few niggles going into the race, and I was taking life far too seriously.
Then on race day I also suffered stomach problems, but I’m not going to blame
that for my poor performance… I reckon my head just wasn’t in the right space.
Still, I figure that if I can get through 42 kays in that state, I can get
through any race!”

PROFESSIONAL APPROACH

Looking ahead, Kane says that if he qualifies for the
2014 World Champs at Pikes Peak in Colorado, USA, he is not yet sure if he will
be able to go. “I’m not completely ruling it out, but I would need to go train
in the Drakensberg, then head to the US to acclimatise, so I will have to see
how my studies go first.” Even if he doesn’t get there, Kane has a long-term
vision for his running, starting with turning professional straight after he
completes his degree. “A lot of older guys have told me to take the opportunity
while I can, before I need to start working, because it’s an opportunity that a
lot of people never get. Thankfully my parents support me fully in this, as do
my sponsors, Salomon and GU.”

For now, however, he is just focusing on not making
the same mistakes as 2013. “Last year I learnt that burning out can happen
easily if you’re not careful. I went through a stage of being overly
competitive, but now I am running for the love of doing it, not just to be on
the podium,. I know that if I’m enjoying all aspects of my life, then the
podiums will come. That’s my New Year’s Resolution, I suppose.”

We arrived in Iznik on an overcast Saturday afternoon,
reeking of the scented hand-cleaner that Turkish minibus crews dispense to all
passengers. We had not planned to run here – we only learnt of the race after
making our travel arrangements – but for runners who travel, costly changes to
flights and hotel bookings are a small price to pay to race through one of the
world’s most historic towns. Iznik was originally known as Nicea, and was
renamed when it was captured by the Muslim Seljuks in 1075. As Nicea, Iznik was
an important centre of the Christian Byzantine Empire, and was described as the
third Holy City of Christendom. Iznik was also the capital of the young Ottoman
Empire, and produced the world’s most coveted ceramics during the 16^th
and 17^th centuries.

And so we arrived as participants in the two-day
festival of running comprising four events, three starting together: The 130km
Iznik Ultra run around the beautiful lake, the 80km Orhangazi Ultra halfway around the lake, and the tough 42km Mountain
Marathon, which climbs over a thousand metres. For lesser runners like me,
there is a 10km run through the town, held the following day.

Early the next morning, I headed to the town centre
where the longer events start and finish. Only the four race helpers were there
to watch as a lone runner emerged from the dawn mist. A smile flitted briefly
over her weathered face as she crossed the finish line, then she disappeared…
a most understated ending for someone who had just spent 23 hours running 130km.
But then this was Bakiye Duran, Turkey’s female ultra pioneer, whose recently
published biography is aptly entitled Courage
is Solitary.

NOISY START

Later, Debbie and I wandered up to the start of the 10km,
the town centre was thumping and a joyfully raucous marching band threaded
through the milling spectators. It came to a halt behind the field of nearly
300 runners from 17 nations waiting to begin. Above the buzzing din, a chanted
countdown began, indicating the seconds: “iki…
bir… sıfır!”… and the stampede began! We started near the back, as we
always do, and Debbie soon allowed me to drift ahead. A woman looking like an
advert from a running magazine gear section kept pace in my vicinity, and she
glanced so frequently at the large contraption on her wrist that she failed to
notice the huge banner warning of the steps leading down past the 14^th
century Green Mosque. Narrowly averting
disaster and recovering her stride with great aplomb, she consulted her wrist
contraption less frequently as we ran past the Iznik Archaeological Museum.

In the side streets, local farmers waited patiently
astride their muddy tractors for the runners to pass. I suspect they were
enjoying the distinctly un-Turkish spectacle of semi-naked people running in
public. Cutting through the town walls at the Yenisehir Gate, a short stretch
of gravel road brought us to the lakefront road leading to the turnaround near
the halfway mark. We passed the palace of Constantine the Great, where the Nicene Creed, core of the most widely
shared Christian orthodoxy, was drawn up in 325 AD, and when I swung round the
turn, I saw Debbie was not too far behind, looking good (as always).

NOISIER FINISH

We headed back down the lakefront, took a final left
turn past the deserted gardens of the Talya Caf?, and cruised comfortably up a
gentle tree-lined incline to the finish in the centre of town. The marching
band formed a guard of honour for the runners and
the crowd completed the carnival atmosphere. Although the band greeted all female
finishers with heightened gusto, Debbie received a particularly ear-shattering
welcome. Only later did we understand the reason for this: She had finished
first in her age category.

At noon we joined the fun of the marvellously
colourful prize-giving, including a stirring performance of sword and shield
dancing. Back at our hotel the manager was standing at the front door. “Number
One!” he said, greeting Debbie with a cheerful smile. Later, at the restaurant
opposite the Aya Sophia, the waiter looked at her… “Number One!” he beamed,
throwing in free cups of Turkish coffee. When we checked out the next morning,
a warm sun was lifting the morning mist. We’ll have to come back, I thought, as
the taxi went over a bump in the road, and, next to me, Number One’s medals
jingled softly in her bag.

Run in Iznik

The event is held in late April, an ideal time to
visit Turkey, and Iznik is easily reached from Istanbul by ferry, across the
Sea of Marmara. Go to www.iznikultra.com for more info.

The phrase ‘can’t be done’ simply does not feature in
the vocabulary of the dynamic Lee Wyser, founder of the Guts 2 Glory
Foundation. She is a winner of numerous national and provincial titles in body
building and fitness competitions, as well as an experienced runner and
triathlete, and for years she has been raising funds for athletes who require
prosthetic limbs or wheelchairs in order to participate in endurance sports or
body building. Her current goal is taking a group of disabled athletes to the
5945m summit of Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain on the African continent –
including a wheelchair athlete!

“My
sister Kimmy is brain damaged and I guess I have always had a passion for
disabled people. In high school a friend’s mother worked at St Giles Home and
when I had the time, I would help the disabled folk swim or play basketball and
other sports,” says Lee. “Then one Saturday, I got the shock of my life when my
youngest son Taylor injured himself on his quad bike at the beach. A life guard
phoned me and said he was taking my son to hospital with a suspected broken
back. On arriving at the hospital, I saw the look on my son’s face and for his
sake, I had to remain strong. I have never prayed so hard in my life, and made
a deal with God that if my son’s life was spared, I would dedicate my life to
disabled people. Today, Taylor is a healthy, active young sportsman – I call
him my miracle son – and I am carrying through on my end of the deal.”

Not
long after Taylor’s recovery began, Lee began running with Ntsikilelo Mdladla, a single-leg amputee
from Khayelitsha Athletics Club who lost his leg in a shack fire in 2007. They met
at the Gun Run race in Cape Town, where Ntsi had done the 10km on crutches. “On
that day I promised Ntsi that I would help him get a prosthetic leg and
hopefully make the 2012 Paralympics. That was the birth of the Guts 2 Glory
Foundation. Every weekend for two years, if we weren’t running races, we were
competing in body building competitions, and two years later Ntsi had a
prosthetic and a blade sponsored by Medi-Clinic. My dream is to raise funds for
disabled athletes and underprivileged athletes and help them to make their
dreams come true! I am truly blessed to be involved with all the athletes and
sponsors of Guts 2 Glory!”

NO LIMBITS, NO LIMITS!

Fast
forward to 2013 and Lee came up with the idea of taking a team of eight South
African disabled athletes up Kilimanjaro in February 2014, led by SA
Paralympian and single-leg amputee Heugene Murray. “The aim of our Ampt-a-manjaro
No limits Kilimanjaro Expedition is to break the limiting
belief that a disabled team could never conquer Mount Kilimanjaro, and through
this, we want to raise funds for other disabled and underprivileged athletes,”
says Lee. “Our
goal is to make this climb an annual event and provide 1000 amputee children
with prosthetics every year through the African Leg Project.”

Also part of the expedition to Tanzania will be
American triple amputee and Ironman finisher Rajesh Durbal, who not only agreed
to come out for the expedition, but also to run the Kilimanjaro Marathon a few
days after the climb and ride the Cape Argus Pick n Pay Cycle Tour once back in
SA, and then also do a fundraising and motivational tour of South Africa to
raise awareness of disabled sport. At the time of writing, the team was not yet
sure if all the climbers would be able to go for the palnned summitting on 27
February, in which case Lee says another expedition will be arranged for later
in the year. “We did think about postponing the whole trip until September, but
Rajesh had already booked his flights, accommodation race entires and
motivational talks, so we decided to go ahead now in February, even if just
Rajesh, our team captain Heugene and I climb, along with the camera team and
support crew. Then we will arrange a second expedition in September for the
rest of the group to go, because I promised them a trip to Kili in 2014, but
after that we definitely want to try make it an annual trip in February.”

To find out more about the Guts 2 Glory Foundation,
follow the team’s progress or pledge your support for their fundraising
efforts, visit www.guts2glory.co.za.

Over the years there have been other
expeditions that have set out to navigate the length of the Orange River. There
have been plastic kayaks, racing kayaks and even a swimming relay that took on
the river for a couple of days at a time. A major river in South Africa, the
Orange regularly welcomes kayaks and rafts on commercially-operated sections, but
to navigate the length of the river, in the water, by river board, and to do it
alone? Ray is embarking on an adventurous first, titled ‘The Plastics SA Nampak Rigid Plastics Orange River Project.’

RIVER
WHAT?

River boarding is an in-the-water
discipline where the athlete lies on a buoyant board to travel down a river. This
isn’t an ordinary boogie-board, though. Ray’s specialised river craft is moulded
from hard plastic by the Parys-based kayak design and manufacturing company,
Fluid. This river board, called a Fluid Anvil, has Ray positioned so that his
forearms, elbows and chest rest on the board while his feet – wearing fins –
kick for propulsion and steering.

The river board offers limited
protection from rocky collisions in rapids, which is why a full-face helmet and
knee pads are crucial. Although Ray will portage the Gariep and Van Der Kloof
Dam walls and the major waterfalls at Augrabies Falls, Twin Falls and Richie
Falls, the rest of the time he’ll be in the water moving through rapids and
flat-water sections alike on the river board.

LET
THE FUN BEGIN!

Ray’s journey started on 6 April from
the Mnweni Valley in the Central Drakensberg. For the first 80km, the river is
impossible to navigate, but Ray kept to his source-to-sea objective by carrying
the river board from the start. He’s also carrying a waterproof backpack loaded
with clothing, first aid supplies, food, camping equipment and river boarding
gear. On top of this, he has to strap on his river board and helmet. The river
board alone weighs in at a little under 10 kilograms, so he set off with about 40kg
on his back.

A hiking trail took Ray into the valley
and to the top of the Mnweni Pass and into Lesotho. Here, at 3 000m above sea
level, lies the source of the Orange River, an open expanse of marsh and small
streams that first join to become the Senqu River, then later the Orange River.
Hiking parallel to the stream, it took him a week to cover the 80km to the
first main settlement, the village of Mokhotlong in Lesotho, where he restocked
his food supplies and then got into the river for the first time.

Ray’s biggest concerns are infection,
skin conditions and drowning. He’ll be in the water during daylight hours –
that’s a good 10 hours a day – and along much of the 2 300km distance, the
water quality is questionable. “Each day I’ll spend an hour out of the water at
lunchtime to dry out and at the end of the day I’ve got antiseptic soap to
scrub down. I’ll have one day a week not in the water to thoroughly dry my skin
and disinfect,” Ray explains.

Ray has been training for months on the
Palmiet, Molenaars, Dwars and Liesbeek rivers in Cape Town, at both high and low volume. “Thanks
to the patience and generosity of members of the Cape White Water Club, I had
an incredibly steep learning curve last year,” he says. He also trained at Wadi
Adventure, a white water park in Abu Dhabi, to hone his skills in swift-moving
water.

UNFANTASTIC
PLASTIC

Ironically, Ray’s specialised river board
is plastic and it was this same material that sparked the idea for this
expedition. “During my time on the Dwars River last year, high up near the
watershed, I was horrified by the amount of plastic waste in the water and
hanging from vegetation on the riverbank after flooding. Litter and waste from
people starts off on land, ends up in rivers and is pushed into the sea,” he
says. “I became very ill from this trip as a result of the water pollution.”

The water samples that Ray will take
every 100km along the river during his trip will be analysed for pathogens and
contaminants. On his rest days, he will lead clean-up activities, encouraging
the participation of children and adults from communities along the river.

FOLLOW RAY ONLINE

WEBSITE:
www.RayChaplin.com

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www.facebook.com/RayChaplin

TWITTER:
www.twitter.com/RayChaplin

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