Category: Features

Having finished second in Ironman Austria and sixth in
Ironman SA in 2009, James Cunnama qualified for the Ironman World Champs in
Kona for the first time, but he knew he was not experienced enough to race hard
in Hawaii. Instead he treated it as a recce and test his strengths on the course.
“It turns out I was weak everywhere! So I promised myself I wouldn’t go back
until I was properly prepared.” After a few near misses, he returned in 2013
and finished fourth, the highest ever placing by a South African in Kona.
However, his great showing caught the media totally unaware, despite the fact
that he set only the 19^th ever sub-8:00 Ironman time when he won the
Challenge Roth in 2012.

 

“I was barely on the media radar, despite my sub-eight
and winning a few races in the lead-up to Kona. I was the lowest qualifier, but
I had planned it that way, by cherry-picking races and doing just enough to get
in – the top 50 in the world get selected, but the World Champ goes
automatically, so I knew 51^st place was enough. I was considered a
dark horse, because I had not raced well in Kona before.” Well, after a solid
swim and leading the bike leg for a while, James overcame stomach cramps late
in the run leg to overtake two runners in the last few kays to clinch fourth in
8:21:46. “It’s
a little frustrating being one off the podium, but just four years ago I got
absolutely annihilated, finishing 82nd behind most of the girls, so I think I
proved something to myself!”

 

EARLY STARTER

Born in Pietermaritzburg to parents
who regularly competed in the Comrades and Dusi, James was waking early for
training runs from a young age, often running with his mother’s ‘Pukers’
training group, and at 16 he was regularly wining the junior category in local
races up to the half marathon distance. In 2002 he moved to Port Elizabeth to
study Human Movement Science, and at the same time turned his attention to
middle-distance track in order to improve his speed over all distances. Then in
2004 James worked as a race volunteer at the first Spec-Savers Half Ironman, which
allowed him to drive around the route and get a great perspective of the race.

 

The
following year the full Ironman came to town and the triathlon bug bit still
deeper. James did his first Ironman SA in 2007, finishing 21^st, and
the following year he finished 10^th and sixth in the Ironman 70.3
SA, then took a chance and wrote what he describes as a cocky e-mail to Team TBB-Tri-Cozumel, telling them he planned to win the
Ironman World Champs someday. “Six hours later I got an
invite to their Philippines training camp, so I scraped together a few pennies
and went. I did enough to earn a small contract for 2009, which meant I could
live the dream and turn fulltime pro.” That year he was sixth at Ironman SA and
second at Ironman Austria, and since then he has featured regularly on the
podium at Ironman SA and Ironman 70.3 SA, as well as various Ironman events and
other triathlons around the world.

 

IMPRESSIVE PARTNERSHIP

These days James
lives half the year in Stellenbosch and spends the rest of the year between
Europe and the USA. He is one half of the unofficial fastest triathlon couple
in the world with Brit Jody Swallow, a 2004 Olympian and current Ironman 70.3
World Champion. They have been together for two years and travel and race
together as much as possible. “We train at different speeds and intensities, so
often train separately – she actually trains harder than me – but we do about
50% of our races together,” says James. “It would be ideal to travel the world together, like a permanent
honeymoon, but we both treat events as our job, and we cherry-pick our races to
get the best results and maximum WTC points. As hard as it is being apart, we
have a pretty good set-up and see a lot of each other.”

 

Unsurprisingly, given his terrific fourth place at
Kona, James is now focused on winning the Ironman World Championship title, and
he reckons he has a good chance of claiming that coveted title. “I think 15 of
the last 16 winners finished in the top four the year before they won it… but most
previous winners have been at least 34, so at 30 I’m not putting too much
pressure on myself yet. I learnt a lot at Kona this year and know what I need to
work on. But I feel I can win it.”

 

It’s a combination of things that
motivate me to push as hard as I do – from an illness that changed my life
forever, to the people, past and present, who have influenced me in numerous
ways. When I was much younger, I looked up to my sister who was a Springbok
swimmer. At school, I took up gymnastics and swimming, which I think was the
beginning of my drive in sport, and it definitely instilled the discipline
required to achieve all the things I have!

 

OVERCOMING HARDSHIP

I remember getting into running
after I met Monika Kraushaar when I signed up for my first Adventure Boot Camp
class. We ran our first 10km at the RAC 10km and inspired each other to take
our running a step further. Monika went onto Comrades and climbing Kilimanjaro,
after overcoming some serious injuries along the way, and it motivated me to be
better. I don’t think I have ever met such a strong-willed individual.

 

It was a harder path for me. In
2010, I was diagnosed with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome in my wrist, which
forced me to look at my life differently and make some radical changes in order
to manage the condition. The chronic disease causes swelling, severe pain and
changes in the skin. It took a while to be diagnosed properly and there were
little things I couldn’t do – like a job in an office with a computer! That was
a real low point in my life, but after a while, after getting out on the road
again, I figured that I needed to be strong. There was nothing wrong with my
legs, and I was motivated to do the rehab for my wrist, and at that point my
mind took over. I ran, ate healthily and meditated, and I knew that this
illness could give me the opportunity to give back to others in the fitness
lifestyle I adored.

 

FOLLOWING A PASSION

So I took the brave leap from the
corporate world to start my own Adventure Boot Camp franchise. I remember going
through the training as a franchisee and I couldn’t even manage a push-up! But
I had a strong mind and I remain grateful for the opportunity that was given to
me. I was always scared to do personal training, but I knew that I could
motivate people and myself. After all, exercise was my number one passion.
Despite having a hand that stuck out like a claw, leaving me unable to do
anything that meant using my left arm and wrist, I remained positive.

 

I believe that being a great
motivator is a gift that some people are born with, but it is a quality that
can also be honed if one is doing something that you are truly passionate
about. That’s me! I followed what I wanted to in life and after three-and-a-half
years, I’ve established two camps in Norwood and Illovo in Johannesburg. The
real challenge now is to change it up for the current members, keeping classes
fun and fresh. A lot of people come to class after a long day, so I like
motivating them to better themselves.

 

As for me? I’m planning to run my
first marathon soon, and want to take some Boot Camp members through with me. I
suffered a split cartilage in my knee at the Old Ed’s 21km, so I’ve been out
for a bit, but I’m ready to come back fighting again!

For more info about
Adventure Boot Camp franchises, call 021 447 2746 / 082 567 2267, visit www.adventurebootcamp.co.za
or e-mail [email protected].

There are now six runners who have achieved the
magnificent feat of running 40 Comrades Marathons, and three more should do it
this year, including Alan Robb, revered both locally and internationally as one
of the most loved South African runners of all time. He is the leading Comrades
gold medallist with 12 golds, and known as
much for his four Comrades wins as his famous red socks to show his support for
Liverpool Football Club. Though he emphasises that he takes it one year at a
time, many believe that Alan could become the first person to achieve 50
Comrades medals.

 

Come Comrades day on 2 June, Alan will once again be
running in the colours of his first athletics club, Germiston Callies Harriers
(GCH). He his first Comrades in 1976 in Callies colours, having already
finished third in 1974, and went on to win the next two years as well. In 1978 he also became the first person to break the
sub-5:30 barrier, winning in 5:29:14, and he added a fourth win in 1980, as
well as a second place in 1982. Today at the age of 58 he still runs remarkable
times, finishing the Comrades last year in 8:34.

 

“I joined Callies in
1974 and left the club in 1992, mainly because all the guys I trained with had
stopped running. I lived in Woodmead and started running with a group of guys
from Rocky Road Runners, but I always kept in touch with Callies, attending
many of their functions and runs,” says Alan, who in recent years also participated
in the colours of the Dabulamanzi Canoe Club. “In January I decided to rejoin
the club permanently and have already run a couple of races in my new colours.
I am really looking forward to running Comrades in Callies colours, as I feel
that’s where I belong and that’s where I was taught to run.”

 

HOMECOMING

The change of club came
about when Andre Berrange, vice-chairman of GCH, approached Alan last year to
ask if he would run his 40^th Comrades in Callies colours. Andre says
Alan may not have run in their colours since 1992, but he has always been
associated with the club, so much so that he was awarded honorary life
membership in the late 1980s. “Over the years he has remained in touch with his
contemporary Callies clubmates and was a regular attendee at all our races, as
well as our annual Comrades breakfast and other club functions.”

 

When Alan announced he was returning to the club, he
was welcomed with open arms by all at Callies. “We saw it as a homecoming for
one of Callies’ favourite sons. It is with great pride that we will once again
see the humble, modest running legend in the familiar blue and white colours
along the Comrades route in 2013 and beyond,” says Andre.

 

MIXED EMOTIONS

While Alan says this
year’s run will be a milestone in his running career, it will also be a very
sad day. “A lot of people will remember that my wife Merle passed away a week
before last year’s run, and it was only because of my daughter Staci that I
actually ran. My whole world has been turned upside down. Merle and I were
planning to do something special together after this run, but sadly that will
not happen. My motivation to run has been at an all-time low and I have done
very little running. It will be a very emotional run dedicated entirely to
Merle, who attended 35 Comrades with me and was always at the end in the finish
area as a guest of the Comrades Marathon Association. I miss her terribly.”

 

HONOURING
THE LEGEND

GCH has been planning a series of events leading up to
Alan’s 40^th Comrades. “We felt it was high time that our club’s race
was dedicated to Alan, as a token of appreciation for the honour that he has
brought to the club. This year the timing was perfect to rename our race on 7
April to the Alan Robb 32km and 15km,” says Andre. Typically, Alan acknowledged
this honour in his understated way: “I feel
very honoured to have this year’s Callies race named after me.”

 

Furthermore, the members of GCH plan to run their own race
and Comrades in red socks to honour Alan, and encourage all other members of
the running community to do the same at both races. Another highlight in the
build-up to Alan’s 40^th Comrades will be a pre-race breakfast where
all his old training mates and legends of road running will celebrate with
Alan, who says this should be a great reunion and good fun.

 

One second Landie
Greyling will be speeding along the trails, the next she will come to a sudden
stop… because she spotted a dassie! “I just love furry animals, because I often
saw dassies on our farm when I grew up, and I just light up whenever I see a dassie,
or an otter.” Little surprise then that she is affectionately known as ‘Dassie’
to her husband Christiaan and close friends. “Christiaan started it, because
besides stopping to look at dassies, he says I always look so happy running on
rocks, just like a rock-rabbit, or dassie. He even jokes that he was happy to
move down to the Cape, where there are more dassies, which makes training with
me easier… because I will never stop if he has a cramp, but just let me see a
dassie and I stop right there!”

 

Landie and Christiaan are quite the trail
super-couple: Both were selected for the SA team that went to the World Ultra
Trail Champs in Wales in July, where Christiaan finished first amongst the SA
men, in 32^ndposition, while Landie finished ninth in the women’s
race. The previous year she went to the World Long Distance Mountain Running
Champs in Switzerland as well as the World Short Distance Mountain Running
Champs in Italy. “In 2012 I went to World Champs at very short notice and
wasn’t properly prepared, so I feel that Wales was my first real World Champs.
It was very special to finish in the top 10, but even more special to have
Christiaan there. Very few couples can do that together.”

 

On home soil, her list of wins and podium
finishes in the last few years includes first at the Salomon Skyrun, Old Mutual
Two Oceans Trail Run and Hobbit 100km Trail Run, and second at the 2013 Otter
Trail Run, after finishing third the two previous years. “The Otter 2013 was a
real highlight, because of how I executed my race, staying up there with one of
the best trail runners in the world, Ruby Muir. Another highlight was winning
the mixed category with Christiaan at the ProNutro AfricanX Trail Run this
year.”

 

Landie
(29) grew up near Pretoria, where she ran her first 10km fun run aged nine,
then competed in cross-country for her school and ran the 800m and 1500m in
athletics. Having finished school in 2001, she did not know what career path to
follow, so her parents encouraged her to go work overseas and travel while
deciding. “I went to England and worked and travelled for two years, then came
back to study in 2004 at the University of Pretoria. I had always been a
numbers person, so I enrolled for a B.Com Accounting
degree, then completed my Honours in 2007, following which I started working
for Pricewaterhousecoopers to complete my articles.”

 

While at university, Landie got back into
running in 2007, initially focusing on road running, but in May 2008 she
ventured off-road at an adventure racing event in the Magaliesberg, and not
only discovered a talent for trail running, but also found romance. “I was in a team with
two friends, while Christiaan was in another team. After the race, one of my
teammates knew them, so we hung out for a while, but I had to leave early, so
only spoke to him for about three minutes. A week later I saw him again at a
trail race. I actually drove the wrong way up a one-way road and suddenly there
was a bakkie in front of me, hooting and flashing its lights, so I pulled over to
let it go past. When I parked, the same bakkie pulled up next to me, so I
pretended to scratch around in my car, because I was so embarrassed, but then
there was a knock on my window and the bakkie driver was Christiaan!”

 

“After that trail run, he asked me out for
an ice-cream, but I was seeing somebody at the time, so I said let’s rather go
for a run, because I told him I was looking for somebody to train with. The
next day he phoned me to invite me to join his training group, but I later
found out he actually just got a bunch of friends from his ‘koshuis’ to join
him for a few early morning runs. One by one they disappeared until it was just
us two!”

 

SUB-HEADER HERE

After qualifying as a Chartered Accountant
at the end of 2010, Landie was seconded by Pricewaterhousecoopers to go work in
the USA for four months, where she competed in numerous trail runs, winning the
women’s category in nearly every one! Upon her return, she and Christiaan lived
in the Garden Route area for a year before moving to Stellenbosch and getting
married in early 2012. She subsequently did her Masters degree, specialising in
tax, while lecturing part-time at a college in Bellville, but recently left
that behind to join a Stellenbosch-based company as a tax consultant. Her new job
requires two hours a day in the office, which allows her enough time for
training twice a day.

 

“I appreciate the time I have for
training, but I am also laying the
groundwork for a career after running. I’ve got a five-year plan and want to
work full-time for this company, as they are investing in me by helping to
sponsor me. Fortunately I have several product sponsors, like Salomon for
apparel and shoes, and supplements from PeptoPro, and thanks to my part-time
work and sponsors, I don’t have to run everything to make ends meet, so while
trail running doesn’t pay that well as yet, I don’t need to turn to road
running for small pay-outs.”

 

FRIENDLY RIVALRY

Despite work commitments, Landie and
Christiaan still manage to do their early morning and weekend runs together,
and she says it is terrific to have a partner who shares her passion for
running. “Our quality time together is often spent running, which means we
don’t feel that we’re putting our training before our partner.”

When asked who is the faster runner,
Landie laughs and says he is usually five minutes ahead of her these days, but
she has beaten him in a few races. “We did a half marathon a month before our
wedding and at 5km he told me he’s going now, then at 18km I tapped him on his
shoulder and said hello. He was not pleased! But he is such a natural runner –
he works full-time, and if he could train more, I reckon a lot of the top guys
would have to watch out for him!”

 

Looking
ahead, Landie says she hopes to race the Mont Blanc Marathon,
Grand Raid Pyrenees and Trans-Alps events in Europe in the next two years, then
move on to the longer trail events in the USA. “I want to run the San Francisco
50-miler, which is one of the highest paid trail runs, then do the Western States
and Leadville races as well. Meanwhile, she will continue to race most of the
local events, and says she is really excited about the direction trail running
is taking in SA: “Trail running has grown
tremendously over the past couple of years, and I believe it will continue to
grow as more and more people discover the trails and how much fun it is.”

 

In 1976 the
late Lionel Whitfield, a prominent member of the Buffalo Club in East London
and staunch supporter of Buffalo Road Runners, expressed to fellow-Buff and
close friend, the late Viv Rex, his desire to start a race to honour his
father, George Washington ‘Washie’ Whitfield. There must have been drinks
involved in the conversation, because somehow they came up with the idea for a
100-mile (161km) race from East London to Port Alfred, to be run at full moon
so that the runners could se where they were going during the night!

 

Fast
forward to 2013 and Grant Whitfield of Cape Town has set his sights on running
the race named after his great grandfather. “As far as we know, nobody in our
direct family has ever run the race, so when I ran my first Comrades four years
ago, as did my cousin Vaughn Kelly, we began talking about doing the Washie,”
says Grant. “We have no idea why Lionel decided on a 100 miler, since my dad
says he never did any running… except maybe to the pub. He was killed in a car
crash when I was three, so I don’t remember him, but I’ve heard a lot of
stories about him. He was a big chap at six foot five, could drink a beer in
three seconds, and my other grandfather, a small Scotsman, said he could never
keep up with him in that regard.”

 

FAMILY PLANNING

Having
played rugby throughout his studies in graphic design at UCT, Grant took on his
first half marathon as part of the Men’s Health Challenge. “Then I ran the Two Oceans
Marathon with my two brothers-in-law after being challenged one evening around
the braai by my father-in-law, who was a big runner in Celtics in his day. I
think he must have caught us after a few brandy and Cokes!”

 

Grant will
be running his fifth Two Oceans and fourth Comrades this year, but says the
Washie has to wait a bit longer. “I must be honest, the thought of running a Comrades
and then doing it all over again immediately is a bit daunting, and I want two
or three more Comrades on my legs before I go for Washie. Also, I’ve got two small
kids at the moment and Comrades already takes a lot of time. So Vaughn and I haven’t
put a date on it yet, but we will get there. And we told my dad he has to come
as our second, because he is a doctor – and we’re going to need him!

The average fast food burger contributes a whopping 2 500kJ and that’s
without the fries, Coke, extra patty or cheese! By simply making healthier choices,
you can easily reduce the unhealthy calories by half and improve the nutrient
quality.

 

AT FAST FOOD
JOINTS

 

To lower the
fat percentage:

?        
Patty: Opt for leaner meat options, e.g. ask for pure
chicken breast, grilled venison, tuna, salmon or turkey, or go vegetarian.

?        
Sauces: Swap fatty mayonnaise for tomato sauce/BBQ
sauce.

?        
Extras: Don’t add cheese, avoid butter and margarine.

 

To
lower the sugar content:

?        
Patty: Make sure patties are 100% pure – processed
meats often contain sugar.

?        
Sauces: Reduce the amount of sauces and increase fresh
tomato, lettuce and onion. Add mustard or avocado for more flavour.

?        
Bread roll: Opt for a whole grain bun or whole meal
pita.

 

To reduce
total calories:

?        
Don’t supersize! Opt for a smaller burger and add a
side salad. Double the size, double the calories!

?        
Cut cheese and mayonnaise out and replace with more
fresh produce with colour, e.g. pineapple, salad, mushroom or beetroot relish.

 

To
increase fibre content:

?        
Opt for lentil or chickpea patties.

?        
Choose whole grain rolls.

?        
Add onion, tomato, lettuce, rocket or grated carrot to
your burger.

 

MAKE
YOUR OWN BURGERS

 

Venison
burgers

Serves: 4, Time
to make: 20 minutes

 

Full ingredient list: 500g venison
mince, ? onion finely chopped, orange zest, 1/2 cup breadcrumbs, 1 teaspoon
meat seasoning, 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, 4 whole meal pita breads,
4 cups lettuce, 4 teaspoons relish.

 

?        
Place mince in a bowl with onion, orange zest,
breadcrumbs, seasoning and parsley. Use hands to mix ingredients, then shape
into four patties.

?        
Grill or braai burgers for about six minutes each
side. Slice pita breads horizontally. To assemble, add lettuce, then burger,
and top with relish.

Tip: To make
beetroot relish, mix one cooked beetroot (diced) with 1 finely chopped red
onion, 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon
wholegrain mustard.

 

Lentil
Burgers

Serves: 4, Time to make: 40 minutes

 

Ingredients: 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil,
1 onion finely chopped, 2 fat garlic cloves crushed, 2 tablespoons nomu Egyptian
dukkah, 1 can large lentils, 2 teaspoons finely chopped parsley, 125ml fresh
breadcrumbs, 1 disc feta cheese – crumbled, 1 pinch salt and milled pepper, 1
extra large egg – lightly beaten, 1 dash vegetable oil for frying.

 

?        
Heat olive oil in a pan and saut? onion and garlic
until soft.

?        
Add dukkah spice and fry for two minutes or until
golden.

?        
Remove from heat and place into a bowl with lentils,
parsley, breadcrumbs and feta.

?        
Mix lightly to combine and season.

?        
Cool mixture, then add egg and stir until mixture is
combined.

?        
Shape into four large patties and refrigerate for an
hour to firm slightly.

?        
Heat a glug of vegetable oil and fry lentil patties
for about two to three minutes on each side until golden brown.

As I sit down to put my experience on paper, I struggle to find the
words to describe my six-day-journey at the Wild Coast Ultra, a 250km race that
starts at the Umgazi River mouth and finishes on Nahoon Beach in East London.
After waiting to do this event for three years, and after all the planning and
all the dreaming, it was finally here.

 

The truth is, I was nervous as hell. The furthest I had ever run in a
week was 160km, and that was primarily on tar. Now I was planning on running
250km on terrain that in Jo’burg you simply can’t train for. In preparation for
this race, I had taken part in the three-day Umgeni Trail Race in August 2012 –
not only my first trail race, but my first multi-day trail race at that, and winning
the event overall! I also ran a 21km trail race in Buffelspoort in December,
finishing in third place despite being diagnosed as anaemic.

 

Apart from that, I had tried to do all my weekend runs on trail, and I
hoped I could challenge for first place at Wild Coast, which I figured was
probably a little ambitious given my recently diagnosed anaemia, and the fact
that I most certainly could not call myself a trail runner.

 

The day before the race we all introduced ourselves and I found myself
amongst both newbies and those who had taken on some serious challenges. My
greatest achievement? Finishing Comrades, which in the light of what we were
facing and what the others had done in the past, seemed somewhat insignificant…

 

DAY 1: 55km

The air had a mix of excitement, nerves and fear of the unknown. We were
about to run along one of the most beautiful coastlines in the world, with no
checkpoints, no water tables, no marked routes. Then a simple gong of a cattle
bell sounded the start of the Wild Coast Ultra. The appeal of this race for me
was the adventure of being out there on your own, figuring out your way to the
day’s finish.

 

For a large part of day one we ran quite far inland, through thick white
beach sand, over narrow grass single track, down steep rocky forest areas,
through thick grass paths and along rocky dirt roads. I ran with a sense of
freedom. I was out here in the middle of nowhere, I was running wild, I was
running free, and for the most part it was simply me and my creator. The
feeling was exhilarating.

 

Day one saw me finish at the Ocean View Hotel in second place after
running further then necessary due to little detours. I was tired and my legs
were sore. Had I gone out too hard? I had finished the day in 7:09, but I
really felt a time closer to six hours would be more reasonable if you knew
where you were going.

 

DAY 2: 45km

I woke up feeling a little tired, but not too bad. Day one had felt
tougher than my last two Comrades runs, but I was ready for more running, and
with a slight ‘old man shuffle’ I was underway. We set out past White Clay and
along the cliffs, which has to be some of the most amazing and stunning
scenery. We reached Hole in the Wall and it was beautiful! Then after taking a
few wrong turns, I set off for the day’s finish at The Haven, feeling certain
that this delay would have left me in second place again. But it hadn’t, and I
finished first in 5:24.

 

DAY 3: 42km

I woke up feeling like I had been dragged through a bush backwards. I
felt broken. I tried not to think about it, I simply got ready, filled my pack,
ate some breakfast and headed to the starting point. I managed to open a decent
lead, which was a good thing, as once again I made some bad navigation errors.
I ran along the beach for 20 to 30km and never saw a single human being. There
were no other footprints in the sand.

 

Suddenly the strangest thing happened: I began to miss people. I had
been taking people for granted and for the first time in my life I began to
realise that we have been created to be part of a community. So I was very glad
when I saw people as I finally arrived at Kob Inn in first place in a time of
4:47

 

DAY 4: 32KM

I felt surprisingly good and was eager to get underway, but it was tough
going into a strong headwind. This was a short, predominantly beach run, with
lots of thick sand and rocks, but on the hard flat sand sections I was able to
get into a fairly decent rhythm. I finished the day in 3:21, and it felt far
too short as the sad realisation dawned on me that we only had two days left.

 

DAY 5: 29KM

I love running in the rain and I couldn’t have felt more blessed to be
running this stunning coastline with God pouring out his blessings upon me. I
felt a lightness in spirit. The Morgan Bay cliffs were amazing! Once around the
cliffs, it was a hop, skip and a jump to Haga Haga and our final sleepover. I
finished the fifth day in 3:09 and it was nice to get warm, get the legs up and
sip on a warm cup of coffee.

 

DAY 6: 45KM

The final day dawned. Where had this week gone? I didn’t want this
adventure to end… The day’s run was broken into two sections. The first was a
run from Haga Haga to the start of the Surfers Challenge event, approximately
27km, and the second was the Surfers Challenge itself, a popular 18km race.
Before I knew it I was at the starting point of the race.

 

The idea of hammering out a tough 18km after having already run 232km in
a week was an intriguing challenge, and on the run I hit the wall. One of the
female spectators shouted, “Come on, run! You’ve been passed by a woman,” but my
body was screaming for the finish line and I simply had to settle for being
‘chicked.’ It was certainly the toughest 18km I have ever run!

 

I was finished. I had won the 250.5km Wild Coast Ultra in a combined
time of 27:54:08. A quick interview, a shower, then prize-giving and it was all
over.

 

AFTER ALL
WAS RUN AND DONE

I woke up the next morning and felt like I could run back to the start
over the next week. My mind struggled to process the last six days. It had been
a blessing, a gift, a wonderful experience and a journey. You don’t race the
Wild Coast, you experience it!

 

What more can I say? The organisation was superb, the goodie-bags were
the best, the accommodation was top class, the food was fantastic, and the
competitors were all a great bunch. But above all, our creator had kept us all
safe, provided us with superb weather and poured out his blessings on us each
and every day.

 

Words simply can’t describe this event. Make sure you put this one on
your bucket list!

With the clock stopped on 49:25, Anel fell to her
knees in the road, holding back tears of happiness as it sank in that she had
not only achieved her goal of beating the 11-year-old SA Junior Girls’ Record
for 10km, but she had taken more than a minute off the previous mark of 50:37!
“I trained for the record, and I believe in myself, but I didn’t think I would
break it by that much. My 10,000m PB on the track is only 50:04, so I didn’t
expect to go under 50 minutes, and yes, I was very happy!” says the youngster
from George after dominating the women’s 10km at the SA Road Race Walking
Champs.

 

What made it even more special was that her parents,
Chris and Ria, were there to see her break the record. “They’re my biggest
supporters and are at every practice and race. My Dad even gets up at 5am to
ride his bike alongside me!” Also watching was her coach, Carl Meyer, on hand
to see her shatter the record set by another of his athletes, Lee-Anne Watts in
2002, just before he was himself due to start the men’s 10km. Despite warming
up for his own race, he was keeping an eye on Anel’s splits and updating the
commentator on Anel’s record chances. “Carl started coaching me this year and he
is a great race walker himself, with an amazing knowledge of the sport,” says
Anel.

 

NATURAL WALKER

Anel’s talent for race walking was first spotted by
Jurgens Kriegelaar in 2006. “I did athletics in primary school and one day in
grade five I was running the 1200m at the local grass school field when he saw
me doing something funny when my legs got tired. He asked me to stay a bit
longer after practice so his wife, Marie, could watch me too, and she
immediately said I really have talent for race walking.” The Kriegelaars were
spot on about Anel being a natural race walker, and with the help of their
coaching, she was soon making a name for herself.

 

She won her first race, the 3km development race for
juniors at the 2006 SA Race Walking Champs. In 2007 she won a bronze medal at
the SA Primary School Champs, then took home gold at the 2008 Champs in he last
year in primary school, plus added gold medals from the South Western District
as well as Western Cape Champs. That saw her decide to give up netball and
focus exclusively on race walking in high school, and in March 2009 Anel set an
SA Record for the under-17 5000m, then bettered it in April, and again in July,
and again in March 2010. In February 2011 she set a new national mark for
under-16 3000m, followed in March by an under-17 SA Record for the 5000m, then
an SA Junior Record for 20,000m (1:44:42) in April 2013, and most recently the
SA Junior Record for 10km on the road. And in the process she wracked up more
provincial and national titles than space allows to be listed here.

 

AIMING HIGH

Having just finished high school, Anel will be
studying teaching at the University of Johannesburg. Her choice of tertiary
institution was very much swayed by the fact that her coach is based in
Johannesburg, as she has great hopes of making still more progress in walking.
“Next year I will be preparing for the World Junior Champs in the USA, and I
have also qualified for the Walking World Cup in China, but my biggest dream is
to go to the Olympics. Rio 2016 may still be a bit too early for me, but I’m
still going to try to qualify. The Olympics has always been one of my main
goals, right from when I started walking.”

 

Despite having come from a running start, Anel is now
completely dedicated to walking. “I feel most comfortable when walking, in my
zone. I can’t run anymore, because it just doesn’t feel right! Walking is my
passion, and I can’t imagine not doing it. If I have a rest day, I just want to
train. Like during exams, I just want to get out there and walk!”

 

In 1993, Argentina discovered an itchy, swollen rash
on her right leg, and experienced bouts of fever, nausea and pain that kept her
from walking, or sleeping more than two hours at a time. This condition persisted
for five years and had the doctors stumped, until eventually they suggested
amputation as the last resort. “For me, amputation seemed a relief. After years
not being able to walk by myself, it would be freedom,” says Argentina. “All I
had to do was wait for my mother to travel from Mozambique to Joburg to sign
the operation papers.”

 

However, by a fortunate turn of fate, her mother was
delayed due to problems with her visa, and while Argentina lay in the
Johannesburg General Hospital, waiting for her operation, two sisters from the Universal
Church of the Kingdom of God paid her a visit. “I was having a crisis of faith,
but then Fiona and Margaret came to pray for some patients. At first I felt
like they were showing off their faith, but they told me that I needed to
believe. I let them pray and there was a sense of peace afterwards. After years
of not being able to sleep through a night, I did. Something had changed…”

 

The next morning, she was confident enough to attempt
to walk to the bathroom by herself. Fiona and Margaret returned later to take
Argentina to visit their church, where members prayed for her. “I told the
hospital to book me out, despite my serious pending op, and four weeks later I
was walking comfortably. The swelling had gone down and only scar tissue
remained!”

 

WALKER TO RUNNER

Many sceptics told Argentina that the pain would
return, but instead of listening to them, she took up running! “I noticed a
neighbour running every morning and I asked him to teach me to run. I thought
that if I’m healed, I’d be able to catch onto running. It was my new dream.” So
she joined Rand Athletic Club (RAC) and decided to take on a 5km walk, which
she did wearing socks and sandals because her foot was still swollen. She was
tired when she eventually finished, but with a new sense of strength that saw
her build up to alternate between walking and running and after three months,
she finished her first 10km in 55 minutes.

 

In 1995 she ran her first 42km at the Soweto Marathon
– the first ever black woman from RAC to compete in the race, with an
impressive time of 3:45. Next Argentina pushed on to the City to City 50km in
1996, where she finished in 4:45, and after that, it was a natural step to Comrades
1997, but Argentina admits she had no idea what she was getting herself into. “I
remember reaching halfway and figured we were finished, so I asked someone
where I could get my medal. They laughed because I was only halfway!” She
pushed on, though, and finished in 10:30. Today she has 16 Comrades medals, with
a PB of 8:30:17, and has also conquered the Two Oceans 15 times, with a best of
4:53. She set her marathon PB of 2:54 in 1998, and also conquered the New York
Marathon in 2010 in a time of 3:18.

 

PODIUMS AND MEDALS

In 2002 Argentina finished third at the SA Cross
Country Champs in Bloemfontein and was selected for the SA team, and today has
five gold medals in various age categories at SA Champs in her collection. She
also gave Masters Athletics a try and is a regular on the podium in events from
1500m up to 10 000m, including the 2000m steeplechase. This year, she
travelled to Brazil for the World Masters Athletics Champs and finished the
marathon in sixth position in the 40-45 age category, with a time of 3:50.
(Today, she puts her running experience to good use as ASA development coach to
young athletes from the age of 10 in cross-country and track.)

 

On top of her comeback from nearly losing her leg,
Argentina says her results in the past two years are even more special, since
she had to overcome yet another setback after being involved in a car accident
late in 2011. “I had head and spine injuries, and I suffered from blackouts, but
after months of pain and treatment, I was back in 2012 and finished Comrades in
10:20. I don’t know how I get back so quickly, I just know I have had the
strength and support to keep coming back!”

I thought you might be interested in a runner’s story,
to give you an idea of my journey through weight-loss and how running has
helped me get there. I am not sure if running fixed my spirit, or whether I saw
the damage my spirit had sustained, and that made me run. What I know is that I
feel better because I run.

 

I have learnt so much about myself through running. I
have a mental toughness I didn’t have before. There is a physical benefit, too:
The weight lost and the increase in physical strength. After years of
physically battling the weight, my spirit was weak and defeated. Repeated
failures had left me demoralised and embarrassed.

 

The strangest thing about running
was that it wasn’t a physical thing for me. Through life circumstances and
various catalysts, I was able to connect with myself, someone I had buried deep
inside, the young girl I once was, with hopes and dreams. It was the mental/spiritual
connection that got me running again, so for me it was never just physical, although
I do enjoy the physical side of running, now.

 

I had run at school – under duress
– and then again some in 2008/9, but that is when I had an aneurysm, which literally
stopped me in my tracks. That, combined with a number of other setbacks, left
me emotionally battered.

 

Running might well have been a ‘poor
man’s’ expression of a mid-life crisis for me, because at 40 I started to run
seriously. I do have to qualify ‘seriously’ here, because I am no great athlete
– I am not going to break any winner’s tape – but every day that I get out
there and run is a personal victory for me. I like myself better when I run,
and apparently I am easier to live with too!

 

Running is a solo sport, so they
say, but I have met the most amazing people on the run, and through this
running journey I have become richer. My son once asked me if I am sorry I
didn’t do this earlier, and whilst part of me wishes I had, I also know I
wasn’t ready.

 

Just more than three years later
I still get goose-bumps on runs, when it all comes together and I am filled by
the wonder of running, and a deep sense of gratitude to my body for forgiving
me the many past transgressions and allowing me to run.

 

You cannot fake running, you have
to do the work, and it keeps you honest. And that’s why these words by an
unknown author also speak to the runner in me: “Be confident. Too many days are
wasted comparing ourselves to others and wishing to be something we aren’t.
Everybody has their own strengths and weakness; it is only when you accept
everything you are, and aren’t, that you will truly succeed.”

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