Category: Features

 The gruelling 698km route with 15 650m of climbing from Citrusdal to Lourensford Wine Estate might seem a daunting task to many an athlete, but for seasoned rider John Gale, a chartered accountant from Cape Town, the ABSA Cape Epic is an annual must. “The race is a staggering one. My first run blew me away and it’s a mammoth undertaking for anybody,” says John. “You also have an opportunity to participate with the best in the world – you’re actually surrounded by world champs!”

John’s first Epic entry came by chance and was a last-minute decision. He had done just 60km of training and admits that he totally unprepared for the distance. “I guess I didn’t read the fine print and I had no idea what I was letting myself in for,” he explains. “It was the hardest ride I had ever done, and we had to make do and learn along the route.”

THE ANNUAL CHALLENGE
Always an active person, John took up mountain biking and running after varsity and plotted several goals each year, taking part in four Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathons, finishing numerous mountain bike races such as To Hell and Back, Sani2C, Wines2Whales, the Rhodes Mountain Bike Marathon as well as the Knysna Mountain Bike Race. “My running has definitely helped my cycling over the years,” he says, “and going out for a run is the most effective thing you can do in terms of fitness. You can go for a 10km cycle and it’s an easy ride, while a 10km run tests you a bit more.” With a special focus on the Epic each year, John has cut down his running due to a niggling calf injury, but is still hoping to run his fifth Two Oceans one day.

So why does John keep coming back to the Epic? “The first time was by chance. My second time I was offered an entry before I started training properly and my third time just came along,” he explains. “I’ve been very lucky to stay fit enough each year so I can participate – it’s an administrative wonder when you see thousands moving together with ready available resources at every turn!”

SIDELINE SUPPORT
Living in Cape Town, John says the Epic has always been a ‘convenient’ event for his family, and he has been lucky over the years to have no work issues get in the way of his participation, while he wakes early each morning to fit in training rides. “For one to survive the Epic, you need to get more than 11 hours of training in a week and long rides on weekends. I have lots of support from my wife Beth and my two kids, and we often find races close to us that the whole family can take part in.” Beth also makes sure the family eats right, which goes a long way to helping John’s training and active lifestyle. “In this type of event, it’s not possible without the support of your partner,” says John, “especially on those eight days of riding. Beth knows that it is something I want to pursue.”

Over the years, John has ridden the Epic with various partners, Riaan Meintjies, Jakes Jacobsen and George Evans, and reveals that he has learnt a lot compared to his first two attempts at the event. “In any team event, as opposed to a solo run, you are dependent on the people around you – especially with this massive distance to overcome. You can’t fight with your partners; at the end of the day it’s about having fun.” This year, he says he and riding partner George are fit and ready to race, despite the mystery that surrounds the route. “You never really know what you’re going to experience or how your ride is going to go,” says John, “it’s just a tremendous race through the most stunning parts of SA.”

He also feels that Epic first-timers don’t need his advice. “The amount of info out there compared to years gone by is unbelievable. In my first year there was a contingent of international riders who had done the Trans Alps and Rockies, but the rest were Dusi and Comrades goers who had little knowledge of the race. Nowadays, no one pitches up unprepared.”

SPECIAL TIMES
For John, the 10th anniversary will be a special one, but he says it will not be his last Epic. In fact, he reckons he will most likely be back year after year. “It would be difficult to ever let go of the Epic – I have this compelling desire to do all of them!”

For more info on the ABSA Cape Epic, visit www.cape-epic.com, and follow the event on Twitter: @AbsaCapeEpic.

Imagine an event where only 31 of the world’s toughest adventure athletes get chosen to take part. Now imagine these guys running or hiking at least 80km per day in harsh Alpine conditions, in an 864km non-stop race from Salzburg, Austria to Monaco, and also paragliding off some of the most spectacular mountains. This is the Red Bull X-Alps, one of the toughest endurance events in the world! And Pierre Carter (46), an adventure addict who thrives on new challenges – and incredible heights – will once again represent South Africa at this year’s event on 7 July.

Participants must have mountaineering, running and paragliding experience, and are selected from thousands of applicants worldwide. It is the third time that Pierre will be taking part in the X-Alps and he hopes that it will be third time lucky. In 2009 he went in with little experience of that part of the world and crashed on the third day, eventually finishing 28th. “In 2011 I tackled it again, a bit more prepared, and I was in the top 10 for the first couple of days, but unfortunately picked up a stomach bug and finished 21st. This year I am hoping to finish in the top 10,” says Pierre.

PIECES OF THE PUZZLE
The exact route is only revealed close to the time and contestants can then choose how they get to the finish. “That means you combine, running, hiking and paragliding by either following the road or gliding over some of the mountains,” says Pierre, who started his career as a rock climber before he saw world-renowned SA rock climber Andrew de Klerk paragliding off a peak in Peru. “I then thought this is the way to go!” Pierre quickly moved through the ranks and made a name for himself competing as part of a team at several world championship events in France, Switzerland and Japan, while also earning his Springbok colours.

X-Alps participants have to carry their kit of about 14kg and hike or run the route while they wait for good weather to fly as far as they can. Conditions are usually harsh, with a lot of rain and snow. “It all depends on weather conditions and your technical flying ability as to how far you will fly and how far you will hike or run. I usually hike and run 500km and cover about 250km with my paraglider.” Training for an event such as the Red Bull X-Alps is not for sissies, he says. “I fly as much as I can on weekends. I’m also following an ultra-marathon running programme over 22 weeks, with a peak week of 180km.”

MASSIVE UNDERTAKING
The race has no entry fee but the costs to get there and then get around once there are astronomical, and can run up to R80 000. “I am therefore very grateful to my sponsors, which include Muscle Science, Blue Eyewear, First Ascent, Innovate, Red Bull and Gradient Paragliders. Also, James Braid, an experienced paragliding pilot, is my second at the race. He thinks for me, informs me of the weather, helps find the best routes, supplies food and organises meeting spots.”

As soon as the winner reaches the finish line in Monaco, the rest of the field are informed and given 24 hours to get as far as they can before the race is stopped and contestants are placed. The best part of the race is that all entrants are ‘obliged’ to get themselves to Monaco for the party of the year. “Then it is time to put my feet up and allow them to heal. My next goal will be to prepare for my next summit,” says Pierre. (See sidebar.)

UP FOR THE CHALLENGE?
Who would be quicker in the majestic Drakensberg: Paragliders, runners or cyclists? Pierre is putting this to the test in a brand new event he is organising, the 180km X-Berg Challenge (20-24 March), starting at Oliviershoek Pass and finishing at Underberg. More info: [email protected] or [email protected].

FLYING THE SEVEN SUMMITS
About 10 years ago Pierre set himself the goal of climbing the summits of the highest mountains of each of the seven continents and paragliding from them. Together with an experienced team he has already tackled Mt Elbrus (Europe, July 2010), Mt Aconcagua (South America, January 2011) and Mt Kilimanjaro (Africa, September 2011). “It takes about eight days to climb Kilimanjaro and another two days to climb down. It takes a mere hour to fly down, which means we are in the bar having a beer while others are still climbing,” says Pierre. The team is hoping to document their journey and in the process raise funds for charity – follow their progress at www.7summits7flights.co.za.
-end-

Modern
Athlete and triathlon coach Derick Marcisz started the Dare to Tri Academy in
August 2012 after a very successful inaugural Dare to Tri programme in 2011. In
that first year, 10 novice triathletes were trained and coached to Ironman
70.3. The inaugural programme was such a huge success that we decided to start
the Dare to Tri Academy, which gave everybody the opportunity to train under
the guidance of a triathlon coach and with like-minded athletes. Just over 40
triathletes signed up to the Academy, which promised to take them from novice
triathlete to Ironman 70.3 finisher in 2013, and what a journey it has been.

 

Training at the Academy started one month earlier (September)
than the previous year and one of the highlights of the
Dare to Tri programme was the instant bond that was formed between academy
members. It was great to see an initial bunch of strangers becoming friends
through the sport of triathlon, and it was clear that the common goal of
finishing Ironman 70.3 and a shared passion for the sport of triathlon bound
the athletes together. “I know it is a clich? to say that the journey is as
important as the destination, but this was really true!” says coach Derick
Marcisz to the Academy members. “If you enjoyed the training and the company of
your fellow triathletes during the last four months, then that is already a
good reason to have been part of the Dare to Tri Academy.”

 

Two of the highlights of the past training months included
the Total Immersion swimming workshop held at Bass Lake in the south of
Johannesburg. The workshop was hosted by Georgie Thomas, owner and operator of
Total Immersion South Africa and turned out to be a huge success. Thank you,
Georgie! The other highlight was the training triathlon held at the Vaal and
hosted by Dare to Tri Academy members Bryan and Juls Webster. 22 Academy
members took part and afterwards it was clear that they were all ready for
Ironman 70.3 South Africa.

 

CONGRATULATIONS!

Of the 42 triathletes who signed up at the Academy,
ten did not enter 70.3 or did not make the starting line due to a variety of
reasons, but many of them still trained and socialised with the group. Another
four triathletes that started 70.3 were not able to finish. “I know they will
be back next year to give 70.3 the payback it deserves. As the coach, I am
extremely proud of the 32 Dare to Tri triathletes that lined up on Orient Beach
on race day,” says Derick.

 

Below are the finishing times of the Dare to Tri
finishers:

Nic Olsen                               5:59:38

Matthew Cook                        6:01:50

Terry-Lynne McIntosh:             6:09:50

Bryan Webster                       6:25:24

Derick Marcisz (the coach)      6:30:55

Johan Van der Westhuizen      6:31:37

Dave Bennett                         6:33:35

Brenda Pritchard                    6:34:03

Johan Van Rooyen                 6:35:07

Mike Smit                              6:44:37

Carlos Morias                         6:48:06

Claire Malik                            6:48:58

Neville Chamberlain                6:49:04

Sarah-Jane Horscroft              6:50:05

Frans Van der Linde               6:50:10

Pieter Steyn                           6:53:00

Jean Louw                             7:00:36

Freda Smit                             7:03:52

Juls Webster                          7:04:07

Ashley Bannister                    7:05:51

Marius Grobler                       7:11:46

Candice Hepburn                    7:19:29

Melissa Van Rensburg            7:38:47

Que Lebatha                          7:43:00

Elsa Du Toit                           7:46:02

Christelle Van Rooyen            8:19:12

 

In the team event, Peter Todd (swim) and Frank Saieva (bike
and run) finished in 6:47:43. They have both committed to the individual event
in 2014.

The DARE TO TRI ACADEMY has been a fantastic
initiative and the plan is to continue with this in 2014. Keep an eye on Modern
Athlete for more details.

 

 

HEROES

 

CHRISTELLE
VAN ROOYEN:

Last year I didn’t get to finish 70.3 due to stomach
cramps and dehydration, so this year all I was aiming for was a finish. I
didn’t care what my time was, as long as I got to run down the red carpet. Race
morning broke and the nerves started. The swim was tough, but I was happy with
my time. The bike leg was windy and I kept my eye on the clock the whole way. I
knew that I would have to push the last few kays to make the cut-off. I dug
deep into a place that I didn’t even know I had. When I got to transition in
time I cried a little bit and sat in the tent before the run started, thinking
I’ve got this in the bag. I started running with tired legs, but a happy heart.
On the run I kept an eye out for my husband Johan and when I saw him it gave me
that little extra surge of energy I needed. Crossing the finish line, I cried a
lot, and getting to see Johan waiting for me at the end was an amazing feeling.
I’m proud to say that I completed the 70.3 in 8:19.

 

IAN BROLI:

Regrettably I did not achieve my goal. I had a good
swim and the bike leg started well. Unfortunately, I had mechanical problems
from about 15km and my chain came off five times in the first half. I wasted
about 25 minutes on repairs and didn’t use the two lower gears in the second
half, so I missed the bike cut-off by 10 to 12 minutes. The good news is that I
felt strong, enjoyed the journey and will be back next year to complete 70.3!

 

MARIUS
GROBLER

70.3 was a dream come true! I did one BSG Triathlon
and did not finish at 11 Global due to panicking in the swim. After that, I did
more open water swims, which gave me more confidence for 70.3. Standing at the
start of the swim gave me goose bumps. This race changed me forever, and will
make every athlete humble. Race day, the vibe and the event, especially running
down the red carpet, was MAGIC! I finished in 7:11:46. Thanks to my mom for
everything leading up to the race and everybody else for the support. With much
more training, racing and experience under the belt, Orient Beach will see me
in 2014!

 

OLIVIA
JOSEPHS:

I missed the bike cut-off by seven minutes. I enjoyed
the swim, but the bike leg was a killer, and what made it worse was the wind
from the turn point. I am still licking my wounds, but am slowly making peace
with the disappointment and I’m ready to go back to the drawing board. Thanks
for all the support, it really meant a lot.

 

MIKE &
FREDA SMIT

Our race started off with a big jolt! As we were
waiting for our wave to start, the medics carried one of the athletes who had
suffered a heart attack past us to the medical tent. This had a huge impact on
my wife Freda and my own mindset, as I had suffered a heart attack in September
last year. You can just imagine what went through our minds, as swimming is my
weakest discipline. However, we spoke about just staying relaxed, which we did
and ended up having a comfortable swim. The cycle leg went relatively well,
considering the huge hills that never seemed to end. Hills and head wind, not
easy. It was disappointing to see our cycle times afterwards, which showed that
we should have pushed a bit harder. However, in saying that, we did not want to
arrive for the run on dead legs!

 

The run was amazing with all the crowd support on the
beachfront. They ensured you kept going, no matter how tired the legs were.
Cramping was an issue, but whenever you wanted to stop, you were egged on by
the people on the side of the road. Running onto the red carpet was extremely
emotional. We had entered Ironman 70.3 a week before I suffered the heart
attack, and Freda and I only decided at the end of October that maybe it was
still possible to do the 70.3, so actually competing in and finishing the race
was huge for both of us. Training with the Dare to Tri group definitely ensured
that we would be fit enough to take on this huge task. Thanks to Derick and our
fellow DTT athletes for helping Freda and I to achieve this goal.

STEPHANIE STANLEY

I wish I had results and an experience to share with you, but a
pelvic stress fracture that I picked up in December put paid to my dreams of
completing 70.3. I was forced to withdraw. I have already entered for 2014 and
am looking forward to an injury free year of training.

 

JEAN LOUW

What an experience! It really helped to follow Derick’s program
as I was not only physically, but also mentally prepared. All the prayers from
friends and family helped me to keep calm and collective on race day. I
visualized the swim, bike and run throughout the week and focused
on enjoying every moment of the race. I kept on reminding myself that
I did not spend the last 4 months of training just to stress about  race day. On the day I started the swim by
walking into the ocean as if I was going for a swim, first getting used to the
water temperature. I noticed that I was last of my age group to start the
swim, but it didn’t bother me at all. I was going to start this race
relaxed and comfortable. I had a good bike and started the run slow, but finished
the run fast. I crossed the line in 7:00.36. What a great day!  

 

NEVILLE CHAMBERLAIN

I
enjoyed the race although it was quite tough with strong winds on the bike and
hot weather on the run. I had to take sponges at each water point to cool down
during the run. Unfortunately my wife Helena, missed the cut off on the bike leg
again by a mere 5 minutes. I therefore have mixed feelings about the event. We
will definitely be back next year to get her medal! My finishing time was 6:49:04.

After 90 minutes of strenuous activity, your glucose
stores are depleted, which brings the nervous system function to a near halt,
making continued exertion almost impossible. This is what marathon runners
refer to as “hitting the wall.” Therefore, it is important to fuel up every 45 to
60 minutes during a long ride or run, with around 30 to 60g of carbohydrate per
hour.

 

The form of carbohydrate does not seem to matter physiologically
– some athletes prefer to use a sports drink, whereas others prefer to eat solids
or gels and consume with water. You can mix and match different options and should
experiment to find what works best for you during training. Prolonged exercise
may affect appetite and varying salty & sweet foods during the day can
help. However, what makes a good snack during a ride or a run is about more than
just providing your muscles and glycogen stores with the correct nutrients, it
needs to also be portable, convenient and sustainable, and should be able to
handle high temperatures (should not melt).

 

If you are cycling, it is important to start eating as
soon as you feel comfortable on your bike. During your run, start eating and
drinking early in the session (within 30 to 45 minutes). A very good phrase to
go by is the following: “Eat before you’re hungry and drink before you’re
thirsty.”

 

SNACKS YOU CAN TRY

Energy or sports bars: A simple but effective
snack, and usually well balanced in their carbohydrate, fat and protein
content. Cutting the bar into smaller pieces makes the snacking process a lot
easier.

 

Baby potatoes or Salticrax biscuits: This snack is packed with
carbohydrates and potassium. Approximately three to four boiled baby potatoes
or eight Salticrax biscuits will provide you with your needed 30g of
carbohydrates per hour. By adding a little salt to the baby potatoes, you get a
lovely savoury treat that will also help to replace sodium lost through sweat.

 

Peanut butter and syrup sandwich: The bread and syrup provides you with the needed carbohydrates and the
peanut butter provides protein and healthy fats. Cut the sandwich up into four
small squares or triangles to make eating as easy as possible.

 

Sports drinks: Approximately 375 to
500ml of sports drink (6-8g of carbohydrates per 100ml) will supply you with 25
to 30g of carbohydrates. Sports drinks also contain electrolytes to help
replace those lost.

 

Energy gel sachets: These are easy to
carry and two sachets provide you with approximately 30g of carbohydrates
(depending on the brand).

 

Trail Mix: Dried fruits supply
you with a concentrated source of carbohydrates and salted nuts supply you with
potassium and healthy fats.

 

Jelly sweets: These as generally
the easiest to carry and consume during a long ride or run. They supply you
with an instant source of simple carbohydrates to help increase your blood
glucose levels. Approximately five to six sweets (jelly babies, jelly beans,
Super C’s, etc.) will provide you with roughly 30g of carbohydrates.

 

To get the most out of your training rides and runs,
and of course race day, the timing and type of food you eat is important. As a
general guide, you should aim to eat a main meal three to four hours before a
run and then a lighter snack one to two hours beforehand.

The Bluffer was born in 2008 when 12 guys from Cape
Town decided to support a mutual friend’s training for the 80km Puffer Trail
Run. This saw them cover 100km of trail on the Cape Peninsula over three days, sleeping
over in SANparks camping areas, and they repeated the Peninsula setting for the
next two years’ runs, followed by two years running in the Overberg Mountains
around Elgin-Grabouw and Kleinmond. This year, in early October, the 25-strong
group will head to the Cedarberg Mountains up the West Coast for the 2013
Bluffer, and running with them will be former Proteas cricketer Mark Boucher.

 

Having decided to support a worthy cause with their
run, the Bluffers chose Mark’s SAB Boucher Conservation charity, which supports
the fight to protect the rhinos, and he was thus invited to join the run. He
admits it’s going to be a tough undertaking: “I’m not used to trail and the courses
I had done previously were nothing more than 14km, so when you’re expected to
cover about 30 to 40km a day, I knew I needed to pick it up in training!
Fortunately I’ve always been a nature lover, so 25km Saturday morning runs around
Table Mountain and Tokai Forest in the recent storms in the Cape were fun.”

 

FOR THE RHINOS

Mark says he is really pleased that the Bluffer will
be run on behalf of his charity and rhino conservation. “We look at any species
that need help. Right now, rhinos are on the tip of everyone’s tongues and
we’ve already raised close to R1 million. Once the Bluffer funds are collected,
I’d like to see the money go towards the Onderstepoort Veterinary Clinic, which
is helping build a DNA database for SA’s rhino population. I’ve been out in the
field for darting and DNA sampling operations, and the campaign is getting
there!”

 

More info at www.markboucher.co.za

This really has been Mapaseka Makhanya’s year! So far
in 2013, she not only did the double at the SA Senior Track and Field Champs by
winning both the 1500m and 5000m titles, she also set new personal bests for
800m, 3000m and 5000m. Then she shifted her focus to national Spar Ladies 10km
series on the road once the track season was over, winning the Durban leg in PB
32:49, breaking the course record in Pretoria, and finishing second in Cape
Town and third in Port Elizabeth. With just the Johannesburg leg to go, she has
all but won the Spar Grand Prix competition, as she is now 29 points ahead of
Irvette van Zyl, and she is confident she can win in Jozi as well. Then, to top
it all off, in early September she also ran her debut 42km at the Gauteng
Marathon, cruising home in 2:37:06 to record the second-fastest time by a South
African woman this year.

 

“I’ve always had that winning mentality. My coach,
Lungile Bikwani, has made that a part of who I am now,” says the Sowetan
speedster. “I’ve got the results and I’m happy, but I know that I can go
faster!” And while many still identify her with middle distance events on the
track, Mapaseka is happy to embrace new challenges in the sport she loves. “The
track will always be my home and where I’m comfortable, but I know now that I
have a future at road running,” she says, “all it takes is the same dedication
and enthusiasm that I’ve had at training all these years.”

 

YOUNG TALENT

Running has always been a part of Mapaseka’s life. At
school, she took part in cross-country and track events, and that continued into
her student years at the University of Johannesburg. In her teens, she
represented South Africa at the World Youth Champs, World Junior Champs and
World School Games, and while her coach pushed her throughout her teen years,
taking the ladder to senior level competition was difficult. “At that point, I
was just happy to be a part of the pro set-up,” she says. “I wasn’t as serious
about it. It was just an opportunity to get a unique perspective on athletics
and how one can make a living out of it. But there’s a development gap in this
country. Between the ages of 19 and 24, there’s a huge difference between the
juniors and seniors, so at first, I wanted to quit when I reached that level,
but my coach pushed me through it and I got a lot stronger.”

 

Now, the decision to push to longer distances and
leave the track is a bittersweet one for Mapaseka. “Track and field is dying in
this country, so while I still love it, road running is becoming more popular
and there’s definitely a future for me there in the coming years. It’s meant a
different way of training – I’m still on the track a lot for speed, but now I
run the mileage and have to entertain that long-distance mentality.”

 

JUGGLING ACT

As a pro athlete, Mapaseka puts in a lot of time for
training. On Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, she dedicates mornings to speed
work on the track followed by a short run, with tempo runs and hill sessions
the rest of the week. She rests on Saturdays and uses her Sundays for long
runs. She also does some strength work in the gym. As a track athlete for so
many years, she says she understands the importance of concentrating on speed
work. “I think success is usually guaranteed behind the scenes. It’s those
hours at training. A lot of athletes skip a day if the coach happens to miss
training. Not me… I go back to basics and work hard!”

 

With a busy training week, she still juggles being a mom
to four-year-old Naledi. “People ask how I do it, but I’m used to being an
athlete mom. You have a routine you stick to, like I go for a run, come back home
and dress Naledi for cr?che,” she says. “There are hard days, but nothing I
can’t handle.” And Naledi is never far from Mapaseka’s thoughts: The proud mom
is well known for her trademark tattoo across her stomach, a chain holding her
daughter’s name, which is seen every time she races. “I remember being so proud
of having my baby that I knew that I had to get that tattoo. Naledi means ‘star,’
and she’s very important to me. She’s always at the finishes and usually wants
to pick up my trophies for me!”

 

THE NEXT STEP

This year, Mapaseka knew she would be taking on road
running stars such as the Kalmer sisters, Irvette van Zyl, Lebo Phalula and Rutendo Nyahora. Her initial goal in
the Spar Ladies races was a top three finish, but she got so much more than she
bargained for. “I think I’ve learnt a lot making the move to the road,” she
says. “The 800m, for example, is quick and hard, but the first time I moved to
a longer distance on the road, I found I had to ‘entertain’ myself and continue
to be positive on the route. As I move on, so will my mind for the distances,
and I usually race as the route goes – if I’m feeling good, I’m feeling good.”
At the Gauteng Marathon, Mapaseka says she really felt the distance in the last
4km as her legs cramped a bit, but she stuck with it. “There was a point at
about 26km I thought I was quite slow, so I picked it up, then cramped a bit
later. It was hilly and tough, but I can only move on to better things now!”

 

While she’s highlighted next year’s Old
Mutual Two Oceans Half Marathon as a must-run, there’s no stopping her from
attempting the ultra some time in the future, but for the immediate next few
years, Mapaseka wants to go after more track titles, build up her strength on
the road, and then wear the green and gold in the Olympic marathon in Rio 2016.
“I work hard and I have my family support at races and in everything I do,” she
explains. “It’s come to a point where they say, ‘Why didn’t you win?’ if I come
second! Going forward, there’s enough in me to carry on with the bigger distances
and tougher races. I think if any young athlete just works hard, everything
will fall into place in the end. I love running and I’ve just made it work for
me!”

MAPASEKA’S PBs

800m                2:03.18

1 500m             4:08.18

3 000m             9:08.02

5 000m             15:53.02

10km                32:49

42.2km             2:37:06

You can follow Mapaseka on Twitter:
@Mapasexy

When Don
Charles won the grandmaster title at the 2013 Central Gauteng Cross Country
Champs in August, it was yet another age category win to add to his already impressive collection. In
previous years he has wracked up wins in the veteran, master and grandmaster
categories at top events like the Loskop Ultra-marathon and Cape Town City
Marathon, but Don says the most special victories came in his childhood ‘hometown’
of Soweto. In fact, he has won his category at the Soweto Marathon as a veteran,
a master and as a grandmaster. “These races have meant so much to me, as I have
an attachment to Soweto,” says Don.

 

SOCCER PRO

When Don
was a little boy, he looked up to his older brother who was always out on the
soccer field, and at the age of eight, Don decided this was the sport for him.
He spent many hours of his childhood doing what he loved most, playing very
competitive soccer in Soweto, and went on to enjoy a successful playing career, but after many years of
playing professionally, he grew tired of the politics in the soccer industry and made a decision to transition
from soccer to the more tranquil world of individual sport, specifically running.

 

It all
started on a Friday evening when Don heard there was a marathon happening
relatively close to where he lived that Sunday morning. Now he had harboured a
desire to run a marathon at the back of his mind since road running had been
opened to all races in the 70s, so that Friday he decided he would go and run
on the Sunday.

 

“I never
really knew what a marathon was and what the distances were, because road
running had been strictly for white people only for the longest time. Still, I
was prepared to run the marathon based on my soccer fitness,” says Don, who
duly arrived at the start line in his casual ‘tekkies.’ “By the time I got to
10km I realised this was pretty far. When I got to 15km, I asked the fellow
runners beside me how far there was left to go. When they told me we weren’t
even halfway, my enthusiasm dwindled, and when I got to 27km, I called it
quits!”

 

NATURAL RUNNER

Despite
such a negative first experience of long distance running, Don had still
enjoyed the race, so he decided to try again, but this time he would train properly,
having realised that his soccer fitness was only a base for this type of
endurance sport, and that he needed to put in more training before taking on
another marathon. Once he began serious training, however, Don proved to be a ‘natural,’
and his competitive nature soon earned him podium positions, and later many age
category wins.

 

Initially,
Don had a regular training partner, but when he grew tired of the sport and
threatened to quit, Don started hassling his wife, Muriel, to also take in his
much loved new sport. Muriel had no interest in running, but decided to humour her
husband, but little did she know that she would also prove to be a natural and become
a competitive age grouper! So these days, the Charles couple regularly do a
double sweep of the men’s and women’s grandmaster categories at races up to
half marathon distance. “Don is always training me,” says Muriel. “We like to
do some training sessions together, when our schedules allow it, and we also do
a lot of cross-training, which includes Boot Camp and gym work.” Their two sons
are also sporty, one being a runner and the other a cyclist. Meanwhile, Don’s
next big goal is to ride the Momentum 94.7 Cycle Challenge with his son later
this year. He may just prove a natural at that as well…

DON’s PBs

10km          33:27

21km          1:11:22

42km          2:34:31

Last year was quite some
year for track and field star Ilse Hayes. Competing in the T13/F13 class for visually impaired athletes, she won gold in the long jump and silver in the
100m at the London Paralympic Games, an exact repeat of her medal haul at the
2008 Beijing Paralympics, to go with the bronze she won in the 400m at the 2004
Athens Games. However, she competed in London despite a badly torn quad muscle,
then in February tore a calf, followed by a disk in her back in May. That meant
she went to the IPC World Champs in France in August having done very little
training – and no long jump training at all – but came close to a PB in the
100m in a warm-up race in Germany, then jumped further in Lyon than she did
when winning in London! “So from now on, no more training!” she laughs.

 

“Before London, the physio’s
thought it was just a tight muscle, so kept rubbing it and making it worse. The
doctor was worried the muscle could rupture completely and end my career, but
luckily that didn’t happen. I took it easy in the semi-final to make the final
of the 100m, then gave it everything in the final and was fine for the first 60m.
After that it was just incredible pain. The next day was the long jump, but I told
myself I had trained for four years to be there, so I just had to put the pain
out of my mind and get on with what I came there for.”

 

At 28, Ilse is already
considered a veteran of international competition. Her first taste of
international competition came at the 2002 World Champs in France, where she
was the youngest member of the SA team at 16. “That was a real eye-opener for
me. Before the long jump, there was a Russian athlete with a red afro going a
bit crazy in the call room, teasing her hair in between hitting the wall and
screaming!” However, that didn’t put Ilse off and she brought home long jump gold
to go with a bronze in the 100m. “Your first
international gold medal is always special as you hear your national anthem,
but the Paralympic gold medals will always stand out.”

 

VISION PROBLEMS

Ilse ran her first race in
primary school, aged eight, and promptly smashed the school record. However,
when she was 11, her tennis coach noticed that she was struggling to see the
ball, and then her teachers also noticed she couldn’t read the board any more,
so they urged her parents to have her eyes tested. She was diagnosed with a condition called Stargardt’s Disease, which affects the retina and
causes exceptionally blurry vision. “Between the ages of 11 and 13 my eyes deteriorated quite quickly,” says
Ilse. “I was told I will never go blind, but even up close things are blurred, so
I read with a magnifying glass, and I sit close to the TV. However, the most
annoying thing is that I can’t drive. I’m lucky to have people that drive me
around, including my incredibly supportive husband, Cassie, who works flexi
hours as a financial advisor.”

 

Born in Johannesburg, Ilse has
lived and trained in Stellenbosch since coming to study Sports Science in 2004,
which she followed with an Honours in Paediatric Exercise Science. She married
Cassie in 2010 and is currently training full-time plus doing volunteer work
with local children as a sports co-ordinator at a University of Stellenbosch
community project. She is part of the powerful Maties-Helderberg
club coached by Suzanne Ferreira that dominates SA Paralympic sports. “Our
Stellenbosch group is incredible. We enjoyed so much success in London, and in
Lyon only three out of SA’s 18 medals did not come from our club. It is also a
privilege to compete overseas with so many close friends.”

 

“I know quite a few people
with disabilities who were told by doctors they wouldn’t be able to compete or
participate, and many of them proved the doctors wrong. I believe that if you
have the passion for something, then it’s no-one’s place to stand in your way
because you’re disabled. If you have the self-belief that it is possible, go
for it – or else you’ll always wonder what if.”

Back in May 1986, Willie
Mtolo and the late Zithulele Sinqe fought an almighty duel in the SA Marathon
Champs race in Port Elizabeth. Sinqe’s winning time of 2:08:04 was the fastest
ever by a South African, with Mtolo’s 2:08:15 second on the list, and their
performance really made the rest of the world sit up and take notice. “Globally,
only the Australian Rob de Castella, with his 2:07:51 in Boston, was faster
than Sinqe that year,” says SA athletics statistician Ri?l Hauman, current
editor of the South African Athletics Annual.
“Even though both the Boston and PE courses were considered assisted due to the
overall drop from start to finish, Sinqe and Mtolo were right up there in the
world rankings of the time.”

 

However, it took more than
11 years for another South African to go faster than Sinqe, when Josiah
Thugwane ran 2:07:28 in Fukuoka, Japan in December 1997. And since 1986, only
four SA men have managed to go faster than Sinqe: Thugwane, Gert Thys, Hendrik
Ramaala and the late Ian Syster – and Thys set the current SA record of 2:06:33
in Tokyo as far back as February 1999. Similarly, amongst the women, the days
of Elana Meyer, Colleen De Reuck and Frith van der Merwe are somewhat a distant
memory. In the 90s these three athletes ran 14 sub-2:30 times between them, but
we had to wait until Rene Kalmer’s 2:29:59 in 2011 for another SA woman to
repeat that feat.

 

“If you look at the global
marathon statistics, the world is getting better at a terrific rate, but South
African standards are not improving. SA has stagnated,” says Ri?l. “And for
that reason, we selected a 41-year-old Hendrik Ramaala to go run the marathon
at the World Champs this year. Yes, he made the qualifying time, but he is past
his best racing days now. The problem seems to be that there are few younger
athletes of the same calibre coming through to take over from him.”

WORLD MARATHON STANDARDS 2012

In the past year, South Africa’s top male and
female marathoners were substantially off the global pace overall.

Men            World   SA        Women      World   SA

Sub-2:05     11         0          Sub-2:20     6          0

Sub-2:06     23         0          Sub-2:22     18         0

Sub-2:07     50         0          Sub-2:24     44         0

Sub-2:08     91         0          Sub-2:26     89         0

Sub-2:09     152       0          Sub-2:28     144       0

Sub-2:10     224       1          Sub-2:30     210       0

Sub-2:11     307       1          Sub-2:32     313       1

Sub-2:12     432       1          Sub-2:34     407       2

Sub-2:13     562       2          Sub-2:36     522       2

Sub-2:14     706       3          Sub-2:38     656       3

Sub-2:15     848       6          Sub-2:40     798       3

 

FACTOR OF SEVEN

Ri?l believes that a
combination of interlocking factors is responsible for not only this lack of
marathoning depth in SA, but also the overall disappointing performances by South
African athletes in global track, road and cross country events:

1 Lack of season structure
and planning.

2 Lack of opportunities for
top class competition.

3 Lack of money and support
for athletes.

4 Over-racing, moving up to
marathons too soon and over-importance of ultras.

5 Lack of proper coaching
structures and guidance for athletes.

6 Dysfunctional and too
politicised national athletics body.

7 Overly stringent and
impractical qualifying requirement for Olympics.

 

“I see athletes all over
the country racing too much, weekend after weekend. They don’t peak for a big
race, they just race at the same level all the time, and I know it’s a question
of money for many of them, as they need to put bread on the table. Also, many move
up to marathons and ultras too soon, when they should ideally gradually build
up distance over a few years, focusing first on speed and strength on the track
and in cross country, then step up to 10km on road, and only much later move up
to half marathons, still later the marathon, and only much later the
ultra-marathons. But we all know the big money is in the marathons and ultras,
and that is where many young athletes go.”

 

Ri?l points to the success
of UK Athletics at the 2012 Olympic in London as a model which SA would do well
to learn from. “If we can get our season planning right and get a proper
coaching structure in place, with a national coach in place and coaches at all
levels working together, from grassroots to Olympic level, as they did so
successfully in the UK, then we can turn things around. And with more money we
can help athletes like Stephen Mokoka with a 2010 PB of 2:08:33 and Lusapho April
on 2:09:25 in 2011 to focus on the Olympics and World Champs, and then we could
see our marathoners challenging the world’s best again.”

FANUS ROSSOUW

I was involved in a hit-and-run motorcycle accident in
2005 and I ended up with several broken ribs, a broken back and suffered major
head trauma. The doctors told my wife that I wouldn’t survive the operation,
but after two and a half months I was out of ICU and started rehab. Paralysed from
the abdomen down, I started to do some strength work, but it was difficult.
It’s then that I met Pieter and the group of guys at Rademeyers.

 

Pieter told me to start off with a 10km with him.
Little did I know he was tricking me and it was an extra 5km, but my love of
races was born. So we stepped it up to 21km, then 32km and eventually a
marathon. Now, we’re ticking off 100-milers! You just go, and Pieter always
encourages me if I feel like stopping. I managed to get 805km for a silver
medal in the 1000km Challenge. At races across Gauteng, we get a great
reception from runners. When there’s a steep incline, they’re more than happy
to push and help. It’s always a fun experience and we joke along the way.

 

Pieter and I race in our normal day-to-day chairs,
just to show athletes that it doesn’t take a big expense to start! While we
struggle to wheel on grass at most finishes, we carry on! What’s life without a
few hiccups, anyway? If you try one race, who knows what can happen? It has
definitely changed me as a person – I knew that I could do so much more than
sitting at home.

 

Pieter Pretorius

I feel like Fanus and I have had two lifespans in one
– one on our feet and one on wheels. I was involved in a car accident back in
1992 and was left paralysed from the abdomen down. About five years ago, I met
Thea Wilkins and the wheelchair group at Rademeyers, ‘The Kloofies,’ and they
convinced me to do my first 5km. After that I never thought I’d double it up to
10km, but I got stronger and eventually I met Fanus and conned him into doing
races with me! We use a front freewheel on our normal chairs instead of racing
chairs, because we want to let other wheelchair athletes know that there is no
need for fancy chairs.

 

It’s been two years now that the 1000km Challenge has
been open to wheelchair athletes and there’s more awareness out there. This year,
I managed to get in 1 200km for a gold medal and it’s been a great experience!
Fanus and I finished in 23:37 at the Dawn to Dusk 100 Miler and were ninth in a
time of 20:21 at the Golden Reef. There are a few more 100-milers we’d like to
do, the Comrades – if we’re allowed one day – as well as the London Marathon. Apart
from some blisters, swollen hands at the end of a race, and flat tyres, we love
every minute of it!

 

Since I’ve started racing, there’s been an improvement
in my health – my blood pressure has dropped and I’ve got so much confidence!
In the end, it’s a battle against yourself. I always thought I was in the way,
but now there’s so much support. People tell us that we’re an inspiration, but
it’s the runners who boost us!