Category: Features

Leon Baker did not think much of the medical tests he had to undergo for
a life insurance policy. In fact, the day he did the test started out like all
the other days: No exercise, eating another greasy take-out and lounging in
front of the TV. But then came the call that changed his life: His broker
informed him there would be a loading on his insurance policy as his
cholesterol was too high and he carried too much weight. Leon was shocked.

 

“It was not the extra money that bothered me, it was the fact that
somebody else thought my health was so bad that they had to charge me extra for
a policy. I was 33 at the time and saw the loading as completely ridiculous. I
saw red and asked for the test to be redone in three months. My broker laughed,
but agreed.” That very night Leon was out the door and started walking around
the block. “My first walk was 3.6km and every day I kept on walking. Gradually
it got a bit easier and I got a bit quicker. I was worried about my weight, but
that wasn’t the key factor… I was more worried about my health.”

 

HEAVY,
HEAVIER, HEAVIEST

At his heaviest in 2003, Leon weighed 97kg. Before that he was fairly
active at school and varsity and dabbled in alternative sports such as martial
arts and underwater hockey. “I was never fat, but it always looked like I could
lose a kilo or two.” However, Leon’s weight spiralled out of control when he
started working, because he was a young father trying to support his family and
also still studying. This meant the little sport he was doing was the first
thing that went out the door. “I ate a lot while sitting in front of the TV!”

 

Leon was uncomfortable and did not sleep well. He had bad indigestion
and felt miserable, but never to the point where he wanted to change his
lifestyle. “Once I got on a bike and cycled 3km. It took me a week to recover
and I thought I am definitely not doing that again!”

 

THEN CAME
CHANGE

After the call from his broker, Leon started improving his diet by
making very simple changes, such as cutting out all junk food, reducing
carbohydrates and even buying smaller dinner plates to eat off. He lost about
10kg in two months, but that was too much, too soon, and his immune system
crashed, resulting in him suffering from flu and colds quite often. “That was a
difficult time, and the closest I came to giving up on the whole thing. I could
not understand how I could live a healthy life, but suddenly get sick.”
Fortunately this passed and by the end of 2004, Leon was back running again.

 

And then the bug bit. In April 2005 he finished his first 10km race in
57:13. “I was finished, but all I could think about was doing it faster the
next time around.” Leon had discovered his competitive side and participated in
more 10km races, always trying to run faster. “I was inexperienced and believed
every run had to be faster. This eventually led to injury.” To compensate, Leon
started swimming and cycling, which eventually saw him taking part in his first
sprint triathlon as well. As his injury cleared, he moved up to half marathons,
a distance he immediately fell in love with. He joined Breakthru Midrand
Striders and soon entered the 2008 Two Oceans Ultra Marathon, finishing in a
respectable 5:10. At the same time, Leon’s 21km times started coming down to an
impressive sub-1:30 and by 2010 his weight was down to 77kg.

 

Leon says that peer pressure from club mates led to his first Comrades
in 2009, but he crossed the line in 8:48. “The most amazing part was running
down Fields Hill with about 20km to go and realising that I was going to make
it. Up to that point I did not believe it.” His running has since improved still
more and he includes gym work, core strength, time trials, speed intervals and
long runs in his programme. These days he is even a regular podium finisher in
his age category, and has now run four consecutive Comrades, clocking 8:19 (2010),
8:23 (2011) and a very impressive silver medal time of 7:25 last year.

 

FUTURE GOALS

Leon’s main aim this year is to break seven hours at Comrades and get
his 10km down to sub-35 minutes, his 21km time under 80, and his marathon time
to sub-2:50. He believes he is not a naturally fast runner, but that his good
lung capacity from years of underwater hockey contributes to his success. He also
believes that running is a journey you need to discover yourself. “When
non-sportspeople see how exhausted runners are, they feel sorry for us, but
they don’t realise how alive running makes us feel.”

 

Leon’s family is involved in sport and both his kids, Jennifer (17) and
Dylan (13) run. In fact, Jennifer was the second junior home at the recent
Dis-Chem Half Marathon. “When your children are involved with you in sport, the
whole family is more connected,” says Leon, who now weighs a healthy 67kg, a
whopping 30kg less than at his heaviest. Though he makes sure he eats healthily,
he is not fanatical about it. “I do have pizza or chocolate from time to time,
but definitely limit my intake. The best way to think of food is as fuel. Then
you see it differently.”

 

Leon’s biggest goal now is to see how fast he can go. “I have exceeded
all expectations I had of myself, or that anyone else had of me. Every time I
go faster, I get more motivated. I will never go back to the fat guy in the
pictures. That is not me. When I don’t exercise, I can feel my quality of life
dropping. I believe potential is limitless, and as long as I can hold on to
that idea, I can’t see any reason I should get slower. I am going to run the
rest of my life.”

THEY SAID…

“Leon is an inspiration to many and has
achieved his goals through dedication and hard training. His enthusiasm for
running is contagious. The harder he trains, the more he enjoys the sport, and
this love of running is what motivates those around him and draws fellow club
members to persevere. I am one of many runners who has benefited from Leon’s
commitment to the sport and I am truly thankful to him for all of his time,
advice and motivation.” – Caroline
Wostmann, former Breakthru Midrand Striders member, friend and training
partner, now part of the Nedbank Dream team.

 

“When I met Leon about five years ago at
a race in Pretoria, he was rather ‘porky’ and I easily beat him. Over the past
few years, he has caught up with me and passed me! He has achieved so much and
is an inspiration to me. He has shown me what is possible with focus and
dedication. Thanks, Leon, for your passion and your friendship. I hope you
continue to achieve the ambitious goals you set for yourself!”- Duane Newman, chairman of Breakthru Midrand
Striders and friend of Leon.

LEON’S PBs

10km             36:11

15km             57:29

21km             1:21:21

42km             2:58:28

56km             4:36

Comrades      7:25

Growing up on a farm in Warmbaths, Wian was always
outdoors, but after suffering from asthma at a young age, the doctors
recommended a simple solution to better his breathing: Get into the pool. “I
started swimming and my coach saw something in me,” says Wian. “Also, I was
always active as a kid – I ran everywhere before I walked anywhere.” Added to
that, Wian’s parents were avid cyclists, and when they introduced him to the
bike, to go with his raw talent in swimming and comfort in running any
distance, it soon became obvious that he was born to be a triathlete.

 

“At first I competed in all disciplines separately,”
Wian explains, “but then I saw triathlon on TV and fell in love with the sport,
knowing I could do well. At 15, I was already taking part in my first SA
Champs.” At 17, he finished eighth at the Youth Olympics, then secured a third place
in the 2011 All Africa Games, and that motivated him to train harder, and to be
faster and more focused coming into the 2012 season. That saw him claim a win in March at the SA Triathlon
Champs in Port Elizabeth (as an elite!), grab a win in the ETU Cup in
Slovenia, and then record his big win at the World Champs in New Zealand.

 

AMONGST THE LEADERS

Wian went across to New Zealand two weeks before the
World Champs to adapt to the 11-hour time difference and the unpredictable
weather. But when race day came around, he still had to contend with an extremely
challenging race day. “The water was only 15 degrees, the rain was coming down
hard, and the roads were wet, but I just kept my concentration from the start.
Also, I knew that there were at least 15 athletes that could pull off the win,
because that level is hard. You push yourself to the brink, but even with all
the elements that were out there on race day, I knew I had the training,
mentality and game plan,” he says.

 

After some pulling and fighting up front, Wian found
the leaders in the water and exited the 750m swim in the top 10, and it
remained tough-going all the way through the race. Despite the pouring rain and
three steep climbs, Wian revelled in the difficult conditions and stayed on his
bike for the 20km leg despite numerous crashes around him. Coming into the
second transition, his legs felt good and he pulled clear of France’s Simon Viain and Ireland’s Constantine
Doherty on the second of two 2.5km laps to become the first ITU World Champion
from Africa at junior, u/23 and elite level in 1:01:44.

 

“It’s hard to explain the
win,” says Wian, “it was an incredible feeling and I remember jumping around.
It was a dream for me from the beginning and I kept fantasising about the win
after months of hard training.” He was also lucky enough to see his parents at
the finish line – the support system he has enjoyed and appreciated from the
beginning. “They bend over backwards for me. They only sometimes travel with me,
but they were there at the win, so it was special. They’re also athletes, so
they always support me 100%.”

 

TOUGH TRAINING

Wian’s win was just
reward for the hectic training schedule he follows. Depending on the time of
season, he trains 30 hours a week, including 12 hours on the bike, running 5km
to 8km each session, and often doing between 20km and 30km in the pool at the
High Performance Centre in Pretoria. While focusing on specific swim, run and
bike sessions, Wian also dedicates some time to core strength work, and of
course, he makes sure he eats right. “I always say, if you don’t put the right
petrol in your car, it won’t go, and as an athlete you need to get in proper
food!”

 

After a long season
(February to November), Wian cherishes some downtime at the farm in December
and January, doing chores, hanging out with friends and family, and watching
movies – anything a regular teenager would do! But now, having taken a short
break after his terrific 2012 season, Wian has set both short-term and
long-term goals for 2013 and beyond. “I have a few international races coming
up and I’m planning to get to the Rio Olympics in a few years, with lots of
planning and focus!”

 

Wian says he can see the
sport of triathlon slowly growing in South Africa, and with good results from
locals on the international stage, he hopes there will be still more
development. “You see athletes like Richard Murray and others getting great
wins and it gets more people interested to compete, and slowly the local races
are getting bigger and better, which is great to see.” He adds that triathlon
is not just a sport for him, it’s a lifestyle he chose and a job he loves to
do. “I’m fortunate enough to do it. There are obviously bad days when I’m tired
and sore and I think of what else I could do, but then I think about how lucky
I am to do what I absolutely love!”

THANK YOU NOTE

Wian says he couldn’t do
it without his sponsors and supporters: Coaches Lindsey Parry and Rocco Meiring, Triathlon South Africa,
Business Systems Group (BSG), High Performance Centre (HPC), Sport and
Recreation South Africa, ASG Sport Solutions, PeptoPro, PeptoSport, Future
life, ITU, Bruce Reyneke Cycles and Continental tyres.

What you eat is important, but even
healthy food can stop you from losing weight if you eat too much of it.
Dieticians never recommend extreme calorie restriction, but there are some
tricks you can use to slightly reduce the amount of food you eat without
feeling deprived. Remember, your brain is easily fooled by shifts in
perspective. It’s also more responsive to external cues like an empty plate
than internal cues like a full stomach. Understanding these influences can show
you how to tilt them in your favour. Over time this calorie difference can help
you drop weight. It’s slow, but it’s steady. And best of all, it’s painless.

 

1. SMALL PLATES, TALLER GLASSES

A full plate sends the signal that
you’re eating a full meal and a partially full plate looks like a skimpy meal,
regardless of the actual quantity of food. Therefore, using smaller plates and
filling them up is a proven way to eat less without noticing. Also, you can cut
down on your liquid calories by choosing taller glasses rather than shorter,
fatter ones.

 

2. SNACKS OUT OF
SIGHT

People eat a lot more when food is
visible. Research has also demonstrated that the harder food is to get to, even
if the extra effort is just removing a lid or walking to the cabinet, the less
likely you are to eat it. The extra work forces you to talk yourself out of a decision
you may regret later.

 

3. DON’T EAT FROM
THE PACKAGE

Your stomach can’t count. When you can’t
see how much you’re eating, you’re more than a little likely to lose track and
consume double or even triple the amount you’d eat if you took the time to
serve yourself a proper portion. Use a plate or napkin, to make sure you get a
good visual of everything you’re going to eat.

 

4. CHOOSING FAST
FOODS

?    
Portion
control: Choose the smallest size available.

?    
Add
colour: Foods with colour contain more vitamins, minerals and
antioxidants.

?    
Know
what’s in your food: Spend
some time looking at the nutritional information for your favourite take-away.

?    
Choose
fatter chips: If you have to
have some sort of fried potato, choose wedges or thick-cut chips if they are
available, as thinner fries absorb more oil.

?      
Be
salad smart: Salad can be a
nutritious, low-kilojoule option, or it can be laden with fat. Keep an eye on
what you include in your salads!

 

5. BE FOOD CONSCIOUS

Don’t eat while doing something else,
like watching TV, reading or working. Eat slowly and enjoy your food.

 

6. THOSE TRICKY FOOD SITUATIONS

Make a plan including strategies for
handling challenging food situations, such as parties or festive foods at work.
Try having a piece of fruit, cup of yoghurt, half a lean deli meat sandwich, or
a few crackers with low-fat cheese ahead of time, to avoid arriving at the
party famished and then overeating.

 

7. UNDERSTAND YOUR FOOD BEHAVIOUR

If we don’t understand our own triggers
and patterns of behaviour with food, it can make it difficult to change. For
example, do you eat when you’re stressed or tired?

 

8. DON’T THINK OF GETTING TO ‘THE END’

Making permanent, sustainable change is
the constant theme! You don’t reach the goal and then you’re finished. Life
isn’t like that. It’s about navigating the good times and the bad times.

 

Remember: it’s about what you do all the
time, not about what you do sometimes. Here’s to a happy,
healthy 2013!

Norman and Pedri are accustomed to the immense
challenge and unpredictability of Comrades, and both are motivated to encourage
others to give back. Norman has run Comrades twice while Pedri is a more
experienced runner with 11 Comrades finishes under his belt, including an
impressive best of 6:53. “It’s simple for us,” says Pedri, “running to give
back is an opportunity for us to do what we love. We combine our love of Jesus
and our love of running!”

 

THE MISSION

For Pedri and Norman, the Sudan4Jesus (S4J) initiative
strives to implement a ‘buddy system’ every year where Comrades Marathon
runners who are members will nominate a ‘buddy’ (athlete or not) to help them
with their journey. “A runner has a buddy who inspires and helps throughout the
journey,” explains Norman. “To run the Comrades, one commits and has to juggle
work, family, training and fundraising, so it always helps to have someone with
you.”

 

From a modest but commendable beginning in 2010 of raising
R35 000 between the two runners, the campaign soon became more popular, with 20
members signing up in 2011 and raising around R115 000. “In 2012, we raised another
R105 000, and the growth has been so amazing!” says Pedri.

 

Given the campaign’s rapid growth, Pedri and Norman now
encourage an average of R5 000 raised per athlete with a target of signing up 100
athletes for Comrades 2013 and beyond. Near the end of 2012, they were well on
their way, with 85 runners from 20 different running clubs having committed! Included
in this 2013 Up Run S4J team is seasoned Comrades runner Louis Massyn, who has
run 40 consecutive Comrades, as well as the 2012 Washie 100-miler winner Johan
Van Der Merwe.

 

FOLLOWING THE FUNDS

For Pedri and Norman, the S4J campaign is not just
about raising funds, they are hands-on when it comes to bringing the gospel to
communities who haven’t heard it before, supplying ministry tools, and participating
in outreach projects like painting schools in the area. Apart from their
personal religious duty, S4J is also a humanitarian project. “It’s amazing to
see the funding available to see our strategy work,” say Norman. “We can speak
out on behalf of those who cannot, because the reality is that the country is
still full of conflict and the government’s reign is violent.”

 

The duo believe that some runners have the natural DNA
to want to give back and make a greater impact for change. “It’s about Comrades
and giving back,” Pedri explains, “and at the finish of Comrades 2013, we’ll
have a community at our stand and we’ll all celebrate!”

For more information about S4J and how to get
involved, visit www.sudan4jesus.com and www.sudanpartners.org, or call Pedri on
012 460 5153.

I am 33, married, with two young sons and am also
hard-of-hearing. Without my hearing aids on, I am essentially deaf. However, I
am fortunate to have good quality hearing aids, and they enable me to have
access to the hearing world. You see, I had a complicated birth, where I had to
be resuscitated. I had no muscle tone, and was put on life support. I
eventually recovered my muscle tone, but lost most of my hearing due to oxygen
deprivation. The doctors told my parents they must accept I was retarded and
would need special schooling, and advised them to place me in a home as they
“could always have other children.” Thankfully, my parents did not listen to
these doctors!

 

I was mainstream schooled. I experienced several communication
challenges throughout my schooling and subsequent university career, but
ultimately, largely through reading the texts on my own, I graduated with a BA,
and later MA (Religious Studies) from UCT, and a PgDip in Journalism (Rhodes). I
have been working as a Researcher with DeafNET Centre of Knowledge in Worcester
for the past five years.

 

I competed in athletics and cross-country at school in
Grahamstown, being awarded my colours for cross-country in my Matric year. At
UCT, I started to train more efficiently and ran at the SASSU Provincial and
National Champs. I also competed in a few marathons, completed both the Two
Oceans and Comrades twice, and I also completed the Cape Town 100km at the age
of 20 in 1999 and ran the False Bay 50km twice (best of 3:40).

 

DETERMINATION

In April 2007, I was hospitalised for a month with a
movement disorder that rendered me unable to move most of my body. At the time,
I was diagnosed with Atypical Parkinsonism. It took me several months to learn
how to walk again. However, I was determined to run again, and secured a good
coach at the end of the year, who guided me towards being selected for the
first World Deaf Athletics Champs in Turkey, 2008, where I competed in the marathon
for Britain (I have dual citizenship, South African and British). I qualified
for the 2009 Deaflympics in Taipei, and again competed in the marathon, but two
months later I relapsed with the movement disorder once again, and it took two
months to recover.

 

In 2010, I represented Boland Masters at the 2010 SA
Masters Athletics Champs, winning the 10 000m in the 30-34 age-group. Then last
October, I chose to join in running 130km over five days to help raise funds
for the National Institute for the Deaf, and I managed to raise R25 000, but a
week later I relapsed again. The specialists advised then
I would never run again, but my mind told me otherwise.

 

BORN TO RUN

After my December relapse, I walked with a stick for
almost six months, and had extreme muscle weakness. It was a long road back, but
I have now mostly recovered, and while my times are not nearly as fast as I
used to do, I just LOVE my running. I am so grateful to do what I can do. Being
out there is the reward in and of itself. When you have been in a wheelchair, after
previously having completed several marathons and ultras, and knowing your
self-identity is a runner, and then having to learn to walk again with the aid
of a stick over several months, you start to appreciate life and running with a
deep realisation of what it truly means to be a runner.

 

It’s not about the records, the provincial and
national selections, the medals even. It’s about being out there, doing it
because you love it. It’s how you breathe. It’s what you do. It IS you. I am a
runner because it is who I am. It is not a part of me. It is me. All of me. And
it always will be.

 

By the way, I
am currently training for the 2013 Buffs Marathon and the 2013 Two Oceans ultra-marathon.

With
more and more trail races being added to the calendar, and more runners hitting
the trails, there is a school of thought that South Africa needs a national
trail running body so that the sport can be run efficiently and safely, and the
athletes can benefit from a formalised structure. However, one of the things
that makes trail running so enjoyable is the freedom it offers – no club
colours, no licence numbers, and none of the rules and regulations of road
running – and that is something many trail runners and event organisers want to
retain.

 

Athletics
South Africa President James Evans has gone on record to say that ASA does not
want to impose strict rules and regulations on trail running, but does want a
national trail running body established and affiliated to ASA somehow, so that our
world class trail runners can be included in international competition, since
these competition structures only deal with national athletic federations.
Therefore, ASA recently convened a sub-committee to look into all aspects of
this formalisation process, and asked well-known Western Cape race commentator
and avid trail runner Altus Schreuder to chair the committee.

 

“ASA
is largely hands off – the trail running community can decide what we want, and
my job is to drive the process, not the outcome” says Altus. “I have tried to
contact as many people as possible in all the provinces to include them in the discussion,
including every trail race organiser I could find, and most agree that it is
unavoidable that there must be a national structure. I’m also finding that all
the athletes are positive about structures being put in place, because it will
give them more opportunities and will see them looked after better.”

 

THREE-PRONG APPROACH

Altus
explains that the committee is currently working on three main areas of the
sport:

1. National structure – “It’s the most contentious aspect and also the one that differs the
most from region to region. The Western Cape has over 40% of all SA trail
races and most are well established, so the organisers and runners are
generally satisfied and therefore more concerned that a national body will come
in and change things. The other regions tend to want more structure and support
at this stage. Overall,
the
trail community is anti-clubs, licences, etc, and the whole concept of freedom
is very important to them. From an ASA point of view, I can go on record to say
that clubs and licences will not be an issue. ASA is OK with that.”

2. Safety and Environment – “These proposals will cover the non-negotiable aspects of safety of
runners and protection of the environment, but without adding more ‘red tape’ that will
interfere with the individuality of runners and events, or the entrepreneurial
spirit of organisers. Most experienced organisers are doing this already and
will not be impacted by this.”

3. Fixtures list, national champs and teams – “This is by far the most urgent, since we
need to be up and running in 2013 in order to send athletes to the various
World Champs events. We have just sent out various proposed policy
documents on how we are going to select teams using champs events and a points
systems, and how to select events for SA Champs, using criteria like distance,
profile, and time of year, since our champs must be just the right time before
a world champs event in order for our athletes to prepare properly. We have
also sent out a bidding document for organisers to apply to host champs
events.”

 

INAUGURAL CHAMPS

In the meantime, the Trail Committee
has already selected the Addo Elephant Trail Run 76km on 2 March in the Eastern
Cape as the first South African Ultra Trail Championships, where a team of
three men and three women will be selected for the IAU World Trail Champs
(50-80km) in Wales. “With
the World Champs in July, we need a national championships roughly in March,
and the Addo is the only event that fits the bill in terms of timing, distance
and profile,” says Altus. After that, further SA Champs events will be
selected from bidding events for the long distance (35-45km) and mountain
running (8-10km for women; 10-13km
for men) categories.

 

Added
to that, a points system will also come into play where all athletes in all
trail events will score points according to a detailed system that takes into
account distance, terrain, gradient, etc, and their best three performances
over a 12-month period will also count towards a wild card selection for
national teams, in case they cannot attend an SA Champs event, or have a bad
run at these champs.

To
find out more about the proposed future of trail running, mail Altus on
[email protected].

The
gloves are coming off. That is the best way to describe the ongoing debate in
nutritional circles thanks to Tim Noakes’ highly contentious statements over the
past year about what we should or should not be eating. He has been labelled a
crackpot, accused of unscientific methodology, and even referred to as the
“Julius Malema of medicine – a man with a hoard of followers and considerable media sway, who is capable
of producing charismatic but probably irresponsible solutions to very complex
problems.” In return, Tim has referred to some of the doctors who are opposing
him as ‘pill-pushers,’ and even said the Health Profession’s Council of SA
(HPCSA) does not understand the basis of science.

 

But this doesn’t help the
layman, who is none the wiser after the war of words. Must we remove all
carbohydrate from our diets, as Tim originally advocated, or do we just remove
specific types, as he now suggests, or do we ignore him and stick with the
‘party line’ being advocated by those who oppose him? It seems nobody can
answer that question now, because the jury is still out. That is why most
doctors, nutritionists, specialists and even the Sport Science Institute of South
Africa and University of Cape Town (Tim’s employers) have come out with
statements that tell people to continue eating balanced diets, not go ‘gung-ho’
on the low-carb/high-fat diet that Tim is advocating. In essence, the two sides
are not yet able to prove absolutely that they are right, so most are taking
the middle road.

 

Tim’s Conspiracy Theory

In 1977 the US Senate
adopted the McGovern Report on nutritional guidelines for Americans, based on a
low-fat, high-carb diet, ostensibly to promote health, but Tim believes it was
just a tool by the then US government to strengthen the country’s corn-based
agricultural sector. “Since then, people have reduced their consumption of fat
to reduce cholesterol, but obesity has risen. Before that, humans were generally
lean and did not need to be told what not to eat.” Furthermore, Tim believes
that there is a misconception that people are getting fatter because they are
eating more and exercising less, but rather it’s because they are they eating
more carbohydrate, which to cut a very long scientific story short, is being
converted into body fat, leading to obesity and serious illnesses, including
various cancers. “About 70% of chronic diseases are nutrition-based, and if we
continue as we are now, we are going to need more hospitals and doctors,” says
Tim.

 

On the other hand, opposing
doctors and nutritionist say the initial health benefits Tim has apparently
derived from his about-face on eating carbs – loss of excess weight, several
ailments cured, feeling energised, running better than ever – can be explained,
and they warn of bigger problems down the line: For starters, type one
diabetics may develop renal failure or go into a hypoglycaemic coma, and
patients with elevated triglycerides risk contracting potentially fatal
pancreatitis.

 

The
bottom line is that both sides agree that a low-carb, high-fat diet can cause rapid weight-loss,
but the regimen is not without acute dangers, and the long-term benefits of the
diet remain unclear. So while Tim has swung from high carbs to no carbs, the widely-accepted
consensus remains that something in between is best: Avoid transfats, sugars
and refined carbohydrates, eat a calorie-restricted, balanced diet with whole
grains, protein and healthy fats, exercise in moderation, and drink water when
you’re thirsty.

On a global
scale, modern lifestyles generally reduce opportunities to lace up and hit the
road. Not only do we have less time for exercise these days, but there also
seem to be less outdoor leisure facilities where one can train safely and
effectively, and we often blame government for the lack of choice out there.
The Fittest City study is looking to change that, by
not only putting a spotlight on a city’s overall fitness and activity levels,
but also helping to facilitate an improvement in urban planning that can
contribute to a city getting fitter. “We would like the index to act as a
motivation to encourage people to find opportunities to move more or sit less,
so that they can get moving for their health,” says Dr Tracy Kolbe-Alexander, a
biokineticist who co-conceptualised the study.

 

THE DATA SPEAKS

Data for
the study was collected from reliable, publicly available resources and
research, and divided into: personal health, physical activity, transport and
sports facilities. And this is how our cities ranked:

 

Personal Health Indicators

(Based on BMI, high blood pressure
and high cholesterol)

1.
eThekwini (Durban)

2. City of Johannesburg

3. Nelson Mandela
Bay (PE)

4.
Ekhurleni (East Rand)

5. Tshwane
(Pretoria)

6. City of Cape Town

 

Self-reported physical activity

(Percentage of people who reported
that they participate in at least moderate amounts of physical activity)

1. Nelson Mandela
Bay

2. Cape Town

3. Johannesburg

4. Tshwane

5. Ekhurleni

6. eThekwini

 

Transport

(Representation of the use of
non-motorised or public transport)

1. Cape Town

2. eThekwini

3. Tshwane

4. Nelson Mandela
Bay

5. Johannesburg

6. Ekhurleni

 

Physical activity-related facilities

(Number of facilities per 100 000
people)

1. Cape Town

2. Tshwane

3. Nelson Mandela
Bay

4. Johannesburg

5. eThekwini

6. Ekhurleni

 

CAPE TOWN RULES!

After
putting all the data together, the study concluded that Cape Town trumps most other cities with its
public transport and facilities. For example, the Mother
City’s cycle path between Paarden Island and Milnerton is one way that
residents are looking to get fit while commuting. Meanwhile, residents in the
Bay enjoy the country’s top reported physical activity, and thus, Cape Town came out on top of the overall rankings,
followed by Nelson
Mandel Bay:

 

1. Cape Town

2. Nelson Mandela
Bay

3. Tshwane

4. Ethekwini

5. Johannesburg

6. Ekurhuleni

 

While Durban has a lot to work
on, there are walkers, runners and cyclists that make daily use of the
promenade and water enthusiasts often enjoy snorkelling and windsurfing at
Vetch’s Pier. This year’s Discovery East Coast Radio Big Walk, with a record field
of 33 500 entrants, is also a great event that brings the residents out en
masse. While Jozi rates quite low overall, the use of the Gautrain and the Rea
Vaya Bus system helps reduce the city’s carbon footprint, and outdoor gyms in
public parks have been erected in Soweto,
Diepsloot and Eldorado
Park, but there is loads
more work to be done! On the other hand, Gauteng
does boast many great races each week, so there is an opportunity for more people
to get active.

 

THE WAY FORWARD

For a city
to improve its ‘fit and healthy’ status, it has to create an environment that
encourages movement. There need to be policies in education, transportation,
parks and recreation, media and business that boost how much we move. For
example, in Bogota, Colombia, the city has developed a
series of new green spaces, parks and playing fields. By ‘greening’ the city,
the city has become safer, which encourages more citizens to cycle and run in
the city. Here in SA, our cities could do the following to achieve the same goals:

?        
Workplace
wonders: On-site exercise facilities at work boosts productivity!

?        
Beat
the traffic: Better bus services will encourage citizens to be less dependent
on their cars.

?        
Starts
at school: Playgrounds and sports fields need to be improved.

?        
Keep
it clean, keep it safe: A clean and safe neighbourhood encourages more running
and cycling.

?        
Creating
the track: Cycle lanes on busy streets or designated times in slow lanes for
cyclists promote bicycle use.

DARE TO TRI

In the previous two years, the programme’s main goal
was to complete Ironman 70.3, but this year we are also including the 5150 events
at Bela Bela and Germiston. Next year we plan to extend the Academy training to
include participation at the 10^th anniversary of Ironman in Port
Elizabeth in April.

 

But back to this year… The response has been beyond
our wildest expectations, which once again clearly shows that South African
athletes love a new challenge! Training started in early June and already the coached
weekend sessions have seen 15 to 30 eager newbie triathletes join coach Derick
Marcisz for a Saturday morning run, a Saturday afternoon swim and/or a Sunday
morning bike ride.

 

It is by means too late to join the Academy. For more
information on how to sign up, log onto the Modern
Athlete website at www.modernathlete.co.za and follow the Dare to Tri
prompts.

 

TAKE THE
PLUNGE

As most triathletes battle
with the swimming part of triathlons, Georgie Thomas, owner and operator of
Total Immersion South Africa, is on board with Dare to Tri and will be hosting
not-to-be missed workshops with advice on swimming training. Here is Georgie’s advice
for this month:

 

Swim smarter, not harder: We’ve all heard this saying
before, but nothing could be more true, especially for triathletes. If you are
new to triathlon or ramping up your training, you may be feeling tired and a
little overwhelmed, and juggling three disciplines at once will certainly add
to your stress. One of the biggest mistakes at this stage will be to try to
push harder and fit in more, just to make the weekly mileage target  of your programme. This may benefit your run
and bike, but it certainly won’t have much effect on your swimming, and could
just make you better at struggling. So, here are a few tips for when the going
gets tough:

?        
Sometimes it’s more beneficial to skip an early
morning session if you haven’t had a good sleep. Rather squeeze in a 30-minute
session at lunchtime and get a few hours’ extra sleep.

?        
If you go to the pool and find your mind wandering,
rather quit the session. It’s pointless unless you are focused.

?        
If your body is tired from long bike and/or run
sessions, rather use your swim session as active recovery. Do a long leisurely
swim and focus on strokes per length rather than time. This way you work on
technique, but give your body a rest.

?        
Think of your swim session as practice rather than
training – you’ll get fitness through your practice as well as your bike and
run sessions.

?        
Set the primarily goal of your swim sessions to extend
your ability to focus on your form the whole time, and not on fitness. Practising
extending your focus in the pool will make the open water race experience easy,
because there will be no room for outside elements like crowds and rough water.

?        
Spend a whole session just doing drills and no
swimming – but be sure to know why you are doing the drills, otherwise it’s
pointless.

 

WHAT THEY SAID…

We chatted to a couple of our Dare to Tri Academy
members and this is what they had to say about their training up to now.

 

EMILY
ARMSTRONG

I am training for the 5150 events and will take it
from there. I did my first triathlon sprint event last year and knew after that
I wanted to keep going. 5150 is a bit of a pipe dream, as this will be the
hardest thing I have ever tackled. I want to do this for my mom, who died at
the age of 39 after battling cancer. I am 39 now and this is for her!

 

I have always been an active person, but became a bit
of a couch potato after an injury. Whilst at a New Year’s Eve party, I was
listening to friend talking about her first triathlon. She was a bit plump and
as I listened to her, I told myself that if she could do a triathlon, then I
could too! The next morning I Googled triathlon and by the end of January I had
signed up for swimming lessons and bought myself an exercise bike.

 

I love being part of the Dare to Tri programme. The
weekend training sessions are really good, as you get so much encouragement
from the group. The weekly programme keeps you focused and accountable to
yourself to keep going. The best part of the programme is Derick – his approach
to coaching keeps me motivated.

 

DAVE BENNET

I stopped smoking after 20
years and took up running in an effort to try and get fit. My sister-in-law had
signed up for 70.3 and kept bugging me to join up, so eventually, around
October last year, I caved in and joined the Academy. I enjoyed it so much I rejoined this year,
and now I am training for 5150 and Half Ironman.

 

Through the programme I am hoping to just feel fit and be healthier for my family.
After so many years of smoking I don’t want to go to back to how lazy I was
before. I loved the programme last year and am loving it again this year. I
like a scheduled routine to follow and a drill sergeant forcing me to push
myself during training. The programme’s systematic approach, coach Derick’s
experience and the support of group training make all the difference.

 

SEAN McCULLA

I bumped into an old friend last year who completed
Half Ironman and Ironman, and decided to tackle triathlon myself. My first goal
is to finish the Bela Bela 5150 event and then tackle Half Ironman. I did not
know where to start, though, and when I saw the article in Modern Athlete I signed up.

 

We are expecting our first child end of September and
I want to be fit and healthy. I was the one who used to come home from parties
at the crack of dawn and see runners and cyclist exercising in the morning and
thinking they are crazy. Now I see guys coming home at the crack of dawn while I’m
training and think those guys are the crazy ones!

 

My experience so far has been awesome. Derek and the
participants are encouraging and very insightful. I like the structure and
gradual progression.

 

QUE LEBATHA

I am training for Half Ironman and Full Ironman. I
finished Half Ironman in 2012 after self-training, but I heard about the Dare
to Tri Academy through an article in Modern
Athlete and decided to give group training a go. Triathlon is an incredibly
inspiring sport and I want to be part of that community. The Dare to Tri
programme has been a learning curve, as I used to train alone and now need to
get used to training in a group.

 

I would definitely recommend the programme to people
that live close to Bedfordview and are best able to take advantage of the
coached weekend sessions. I’d also recommend it to people that are keen to
experience a group environment and weekend training camps in Clarens – which I’m
really looking forward to!

 

PETER RANKIN

My main aim is to complete Half Ironman. I have
watched my son compete and finish two Ironman events and this got me thinking
that maybe one day I could, too. I originally decided on doing it in 2015, but
my son talked me into giving it a go next year already.

 

I have completed 12 Comrades and two hundred milers. Now
triathlon gives me the opportunity to try my hand at three disciplines. I have
found the training programme very doable. Derick has started us off slowly and
is slowly building us up. The mid-week training is not as bad as I thought it
would be, and the weekend coached training is fun thanks to doing it in a
group. There are different fitness levels, so there is always someone to run or
ride next to.

 

If you are a novice triathlete, or even if you want to
get back into triathlons, the Dare to Tri Academy is the place to be.

ADRIAN: LONG DISTANCE GOALS

When I met Mel in June 2012, I was
still riding high from completing my first Ironman in Western Australia the
previous December, and she was in full stride and ready to head to Spain for
the 2012 ITU Long Distance World Championships. Training for triathlon with
your partner has many rewards. Our time in the pool, on the bike or out for a
run is really time that we are spending together and with our friends.

 

Sitting around with Mel and a few
friends after a bit of a disappointing performance at a triathlon in February,
I asked a mate what the average age grouper should do in order to post faster
race results. His words: “The only way you are going to get faster racing is to
race more.” Soaking up his advice, Mel and I sat down and picked 10 long
distance triathlons. After a couple of Olympic distance races our long-distance
season was to begin in Fiji.

 

MEL:
UNFORGETTABLE EXPERIENCE

Upon arriving on the island for the inaugural Fiji International Triathlon, we were greeted by very warm and humid weather. What
surprised me the most was that everyone knew about the race, from the taxi
driver, to the resort staff, and even the guys behind the bar in the Marina.

 

It is true that ‘Fiji Time’ really does
exist in Fiji. Start times are really a suggestion for most things, but this
relaxed nature is a refreshing change and makes for a stress-free life. This is
no more evident than when out cycling on the roads. The drivers are courteous
and happy to wait behind you or stop and let you cross traffic.

 

Race day arrived and we were again greeted
with warm temperatures. The swim was a two-lap course, finishing with a run up
stairs toward transition. I exited the water near the front and Adrian exited
not too far behind, the slightly elongated swim course not playing to his
strengths. The bike was a picturesque three-lap course. The support was
amazing. Coming off the bike as the second female, I was feeling good! A
four-lap run course around the Golf club provided a nice mix of road running
and soft grass for some relief for the legs. To say it was a hot run is an
understatement!

 

When Adrian came running by me with 2km to
go, I was in the lead for the women’s race and purposefully didn’t look behind
me until the last aid station, as I knew, swimming being my strength, that the
runners behind would be catching me. No-one was more surprised than me when I
crossed the line and got to hold up the finisher’s banner, a once in a lifetime
experience! I was greeted at the finish by Adrian and it was really nice to
share that experience with him.

 

Since
competing in Fiji, Mel and Adrian have both managed to earn spots to the 70.3
World Championships in Las Vegas, USA on 8 September.