Category: Features

The opening ceremony of the
Games will take place on 27 July and the Games will run for two weeks, ending
on 12 August. It promises to be a spectacular event, with 26 sports broken down
into a total of 39 disciplines that will be contested by the world’s best. From
all corners of the globe, the race for spots on the various countries’ Olympic
teams is hotting up as athletes try to make the qualifying standards.

In South Africa, according to
SASCOC, the final date for Games qualification is 31 May, but various codes
have other qualification cut-offs. “We have spent many hours investing in our
sports stars and hopefully we will reap some of those rewards in London. Many
of the codes are busy with their final qualifying preparations right now,” says
SASCOC Chief Executive Officer Mr Tubby Reddy.

Amongst our
hopeful Olympians are some of the best long distance runners in the country,
and Modern Athlete caught up with
three of them: Coolboy Ngamole and Ren? Kalmer, who have both already qualified
for the Olympic marathon, as well as Irvette van Blerk, who is hoping to
qualify next month.

IRVETTE VAN BLERK

One of our
country’s top half marathon athletes, Irvette decided last year to take on the
marathon distance in order to make the Olympic team. Though she has been
training for this distance, she has not yet completed a marathon – her first
marathon was going to be the Soweto Marathon in November, but after an
unfortunate fall in the early stages, she had to withdraw later in the race.
She now has her eyes set on qualifying for the Games at the upcoming London
Marathon in April, where she hopes to run the required sub-2:37 qualifying
time.

“I am
nervous with it being my first marathon. Soweto was not the best of
experiences, but luckily I have recovered from all injuries and I am ready for
this new challenge. I believe in myself and would like to enjoy every minute of
the experience in London.” She will be accompanied to the London Marathon by
fianc? and Olympic 400m hurdles hopeful LJ van Zyl. “LJ is also a big
motivation to qualify. It will be very special for both of us to share an
experience such as the Olympic Games.”

Irvette will
be jetting off to New York to run the New York Half Marathon on 18 March. “That
is where I set my PB of 70:56 last year!” And just like most athletes, she is
dreaming of an Olympic medal, but at the same time she is realistic and says if
she does qualify, she will aim for a PB at the Games.

REN? KALMER

She is one
of our country’s best known and most loved female athletes. After a career of some
15 years mainly focussing on the 1 500m on the track as well as shorter road
distances, she decided to shift focus to the marathon last year. Her biggest
breakthrough yet was recently when she ran a 2:29 marathon in Yokohama, Japan,
and qualified for the Games.

“I am very
happy that I made the switch to the marathon distance last year already,
because I underestimated the distance! With my performance in Yokohama I proved
that I can compete internationally. I am convinced that I can still run much
faster.”

Marathon
athletes have until 30 April to qualify for the Games, whereafter a team of three
athletes will be chosen. “Till now I am the only SA women who has qualified,
but I am keeping my fingers crossed that we will be a full women’s team
representing South Africa. I don’t think a full SA women’s team has ever been
chosen, so it will be fantastic if another two women can qualify.”

Ren? will
soon be in action in London and Japan as a pacemaker. The first race is the
Nagoya Women’s Marathon in Japan. “I need to run at 3:25min/km pace and have to
pace between the 15km and 25km mark.” In April she is off to London to help
those trying to qualify in under 2:28. “This is going to be such great
experience in the build-up to the Games.”

Having been
part of the Olympic team in 2008 in Beijing, Ren? says this time around she
knows what to expect. She does not plan to run another full marathon before the
Games, as it takes too much out of one. “I am concentrating 100% on the Games.
I will be running a few local races, such as the Two Oceans Half Marathon and
the Spar Women’s series.” As for the Games, she says she is hoping to be
competitive. “I am hoping for a PB, everything thereafter is a bonus.”

COOLBOY NGAMOLE

The reigning SA Marathon Champ took much of the pressure off
himself this year by already qualifying for the Games last year, when he flew
home in a personal best time of 2:10:43 in Valencia, Spain, in November. Another
four of our male marathon runners have already run sub-2:15 qualifying times
for the Olympics: Lusapho April (2:11:09), Stephen Mokoka (2:10:29), Hendrick
Ramaala (2:12:22) and Othaniel Phahlane (2:14:55). It is up to SASCOC to decide
who makes the team.

Coolboy seems a certain pick and
says he is very excited about the prospect. “I am very happy with my training
up to now. I have no injuries and am feeling good.” He plans to run some track
and field events leading up to the Games. “I also want to focus on some 10km
and 21km races to build up some speed,” he says.

Unsurprisingly, he admits that
he dreams of winning an Olympic medal, but right now his biggest goal is just
making the team and representing South Africa in London on the world’s biggest
sporting stage.

Gary Player, or the
golfing legend better known as The Black Knight, has travelled 25 million
kilometres in 58 years, playing the sport he so passionately loves. Hard to
believe, but Gary initially did not think much of golf. “My father took me out
to a golf course when I was a young man to introduce me to the true gentlemen’s
game. The first thing that came to mind was: ‘This game is for sissies!’ But
once the bug bit, that was it for me. I have lived most of my life in hotels
and motels. It has been an exciting life, but a difficult life too… how I
longed for my family.” Today Gary makes up for all that lost time by spending
as much quality time with his wife, Vivienne, six children and 21 grandchildren,
all of whom he adores.

Gary’s father was a
great inspiration and big influence in his life. He was the one who motivated Gary to create a brand for himself, while Gary’s son Marc also helped improve his brand
dramatically. His nickname Black Knight was inspired by a television programme
called Have Gun Will Travel. Gary was intrigued with the show, which was
about a man dressed in black who helped a lot of people. This inspired Gary to
wear black at most of his tournaments. Soon enough the media named him The
Black Knight and the name stuck. Today his son Marc keeps Black Knight
International running, with Gary Player
Design, Player Real Estate and Black Knight Enterprises all part of a company
that does licensing, events, publishing, wine, apparel and memorabilia
throughout the world.

EARLY YEARS

Gary won his first
golf tournament in Benoni in 1953, at the age of 18. “My father was waiting for
me at the 18^th green to see my victory. Here was a 6 foot 2 inch man
crying like a puppy! My father was not a wealthy man, and to see his son
winning and becoming a possible champion was an emotional moment in his life.”

Gary is one of only
five golfers, and the only non-American, to have completed a Career Grand Slam by
winning all four Majors tournaments, the Masters, US Open and PGA Championship
in the USA, and the Open Championship (British Open) in the UK. He is also the
only golfer to complete a Career Grand Slam on the regular and Senior tours. “The
Senior Tour was way harder as I took part in it after the age of 50 and needed
to be highly disciplined with my training and nutrition regime to be at the top
of my game. One thing is for sure, I was the fittest senior,” chuckles Gary,
who has nine Majors to
his name and has won 165 tournaments on six continents over six decades. He was
inducted into the World Golf Hall of
Fame in 1974.

Golf is a tough
sport and Gary says it has taught him many lessons over the years. For example,
if you arrive late for a game you get a two-shot penalty. “But golf has also
taught me a lot about life, to respect people as I respect my opponents, and
most of all to have patience. I had school colours in rugby, cricket and
athletics, so I know what sport is about, but no other game has taught me as
much about life as golf has. It’s a true test of dedication, hard work and
patience.”

LIFE TODAY

Gary is not only an excellent golfer,
but also a successful businessman. He believes it is important to surround
himself with capable people to assist him. He is especially passionate about
his racehorse farm in the Karoo, and is not afraid to get his hands dirty while
spending time there. He has built an amazing set-up for his thoroughbred breeding
operation and takes pride in his well-bred stock and beautiful stud farm. He
says the Karoo remains his favourite place in the world.

He is also famous for designing
world renowned golf courses and the most recent course he completed is the
captivating Saadiyat Beach course on the beachfront in Abu Dhabi. This course
was recognised as the “Best Golf Course” in the Middle
East & Africa at the 2010 CNBC Property Awards. Gary’s favourite designs
are the Gary Player
Country Club, The Links, Leopard Creek and Blair Athol. Another favourite to
play is Augusta in the USA, where the Masters takes place.

Gary also does a lot of work amongst
the underprivileged youth and has raised vast amounts of money around the world
that has been used to improve the lives of thousands of people. His lifestyle
and commitment has been an inspiration to many young sportsmen, and he still
travels all over the world working on his charities, but admits that at the age
of 76 it is starting to tell on him.

FITNESS AND NUTRITION

Gary says the recipe to his success
and being at the top of his game for so long was a mixture of his exercise
regime, hard work, belief in himself, having good faith, a great wife, family
and friends, sleeping well and having a good sense of humour. “Above all, I
never gave up!”

“Before my brother went to war at
the age of 17, he told me to never stop exercising, and that’s basically what I
did, and am planning to do the rest of my life. I will never stop working. You
don’t retire, you simply work less.” Today, Gary still believes in healthy
living. He does 1 000 sit-ups four times a week and spends his time running on
a treadmill, alternating his running speed. On top of this, he does stretching
and weight training almost every day of the week and says he will beat 80% of
20-year-olds in a fitness competition.

He believes that the key to a
healthy mind and body lies in the way you eat and the amount of exercise you do,
and says that diabetes, cancer and heart attacks are some of the world’s
biggest threats. “Only one out of 5 000 people will do anything about their
health and lifestyle to avoid these fatal diseases. They spend more on their
cars than they do on their bodies!”

WISE WORDS

“Stay away from high-sugar and fatty
foods. Remember, once you are 10 pounds overweight, you are in deep trouble.
What you consume contributes enormously to diseases like diabetes, heart
attacks and cancer. About 80% of athletes today use performance-enhancing
medicines and most of them will be sorry when they get older. When you eat a
well-balanced diet consisting of all the nutrients you need, you do not need to
use any performance enhancers. Unfortunately, we can’t stop this, as the
rewards for excelling are so big.”

Gary rarely eats meat, doesn’t drink
milk, avoids dairy and does not eat bacon. He eats a small amount of butter and
he likes to fill up on carbohydrates. “My only weakness is eating sweets. I eat
sweets four days a week, but I am trying to cut down!” He also feels people eat
far too much protein, and says it would be far better to eat a plant-based diet
as far as possible. Depending on his travelling schedule, he tries to have
juiced green vegetables every day as he believes that this is one of the great
secrets of good health and that the next big advances in athletic performance will
be dietary.

LOOKING AHEAD

When asked if he had one wish for
South Africa his response is: “A crime-free country, employment and a good
education for all, mutual respect and tolerance for each other, and unity
amongst us all. And we need to work together to eradicate AIDS in our wonderful
country.”

In 1982,
Ann Margolin and her husband Issy ran an 8km training run, and along the way they
met a man who went on and on about marathons. On that day, Ann ‘beat’ the
marathon enthusiast and thought that she could continue her newfound love by
running longer races. “I love the open air and I love the feeling of being so
free.” says Ann, still just as excited about her running as she was nearly 30
years ago.

She
embraced the Two Oceans and Comrades ultras, and and
singles the Comrades out as her greatest feat till now. She says she thrives on
the self-discipline this gruelling race requires. “I’ve never shown up
unprepared. You have to do your homework at Comrades,” says Ann, who describes
the atmosphere at the race as “infectious”. Last year, when she could not run due
to injury and attended Comrades as a VIP guest instead, she was amazed at the
continuous anticipation created. “I can sense the build-up even on the
sidelines. Some finish and it’s like they haven’t been affected at all,” she
laughs, “they just smile and wave. But I think it infects all walks of life.”

RESCUED BY COMRADES

Ann says
that Comrades has been her saviour after being diagnosed with cancer in
late 2008 and undergoing unsuccessful surgery in early 2009. She was determined
to run the Comrades again just a few months later, even though she couldn’t
train properly. She says her mental attitude was not right for surgery, but she
was still plotting her running times, and was determined to finish the race
after having to overcome her diagnosis. “I needed to finish it to put life into
perspective for me,” explains Ann. “I finished three minutes earlier than I
planned. A calm came over me. At that moment, I knew I needed to accept what
had happened and carry on.” Acoording to Ann, that Comrades was her turning
point, ab she calls it her “leveller’, because that day everything “just
clicked.”

Her tremendous courage was recognised when she was
presented with a Goldfields
Spirit of Comrades Award in 2009 and was made to feel like a celebrity. “It was
like I was floating on a cloud. I told my family that all I wanted to do was bottle this
feeling forever,” says Ann.

DEALING WITH INJURY

Over the
past year or so, Cape Town-based Ann has been dealing with an injury that’s
kept her out of running. “I’ve been banging my head against the wall over this.
After a run, my back is in agony and no one can really pinpoint the cause,” she
explains. In 2010, Ann hurt her back while doing strength training and tried to
ignore it, but after that year’s Comrades, she had done further damage. “If I
run now I get sore, but I am not going to give up on this,” says Ann, who
remains positive and still hopes to complete her 30^th Two Oceans in
April.

Most
frustratingly, Ann says her injury has kept her from training with Issy, who
like her also runs for Celtic Harriers these days after they both moved across
from Acsis VOB a few years back. She remembers one year running the whole
Comrades with Issy, from start to finish, and crossing the finish line hand in
hand – a rare feat for couples running the Big C together. “It’s a huge
motivation when you’re with the other, and you forget about your tiredness,” says
Ann.

Although
sad about not being able to run Comrades this year, Ann is still happy to lend
her wisdom to other runners, particularly when it comes to telling them to look
after their bodies, “Don’t do too much too soon,” she says, “think about what lies
ahead, and that you need to leave some of yourself in the kitty to run further
on in life. Don’t use all your power at once.”

Through the
years of running, Ann has overcome hardship, showing that nothing is impossible
if you keep on believing. And she says she is not going anywhere – running is
in her blood and she is prepared to rise above her injury. Hopefully we’ll see
her and Issy finish hand in hand at many a future finish line.

The parkrun
idea was born from misery. When South African expat Paul Sinton-Hewitt was
training for the London Marathon in 2004, he over-cooked the training and ended
up with a serious injury. But once a runner, always a runner, and Paul decided
to do something that would keep him involved in running – and something that
had not been done before in England.

“I
remembered the Rocky Road Runners Time Trial that takes place every Saturday
morning. The simplicity of turning up without pre-registering, taking part and
then recording your own name in the results when you finished was the starting
point for parkrun. I wanted a weekly event over a short distance that didn’t
need much in the way of volunteers, and where the results would be universally
available so that runners could compare their performances,” says Paul.

Paul
organised his first parkrun in October 2004 in Bushy
Park, London, with 13 runners and the first two
years were used to learn what worked. In January 2007 the second event was
introduced, and by then Paul knew there would be more. “Since then I have been
overjoyed by the uptake from the communities across the world.”

PARK WHAT?

?        
The
distance is 5km as this is a manageable distance for most, yet it is a distance
that even elites can use to work on their speed.

?        
No
traffic cops are required as the runs take place inside parks or nature
reserves, in open fields or on seaside promenades.

?        
People
of all ages and abilities can take part – even Olympians have joined in – but
the main goal is to get first-time runners involved. Therefore, most runs start
at 9am on Saturday mornings.

?        
All
you have to do is register online and receive a barcode which you will keep
forever and can use worldwide.

?        
The
runs only get cancelled due to bad weather or when major events are held in the
chosen park.

?        
No
water tables are provided, which means minimum staff. You take your own water
bottle and run or walk with it, or leave it at the finish area.

BRINGING IT HOME

Bruce ran
the London Marathon
last year and met up with his old friend Paul, who had been one of his seconds
during his Comrades heyday, and who now invited him to a parkrun. “It was the
day before the marathon. When I saw about 250 people lining up, I thought these
youngsters are not going to beat me! I finished 18^th that day.”

Bruce was
hooked and started chatting to Paul about bringing the concept to South Africa. The
first parkrun SA was held at Delta Park in Johannesburg
in November, with 11 runners. Since then, more than 200 runners have registered
and regularly run the Delta
Park course. Bruce’s
wife, Gill, is administering the parkrun SA website and is in the process of
training volunteers to help her.

“This is
such a great concept!” says Bruce. “Even guys who travel to SA on business have
joined our parkruns, as they don’t want to miss out on accumulating as many as
possible. The great thing about park running is that it offers something for
everybody.”

THE INS AND OUTS

One of
the best things about parkrun is the ‘no fuss’ system. You simply pitch up,
listen to a few safety announcements and off you go! And within 20 minutes of the last runner finishing, everything is packed
up and the area is cleared. The only bit of administration is the barcode,
which records what position you finish in. Then within an hour of running, you
can compare your time and ranking online against fellow runners, those in your
age group and even those that ran worldwide on the same day, says Gill.

Regular runners are rewarded with a
red 50 T-shirt while those who complete 100 parkruns receive a Black 100
T-shirt.

“The
simplicity of the parkrun formula and the fact that we are free to everyone to
take part is the winning recipe. Everything we do is without commercial bias.
Of course, it costs money to build an organisation and have so many events, and
for that we need sponsors. However, we have crafted a careful, respectful
relationship with our sponsors and backers, so that the commercial aspect is
underplayed,” says Paul.

WHAT
YOU WAITING FOR?

Parkrun is set to take SA by storm,
says Bruce. He has had many queries from runners wanting to start parkruns in
their local communities and neighbourhoods. “I believe park running is the
nursery for many a good runner.”

Paul agrees
and says with such a large active community in South Africa and with so many folks
finding it difficult to cover the costs of paid-for races, this formula will be
successful. “All I have ever wanted for parkrun was that we offer people a
chance to better themselves. Parkrun builds communities, and while it is doing
this, people become fitter, healthier and develop better friendships.”

For more information,
visit www.parkrun.co.za

The
Summer Olympiad is held every four years and is one of the world’s biggest
sporting spectacles – and the highlight of many athletes’ careers. The 2012
Games in London will kick off with the opening ceremony on 27 July and will
wrap up with the closing ceremony on 12 August, while the Paralympics will
follow from 29 August to 9 September. The programme will feature 302 events across
39 disciplines in 26 sporting codes, and some 10 500 athletes from 204
countries are expected to participate, including a contingent of from our
shores.

The
first time South Africa sent athletes to the Olympics was in 1904, for the St
Louis Games in the USA, and the country was part of every Summer Games until
1960, after which global condemnation of the country’s Apartheid policy saw
South Africa barred from the Games. Thankfully, once the country’s political
system had been changed, SA was welcomed back into the global sporting
community and returned to Olympic action in 1992, and following the 2008 Games
in Beijing, South Africa can boast 70 Olympic
medals won in total: 20 gold, 24 silver and 26 bronze. And of those, 23 have
come in athletics (six gold, 11 silver, six bronze), with boxing (19) and
swimming (12) the only other SA sporting codes to reach double figures.

EARLY PIONEERS

Our
first athletics medals came in London in 1908, when Reggie Walker won the 100
metres, setting an Olympic record, and Charles Hefferon finished second in the
marathon. Four years later in Stockholm, our marathoners did even better as Ken
McArthur won the marathon in an Olympic record and Christian Gitsham finished
second. However, spare a thought for Leonard Richardson, who set an Olympic
record in the 10 000m semi-final, but was then unable to finish the final, in
which his new record was also beaten.

The
1920 Games in Antwerp were the country’s most successful, with 10 medals in
total, including 4 golds. Three medals came on the track, where Bevil Rudd
starred for the country, winning gold in the 400m and bronze in the 800m, and
helping the 4x400m
relay team win silver, along with Henry Dafel, Clarence Odlfield and Jack
Oosterlaak. Then came the 1924 Paris Games, where Sydney Atkinson took silver
in the 110m hurdles and Cecil McMaster won bronze in the 10 000m walk. Atkinson
went one better in 1928 in Amsterdam, winning gold in the 110m hurdles for our
only athletics medal of the Games.

In Los
Angeles in 1932, Marjorie Clark won bronze in the 80m hurdles for the country’s
first female Olympic athletics medal, but then followed a long drought as no athletics
medals were brought home from Berlin (1936) or London (1948), with no Games in
1940 or 1944 due to the Second World War. Then in the 1952 Helsinki Games, the
women once again flew the SA flag proudly as Esther Brand claimed gold in the high
jump and Daphne Hasenjager took silver in the 100m. Malcolm Spence’s bronze in
the 400m in 1960 in Rome was to be the last SA track medal for quite some time
thanks to the country’s sporting isolation.

IN FROM THE COLD

No South African who witnessed the country’s return
to Olympic action in 1992 in Barcelona will ever forget watching Elana Meyer run
to silver in the women’s 10 000m, then do a victory lap with Ethiopian winner,
Derartu Tulu. And it was just the first of more medals to come, as Josiah
Thugwane claimed marathon gold in 1996 in Atalanta, while Hezekiel Sepeng
brought home silver in the men’s 800m. Four years later in Sydney, Hestrie
Cloete took silver in the women’s high jump while Llewellyn Herbert (men’s 400m
hurdles) and Frantz Kruger (men’s discus) brought home bronze medals. The class
of 2004 saw Cloete repeat her silver heroics in Athens, while Mbulaeni Mulaudzi
also took silver in the men’s 800m.

The 2008 Games in Beijing were not as successful,
with Khotso Mokoena’s silver in the men’s long jump not only being the
country’s only track medal, but the only medal that came back to SA overall.
The South African team will be aiming to much better this time round.

Next month we look at some of the
top medal contenders amongst South Africa’s athletes.

Being addicted to drugs is a
destructive addiction that leaves you desperate and helpless, and often without
any friends and family. But sometimes, something inspirational is born from
these times of hardship, and that is exactly what happened to Marco Broccardo, CEO
of Eurocom, a communications and digital strategy company in Rosebank, Johannesburg.

Whilst in rehab in 2001, Marco felt
he wanted to give something back, and it was in the rehabilitation centre that
the concept of Mountain
Heights was born. His
journey of addiction and recovery has now led him to the 7 Summit Challenge, of
climbing the highest mountain on each of the seven continents, in order to
achieve the goal of funding a self-sustaining drug rehabilitation centre that
will give addicts who truly want to recover the gift of hope and the chance of
leading a successful, fulfilled and normal life.

“I know
this all might sound very rosy and structured, but believe you me, the journey
to get where I am now, to acknowledge and make this dream a reality, has been
messy, violent, lawless and deceitful,” says Marco, adding that he believes
that through this challenge he can bring a message of hope to users and their
families. “There is hope and recovery for every addict if they are truly
committed to a drug-free life,” he says.

THE START OF IT ALL

“My story
began like any other addict’s story. Picture it: Joburg, the early 90s, an
athletic young boy from a loving home starts dabbling in a little weed here, a
cheeky line there, and quickly my using got out of control, the lights went out
and my dark path through the belly of Joburg’s underworld and full-blown
addiction began. I did my first line of coke when I was 15. Scary, huh? The
crack cocaine and heroine days were particularly fun… my life was a smorgasbord
of drug cocktails and using opportunities. But it’s this resolute tenacity and
commitment to my addiction that was the same strength I drew on in my recovery.
That and my faith in God,” says Marco.

Marco hit rock bottom in 1999 and
began rehab. He has always been fascinated by mountains and whilst in rehab he
decided to use the mountains as a metaphor for the same mental and physical
challenges it takes to overcome addiction. “We all have a mountain in our
lives, be it an addiction, a bad relationship or an eating problem,” says Marco,
who in 2010 won the title of Top Young Entrepreneur in South Africa at the
African Access National Business Awards.

VIRGIN CLIMB

The first step in his
three-and-a-half year campaign to climb the highest mountains on all seven
continents was in 2010 with Mount Kilimanjaro.
In preparation for this, Marco met up with extreme athlete Alex Harris, one
of the first South Africans to conquer the seven summits as well as walk
unassisted to the South Pole. “I learnt that one can only be so fit to climb a mountain.
What gets to you in the end is altitude sickness and your body shutting down in
wild temperatures that drop well below double negative numbers,” says Marco,

That first summit was quite a shock
for someone on their virgin climb, but after Kilimanjaro, Marco was hooked and
determined to do more. He and his team members, many of whom are former
addicts, now follow a vigorous training programme. “Training is pretty hectic,”
explains Marco. “We run 4km a day, five times a week, and for that extra bit of
stamina training, we climb the Westcliff Stairs in the North of Johannesburg twice
a week, doing ten sets up and down at a time. And then for a real taste of
pain, we’ll do an eight to 10-hour cycle in Magaliesburg or climb the ridges of
Joburg from Fishers Hill, Primrose, to the Walter Sisulu
Gardens in Krugersdop. That’s
66km in a day.”

And if that’s not enough, the team
does a stretch exercise once a month and will, for example go to Sabie in
Mpumulanga and do a 120km ride the one day and then the 50km Fanie Botha hiking
trail the next. “This stretches you mentally and physically, and leaves you
crying for your mom!” says Marco.

MOUNTAIN SKILLS

However, it’s not only fitness that
is core to summiting, it’s skill as well. To make sure the team is
mountain-ready, they go rock-climbing and hone their rope skills and harnessing
techniques. Before Marco and his team climbed Mount
Kosciuszko, the highest mountain in Australia, in May last year, they practiced
these essential elements in the Blue Mountains
to ensure that nothing was left to chance.

Altitude sickness is a reality and
Marco got his first taste of this in South America
last year. Symptoms include nausea, dehydration and shortness of breath. “What
people don’t know is at that altitude, other than your body performing its
essential functions, everything else kind of shuts down. We attempted Acongagua
in Argentina
in December and that quite honestly was the most physically challenging and mentally
daunting experience I’ve ever been through. The temperature at the top of Kilimanjaro
when we climbed in 2010 was -22 degrees with a serious wind chill factor. The
base camp temperature at Acongagua was -12. It was intense and everything slows
down as your body uses all its energy to keep you warm!”

UNPREDICATABILITY

It was Acongagua that really woke
Marco up to the reality of climbing mountains, which are largely unpredictable.
After reaching 5500m, Marco developed what was thought to be a cerebral edema,
a swelling on the brain caused by high altitudes and he had to be airlifted off
the mountain. “Alex warned us what we were in for, but I don’t think anything
could have prepared me for that. You only realise what you have got yourself
into when you are sitting on the side of a mountain, frozen to the bone and
moving tents and food and gear to the next camp, not sure if you’re going to make
it, or how you’ll make it. What started off as a tummy bug eventually took me
out and my body just didn’t want to comply.”

The rest of the team had to turn
back 700 vertical metres before the summit, as conditions were simply too
dangerous. It was a huge disappointment after the distance and training and
expense it took to get them there, but in true Marco form, he just saw this as
a lesson in personal growth. “We never made it to the top, but it’s important
to look at it in terms of the bigger picture. When we didn’t summit, we were a
bit down and out, but the reality is, like the road to recovery from addiction,
there are hiccups you’ve not accounted for. Things don’t go your way up a
mountain… much like recovery, mountains are unpredictable.”

FUTURE CLIMBS

Marco and his team are planning to
climb Everest next year as their 7 Summit Challenge swansong. He realises there
is a very real likelihood that his whole team won’t make it up, possibly him
too. But Marco embraces the challenges ahead of him.

So what keeps him going in minus
temperatures, up a mountain, miles away from civilization, hospitals and a
decent meal? “My faith in God and my family, and the core reasons I decided to
climb mountains in the first place. Life’s not easy, nor is climbing, but how
will we ever achieve anything if we don’t give it 100% effort and dedication?
That’s what keeps me going.”

It seems ridiculous: 43 years to Green…
but it happened haphazardly, without green as a goal until I got to eight. It
is more about failure than perseverance: 40-plus years of trying would imply an
obsession, but it was a lack of appreciation of Comrades that added the years,
coupled with chronic injury and some bad luck.

My first attempt at the Comrades was
in 1968, based on cross-country training. I dropped out at Drummond with sore
knees. The next year Charlie Chase introduced the Wits runners to proper
Comrades training, so I was able to finish in ’69, but in a disappointing 8:24.
The mental challenge of Comrades continued to bug me, though, and I developed
an attitude that if I was not enjoying myself, then I should go home.

In ’70 I dropped out with hurt
feelings when clubmate Dave Levick left me for dust over the big hills. In ’71,
I won the Matopos 33 Miler and was set to run a good Comrades, but developed a
foot injury, later diagnosed as a stress fracture. In ’72 I had a reasonable
run, but the stress fracture returned to haunt me for seven years. So in ’73 I
had the great privilege of seconding Dave Levick to his brilliant come-from-behind
win. Finally, I started to understand distance running and started to study it
in a more academic way.

BACK
FOR MORE

By the late 70’s I was ready to start racing again and ran a string of
good sub-2:40s marathons and the Korkie ultra in 3:27. I entered again in ’79,
but ‘flu (caught from five-time Comrades winner Jackie Mekler at a dinner
party!) stopped me getting to the start line.

Aged 32, I decided to give the 1980 Comrades a full go and my training
peaked at 240km per week. Training with the elite RAC group meant long distance
at high speed and I went into Comrades with 2400km under my belt and little
sleeves sewn into my vest so I could put ice in to keep me cool. I went through
halfway in 2:57, 60km in under four hours, with the long gentle downs – my
forte – still to come. At Hillcrest, I fell over with hypothermia… the ice had
worked too well!

In ’84 my brother, Ant, started to
run, and there followed five years of the most enjoyable running. As we both
got fitter, we competed first in half marathons and then marathons, and
ultimately Comrades. In the early Comrades I beat him, but then he reeled off
6:24, 6:12 and 6:07 to win the Vets’ category. His 6:24 plus my 6:34 in ‘86 are
still, to my knowledge, the fastest times by two brothers on the same day. (Don’t
ask about sisters.)

In ’87 I made a rather half-hearted
attempt, dropping out at Camperdown unfit and unmotivated. The following year,
’88, so angry was I at my pathetic performance the year before and being a shiny
new Veteran, I resolved to put everything right, but I thought I had ‘flu and
only started because I was there, only intending to run slowly to Westville. I
ended up having one of my best races, with a 40-minute negative split for 7:22.
I have been an advocate of negative splits ever since.

SIDELINED
AGAIN

Then followed a 12-year period of
running shoe-induced injuries, but thanks to the hype around the Millennium
race and with orthotics that countered the bad effect of the shoes, I had the
most enjoyable run in 2000. However, my heart was not really in it because of
the injuries, but I kept trying, entering again in 2003, but was kept out by
calf strains.

Fortuitously, the lack of commitment
led to my discovery of the dangers of running shoes. Not wanting to splash out
the money on new shoes, I started running in an old pair of cross-country shoes
in 2006. The leg injuries faded, but injuries to the pelvic girdle, causing all
manner of aches and pains, made my 2007 race an absolute hell, but by now, for
the first time, as ‘green’ became a possible dream, I finished my ninth in a PW
10:48. After 40 years, I had finally learnt what it meant to persevere!

In 2008, my debut Grandmaster year,
I thought I had a chance to once again be competitive, but I was flattened by
the worst injury of my career, a glute spasm that could only be cured by
hip-replacement surgery, according to the sports scientists. For two years I
hardly ran, but when I did it was in the lightweight cross-country racers and I
had ditched the orthotics. Come January 2010 I was ready to go, only to
discover that entries had closed in November. I read Born to Run and realised that my injuries were disappearing, and by
January 2011 I was a full forefoot striker and even the chronic hip pain had
gone.

FINALLY,
NUMBER 10

So in 2011,
wearing a tatty old pair of shoes with 3000km in them, and I lined up with my
son Simon, cheerfully undertrained. As I stood there in that crowd, my usual
talkative self was suddenly conscious that this was probably the last time I
would stand in that sea of cosmopolitan humanity, reeking of expectation. We
bumped into Jackie Mekler, who wished us well in his low-key way. I could have
cried right there.

It turned out to be a long painful
day… I never really got into a comfortable stride, but not finishing was simply
not an option. By three kays to go, I knew it was safe and I was happy to walk
and enjoy the crowds, which I had not really done earlier, so scared was I of
not making it. To enter the stadium and to hear many friends calling our names,
the beating on the boards, the surreal late evening light supplemented by the
blue-green floodlights. To cross that line with Simon next to me… for father
and son, it was an immensely special day and a suitable closing to a 43-year
love-hate relationship with Mother Comrades.

Simon Gear is currently running 9
marathons in 9 weeks in 9 provinces, which he thinks will be an SA first, to
drum up support for the Greathearts Comrades initiative to get 200 runners
raising money for the Starfish Foundation at Comrades 2012. He started with his
first marathon on 28 January. Look out for a report back on this in a future
edition.

CHASING SILVER

Tim
Low (42) of the Pinelands Athletic Club will line up for the 56km Two Oceans ultra
looking to run at an average pace of around 4:15 minutes per kay, which should
see him home in just under four hours and earn him one of the most coveted
silver medals in South African road running. That will also bring him a PB by
some 30 minutes, given that his best Two Oceans time is 4:28:38, run in 2001,
the last time he tried to go for silver.

“That
year I got to the marathon mark in 2:57, and decided I wasn’t going to make it,
so I had a very enjoyable, easy last 14km. I also managed to win the club’s
predict your time challenge… I had predicted two times, 3:59 or 4:29, so I
completely cheated by stopping to chat for about five minutes at the club tent
alongside the finish straight!”

Tim
has 13 Oceans medals to his name, proudly wears Blue Number 3530, and has run
as a pacesetter in the ultra several times. Last year he led the sub-5:00 bus
home in an apparently well-judged 4:58:36, but says it was not so good. “I said I was going to run at
a constant pace the whole way, including the hills, but that meant most people
couldn’t stay with me, because most need to go slower over the hills in the
second half. By the time Constantia Nek came, most people had dropped off the
bus, so when I was interviewed by the SABC at the top, their first question
was, ‘Where is your bus?’ I had to tell them the wheels came off at the bottom
of the hill.”

Tim
works as a senior lecturer in the Education Development Unit at UCT,
specialising in statistics and mathematics, and recently won a UCT Distinguished
Teacher Award. Now he jokes, “I’ve reached the pinnacle of my career and it’s
all downhill from here… hence me looking for new goals, including in running. I
want that silver medal. I am nervous about committing my goal to paper, because at
the end of day, I run for myself, and for my enjoyment, but it’s nice to have
goals to aim for.”

THE NERVOUS NOVICE

Matthew
Zoutendyk (37) of Durbanville says his reason for wanting
to run his first half marathon at Two Oceans is quite simple: “The 21^st
of December is supposed to be the end of the world, according to the Mayan
Calendar, so I want to know I can outrun a tidal wave. Or a traffic jam!”
Seriously, though, his long-term goal is Ironman 2013, so he is gradually
building up his road running, and the Oceans 21km will be another step in that
process.

To date he
has run two 10km races, the first of which proved quite eventful. “I was
running with two married girl friends who took it upon themselves to point out
all the girls I should be meeting, which I thought was quite decent of them.
But while I was admiring the mobile scenery around me, I managed to run into a
park bench, and there was a bit of blood spilled. I prefer telling people I was
attacked by a big dog while trying to save somebody – makes for a much cooler
war story!”

Matt is the
owner (and chief coffee-maker) of Vestifusion,
an insurance think-tank company that also brokers policies through a call
centre with some 200 operators. He also spent some years as a semi-professional
road biker, including a stint riding in France,
and has eight sub-3:00 Argus Cycle Tour finishes to his name and has also done
the Cape Epic. He now lives on a wine estate just
outside Durbanville, where he does most of his training, doing three 6-8km runs
during the week and a longer run as well as a mountain bike ride on the
weekend.

He says his
goal for the Oceans Half was initially to finish in two hours, but he has now
shifted that back a wee bit to 2:15. “I have never experienced 21 kays before,
and I’m scared of Southern Cross Drive, dehydration, and cramping, and being
attacked by squirrels going past Kirstenbosch. Seriously though, you need so
much more prep for running than riding, and you can’t freewheel or let the pack
carry you along. So I’m just going to go out and give it my best go.

The
problem with convenient bought lunches is that they can be high in unwanted fat
(especially saturated fat), sugar and salt, as well as nutritionally deficient
in things like fibre and good quality protein. So when choosing your lunch,
keep the following in mind and choose wisely:

?              
For a low-calorie lunch, look for 450Kcal or less per
meal.

?              
Remember that ‘Low Fat’ means 3g fat or less per 100g.

?              
Low saturated fat = 1.5g saturates or less per 100g.

?              
High protein means that at least 20% of the calories
need to come from protein.

?              
High fibre = at least 6g fibre per 100g.

?              
Low salt = 0.3g salt or less per 100g, or 140mg of
sodium or less per 100g.

HEALTHY OPTIONS

Here
are some healthy options to consider:

Nandos Vitality Meal

(Grilled
chicken breast, flame-grilled mealie and regular salad)

?        
Low-calorie: Only 345Kcal per meal.

?        
Low fat: 6.1g per meal (1.1g per 100g) – without added
salad dressing, though!

?        
Low saturated fat: 1.4g per meal (0.2g per 100g).

?        
High protein: 6.3g per meal (40% of calories come from
protein).

?        
Low salt: 99mg sodium per 100g.

Woolworths Sushi Mini Combo 2 Go

(Prawn
Nigiri, Rainbow Roll, Cucumber, Mayo, Sesame Seed Maki, Wasabi, Pickled Ginger,
Soya Sauce Sachet)

?        
Low-calorie: Only 106Kcal per meal.

?        
Low fat: 3.3g per meal (2.3g per 100g).

?        
Low saturated fat: 0.4g per meal (0.27g per 100g).

?        
Low salt: 173mg sodium per meal (120mg sodium per
100g).

Woolworths Chicken Salad & Fat-free Cottage Cheese Sandwich 2 Go

?        
Low-calorie: Only 374Kcal per meal.

?        
Low fat: 6.5 g per meal (2.5 g per 100g).

?        
Low saturated fat: 0.6g per meal (0.4g per 100g).

?        
High protein: 27.7g per meal (30% of calories come
from protein).

Kauai Thai Chicken Salad (without dressing)

?        
Low-calorie: Only 279Kcal per meal.

?        
Low fat: 7g per meal (les than 3g per 100g).

?        
Low saturated fat: 1g per meal (less than 1.5g per
100g).

?        
High protein: 29g per meal (less than 30% of calories
come from protein).

In high school I never considered myself to be a runner. Instead I was always the person who cheered on my friends during our inter-house athletics. But one fateful day in 2006, during my Sport Science Institute of South Africa (SSISA) orientation, the last introductory stop we made was to Kathy McQuaide-Little’s office. As I entered, I was overwhelmed and fascinated by the medals and photographs of her running experiences, ranging from the Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon and even the Comrades Marathon. As I glanced at all her medals, I knew I wanted to venture into the unknown.

MY RUNNING LOVE AFFAIR
Soon after, she went on to ask whether or not I had any interest in running. Then she informed me about a competition they were running and encouraged me to enter. I wrote in for the competition and was one of the six people selected for the Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon Nike Superstar Programme. We joined OptiFit, a running programme for beginners offered at the SSISA, and this proclaimed the beginning of what soon became my love-affair with running.

A year later, in 2007, I completed my first Two Oceans Half Marathon in 2:26. Successfully finishing this race, one which I had never envisioned myself completing, remains my best achievement to date. The experience gave me a new lease on life: I gained a renewed sense of self-belief in my abilities. From there onwards, anything was possible; the world was mine for the taking!

I continued running and completed the following half marathons: Cape Town, Grape Run, Gun Run and my second Two Oceans in 2010, finishing in 2:14. In the same breath, there have been challenges: after my second Two Oceans I suffered a knee injury which took 18 months to conquer!

MAJOR PAIN
In the early weeks of November, I joined the Sport Science Institute’s Boot Camp Programme, an intensive eight-week programme that takes place in Newlands, with three sessions a week. It provided me with a holistic exercise experience from strength, resistance and cardiovascular exercise, as well as expert advice from ‘Major Pain’ (a biokineticist and real taskmaster). During these sessions, he pushed us to our limits and was most encouraging, with fun punishments dished out if we were slacking off. Rain or sunshine, the prospect of outdoor exercise served as motivation throughout my course.

My experience at Boot Camp was really fruitful; each week we were provided with rich information pertaining to articles covering different topics ranging from yoga, diet and fitness, and as a result thereof, I gained more knowledge on healthy eating and exercising. Most of all, I gained strength and improved my fitness levels. Boot Camp taught me about the value of teamwork, and how important it is to remain consistent, no matter how hard it is.

Yes, there were times when I thought I could not push any further, when I felt defeated. However, the thought of how far I had come made me persevere. Today, not only have I regained my strength, but I am fit as well. At the end of each week I reflected on Boot Camp and wrote about it in my blog, journeyofhope28.wordpress.com. Overall, not only was the experience life-shaping, but it was fun.

Mahatma Ghandi once said, “Every worthwhile accomplishment, big or little, has its stages of drudgery and triumph; a beginning, a struggle and a victory.” And so it was with pursuing my dream. As I look back, the end of Boot Camp proclaimed a new chapter in my love affair with running; one of maturity, foresight and a fresh perspective on exercise. And as I continue with my training for the 2012 Two Oceans Marathon, my assertion remains: Nothing is impossible, because all power is within us.

Whatever your dream, it is not too farfetched for you to achieve. Don’t only immerse yourself in your thoughts, but strive to make them a reality. Live your dream!

If you are keen to join a Boot Camp with SSISA programme, the next one starts 23 January. For more details, visit www.ssisa.com, e-mail [email protected] or phone 021 659 5600.