Category: Features

Boost Juice Bars has grown from Janine’s kitchen in Melbourne, Australia in 2000, to over 260 stores on five continents, producing one million smoothies every day. They arrived in South Africa for the first time in 2007 and are still expanding at the moment. It has been an incredible journey for Janine and her ‘Boosties,’ but she says it has not been smooth sailing all the way, and they will never reach the finish line.

Janine grew up just outside Melbourne, left school at the age of 16 and dabbled with a range of different careers before she ended up as owner of Boost. She worked in various positions in the media, at gyms, in nightclubs, on a yacht in the Mediterranean Sea and in cinemas in Asia, amongst others. Along the way there were many failures and many successes, but it was her drive to succeed that kept her pushing forward, and ultimately pushed her to the top. “I believe all experiences offer you a chance to learn something, regardless of it being a positive or negative outcome, and I’ve constantly looked for my next opportunity to push forward, armed with the knowledge from a previous experience. I think Boost has been so successful because even though we do a lot of things right and a lot of things wrong, we are really quick learners. We know our faults and we constantly think of things we can improve on. What you can take out of the Boost story is that your education and background does not matter, opportunities are out there, you just need to find them.”

PASSION AND BELIEF
On a recent visit to South Africa, Janine spoke about the road to success and it is clear that her belief in herself and her concept helped her build a fledgling business into a highly successful chain. “I think it has been tenacity, common sense, advice, great support and on the job experience that got me where I am today. Although my qualifications are not traditional, I never believe that should get in the way of a strong work ethic, a curious mind always willing to learn, and a desire to constantly do better.”

She admits that the passion for her business has made it easier to spend so much energy on growing Boost, and believes it is this passion that also contributes to the success of the brand. “I am fortunate that I was able to build a career around values and a lifestyle that I believe in. Like everything, being passionate does not mean life is without its challenges, although without that spark, it would be very hard to have the sustainable level of energy Boost has required over the years.”

“My husband, Jeff and I took really big personal gambles early on when we launched the business in 2001. We sold our home and put every free dollar into financing our business. It paid off when we were the seventh fastest growing business in Australia three years later, but then instead of relaxing, we decided to open another 70 stores in one year in 2005. My point is, pressure is stressful and challenging, but I continue to push myself and enjoy rising to a challenge. I could have been satisfied with less pressure and regaining the security in my home, but for me the pressure continues to motivate and drive me to meet my next challenge.”

IT’S ALL ABOUT BALANCE
Janine is the first to admit that it was and still is extremely difficult to balance her work, family and active life. She says she often works 100-hour weeks and for the past 10 years she has had to put her life on hold as Boost was her priority, with her children and husband second and third in line. With more experience, however, she has realised the importance of being more balanced. “I have four great children, and have learnt it is important for me to take some time for myself at the end of the day, so I can continue to give my best to my family and my work. I am most proud that I have been able to be both a mother and businesswoman, and didn’t have to give up one dream for the other. It was by no means easy, but I do consider that as my greatest achievement.”

But true to form, Janine isn’t planning on slowing down and has plans for further expansion of the Boost brand as well as developing new brands. “It is important to continually keep challenging yourself and your team to do better. You simply have to continue to move forward and keep your foot on the accelerator. When I first opened Boost, I couldn’t see us operating in South Africa; however I also don’t believe in creating your own limitations. I love to win and business can be very much like a game, so when the game board kept getting bigger, it wasn’t so much the wow factor that kept me going. I simply continued working and kept rolling the dice.”

BOOST YOUR RUNNING
So when you go for your next run, whether it is a training run or a race and whether you run a PB or drag your legs to the finish, remember these lessons:
• Learn from experience, whether it’s success or failure, and use this knowledge the next time you run.
• Believe in yourself and be passionate enough to take a gamble.
• Use this passion to stay driven and always improve.
• Stay balanced. As passionate as you are about running and your next goal, a balanced life will ultimately help you run better.

Paul Kaye is a man who has seen it all: Elation as weary athletes reach the finish line to become Ironmen and women, sorrow as the last athletes wearily try to drag their bodies across the finish line before missing the cut-off time, and those unique moments, such as the marriage proposals and the ecstasy of pro’s setting new world records on home soil!

Not a bad job at all, you would think. But though it all sounds pretty glamorous and fun, it takes hard work and a special type of person to announce at gruelling distance events that takes many hours, such as Ironman, Two Oceans and Comrades, all races where Paul has left his mark on many an athlete.

THE ‘FACE’ OF IRONMAN
There are probably few athletes in South Africa who have done the Ironman and who don’t know Paul Kaye. Because as any Ironman will tell you, when you reach that red carpet, Paul doesn’t just make you feel like a hero, he makes you feel that the whole finish line was set up just for you, and that he personally has waited for you all those hours. And while he welcomes you home, he makes sure the spectators get involved. Ask any Ironman, it is one of the greatest feelings you will ever experience!

Paul has been involved with Ironman 70.3 and Ironman South Africa since 2006, and in the last two years has increasingly become in demand at international triathlons worldwide. So how does he do it? “I see myself as a thief who gets to steal energy and a little bit of everyone’s emotions. That’s what keeps me going.”

But Paul’s job involves more than just announcing; at most events he also runs the complete entertainment schedule, which means he hires the other announcers and DJs, chooses the music and creates the schedule of events. “The hardest thing about announcing is how do you say the same thing all day long, but in different words? I tend to watch body language and I watch the spectators. Of course, I also understand there is a holy trinity: Firstly you must make sure the event sponsors are happy, then you have to make sure the athlete feels like a hero and thirdly you need to make sure that the spectators enjoy themselves and are engaged, making them feel what the athletes are feeling. You run it almost like a radio show. The more you plan, the more structure you create and the more you free your brain for the magic.”

Ironman events have a special place in Paul’s heart. “Comrades also has amazing emotion at the finish line, but to me the finish line of any Ironman is more personal. You have people coming through one or two at a time. It’s a narrow finish line and you can see the look in their eyes. Any athlete finishing needs that moment of recognition and often athletes stop and say to me: ‘Say it!’ Until I call out: You are an Ironman!”

BACKGROUND
Paul started in radio at the tender age of 18 as DJ for his campus radio station. At the age of 20, he got a job at the former Radio Good Hope and that is when the radio bug bit; he quit varsity and on 28 April 1990 started working full time at Good Hope, making him the youngest DJ on FM Stereo in the country at the time. Soon he was doing commentating as well. “I met a guy who thought I had a good attitude and asked me to announce at boat races. At the first race that I announced, former Springbok rugby player Rob Louw got hit by a boat and nearly died! What a start!”

From there Paul’s announcing career took off, and he also did some TV presenting for the former Junior Top Sport on SABC, announcing at waterki events, the Cape Town Marathon and the former 5FM Energade Triathlon Series. “That was 1994 and my first exposure to triathlons, which eventually led to me participating in tri’s!”

BECOMING AN IRONMAN
In 2000 Paul was invited to Mauritius for a triathlon. “All the pro’s were there and they were all saying I was a big mouth, but have never done a triathlon myself! That’s when I realised my waistline was expanding and I can’t live forever. My son was about to be born and I realised I needed to get fit if I wanted to be an active, participating father.”

He did his first triathlon in a Speedo and Energade event T-shirt! “I had to swim breaststroke most of the way before getting out the water second-last. I got on my mountain bike with its bent frame and again got off second-last. Eventually the only person that finished behind me was a woman.”

In between announcing, Paul started participating in more tri’s. To cope with the stress of divorce in 2005, Paul decided to train even harder. “In 2006 my wife advised me she will be leaving the country with our two kids. Announcing at Ironman in 2007 was extremely hard and emotional for me, as I saw athletes crossing the finish line with their kids. I set myself a goal to also finish Ironman with my kids.”

Paul got an invitation to race the 10th anniversary of Ironman Austria and reaching the finish line, his dream came true. His kids were waiting for him. “My daughter was 15 at the time and I thought she would be way to cool to finish with me. But there she was in an Ironman T-shirt next to my son, who even gelled his hair for the occasion. My pain was gone and I crossed the finish line holding my two kids’ hands.”

In 2009 Paul met the love of his life, Kelly, at a Ken and Barbie Valentine’s Party for singles. “Every Ken had to bring a Barbie and every Barbie had to bring a Ken they were unattached to.” Paul and Kelly, who met the day before, decided to go together. After ending up in the party’s kissing booth, they were inseparable. Kelly, who worked as a stewardess on a luxury yacht, decided to work one more contract on the boat before settling, which meant Paul needed another distraction! He started training for Ironman Austria and in 2009 became a double Ironman, with Kelly cheering him on.

THE UPS AND DOWNS
As in any job, there are ups and downs, like the time when Paul had to announce at Ironman Nice after finding out that morning that his mom had passed away. “I had to fake it. It’s the hardest thing I have ever done.”

When announcing Paul allows the energy of the event to inspire him. “I try to look into people’s eyes, see their emotions and watch their body language. That has often inspired me to do things and say things. I don’t go to the finish line with a script, it just happens.”

Are the emotions of elites and Average Joe’s any different? “For the elites, they make a living out of it. The age groupers are ordinary people achieving something extraordinary. When I entered Ironman, I did so to test my limits, I wanted to know if I could sink to depths that I thought were impossible and then come out the other side? Ironman taught me all of that. Everybody that does Ironman learns something about themselves. Ordinary people all have a story.”

Paul believes triathlon is a growing sport in South African and that more runners are converting. “I go to all the sporting expos and from a mile away I see how many runners are converting to triathlons. Runners will try swimming and cycling, but it seems as if cyclists are very set in their ways, while runners are more open to change and adventure.”

FOCUS ON THE FINISH LINE
Paul and his wife recently started a company recently called Focus.on.the.Finish.Line, providing a total solution for runners travelling to different races. This includes bike transport, hotel accommodation, restaurant reservations, tours etc. “I came across this idea after spending so much money on equipment that had to be replaced because my bike was damaged in transportation. One day I said to Kelly, if only we could provide a solution to athletes which allows them to only focus on the finish line. And that is where the name for our business came from. Kelly comes from a hospitality background, so she knows how to deliver a level of service that is beyond excellent.”

Paul’s two big dreams now include putting together a race package for South Africans to travel to and participate in Ironman Austria. “It is one of the best Ironman events on the planet and I would love to share that with others.” His second dream is to become to triathlon what Phil Liggett has become to cycling. “I would love to one day announce at the finish line of the Ironman World Champs in Kona. I want to be one of those great South African exports.”

So, you want to become a top level professional athlete and make it on the world stage, go to the Olympics and World Champs, tour the world, get lucrative endorsement contracts, and get rich along the way as well, but you’re not exactly the world’s best runner… Not to worry, say some experts, because if you (just) put in 10 000 hours of training, you WILL reach the top and achieve your dream. So, all it will take is two to three hours of training a day for eight to 10 years, and a belief that you can be something special. Sounds simple, doesn’t it?

But it isn’t that simple, says renowned sport scientist Dr Ross Tucker, who is based at the Sport Science Institute of South Africa in Cape Town. “Several books and articles have recently been published that quote the 10 000 hour theory, which has its origins in a 1993 study by Anders Ericsson, where he looked at the performance ability of violinists, and showed that their playing ability was determined by the cumulative hours of training up to the age of 20. The best expert players had accumulated the magic number of 10 000 hours whereas those classified as merely good or least accomplished were found to have done only 8 000 or 5 000 hours of practice, respectively.”

“However, if the theory is that 10 000 hours of practice are needed, then you should not find a single person who has succeeded having done fewer than 10 000 hours, and nor should anyone fail having done their 10 000 hours. But it’s conceivable that there is a person in the least accomplished group who does 10 000 hours without cracking that performance level, and a person who does less but succeeds.” Here Ross quotes the example of Gobet and Campitelli’s study of chess players, where they looked at the time taken to reach the Master level. They found that one player did so on 3,000 hours, another took almost 24 000 hours, and some kept practicing but not succeeding. “That’s a 21 000-hour difference, which is two entire practice lifetimes according to Ericson’s model of practice. It seems pretty clear that practice, while important, is not sufficient for some, while for others, it’s not even necessary.”

BUT WHAT ABOUT SPORT?
Now these studies focussed on skill-based activities, but does their theory also hold for sport, not just the skills-based ones but also pure endurance-based codes? Ross can quote many examples of young athletes reaching elite competitive levels within a short period of time of starting a sport, including American swimmer Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympic medallist ever. These quick learners rarely need 10 000 hours to get there – one netball player from Australia made the international stage on a mere 600 hours of play. “My question is, how does one athlete become a world champion at 16, with relatively little training, whereas thousands of others, who train more over a longer period, will never even make the national team, let alone become a world champion? The answer is genetics and innate talent.”

“Of course, practice is vital for success, especially when you have a competitive sport where many are vying for the same medal. In that situation, the person who succeeds must train hard. But their ability to get more out of training, and also to start off from a higher ‘baseline,’ is just as important, and those are factors influenced by genes. The 10 000 hour concept is a nice motivational tool, a way to encourage more training, to inspire people to improve. The idea for elite performance is that the right person hears this and believes, and then does the training. But to attribute success to 10 000 hours of training, and to dismiss that genetics play a significant role, is not only grossly over-simplified, it’s wrong.”

As Ross puts it, producing champions is incredibly complex. The success of Kenya at distance running, or of Jamaica in sprinting, is due to hundreds of different factors, all interacting with one another, including not only socio-economic conditions and local culture, but also genetic factors. Therefore, if you take 100 aspirant athletes in Kenya, and 100 aspirant athletes in the USA, and expose them to the same training, you will not see anything like the same success rate – Many more Kenyan athletes will reach a higher performance level. And that is due to complex genetic differences.

ELUSIVE CHAMPION GENES
The problem is that genetic influence on exercise performance is dizzyingly complex, says Ross, which is why, despite the best efforts of scientists to identify definitive ‘performance genes,’ they have failed. This has been interpreted in some quarters to mean that these genes don’t exist, and therefore that training counts for everything, but the reality is simply that the contributing genetic factors to sporting success are too numerous, with too small an individual influence, and too complex to find… for now. “There is no such thing as a single gene that makes one person tall and another short. Instead, there are hundreds of thousands of different gene variants, and these variations change the phenotype, the effect of the gene, so that you and a friend may have the same gene, but you have different traits or characteristics. Now if we can’t identify a single gene that determines height, imagine how complex it is trying to find a gene that determines athletic performance!”

“Height is almost certainly simpler than something as complex as athletic performance, yet it requires almost 300 000 different genetic variants, and that helps us explain only 45% of it! How many more gene variants or DNA sequence variations might it take to explain sprint or endurance performance? This is why those genetic tests that supposedly tell eager parents whether little Timmy is going to be a sprinter or a distance runner are so over-rated. These tests screen for several genes, including perhaps the most famous performance gene, ACTN3, which is supposedly linked to elite sprinting performance. The problem is, the studies comparing Jamaican sprinters and east African distance runners find no differences for that particular gene. So critics are quick to point out that since the performance gene can’t be found, then it clearly doesn’t exist.”

CONCLUSION
However, Ross says he can still appreciate the value of Ericsson’s model, because it reinforces that we must better manage our entire sports environment to ensure that more potentially successful athletes are exposed to good coaching, good diet, competition, etc. This has implications all the way up to government level, where policies around sport are determined. “For example, in South Africa, sport is less accessible than it should be, partly because of the removal of sport from our school curriculum. We also have a dearth of coaches, and few facilities – and these factors combine to greatly reduce the chance that we’ll produce a great distance runner, regardless of the talent we have. It also has implications for parenthood, in terms of understanding whether a child should specialise early or be encouraged to be as diverse as possible with their sport choices.”

Ross concludes that it all starts with genetic potential. In high performance sport, there is no such thing as alchemy – you cannot make gold out of other metals. If you want to produce a champion, a gold medallist, then you must start out with the right raw materials. “Everyone will improve as a result of training. The lucky few will start out at a level that is higher than the rest, and will improve more rapidly through training. That this is linked to genes is unquestionable. Therefore, to become an Olympic champion, the very best of the best, you need to tick all the boxes. Genes is without a doubt one of those boxes, but so too are training opportunities. And so, is success genetics or training? It’s both. In fact, it’s 100% genetic, and 100% training.”

Early in June this year, Athletics South Africa (ASA) announced the first ever South African team to participate in the IAU (International Association of Ultra Runners) Trail World Championships, taking place in Ireland on 9 July. Given the relatively unstructured nature of trail running in this country, selecting a team of three men and three women to take on the tough 71km course proved quite a difficult task. Thus the selectors went for a blend of “athletes who regularly feature in the top five positions on the local trail running circuit, but also athletes who are known as ‘hard’ athletes in their fields.”

Included in the women’s line-up was Jeannie Bomford, whose recent win in the 2011 Pronutro AfricanX three-day trail race (with partner Sarah Grey) and winning last year’s Otter Trail Marathon, in a course record time, on her way to winning the gruelling nine-race Southern Storm title, secured her selection. Other notable trail running highlights in her career include winning the Pick n Pay Knysna Forest Marathon in 2005, the 35km Crazy Store Table Mountain Challenge in 2007, and the 36km Hansa Hout Bay Trail Challenge in 2008.

NOT 100% FIT
Jeannie herself admits that she wasn’t really ready for the World Champs. “I was surprised to be selected, and we only found out a month before the race that we were going, so our preparation time was way too short for a 70km event. Unfortunately, I also had a sick little boy at home and was not feeling so hot myself on race day, and I ended up having to bail at 28 kays. That was doubly disappointing, because I had heard about the monster climb just after 28km, where you had to use your hands to pull yourself up, and I never got to experience it.”

Bruce Arnett was South Africa’s highest placed finisher in 36th, finishing in 7h49m, followed by William Robinson’s 68th in 8:48, despite a heavy fall. Su Don-Wauchope came 77th in 9:02, finishing 13th out of 25 women, while Katya Soggot bravely limped home 104th in 10:42 after her knee gave out at 35km. Like Jeannie, Iain Don-Wauchope was suffering from flu and had to bail after 40km, having been second overall through the 28km aid station.

As Katya wrote in a post-race report, “None of us were close to being suitably trained to tackle it at our best, but well aware of our position, ASA’s main agenda was commendably to put SA on the World Trail Champs map and gain experience to help with preparing for next time.” Although disappointed not to have finished, Jeannie agrees that they gave it their best shot. “All things considered, our team raced phenomenally well, and it laid a good foundation for the next World Champs in 2013, where I’m sure we’ll do better.”

ATHLETIC PEDIGREE
This was actually the third time Jeannie has represented her country, although it was the first time as part of an official SA team. In 2004 she finished second in the SA XTERRA off-road triathlon champs and qualified for the XTERRA World Champs in Hawaii, where she finished 12th, and in 2008 she won the Triple Challenge off-road triathlon in KwaZulu-Natal and won a spot in the Coast to Coast Challenge in New Zealand, the unofficial world off-road multi-sport champs, where she finished fifth.

Now 31, Jeannie was born in Somerset West and grew up on the family apple farm, the youngest of three children. She was always a sporty child, and says her mom loves telling the story of her first ever race at school. “I apparently came home from playschool, saying I ran a race today and won, and beat all the boys!” In high school, she participated in all the ‘normal’ school sports, including running, netball, hockey, and swimming. After school her parents moved to Stellenbosch, where she attended university after a gap year overseas, eventually completing an Honours degree in Sports Science. The running bug really bit at varsity when she joined her siblings in a social running group and began doing races – although she was still fairly relaxed about her running… “I had a helluva good time being a student runner. I remember one time getting home from the pub at 5am and then being picked up at 6am to drive to the intervarsity meet in Pietersburg!”

MAKING NEW FRIENDS
Through various friends she was introduced to other sports, but says she was doing them more for fun and not focussing on them – and thus winning the SA Duathlon Champs title in 2002 came as a bit of a surprise. “It was great just to meet different people and try different sports. For example, my friend Tim Ziehl got me into mountain biking and adventure racing, and I did my first ABSA Cape Epic with him in 2005. A year later I rode my second Epic, this time with Geddon Ruddock, and we finished second in the mixed team category.”

Getting into multisport events also led to her meeting her future husband, although she didn’t know it at the time. “I was doing a triathlon near Stellenbosch in 2001, and was lying second in the women’s race in the run leg. I passed two guys and the one decided to stick with me and help me try to catch the first girl. I remember he gave me a little push on my bum and said, ‘Come on, catch that girl in front.’ I didn’t know who he was until after the race, when my boyfriend at the time told me it was Martin Dreyer, multiple winner of the Duzi Canoe Marathon. A few months later, Martin invited me to do a sprint adventure race with him, which we won thanks to him pushing me all the way, but then I didn’t hear from him again till 2007, when he invited me to do the Swazi Challenge adventure race with his team. Since then we’ve been inseparable.”

Married today, Jeannie and Martin have a young son named Callum, born in February 2010, and live near Pietermaritzburg, where Martin has established a sports academy for the kids in the Valley of a Thousand Hills, focused initially on canoeing, but now including running, mountain biking and multisport. “There are some incredible athletes with huge potential in this area, and I love training with them, because they just get such a kick out of all the sports they can now do,” says Jeannie. “Over the next three years we plan to extend the programme to all 70 rural schools in the corridor between Pietermaritzburg and Durban, to expose as many kids as possible to the opportunity to participate in sport.”

Jeannie says that being a mother has changed her priorities, but training as a pro athlete remains important to her. “You have to make a plan to still get your exercise in, or you become grumpy – and a grumpy baby plus a grumpy mother is not a good combination! Luckily for me, Martin is a magic dad and loves spending time with Callum, so I do get time to myself. But I can’t wait to have another baby. I would love to have a little girl, so we can do creative arty and cooking things together.”

OTTER DEFENCE
At the time of writing, Jeannie was preparing to defend her title in the Otter Trail Run at the end of September. “It’s an incredible race, with a lot more running than I expected – I thought it would mostly be rocky, gnarly sections, because we run a route in one day that people normally hike in five days. It would be nice to do it casually one day to really take in the beauty, but my goal this year is go faster than last year and hopefully win it again.”

Jeannie, who competes in the colours of her sponsors USN and Hi-Tec, says that running remains her favourite discipline. “Trail running is the easiest, because I have no worries about equipment, but I go through phases when I’m tired of running and loving mountain biking, and vice-versa. I really enjoy multisport events, where I can put them all together.” For that reason, she says her favourite event is the gruelling seven-discipline Totalsports Challenge, where she has won the women’s individual title four times.

Still, she has to think for a long time when asked what the highlight of her career has been… “I have so many great memories, and feel lucky that I can do so many things. I love that I don’t have to be selective, and can take part in whatever I choose.”

UP THE CREEK
Unsurprisingly, being married to the Duzi King saw Jeannie getting into paddling as well, and she has fond memories of being heavily pregnant and still winning the mixed doubles category with Martin in a few races. “It was a bit of a cheat for me, really, being treated to the backseat behind the Duzi King!” Fortunately, Jeannie says she her paddling skills have improved since her early attempts, when she still found it hard to control the one-seater… “Mart went overseas for an event and while he was gone I took part in a local race and proceeded to wrap the boat around every rock in the river. I had the boat repaired before he got back, but he noticed it immediately the first time he picked it up, because it was two kilograms heavier!”

Pietermaritzburg’s City Hall precinct on Chief Albert Luthuli Street will be a hive of activity come Sunday, 3 June 2012 when thousands of Comrades Marathon enthusiasts will brave the cool, crisp morning, singing the Rainbow Nation’s popular Shosholoza. Then, as tradition dictates, Vangelis’ Chariots of Fire will fill the air, followed by the much anticipated Max Trimborn Cockcrow and the unforgettable sound of the gun before thousands of runners tackle the downhill run to the Sahara Kingsmead Cricket Stadium in Durban.

GET YOUR ENTRY IN
Entries open on Spring Day, 1 September, and there will be a three-month period for all athletes to enter, irrespective of them being veteran or novice Comrades runners. Entries will be limited to a maximum of 18 000 runners and no extensions will be granted. The entry period closes strictly on 30 November 2011, or as soon as 18 000 entries have been received.

Entry fees are as follows:
South African athletes R300
Rest of Africa athletes R500
International athletes US$180

The Comrades Marathon Association (CMA) urges all South African Comrades participants to be proactive and enter early, in order to benefit from the early bird entry fee of R270, which will be available from 1 September to 30 September 2011. Should athletes not take advantage of this opportunity, they will have to pay the full entry fee of R300, valid from 1 October to 30 November 2011.

Runners will be able to enter before they qualify. This means that while all entries have to meet the entry criteria, runners will still be allowed to qualify in official qualifying races up until 4 May 2012. Upon qualification, runners simply need to submit the time and details of their qualifying race as well as their race number to the CMA office by 4 May 2012. Upon receipt of the qualifying information, the runner’s entry will be confirmed. Runners who successfully finished the 2011 Comrades Marathon can use their finishing time as a qualifying time for 2012, but please note that you will still need to submit an entry form.

With the closing date of entries being in 2011, athletes will not yet be in possession of their 2012 provincial licenses, but athletes will still have to comply with the rule that they must be licensed through an officially registered athletics club affiliated to Athletics South Africa through their provinces, in order to run the 2012 Comrades Marathon.

Failure to submit these details will result in the athlete’s entry being rejected. Please note that the CMA will send all qualifying times and club details to each athlete’s club for verification purposes. This has been necessitated due to the fact that some athletes submit false information and qualifying times. Please note that submitting false information will result in the athlete’s entry being rejected.

Prospective Comrades runners can enter in the following ways:
• Online entries on the Comrades Marathon website at www.comrades.com
• At Mr Price Sport, Home and Clothing stores countrywide.
• Postal entries by posting the completed entry form with proof of payment to the CMA office in Pietermaritzburg.
• At Comrades Marathon House in Pietermaritzburg, by handing in the completed entry form together with payment.

SUBSTITUTIONS INTRODUCED
For the first time in the history of this great race, the CMA has also approved a Substitution Rule for implementation in 2012. This will allow athletes to substitute (or replace) other athletes who entered but are no longer able to run due to injury, illness or inability to qualify. You will be able to get the detailed substitution procedure and time period for the substitution process from the CMA.

CMA ROAD SHOW
The CMA is aiming to get all aspirant Comrades participants motivated and fired up to take on The Ultimate Human Race challenge next year, so come and experience the thrill of the great race at the CMA’s Road Shows around the country. The talks will aim to empower runners with the necessary training and injury-prevention tips that will not only see them get to the start come 3 June 2012, but also take them through to the finish line.

Says CMA Marketing Coordinator Thami Vilakazi, “The CMA will be visiting areas in and around the country from 13 September 2011. Runners can look forward to an educational, motivational and inspirational talk. The Official Comrades Coach, Lindsey Parry, and our CMA team will be on hand to answer all questions regarding next year’s race and to advise novices and experienced Comrades runners alike on how to build themselves up for peak performance.”

Anyone aspiring to run the 89km between KwaZulu-Natal’s two major cities next June is urged to attend these workshops, which are free of charge. For information on the nationwide Comrades Road Show Programme, please contact your local athletics club, visit the official Comrades Marathon website www.comrades.com, or call the CMA at 033 897 8650. September sees the CMA team at the following venues:

Central Gauteng: Tuesday, 13 September 19h00 at  Rocky Road Runners – Netcare Head Office Auditorium, 76 Maud Street, cnr West Street, Sandton
Central Gauteng: Wednesday, 14 September 19h00  at Bedfordview Country Club – The BCC Bowls Club, Bedfordview Virgin Active, Cnr Harper & Van Buuren Roads, Bedfordview
Central Gauteng: Thursday, 15 September 19h00 at KHOSA Road Runners – Stan Friedman Sports Grounds, Corner Shannon & Frederick Cooper Drive, Krugersdorp
Western Province: Tuesday, 20 September 19h00 at acsis VOB Running Club – The Alphen Centre, Main Road, Constantia, Cape Town
Western Province: Wednesday, 21 September 19h00 at Durbanville Athletic Club – Durbanville Sportgrounds, cnr De Villiers Drive & Sport Road, Durbanville, Cape Town
Eastern Province: Thursday, 22 September 19h00 at Charlo Athletic Club – Charlo Athletic Club, Italian Sports Club, 17 Harold Road, Charlo, Port Elizabeth
Mpumalanga: Tuesday, 27 September 19h00 at Nedbank LVCC – 1 Aurora Street, Steiltes, Nelspruit
Northern Gauteng: Wednesday, 28 September 19h00 at Irene Road Runners – The Auditorium, Agricultural Research Council Irene Campus, Olifantsfontein Road, Irene, Pretoria

SOCIAL NETWORKING
Claiming it’s rightful place on South Africa’s and the world’s sporting calendar, the Comrades Marathon continues to make its mark not just in the hearts and minds of all running enthusiasts, but also on major social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. With the advent of such powerful platforms, people worldwide need not rely on just the official Comrades Marathon website (www.comrades.com) anymore. At the click of a mouse, you can enjoy all Comrades news, views and interviews on these user-friendly sites.

The CMA’s official pages are regularly updated to keep you abreast of all Comrades developments, including current photo’s and sought-after archived material. Feed off happenings from our special feature “Blast from the Past!” or simply utilise the platform to pose a Comrades-related question, and build on your store of all things Comrades – both old and new. See you online!

www.facebook.com/ComradesMarathon
www.twitter.com @ComradesRace

Robert and Cheryl of Pinelands AC have each done between 20 and 30 half marathons since both took up running in 2005, and they usually go to races together, but once the gun is fired, they set off at different paces. Robert (35), a self-employed IT specialist, has a PB of 1:28; in contrast, Cheryl (29), a credit controller for Medicross, has a best of 2:13, also set in Knysna this year. However, despite the difference in their normal racing pace, they plan to run the Cape Town Marathon together, with Robert slowing down to stick with his wife the whole way.

“I like stretching out my legs in shorter races, but with this being our first one, we want to do it together. I can see myself doing more marathons, but not for fast times, more for the lifestyle. That’s why I am very comfortable running it with Cheryl. I like running with her, not just because I feel she is safer, but also because I like spending time with her, doing things together.” Cheryl picks up the story here. “I wanted to run my first marathon in 2009, but got bronchitis just before the race, and couldn’t recover in time. Now I feel more experienced, and my training has also been more consistent, whereas two years back I had no set plan. I knew I had to start early in my training for this, so I’ve been following Tim Noakes’ 26-week training programme.”

BEYOND THE MARATHON
This first marathon is just part of a bigger picture for the couple, as both are currently re-evaluating their career paths and setting new goals for themselves – and they see conquering the marathon as one symbolic stepping stone to achieving this. Robert says he is trying to take his career to the next level. “I’m bouncing off the wall after doing a business course through the University of Stellenbosch School of Business and am more aware of opportunities out there. I recently met with a UCT lecturer to help me work out a business model to take my business global, while still focussing on local underprivileged communities.”

Meanwhile, Cheryl says she doesn’t want to be stuck behind a desk anymore. “I want to get into environmental tourism, where I can use one of my passions, bird-watching, in my work, so I’m planning to become a nature guide here in the Western Cape. Therefore, we both have a philosophical side to wanting to do this marathon, because setting ourselves targets and achieving them helps us to set even bigger goals in life, and then go achieve them.

Two sub-2’s, please!

Within a few hours of meeting, Jeanette Wearing and Liezel Coetzer knew they would not only be great friends, but also great running partners, because their goals and their stories are so similar. – BY SEAN FALCONER

Just a few weeks ago, Jeanette Wearing was introduced to a work colleague’s girlfriend, and as soon as she started talking to Liezel Coetzer, she knew she had found a kindred running spirit, despite Liezel having done several ultra-marathons, including two Comrades, while her longest run was only 21km. Despite this, they are now in training to go after their goal together of trying to break two hours for the half marathon.

Jeanette (46) works as a real estate agent for the Leapfrog franchise in Gordon’s Bay, which is co-owned by her husband Kevin, an experienced runner of 15 to 20 years. “Kevin inspired me to start running three years ago and join him at Strand Athletic Club, and I’ve now done about 30 to 40 half marathons, with a best of 2:27, but I want to get that down to under two hours by the end of February. Problem is, I’ve never really trained before, just done shorter runs, and mostly on the treadmill, so I’m going to use a training programme for the first time.”

Liezel (32) is a financial manager for City Sightseeing, the company that runs the open-top bus tours of Cape Town. She lives in Blaauwberg, having moved down from Johannesburg in 2008, and has been running for four years, with a half marathon best of 2:10 and a marathon PB of 4:55. She’s also run the Comrades in 10:58 (down) and 11:35 (up). “I want to bring my 2012 time down to between 10:00 and 10:30. To do that, I have to do lots of speedwork, which is why I want to improve my half marathon PB to a sub-2:00. To achieve that, I’m going to do more club runs with my Atlantic Triathlon Club, but also do more runs with my new training partner here.”

PAINFUL MEMORIES
Besides sharing a goal time, the two friends have similar painful memories of their first half marathons. Jeanette says Kevin convinced her to enter the Two Oceans Half three years ago, but said they should first run the Kleinmond Half as training. “Everybody warned me it was a nasty race, and I think I cried more than I ran in that first race, but afterwards I was ecstatic. Problem was, within half an hour of finishing, I could barely move!” Liezel’s debut half was even more sudden: A friend who had entered the Two Oceans Half dared her to also run it – the night before the race! Liezel accepted the challenge and finished without problems in 2:40, but just remembers being sore afterwards. “I couldn’t walk for days! And I live on the third floor of a building that has no lifts! But I enjoyed the race so much that I began running more 21s, and fortunately ended up far less sore afterwards. Not even Comrades made me as sore as that first half!

Both women now say they are confident of achieving their target time, because after those first painful half marathons, and in Liezel’s case the Comrades as well, they think they can overcome any challenge. “Putting our goal in writing does put pressure on us, but it will also motivate us and help us to remain committed,” says Liezel.

It’s close to 9am on a Thursday morning in one of South Africa’s biggest prisons; the Pretoria Central Prison. The sights and sounds inside the four walls of the prison are exactly as one would imagine: Huge keys noisily locking and unlocking several thick wooden and steel doors, stern-looking prison wardens going about their day while several orange overall-clad prisoners each concentrate on their daily tasks while curiously looking at the bunch of visitors entering their ‘home’ for a couple of hours.

After a thorough body and equipment search, we are allowed further inside the prison and led through several sections towards the gym and exercise area. Walking through parts of the prison and past the dark brown brick walls, concrete floors and many barred sections, the first thought crossing one’s mind is: Freedom has a new meaning. However, after making our way up a narrow stairwell we reach the gym/exercise section of the prison and once inside, you could easily be forgiven for quickly forgetting that you are inside one of the country’s biggest prisons, where some of the most dangerous prisoners are housed.

SETTING THE SCENE
In one end of the gym a prisoner had set himself up as a DJ and was playing music and setting the scene for the ‘race’ which was soon to start. Against a wall, 12 neatly lined treadmills were set up for the 50km City2City run, followed by another 17km which the prisoners decided to add on in recognition of Madiba. (The number ‘67’ is symbolic because it is the first part of Nelson Mandela’s 67-4-4664 prison number on Robben Island, and central to the 67 Minutes for Madiba charity drive each year.)

The prison runners were also joined by a selection of top athletes from Bonitas Team Elite and the Nedbank Running Club, who were all ready to test their skills against the Pretoria Central Prison team on treadmills. Some of the prisoners were tackling the distance solo while others ran in relay teams.

RUNNING REHAB
Nick Bester, former Comrades Marathon winner, was there to support the prisoners and elite runners. He has supported the running team at the prison for more than 10 years, alongside the team’s chairman and runner Wolfram Abbott, nephew of boxing legend Jimmy Abbott. Most of the runners only began running once they were in prison and Nick coaches them regularly, often by telephone. He has seen firsthand how running has become an important part of the prisoners’ daily lives and rehabilitation.

“These guys have been training for many months in preparation for this event. Their days revolve around the training and it’s also an incentive for them to stay healthy and avoid behaviour which could impact their performance, such as smoking. Anyone can make a mistake and these prisoners are serving lengthy prison terms for their crimes. Running provides an outlet for them and it is part of the rehabilitation process, giving them some hope for the future,” says Nick.

The prison team trained on a 200m route inside the prison walls and more recently on treadmills donated by private individuals. Nick also supplies them with running gear, including shoes.

RUNNING DREAMS
As most road runners know, running on a treadmill, especially for longer distances, can be difficult, tiring and most of all, boring! But the prisoners were all determined to show what they are made of and all said that running has kept them sane in prison.

Hendrik Slippers, a member of the Offenders’ Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture, who helped to organise the event, says the prison has its own running club called Central Boys Club, with about 50 members. “All of us in here did something wrong, but we can’t go and just lie down while in prison. Sport helps with discipline and takes people away from bad things,” says Hendrik.

Wolfram proudly shows his running logbook that he has kept over the years in prison. In 2005 he clocked 1535.8km, in 2006 another 2004.5, in 2007 he covered 1007.4km and in 2008 he managed 1241km. In 2009 he ran 802.1km and last year 1004.6km. Wolfram was instrumental in starting ‘races’ in the prison after phoning Nick a couple of years ago and asking for advice on running. “When I don’t run, I can feel something is missing. Sometimes it is difficult to run on a treadmill for so long but we all still do it and enjoy it. Some weekends we run up to a marathon distance on a treadmill. My biggest dream is to one day run the Comrades.”

THE RACE
Wolfram, Sipho Khumalo and Stefaans Coetzee ran the full 50km Bonitas City2City Marathon and then relayed for the last 17km. The rest of the team broke into three relay teams which completed 22km each. They were accompanied by Nick, as well as Nedbank Runner Sibusiso Nzima and Bonitas Team Elite runner Aaron Gabonewe. While Nick’s relay team won the 67km race in just 3:31, solo runner Wolfram came a close second in 3:35.

Director of Offenders’ Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture, Fezile Sipamala, attended the event and was touched by the positive effect it had on the prisoners. “The event not only boosted morale at the prison, but has proven a good example of how sport can help prisoners channel their energy towards a positive outcome.”

Nick was delighted with the performance of the athletes on the day. “They have worked so hard for today and achieving their goal has given them some hope for the future and something to look forward to when they finish serving their sentences and return to normal life. It was an uplifting and emotional day for us all.”

The team plans to run more marathons in the future and Nick says more inmates in the prison are becoming interested in taking part in the training and working towards this goal. “We hope that Madiba, as a former prisoner and keen sportsman, would be proud of what these men are trying to achieve,” he says. The entire team signed a birthday card for Madiba, which was delivered to him.

The Pretoria Central Prison athletes also recently completed the Two Oceans 56km marathon, also on treadmills. The runner with the best time clocked in at 4:05, missing a silver medal by just five minutes.

Bonitas City2City Ultra-marathon
With just two months to go before the start of the 2011 Bonitas City2City Ultra-marathon, many of South Africa’s top runners have started intensifying their training for the event. Last year’s defending male champion, Zimbabwean Prodigal Khumalo, is back this year to defend his title. Prodigal, who is part of the Mr Price team, finished the race in 3:11:14, just 24 seconds ahead of countryman and Nedbank athlete, Brighton Chipere. The top female runner from 2010, South African Riana van Niekerk, whose finishing time of 3:34:40 beat Julanie Basson’s 3:45:32, also has her eye again firmly on the top prize.

The Bonitas City2City Ultra-marathon boasts total prize money of R200 000 and the country’s top running teams, including Nedbank, Mr Price, Toyota, F1 Bluff Meats and Bonitas, have begun training in earnest, aiming to set themselves apart at this year’s event. Bonitas Team Elite’s Farwa Mentoor says she has set her sights on gold, having finished fifth in the women’s category at the 2011 Comrades Marathon and being the first SA woman home.

But it’s not only the top runners who are getting in shape for the big day. Runners entering the 21km and 10km City2City races should begin training as soon as possible to get the most out of their race day. A specially designed training programme can be downloaded on www.city2citymarathon.co.za, along with valuable tips on how to prepare for the big event.

Entry forms can be downloaded from www.city2citymarathon.co.za or completed online at www.entrytime.com. Entry forms and race numbers for the 2011 City2City Marathon are now also available at Sportsmans Warehouse and other selected sports stores. Entries received before 1 September for all distances will receive a commemorative race T-shirt and goody bag. Enter online and you also stand the chance of winning a package trip for two worth R120 000 to run the New York Marathon.

In 1991 at the age of 36, I was a mother of three young children and an occasional smoker. In July of that year, I was persuaded to join The Run/Walk for Life (RWFL) programme by a family member in order to stop smoking and it didn’t take long for me to be hooked. Something about exercising outdoors, walking the beautiful streets of Johannesburg, admiring the gardens and seeing the seasons change, as well as the camaraderie of talking to fellow walkers, made this an entirely pleasant and rewarding way of spending time. Up until that point, I had always played team sport and did not consider myself very competitive, but I soon discovered my competitive spirit.

I sort of knew how to race walk, but I realised if you wanted to go fast and be competitive, mastering the proper technique really is the only way to do it. Luckily, I picked it up easily and I really embraced the rhythm of walking. I did my first 10km road race on 10 October 1991 in a time of 71 minutes and I was the second walker home. Kay Cotterell, my RWFL branch manager then encouraged me to go to a clinic organised by Norman Janet, a local race walking expert. He coached me for two years and worked a lot on perfecting my technique and encouraging me. At the end of 1993 I attended another clinic, held at the University of Johannesburg (RAU at the time). This proved to be a turning point in my walking career, because I met my second coach, Dawid van der Merwe there. ‘Oom Van’ had ambitious plans to make me a Springbok, and as he pointed out, I had left him very little time to do it.

CHAMPIONSHIPS, MEDALS AND RECORDS
In September of 1994, I walked for the then Transvaal team in the National Road Walking Championships in Cape Town and won the silver medal in the 20km walk, in a time of 1:57:28. In April 1995, at the age of 40, I earned my National Colours as part of the South African team at the 17th IAAF/Reebok World Race Walking Cup in Beijing, China. Even though we were completely outclassed by the amazing speed of race walkers from other countries, it was a most wonderful experience. I did my 10km race in a then personal best time of 53:35 and became totally committed to the sport of race walking, and highly motivated to discover just what my potential might be.

Since then I have walked all over my city, my country and the world, and have won 33 SA national titles, nine gold medals at senior (all ages) National Championships and 24 gold medals at SA Masters National Championships (above 35 years old). I have twice been the All Africa record holder for the 20km event after becoming the first woman in Africa to break 1:50 on a 20km in Durban in 1996, before breaking my own records when I walked a 20km in 1:43 in 1998 in Naumburg, Germany. I have also broken 18 South African national records and in 2000 I broke the World Record in the 45-49 age group when I walked a 5 000m track race in Oudtshoorn in 24:14.

As a Masters race walker, I have won 12 World Masters Championship titles in distances of 5 000m, 10km and 20km. I won my first world title in 1997 in Durban, two more in Brisbane, Australia in 2001, and a further two in Carolina, Puerto Rico in 2003. In San Sebastian, Spain in 2005, I won another title, and in Riccione, Italy in 2007, I won three more gold medals, before winning another three golds in Sacramento, California earlier this year. These accolades have been wonderful, but they are only moments in time. What is important for me is that I get out there nearly every day of the year to enjoy my walking and enhance my life.

2011 IAAF WORLD MASTERS CHAMPS
I attended my eighth World Masters Athletics Championships in Sacramento, California in the USA from 6 to 17 July. A team of 32 South Africans participated along with 4 800 athletes from more than 90 countries, in a full track and field programme as well as cross-country, road race walks and the marathon.

Sacramento was in the midst of a heat wave and we raced in temperatures of over 40 degrees. I approached my races with caution to handle the heat and make sure that my technique was acceptable. There were 27 walkers in the 5 000m race (women 55-59) and I won in a time of 27:05. The 10km road walk was around a park and was shady with lots of beautiful trees, but with quite a steep camber. I was pleased with my winning time of 54:58 against 23 other women and a new SA record for age 55-59. At the 20km walk, my legs had not fully recovered from the 10km and we were walking on the same route, so this time I really struggled with the camber, but out of 11 women in my age group, I won my third gold medal in a time of 1:56:46.

In total the South African athletes attained 21 medals (five gold, six silver and nine bronze). Our walkers acquitted themselves very well, achieving seven of the 21 medals.

WALKING TO A BETTER LIFE
I believe that the quality of my life has been greatly enhanced by exercise. Physically, my health has improved in so many areas. My asthma is under control, my lungs are better than ever, and my medical practitioners are constantly impressed by my heart rate, blood pressure, bone density and the consistency of my weight. Not to mention my dramatically improved energy levels! Mentally, it has enabled me to have a significantly improved positive outlook on life due to the sense of empowerment accomplished by achieving exercise goals on a daily basis. It has also given me a sense of being in control of my life and responsible for my choices.

I am passionate about walking and race walking, and became the coach at the Wanderers Club because I wanted to give back to the sport that has given me so much. I really enjoy seeing my walkers grow from strength to strength and achieve their potential. I advise potential race walkers to join a club that has a walking section with its own coach, because it is much easier and much more fun to learn the technique in a conducive environment. A strong self-esteem is also required, as runners are prone to pass smart comments when you pass them on the road and you are walking faster than they can run, but many more will give you a compliment and show their respect for what you are doing. Once you get the hang of the technique, you will get a great deal of enjoyment from race walking. Besides that, there are all the fantastic physical benefits, as it really does tone the whole body.

LIFE LESSONS IN WALKING
My walking career has had good times and bad, and I have learnt from both. There are days when I don’t feel like going out and sometimes I don’t, but often when I override the ‘I don’t feel like it today’ feeling, I really get to enjoy the training session and feel better for the rest of the day. Experience has been a great teacher and I have grown and changed my attitude towards racing over the years, from the early days of pressure and expectation, to expecting to have fun out there when I race these days. I am excited and enthusiastic on the start line about how is it going to turn out today, and I often reflect in races that I am so blessed to be able to do what I love doing, and in such wonderful natural settings.

Being outdoors everyday and taking in the fresh air, the blue skies and the wonder of nature (even in an urban setting) has taught me so much about the human spirit. I can’t help but be uplifted and energised from walking. It has allowed me to grow and to challenge myself in so many ways, and the journey of each race has been insightful and revealing. Training and racing have brought a lot of joy into my life and really added much value to my life. It has given me a positive outlook, taught me patience, discipline, humility and how to take risks, and made me realise how resilient I am. I enjoy taking myself to “my edge” and see each race as an opportunity to find out how well my training programme is working. I am committed to giving my best in training and in racing, and my ultimate goal is to pursue excellence. If I walk away from a race knowing that I could not have gone any harder, then I am satisfied, no matter what the outcome, and this is really my biggest achievement in walking.

Sport has taught me so much about life, including the ups and downs of both, and on reflection, it has been an amazing journey over the last 20 years. I am so grateful for my good health, and the wonderful support I have received from my husband, children, extended family and friends, as well as my great team of coaches, physiotherapists, massage therapist, Pilates instructor and Tai Chi teacher, who have all contributed to my success.

Barbara’s PB’s:
3000m  14:34     Potchefstroom            1999
5000m  23:44     Port Elizabeth              1999
10km     47:53     Port Elizabeth             1999
20km     1:43:32  Naumburg, Germany  1998

Fanie Matshipa (33) lives in the small mining town of Steelpoort in Mpumalanga. Until recently he was a jockey on the local golf course but now works full-time as a maintenance operator at Samancor Chrome, making sure water levels in the mine’s several dams are sufficient. To make time for his training, Fanie combines his daily commute with running and he runs the approximately 10km to work every morning. When going home he takes a slightly different route and covers about 15km during his afternoon sessions. At home, there isn’t much time to train because he spends time with his wife and two young children, but he makes time for long runs on weekends, usually about 40km, or a little less than three hours.

When Fanie trains he is usually alone on the roads of Mpumalanga and has only his own determination to urge him on. Coached by John Hamlett, Fanie receives his training programme every Sunday but remains on his own for most of his running, with no-one shouting words of encouragement next to the road. He joins John’s training group about five times a year for a training camp in the mountains, but John says the fact that he doesn’t see his athlete every day is not a problem. “Fanie is a very committed, determined and fighting kind of guy, and if I tell him to run for three hours, I know he’ll do it. He doesn’t need someone to look over his shoulder.”

THE ATHLETE
After winning the 56km Longtom Marathon earlier this year in a time of 3:39, Fanie arrived in Durban determined to win the Comrades. He had run the Big C four times before, claiming three silver medals and taking his first gold last year when he finished in fourth position. His times had mostly been improving steadily since his first Comrades in 1999, and he was confident of doing even better.

Unfortunately, it was not quite to be, as Fanie explains he did not feel 100% on the day. Despite this he still pushed Stephen all the way to Polly Shortts, matching his every step for almost half of the race as they ran for a long time out ahead of the chasing pack. It was only about 10km from the finish that Stephen managed to pull away from Fanie, his greater experience and strength shining through and eventually being the difference between first and second place. But Fanie is confident of returning next year and claiming the title for South Africa, now that he is more experienced. “With about 30km to go I had to work hard to keep up. It is a tough, tough race and Stephen only beat me in the last 5km. I think I can go faster and next year I want to be back and win the race for South Africa. I want that cup!”

THE COACH
Fanie has been training with John for almost three years now and says his running has improved significantly because of it. “When I don’t train with a coach, I don’t run as well, I need a coach to help me run better.”

John remembers when Fanie first approached him. “He was all over the place at the beginning and it took some effort, but he’s gone from a mid-range athlete to top class. He was really struggling financially back then and couldn’t even feed himself properly at times. He has a fulltime job now and a bit more money, and that has helped him to focus better. Last year he finished fourth at the Comrades after an intense eight-week training programme in the mountains and one year later he came in second. I honestly think he should have won this year, but Stephen wanted it more. Saying that, I think anyone who wants to win the Comrades next year should know that Fanie will want it more and he is going to be a huge threat. He’s very committed and determined, and I have no doubts that he can win it in 2012.”

FANIE’S COMRADES:
Year   Direction   Position  Time
1999   Down           122nd       6:38
2006   Up                18th          5:58
2008   Up                274th        7:16
2010   Down           4th            5:39
2011   Up                2nd            5:34

Born and bred in Bloemfontein, Kate loved all things sporty from an early age. She started running at 11 and earned provincial colours for cross-country within a year. Provincial colours for middle distances, road running, biathlon and swimming followed, as well as national colours in biathlon. When she was 17, she switched to triathlon when the sport was accepted as an Olympic sport. “I first thought that I would try to compete at an Olympic Games as a track athlete, but when triathlon made its debut at the Sydney Games in 2000, I realised all I needed to do was add cycling training to my swimming and running combination, and then perhaps I could fulfil my Olympic dream. I started competing in triathlons that year and have been hooked ever since.”

She was very successful on the local triathlon circuit in her first five years, but it was only in 2005, after completing her B.Com degree at the University of the Free State, that Kate entered the international professional circuit. She qualified for the Olympics in 2008 and managed 32nd place, but it was in 2010 that she really turned heads as she achieved fantastic results on the International Triathlon Union (ITU) circuit. In that year’s World Championship series, she never finished lower than 12th, with her best results being fourth place in Hamburg and at the Triathlon World Cup in Australia. This successful run started when she won the African Triathlon World Cup event for the first time in 2009, becoming the African Triathlon Champion and defending her title successfully in 2010 and 2011. Unfortunately, 2011 has not been as successful and Kate is working hard to get 2010’s form back in time for next year’s Olympics.

TOUGH TIMES
Kate admits it is hard to stay motivated sometimes, especially when things aren’t going her way. “It certainly has been a challenging year for me and I cannot pinpoint the exact reason why I am not racing as well as last year. I took four months off after the World Champs Final in Budapest last year, as I was injured, burnt out and demotivated, so I think it is just taking me a bit a longer to find my form again. In hindsight, this may be the best thing for me in the lead up to London, because if I continued to have the same form I had last year, I may have been burnt out by the time I got to London. I am definitely improving each day, but I have had to adapt my goals for 2011, and it has made me realise how fortunate I am to be living my childhood dream.”

It is Kate’s determination to succeed that has been the difference between being good and great. “I believe anyone can be anything that they want to be with proper motivation, hard work and discipline. I think exceptional people have a special talent for identifying their strengths and weaknesses, and can convert setbacks into future successes. This year in particular has been a disappointment compared to the breakthroughs I had last year, but I don’t see myself as a failure and I know that I just need to keep fighting hard. I believe that a true champion is one that can pick herself up from the difficult times.”

THE LOVE OF THE CHALLENGE
Now based in Australia and Switzerland after growing up in a tight-knit family, Kate admits it is sometimes difficult to be so far away from her family for so long, but she is still happy with her career choice. “I can honestly say that I really love my job and am passionate about what I do. It is very challenging racing on the professional circuit, as each year the level of racing gets tougher and you have to continually search for ways to improve, but I love the challenge. It is so tough to make sure that all three disciplines are on form and there are always areas where I need to improve. I also love the travelling and the camaraderie between the girls that I race and train with, but most of all I love the feeling of being fit and healthy, and the satisfaction of doing well in a race. It is difficult to describe just how awesome that feels.”

Kate says she wanted to be a professional athlete for as long as she can remember, and can’t imagine doing anything else. “It sometimes feels like I’m focussed on triathlon 170 hours a week, even though there aren’t that many hours in a week! Once I break down swimming, cycling, running, gym work and other technical drills, it works out to around 30 hours of physical activity a week. My naps are very important to me, so I always put aside at least two hours a day for nap time. There is just something so appealing about inactivity to someone who is forced to be energetic for a living! Of course, I get those days when I am extremely tired and just want to stay in bed, watch movies and eat chocolate, but I don’t have too many of these. On the whole, I love training.”

2012 AND BEYOND
The 2008 Olympics was one of the highlights of her career, says Kate. “To me, the Olympics remain the most compelling search for excellence that exists in sport, and maybe in life itself. I consider being an Olympian very special and something no-one can take away from me. I was able to achieve my childhood dream by competing in Beijing and it was an absolutely amazing experience, but I believe that I can improve on the 32nd position I achieved, so I am giving everything to get to the start line on 4 August at Hyde Park.” However, Kate says she does not just want to make up the numbers in London. “I am working hard towards an Olympic medal next year. I realise it is going to be a tough task, but anything can happen on the day and I certainly will be fighting hard to get onto the podium and make my country proud.”

While her focus is on London at the moment, Kate finds it exciting that she doesn’t know what she will be doing after that. “I aim to do what makes me happy in life and live with no regrets. After next year, I will take some time off from international racing and reassess in 2013 if I want to go for the 2016 Olympics. I would like to have more balance in my life post-London, and that will influence whether I can get to another Games or not. I do know I would very much like to get involved in mentoring up and coming female African triathletes, as I believe we have so much talent that is not being recognised at the moment. But at the end of the day, I just want to be happy and have no regrets about my triathlon career.”