Category: Features

Martha Mokobe grew up in Hammanskraal, just outside Pretoria, and moved to Johannesburg in 1991. She moved in with the Rogers family in Craighall Park 13 years ago when they employed her as a domestic worker, and says at that stage, she had never run before, describing herself as being “very lazy.” Like many women, it was her dress size that convinced her to take up running in 2000. “I wanted to lose weight because I was fat, I was wearing a size 38. I started running, but I wasn’t very serious about it, and sometimes I trained, other times I didn’t.” This routine continued for some time before Martha’s employer Michael Rogers, asked her one day when she returned from a run, if she had joined the local running club, Rand Athletic Club. “I said no, because I didn’t have the money, then he gave me the money and I joined the club. That’s when I started getting serious about running!”

Now she says she has been a member of the club for so long she can’t even remember when she joined! “The people at the club are very friendly and I’ve made many friends there. I run the club’s time trial every Tuesday and in the mornings I run with one of the training groups. We start from the local gym at 5:30am, run for about an hour and by 6:30am I’m back home. Then I take a bath and start work by 7am. I have made lots of friends thanks to running, including my best friend Mmapula Seshabela.”

Martha remembers her first race being a 15km in Pretoria. She finished in a time of 2:14 and says it was hard, so she just ran slowly, but since then she picked up the pace and gradually graduated to longer distances, culminating in finishing the big daddy, the Comrades, for the first time in 2007. “I started slowly with the 15km, then I ran 21, 32, 42 and 50km. I did the Two Oceans in 2007 and then I decided I want to run the Comrades.” Martha has now run five Comrades Marathons, earning three bronze medals and two Vic Claphams, and she hopes to earn her green number in 2016.

COMRADES MEMORIES
“The Comrades is a special race, I love it. I can still remember my first one. It was nice and I was excited because I didn’t know the route and I didn’t know what to expect. I ran the whole race with my friend Mmapula, we started together and finished together and that made it very special. Now I don’t have to run it with someone anymore, I can go on my own if they go too slow or too fast, and sometimes I can even help other people next to the road. I like the Comrades, it’s far but it’s nice. There are lots of people on the roads and lots of supporters, so I enjoy it. Every year when I finish and I’m tired and hurting, I say ‘no more, I’m not coming back and doing it again’. But then, when the injuries are better and the tiredness is gone, I decide I’m going back again. I don’t think I can go any faster and just want to finish another five Comrades to get my green number.”

Despite all the pain associated with the Comrades Marathon, Martha admits she prefers longer races over short distances. “I like the long races like marathons because with the short ones you have to run too fast. I like long runs, where I can just go slowly.” She is also most definite that she prefers the Comrades Up run. “I hate the Down run, it hurts too much. You have to train harder to run up, but it is better than running down, because it doesn’t hurt as much.”

A HELPING HAND
She knows she would not have been able to come this far as a runner without the encouragement and support from her employers, Michael and Suzanne Rogers, and is very thankful for their support. “My people help me a lot to run because they see it is a thing I love to do. They help me to fly to races that are far, like Comrades and Two Oceans and when I have an injury, my madam, Suzanne, tells me what to do because she is a physiotherapist. She tells me if I should stretch something or rest something, and then it helps me.”

LOVING IT
Martha gets excited as she speaks about her sport and says the main reason she does it, and continues to do it, is because she loves it. “I really enjoy running. When I’m running I’m not thinking about nothing, I’m just enjoying the running. I clean the house, do the washing and ironing, and look after the children, so I’m busy with lots of work and I need to run to relax. Sometimes you’ve got stress and you go there and run, and when you come back all the stress is gone, you feel tired and you just bath and get in bed and you sleep better. I don’t think I’ll ever stop running, even if I’m old, I like to do it. It’s strange, because I never ran in school, I was lazy. I never thought I would do this now when I’m old! But I love going out to races, because I can go out with my friends and we enjoy it.”

She is eager to share her running advice with others. “You must enjoy the road and keep telling yourself you will finish, then you will. My advice for people when running Comrades is to just go slowly and don’t tell yourself you want to run a certain time. I just always want to finish a race, no matter what my time is.” But she admits that she always pushes herself to finish a 10km in under an hour. Her PB for the shorter distance is approximately 54 minutes, while her marathon PB is 4:15.

LIFE-CHANGING
Through her running, Martha not only lost the weight she wanted to – she went from a size 38 to size 32 without going on a diet! – she also stopped drinking and saw parts of the country she had never seen before. The first time she was in Cape Town was when she flew down to run the Two Oceans, and the first time she saw Durban was when she arrived there to run the Comrades in 2007. Similarly, she has also travelled to Zimbabwe to run the Two Countries at Musina Marathon, and she ran the Longtom Marathon in Mpumalanga, all places she would likely not have seen if it wasn’t for running.

She remembers how she used to drink quite often before she started running, but says since she hit the road, she doesn’t touch alcohol anymore. “You can learn something from running, because before I ran, I used to drink, but when I started running, there was no more drinking. Before, when I saw my friends we used to drink, now I have other friends and when we get together we only talk about our training, where we’re going to run next, which races we’re going to go do, and we plan our weekends. Running changed my life and I’ll never stop doing it. I love it!”

Martha’s Comrades Times
2007 10:56:19
2008 11:00:15
2009 10:48:19
2010 11:16:24
2011 10:48:44

As an avid motorbike enthusiast, Heinz always loved taking to the open road. And so it was no different on 12 March 1982, when he left from Olifantsfontein, near Pretoria, for Bloemfontein on his 750cc Suzuki. But coming round a sharp bend, he crashed into a lamppost at high speed. The impact completely severed his left foot and left him covered in deep wounds after he was flung 20m across a double road, landing in front of oncoming traffic. “I still remember the noise of the engine of my motorbike revving next to the lamppost. Only after a yellow plastic bag was pulled over the badly scarred remains of my leg did I realise that I’d lost a foot.”

Heinz was only 21 years old at the time. Now after such a traumatic accident, many people resign themselves to life with very little physical activity, but not Heinz Mueller. He vowed that his physical disability would not affect the way he lives life. And it hasn’t!

LIFE AFTER THE ACCIDENT
Today, Heinz (53) is the owner of a successful business, High Performance Limbs (HPL), which he manages from his home in George. He sources and imports prosthetic products and components from all over the world and distributes them in South Africa. He has also become an avid road runner. After nearly 25 years of using various prosthetic legs and feet that were fitted as his stump changed and technology advanced, he got his first running blade in 2007. That changed his whole life, as a new world of opportunities opened. “Suddenly I was freed from bondage and all the strenuous activities which previously seemed out of reach were suddenly doable.”

Heinz says immediately after the accident, he had to adapt to not having a leg with which to carry on with his day to day activities. “My recovery was rapid due to bloodless surgery and being strong-willed, but all of a sudden I had to wear a prostheses, a device that I knew nothing about. Suddenly I realised how important it was to have the support of family and friends. Emotionally, I was devastated at first. But through determination and positive thinking, I could see my life continue as normal as possible through the eyes of my three beautiful children.”

He was released after 10 days in hospital, and to his surprise, his first prostheses was fitted only two months later. Unfortunately only nine months after the accident, he had to have an operation for a further amputation higher up, as the wound had turned septic.

GETTING PHYSICAL
Though Heinz decided to continue life as normally as possible, his sporting activities came to a halt. Before the accident he enjoyed a game of squash and tennis with friends, but the accident left him falling into self-pity. Then gradually he started cycling, as it was less impact on his stump and went on to complete the Cape Argus Cycle Tour four times as well as the Karoo to Coast (a gruelling 100km over the Swartberg pass from Uniondale to Knysna.) “That was one of the highlights of my sporting career and one of the toughest mountain bike challenges I’ve done.”

Then he got his first running blade and a whole new world of sporting opportunities opened up. “I was introduced to a running club by a good friend. The blade was comfortable to run with and I suddenly realised the freedom running holds. I always used to do things slowly. Now I could get to places so much faster. My first experience with the blade was like walking on clouds. There was so much more give and response. One must remember that the blade is only as comfortable as how your residual stump fits into the purpose-made socket. You cannot perform or run well if the socket to your remaining leg fits badly and hurts. Luckily, I was fortunate to have my socket sorted and fit well.”

His first day at the running club was a mixture of happiness and disappointment. “I started off with high expectations, but quickly realised that my fitness was lacking and my technique non-existent. I had to walk most of the 3km time trial.” Since then Heinz has completed several road races and tackled his first marathon only six months after starting to run.

THE NITRO RUNNING BLADE
The Nitro Running Blade from Freedom-Innovations is engineered for jogging and running. The blade is individually handcrafted with carbon-epoxy lay-up techniques and is manufactured in the shape of a ‘C’ for comfort and the right alignment to propel the wearer forward. It took Heinz some time getting used to his blade and took a lot of adjusting and alignment tweaking. “It also takes a lot of perseverance to get used to it and to get on track.”

Running with the blade, Heinz gradually built up his running fitness. He started with 3km, building gradually to 5km, then to 10km and 21km. “There will always be some discomfort and pain with longer distances and time spent in the socket, keeping in mind that perspiration is a big factor. Your prostheses, or whatever you use to run with, can only do as well as the trained or sound leg!”

He tackled the Two Oceans Half Marathon for the first time this year and after a difficult start in the darkness, he got into a comfortable stride and finished the race just outside of two hours. “Although the route was crowded all the way, the camaraderie was awesome and I decided to do the 56km next year, where I should have more freedom of space.”

TRAINING
His training week starts with a 6km jog on Mondays on a gravel road into the forest near home. Tuesdays are reserved for time trials at the local Nedbank Running Club in George ,followed by an hour’s workout in the gym. “On Wednesday we take our bikes for an adventuress and scenic 15km route around the George Dam, and on Thursdays I either run a 10km circle route at the Botanical Gardens with club mates, or do a spinning session at the gym.” Friday is rest day and Saturday Heinz will spend with his club doing a long run at different venues, then Sundays it’s back to the gym for some weight training. Heinz also regularly swims, goes on motorbike trips and has even climbed Kilimanjaro!

Heinz remembers when only 10 to 15 members pitched up for time trials in 2007. These days there are on average 65 each week, and the club even boasts its own chip timekeeping system, which gives runners accurate time trialling results. “It is truly a pleasure to belong to such an up-and-coming enthusiastic club and group of people. My running partners are strong, dedicated runners who have also become my personal friends.”

GIVING BACK
Heinz strongly believes in giving back to people in similar situations. “After a visit to an accident victim at a hospital, I realised nothing gave me more joy than to see the encouragement I can be in that person’s life when they see me walking normally with my prostheses and listen to some of my achievements. I will never forget my visit to two partially blind tandem cyclists who ‘looked’ at my motorbike through touching. They felt their way with their hands from the front wheel to the back mudguard whilst expressing their excitement. After starting up the engine they exclaimed: ‘Oh, how we would love to ride with you!’”

Unsurprisingly, he decided to make this a future project. “Our motorbike club will attempt to take each of our blind friends for a ride out in the wind so they can also experience the freedom we so often take for granted.” Heinz also donates prosthetic products through HPL to less privileged people.

Something Heinz feels strongly about is separate starts for disabled athletes at races. “I would love organisers to give thought to a separate category for disabled athletes to compete against each other within a race in some of the bigger marathons, such as the Comrades, Two Oceans and the Knysna Forest Marathon, to name but a few. There are a few blade runners that I know of who would welcome such a change, which would not only give them a chance to run, but also chance of winning or doing well in their respective category.”

AN INSPIRATIONAL LIFE
Heinz believes running is what leads him to discover new places, experience nature and meet new friends. And apart from the fact that he is leaner and fitter since starting running, he feels healthier now than in his younger years. One of his fondest running memories is doing a wheelchair challenge a couple of times, pushing quadriplegics in their wheelchairs through the streets of George. “For me this is a real privilege, to acknowledge that I have only lost a limb.” Another fond memory is receiving the trophy for the most inspiring runner at the 2007 Nedbank Club annual prize-giving.

He is very close to his three children, Imke and Kyle, who work for Emirates in Dubai, and Wernher, who works in Mauritius. “Family can guide you, but you are responsible for your own true power and will to excel. The fact that I can do more than the average person motivates me to carry on. But anyone can compete in sport. By just starting with a gentle 3km walk, you can progress to anything. The sky is the limit. You need to decide, commit, execute and succeed.”

Any blade runners who would like to make contact with Heinz can log onto his BlogSpot www.bladerunners-sa.blogspot.com to chat about common issues which will help improve ‘blade running.”

The University of the Free State’s (UFS) athletics club has been quietly going about its business since it was founded in 1921. In their 90 year existence the club has produced many a national champion and the odd barefoot sweetheart, with a total of 60 athletes representing South Africa. But what makes their athletics team stand out is not the amount of trophies in their trophy case or their medal tally at various championships. It’s the camaraderie, loyalty and tradition that have become synonymous with Kovsies.

HISTORY
Athletics is one of the oldest sports to be presented at UFS and throughout the years they have built a proud record of producing top athletes. The first Kovsies to represent South Africa internationally were sprinter Billy Legg and shot put and discuss thrower Harry Hart. They both represented the country at the Olympic Games in 1928 and 1932 respectively.

Up until the seventies Kovsies didn’t perform as well as they would have liked, but that changed with the arrival of legendary coach late Ivor Potgieter in 1976. Ivor coached the national team for several years, managed several top flight athletes and was appointed chairman of the Free State Amateur Athletics Association as well as vice chairperson of the South African Amateur Athletics Union during his time at UFS. He took the club’s crop of coaches at that stage under his wing and it was under his guidance that Kaai Preller, Hennie Pretorius, Div Lamprecht, Abrie de Swardt, Jopie van der Walt and Leon Botha developed into the top class coaches they are today. Kaai is still involved with the club to this day and have since been joined by Ans Botha, Andr? van Heever, Van Zyl Naude and Nico Nicolaisen. Currently Kaai, Ans, DB Prinsloo, Sarina Cronj?, Frans Human, Johan Human, Kennie Jooste and Sidney van Biljon form a formidable coaching team, all of them having coached athletes who represented the South African team at some stage.

ALUMNI OF NOTE
In 1980 the university became the proud owners of their own athletics centre when the Carl Preller Athletics Centre was completed. The seventies, eighties and nineties can be seen as the club’s heydays when a young Zola Budd (Pieterse) burst onto the scene but she was by no means the only quality athlete to hail from Bloemfontein. Sarina Cronj? (middle and long distances, late Jaco Reinach, Hendrik Smit (both middle distances), Sandra Barnard, Elinda Vorster, Ansie Basson and Johan Rossouw (all sprinters) all excelled during this time and some of them are still ranked in the top 20 of their respective events. Sarina also held five national records in the 800m, 1 500m, mile, 3 000m and 10km road race events. More recently the most successful Kovsie athletes were long distance and cross country runners Hendrik Thukwane, Enoch Skosana, Madele Naude, Sandra L?tter, Jurgens Kotz?, Stephen Phofi, Anton Nicolaisen, Georgina Fourie, walker Barry Badenhorst, and world champion and Olympic medallist Frantz Kruger (discus and shot put).

YOUNG KOVSIES
Currently the university can boast with some exciting talent in the form of Boy Soke (half marathon), PC Beneke (400m and 400m hurdles), Windy Jonas, Johan Cronj?, Ratlale Mokone, Dan?l Prinsloo, Rynardt van Rensburg (all middle distances), Marionette van der Merwe (heptathlon), Thuso Mpuang (100m, 200m), Janette Siebert, JVA Steytler (high jump) and Marizette Badenhorst (hammer throw). They are especially excited about Thuso’s participation at the IAAF World Championships later this month and all Kovsies will definitely be supporting him from a cold Bloemfontein when he gives his all in Daegu.

The UFS have ended fourth at the USSA Championships in the last two years and even though they did not win as many medals this year as in 2010 they are confident that they will be able to build on this year’s performance in 2012. Of their team of 49 athletes, 14 were first year students and with another year of experience and training chances are that UFS will feature on the podium at next year’s USSA’s.

According to the university’s Director of Sport, DB Prinsloo and Athletics Officer, Sarina Cronj? sport at UFS is still one of the cornerstones on which the development of students is built. DB says it is through quality coaching, facilities and competitions that Kovsie athletes have the opportunity to develop their talents and excel in their discipline. It is not all about the elite athletes though and the university has been presenting an inter-residence cross country league since 1975 and an inter-residence athletics league since 1980. These events still take place till this day and have helped identify many unknown talents throughout the years.

Most people would say that Marilu Mathee and Dave Chamberlain are a bit crazy to tackle more than 5 000km of running in a strange country. But their reaction to this definitely puts things into perspective: “I would hate to get to the end of my life and realise I could have experienced so much more out of life if I just dared to get outside of my comfort zone. So I say I would be crazy not to do this,” says Marilu.

Dave describes his motivation as pretty simple. “I think people spend too much time sitting in little concrete boxes, too scared to actually get out there and to do something amazing with their lives. Instead, we spend a large portion of our existence getting frustrated in traffic jams, working for an unappreciative boss and playing catch-up with the ‘Joneses.’”

THE PLAN
Marilu and Dave, who came up with the idea, will be running together as a team, and although there have been many longer runs around the world, this particular route has never been run in this way before and they will be the first to attempt it.

The run starts middle July and the plan is to run 160km a week (roughly 26km a day) down the well-known RN40, a tarred road that spans North to South along the Western flank of Argenitna before it rises to meet the Andes mountain range. They are planning to run six days a week, taking the seventh day to rest and recover. Every six weeks they will take off a further week for rest. The run starts at 3 000m altitude and climbs to 5 000m. To make it even more challenging, they start their run in mid-winter, but they have secured a camper van for the trip.

The World Wide Fund For Natures South Africa (WWF-SA) is supporting their offer to promote awareness for WWF’s Africa Rhino Programme. “The WWF is not sponsoring the trip, but gratefully accepting the offer to create awareness for the rhino programme. Africa is experiencing a ferocious resurgence in rhino poaching, caused by illegal demand for rhino horn from Asia. South Africa, the stronghold of Africa’s rhino population with more than 80% of the 24 000 rhinos left in Africa, is now losing more than 20 rhinos a month. If the current trend continues, the rhino conservation gains of the last decade will swiftly begin to erode,” says Dr Morn? du Plessis, Chief Executive Officer of WWF-SA.

Another charity leg of the run is to create awareness for the jaguar population in Argentina. Locally called yaguaret?, or “tiger,” the jaguar is the top predator on the South American continent. Due to the rapid loss of tropical and subtropical forests, and illegal poaching, the jaguar population has severally declined over the last decades.

MEET THE TEAM
Marilu found her passion for life at the age of 30. With a heart for people and a love for the outdoors and being active, she started her own business called FROM MONDAY Corporate Fitness, focussing on improving employee health and wellness in order to increase overall productivity. Her favourite discipline is running, as it has been her remedy to overcome fears, failures, heartbreaks and loneliness. Running is also her way of celebrating being alive. “Running is so diverse. It creates awareness to possibility.You name it and it all starts with running.”

Dave describes himself as a slacker, scuba dive instructor, farmer, plumber, barman and traveller. He sees himself as an amateur/fun athlete with no desire to compete in races, but humbly admits that he has hiked in the Andes, Alps, Pyrenees and Drakensberg, and across Iceland! “To watch me running is like watching an epileptic jellyfish. But if I can do this, then there is a whole bunch of other jellyfish out there that can also do this! Basically, I want to try and get people to be more proud of themselves than of their Rolex watches.”

AN UNKNOWN ADVENTURE
They realise that to most people their adventure sounds completely crazy. “What we are about to do resonates with who I am and my values, my passions and my desires for my life. I am frightened by the task ahead, but I know I can do it,” says Marilu.

Dave wants to convince normal, average people that they can also go out there and stretch their personal boundaries. “Then I think that a lot of the issues we face with regards to the health of the planet and society would be addressed simply because one’s perception of what really is valuable will guide us to more sensible solutions to our needs as a society. I’m not asking people to run 5 100km. I’m hoping to challenge people to say to their bosses ‘sorry mate, I’m taking time off to do something fantastic. I want people to do something that they can one day turn around and be proud of, and say; ‘At least once in my life, I experienced something amazing, and I made a difference.’”

FOLLOW THE JOURNEY…AND BECOME INVOLVED
A journalist in Argentina will be covering Marilu and Dave’s journey along with a TV crew who will be filming it. The team would love more exposure and would welcome any company that would want to be involved in this project, which will yield excellent results for the conservation initiatives they have chosen to support.

Via their satellite connection, the team will be in contact with a South African project manager who will be doing weekly blog updates on http://runargentina.wordpress.com and www.frommonday.com. At both sites there will be a Facebook link where you can follow their progress. For more info, or to become involved, contact Marilu at [email protected].

Micronutrients play an important role in energy production, maintenance of bone health and adequate immune function, to mention but a few. They also help with the synthesis and repair of muscle tissue during recovery from exercise and injury. When we exercise, we place certain stresses on our bodies which may lead to the loss of micronutrients in the body. Therefore, a greater intake of micronutrients may be needed in athletes for building, repair and maintenance of lean body mass.

The most important vitamins and minerals include:
• Calcium: Especially important for growth, maintenance and repair of bone tissue, maintenance of blood calcium levels, regulation of muscle contraction, nerve conduction, and normal blood clotting.
• Vitamin D: Important for calcium absorption, regulation of serum calcium and phosphorous levels, and promotion of bone health.
• B Vitamins: Important to ensure adequate energy production and building and repair of muscle tissue.
• Iron: Required for the formation of oxygen-carrying proteins, haemoglobin and myoglobin, and for enzymes involved in energy production.
• Zinc: Plays a role in growth, building and muscle tissue, energy production and immune status.
• Antioxidants – Vitamin C and E, Beta-Carotene and selenium: Play important roles in protecting the cell membranes from oxidative stress damage.
• Magnesium: Plays a variety of roles in cellular metabolism and regulates membrane stability and neuromuscular, cardiovascular, immune and hormonal functions.

SO WHO NEEDS TO SUPPLEMENT?
An athlete consuming a healthy balanced diet, with lots of variety, doesn’t necessarily need to supplement with vitamins and minerals, as their diets will still be adequate to supply these higher micronutrient needs. Athletes who are at greater risk include those who restrict energy intake or have severe weight-loss practices, those who eliminate specific food groups out of their diets, and those who consume unbalanced and low micronutrient diets. The use of vitamins and minerals does not improve athletic performance in athletes who eat nutritionally balanced diets!

Let’s take a closer look at a few common multivitamins on the market:

STAMINOGROW: A 5-in-1 slow-release combination supplement containing vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and amino acids.
Benefits:
• Contains all the important vitamins and minerals mentioned above, i.e. antioxidants for protecting cells of the body from harmful effects of free radicals.
• Contains B-Complex vitamins that are important in the production of healthy red blood cells and energy release.
• Contains Amino acids, which are important building blocks for the body and may assist in cellular repair and anti-aging processes.
Who should use it: Aimed at people suffering from fatigue, sub-fertility and immune problems.

PHARMATON: A nutritional supplement containing a combination of ginseng, vitamins, minerals and trace elements.
Benefits:
• Pharmaton contains 100% of the RDA (recommended daily allowance) for B-vitamins, including folic acid.
• Contains antioxidants (Beta-carotene, zinc, selenium, vitamin E and C).
• Contains 71 % of the RDA for iron – helps to maintain healthy red blood cells, and therefore the transportation of oxygen to the body.
• Contains ginseng, which is known to increase energy levels, enhance physical performance and help the body’s ability to tolerate stress.
Who should use it: Athletes, especially those who struggle with tiredness throughout the day, female athletes who suffer from low iron levels, and people who follow restrictive diets or who are vegetarian.
(Note people with high blood pressure or on blood-thinning medication should consult their doctors before taking medication with ginseng.)

DYNAMISAN: A complete multivitamin containing vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and amino acids. It also contains iron and folic acid.
Benefits:
• Contains all the important vitamins and minerals needed for increased physical activity, e.g. B-vitamins, antioxidants, calcium, magnesium, vitamin D and iron.
• Contains 225% of the RDA for Vitamin C.
• Contains a powerful antioxidant called EGCG (Epigallocatechin Gallate), which is four times stronger than Vitamin E and C.
Who should use it: Physically active people, those with low immune systems, smokers, fatigued people, or people who follow dietary restrictions or are vegetarian.

THE BOTTOM LINE
Remember, athletes eating balanced diets do not necessarily need to take a multivitamin to meet higher micronutrient demands on the body. Taking supplements does not increase athletic performance when diets are optimal. You should also always read patient information leaflets before taking supplements, or consult your doctor or chemist when taking other medication.

Shaun was my only child and my reason for living. He was my friend and we had a relationship that was so special. Yes, there were times we had our differences – he was on his way to 18 and was ready to face the world on his own, fearless and excited. When I got that call, my breath was ripped out of me and I just wanted to stop breathing, forever. He died on a Monday afternoon, on his motorcycle, and exactly a week after that day my takkies hit the tar again. I will never forget it. I ran 8km and it was utter hell; I could scarcely see the road through the tears, but I experienced such a sense of relief and it felt so strange, and it was then I realised it’s while running that I could talk to my son.

RUNNING SUPPORT
I’ve always been a slow runner, just doing it for myself. I enjoy the people and the excitement of a race. I always made the cut-off’s and my biggest race was the Two Oceans Ultra. At Shaun’s service, while doing his eulogy, my eyes fell on my running buddies and I told them that they were going to have to get me through the Comrades. Today, after many sessions with my psychologist, I realised I turned away from the other people at the service. I only spoke to my running buddies, as I could focus on something else and not the real reason we were all there.

In the December holidays our whole family gets together at Gansbaai and I could not see how I was going to get through the festive season. At seven every night I drank a sleeping pill and an hour later I was asleep. In the mornings, my sister, her other half Bobby and I went running, and I realised more and more that it was those times that I could get quiet times with my son, myself and our heavenly Father. Bobby taught me the serenity prayer on the run. Many times he had to stop so that I could breathe and get rid of the painful anxiety that was clutching my heart. But they kept me running, and that December the three of us ran the Danger Point Half Marathon in Gansbaai and I knew I had to keep running – it was the only way I was going to keep going.

FOR MY SON
2010 arrived with such heartache. Everybody was looking forward to the Soccer World Cup, but I had this black hole eating away inside me and it was growing bigger every day. My doctor phoned and told me he could prescribe an anti-depressant that wouldn’t interfere with my running, and a month later the medication started working. I could breathe again. I ran stronger than ever and started pushing myself. The training for the Comrades was great, as each step was one step closer to personal and physical victory. I needed to do that first Comrades for my son, to make him proud of his mom, but also for me, to show myself I could do it, as well as a reason to live. Just getting up in the morning was so difficult. I used to wake Shaun to get ready for school and make him breakfast, now there was nothing, no reason to get up and face the day.

Comrades 2010 arrived and we were there. My goal was just to make the cut-off line with about five minutes to spare; my second (secret) goal was to try running it under 11 hours, but that felt like a pipe dream. I was scared of being too emotional while running, and the idea of literally running the whole day just seemed so inconceivable, how on earth was I going to do it? The cock crowed and we were off! Or rather, standing, then starting slowly. The realisation then set in… I was there, doing my first Comrades!

We tried staying with the 11-hour bus, but couldn’t keep up. At the 15km mark my running buddy Renate told me to go ahead, as she was going to take it slower. Thus my Comrades with my son started. There were times that I had to look next to me to make sure he wasn’t running next to me, and at one stage I told him, “Look, we have to take it slower now, as I can’t go anymore.” But we slogged on and at about 60km, caught up with the 11-hour bus, without any conscious planning. There were a lot of runners and I decided to get slightly ahead of them to get away from the crowd. A little later I caught up with another 11-hour bus and I ran with them for a while. Suddenly Durban was spread out ahead and I realised there was an end to the race. I finished my first Comrades in an amazing time of 10:40, and when I ran over the finishing line my first thoughts were “I love you, my son, and thank you, Father.”

GRIEVING PROCESS
After running the Comrades, I finally did my sub-2:00 on a half marathon and I finished the Karoo Ultra. In October, I decided to give up taking the anti-depression medication and it affected me very badly. I lost my enthusiasm for running and for life. Each day became a struggle again, but I needed to experience real emotion and grieve without any aid.

Comrades 2011 was like this humongous mountain ahead of me. What made 2010 so unreal was that it felt like such a surreal experience. Standing there again this year on the morning of my second Comrades was so special, after all the sacrifice and training. This time my running partner was Bobby, the same one who taught me the serenity prayer. Before 30km I was ready to give up a hundred times, but it was Bobby’s first and I just didn’t know how to tell him I couldn’t continue running. He sensed how I felt and every few kilometres he would count from 1 to 3 and then we had to shout “Hoo-haa!” A couple of times we had to repeat it, as other runners also wanted to take part in what became a ritual the whole race through.

Reaching the top of Polly Shortts was amazing and then we opened up and just ran (as much as you can ‘run’) the last 8km of the Comrades. Entering the stadium was a personal miracle, and I realised that as much as 2010 was an almost holy experience for me, 2011 was like my grieving process, just one step in front of the other to the finish line. I knew I wasn’t going to make it under 11 hours, but that didn’t matter, because I want 2010 to always stand out. We did it in 11:19 and I got my back to back medal.

Shortly after finishing, I bumped into an old friend of mine from Pretoria, Albert Coetzee, who throughout the last few years has sent me countless e-mails to help and encourage me with the running. He embraced me outside their club tent and held me tight and prayed for my husband and I, and as I stood there crying, I realised once again that every step was worth it.

ONE STEP AT A TIME
My grieving is like running the Comrades; there are wow moments, and times you just want to give up, but somehow you keep putting one step in front of the other and every step is a step towards the finish or the healing. I read this the other day: “Life is not about waiting for the storms to pass…It’s about learning how to dance in the rain.”

We lost our brother in 1980 and I recently asked my mom how she coped. She answered that you never get over it, you just learn to live with it.

So thank you to all my running buddies and every runner out there, because there’s a struggle inside most of us, regardless of what it is. Just put one step in front of the other, savour those wow times and put your chin down for those vasbyt moments. You are all truly amazing people.

The recent SPAR Women’s 5km in Durban was a hotly contested race between three youngsters, but more importantly proved that South Africa’s young and upcoming talent is alive and well! Simonay Weitsz, a grade 6 student at Laerskool Van Riebeeckpark, took the early lead with two local Durban girls Klara and Natascha Hartmann. Between the three of them they fought all the way to the finish line for the top spot. It was only when they entered the stadium that Simonay says she knew she was going to take first place. She crossed the line in a time of 19:37, not bad for a 12-year-old girl that can fit under most adults’ shoulders.

RUNNING TALENT
After participating in her first cross-country race only two years ago, Simonay’s mom realised her daughter had talent and took her to Willie Engelbrecht, a well-known coach in the East Rand. According to Willie, he knew early on that Simonay is special and his confidence in her soon paid off as she has been a member of the Central Gauteng cross-country and athletics teams since 2009. “Simonay is a natural and one to look out for in future. I never have to worry about her and she just keeps giving great performances. She’s one of those athletes that just perform better than others, even when she’s put in the same amount of work as other athletes.”

Though the 1 200m is her favourite event, Simonay’s sporting talent has really come to the fore with her superb winning performances at the SPAR 5km and the recent Gauteng Winter Trail Series. She swept aside all competition at the Trail Series, not only winning her age group by a massive margin but also being the first overall female home in all but one of the races. It has been these performances that have made people sit up and take note of this petite, blonde girl.

FOR THE LOVE OF RACING
Simonay says she fell in love with running from the moment she started running competitively, and it is this love for competition that drives her. An easy race isn’t that much fun as one where she is pushed to perform better by her competitors. “I like a challenge and love a close race. Just the other day I had one of my closest races yet and it was great winning that race!”

But in her short running career, Simonay has also had to deal with some disappointment. At the SA Schools Championships earlier this year, she lined up for the 1 200m hoping to take the title and break the national record, but unfortunately she fell at the start of the race and ended in a disappointing third place in a time of 3:51. “If I didn’t fall, the record would have been mine, because I had beaten the girl who won several times before.” Simonay has since run the 1 200m in a personal best time of 3:46, only three seconds slower than the national record set in 2006, and she hopes to break this record before she moves on to the 1 500m next year.

Simonay remains a young girl with more on her mind than just running, and she says one of the things she likes most about her sport is having some time away from her younger brother, Dwayne! Add to that the fact that she has made so many good friends in her training group, and she doesn’t mind having to train during the holidays and on icy winter mornings. “I like training and most of the times I don’t mind getting up early, but sometimes when we train really hard, it’s not that much fun.”

WATCH THIS SPACE
As for the future, Simonay has big plans. She wants to follow in her role model Irvette van Blerk’s footsteps and become one of the best runners in the country, hopefully claiming a medal for South Africa at the Olympic Games one day. She dreams big and says after that she plans on taking on the biggest race in South Africa, the Comrades Marathon, and taking back the title from all the foreigners that have dominated the race in recent years.

And who knows, maybe the only woman who will be able to break Frith van der Merwe’s record will be another young girl from the East Rand…

Xavier started to plan his trip and train for this mammoth task in November last year when he entered the Comrades for the 11th time. “I didn’t have the money to get to Durban, so I thought why not cycle there and run back after Comrades? So I got a map and started planning the route.”

What makes Xavier’s journey unique is the fact that he did it solo. “I had nobody running with me or seconding me. Sometimes I did 45 to 50km on one litre of water because that was all I could carry. I carried everything in my backpack. Shoes, clothes, medical kit, a little bit of food and whatever else I needed, but I couldn’t carry more than 10kg because weight was critical. I expected to get food along the way and mostly I did. I trained beforehand without water to prepare myself for the dehydration factor, but to me it was a dream run, I didn’t have any blisters or injuries and never dehydrated.”

THE JOURNEY
Xavier’s choice of route was determined by the fact that he could not cycle or run on any national roads because he was on his own. All in all, he cycled 697km from the Union Buildings in Pretoria to Durban in four days to arrive just in time to register for the Comrades. He then ran the Comrades in a time of 10:55 for his 10th bronze medal (his 11th overall). After taking a rest day the Monday after the race, he ran another 650km in eight days back to Johannesburg. The worst injury he suffered while running was a broken tooth… and that was because of a frozen jelly baby! The four days of cycling was the cause of greater pain and he says his buttocks were completely blown when he arrived in Durban.

Of course, there were tough times on the road, like one night when he only had raisins and a sports drink for supper because he was too far from a town to find food, or like the times when it was so cold that his hands couldn’t change the gears on his bike, but problems like these didn’t get him down. “You can either make crossing a river a problem, or you can just do it. Sure it’s hard, but you just have to keep going.”

Though Xavier was predominantly alone on the road he did receive valuable help from a few good Samaritans. “One guy gave me two pairs of shoes, a cell phone and he took me to Pretoria on the morning that I started. This from someone who I only met a few months before! I can’t pay those who helped me back, I can only say thank you.”

GIVING BACK TO CHARITY
Xavier’s journey has inspired him to start a charity called the Feeding Charity Chain Gang (FCCG). Through the FCCG he aims to supply those less fortunate with seeds, implements and skills to plant and grow their own food. Anyone interested in contributing to the charity can phone Xavier on 079 301 6891 to find out more.

At the Lotto SA Half Marathon Champs in Port Elizabeth on 2 July, Zintle Xiniwe came home second in 1:13:15, just 16 seconds behind winner Rene Kalmer, and a mere 13 seconds off her personal best, set on this same course in 2008. Zintle, who won this title in 2007 and 2008 and also finished second in 2010, had gone to PE aiming not only to finish amongst the medals, but also to break her PB – and she would undoubtedly have done so had the lead car not missed a turn and taken the runners an extra 180 metres. Her estimated finishing time, based on average pace, would have been around 1:12:35, meaning she should have shattered her PB in PE!

Naturally disappointed about this, Zintle says she was still happy with her second place and good time, because it is just another step in her continuing improvement since making her comeback in late 2009 after giving birth to her son, Iviwe. “He is the greatest thing that has ever been given to me by God, but making a comeback is hard, and I have to thank my training partners and my coach, Marshal Moloi, as well as my mom and my friends, for helping me to get back to this level.”

ON THE ROAD AGAIN
Some months after giving birth, Zintle finished a 10km in just over 40 minutes, way off her normal sub-35 let alone her 33:29 PB. “That really hurt, because I am always at the front with the top girls, but I kept training and ran 38 in my next race. Then early in 2010 I ran a 36, and that was soon followed by 35:03 and two more low 35s in the Spar Women’s races.”

“I saw that I was getting fit again, so I told myself I am going to train even harder. Next I won the Western Province Half Marathon Champs in 77:08, and then I went to Robertson and ran 74 minutes. I felt in my body that day that I would run a good time, but it was still unbelievable to go that much faster. Now I have run another 73, which should have been a 72 – that was disappointing, but it will come!”

PEDIGREED ATHLETE
Born in 1986, Zintle began running when she was eight. In high school she specialised in the 1500m and 3000m, and still holds the Western Province 3000m junior girls’ record. She was soon representing the province, and has gone on to represent her country all over the world, from Zimbabwe, Kenya and Algeria to Mauritius, China and Hungary. Having started her running career with the RCS Gugulethu Athletic Club, she had spells with Atlantic Athletic Club, Celtic Harriers and Mr Price Western Province before joining her current club, Nedbank Western Province. She still lives and trains in the Gugulethu township where she grew up, and she studied sports management at college, but is currently a full-time athlete, which allows her to spend a lot more time with her son.

Zintle has consistently been one of the leading female athletes in South Africa for the last few years. Besides her SA 21km Champs success, she was also runner-up in the 2010 SA 10km Champs, and she has finished on the podium in various Spar Women’s Series races around the country as well as the Old Mutual Two Oceans Half Marathon. Meanwhile, on the track, she was second in the SA Champs 5000m in 2007, 2008 and 2011, having already represented South Africa in the 3000m at the World Youth Champs in 2001.

Unsurprisingly, there have been some disappointments along the way. Having won the 2008 SA 21km title, Zintle was selected for the SA women’s team for the World Half Marathon Champs in Brazil, but having fallen pregnant, she had to withdraw. Happily, with her return to form in 2010, Zintle was once again selected and went to the 2010 World Half Marathon Champs in Nanning, China, where she put in a strong showing to finish 37th. This saw her recently honoured as the 2010 Western Province Athlete of the Year.

FORWARD THINKING
Zintle says her immediate goals now are to represent South Africa once again in the All Africa Games and World Half Marathon Champs, and then hopefully to step up to the marathon in time for the 2012 London Olympics. At the rate that she is currently improving year on year, her chances of achieving her goals look good right now.

ZINTLE’S PBs
3000m 9:37.00
5000m 15:58.47
10km 33:29
15km 53:10
21km 1:13:02

Kalmer and Mokoka Take Gold
Lotto South African Half Marathon Championships, Port Elizabeth, 2 July

Ren? Kalmer won her 31st South African title, but first over the 21km distance, while Stephen Mokoka clinched his 10th in the recent SA Half Marathon Champs. Their respective winning times were 1:12:59 and 1:02:07, but due to the course being 180m long, the winning times should have been closer to 1:01:35 and 1:12:20. Mokoka also won this title in 2008 and 2009, and turned the tables on third-placed Lucky Mohale, the defending champion, who beat Mokoka for the 10km title earlier this year. Two-time former champion Zintle Xiniwe was second in the women’s race for the second year running, while 2009 champion Annerien van Schalkwyk came home third. Defending champion Irvette van Blerk, who recently posted a blistering 1:10:56 in the USA, unfortunately could not run due to an injury.

MEN
1 Stephen Mokoka (AGN) 1:02:07
2 Xolisa Tyali (CGA) 1:02:43
3 Lucky Mohale (CGA) 1:03:04
40-49
1 Piet Mosebedi (AGN) 1:09:19
50-59
1 Vladimir Kotov (BLR/WPA )1:12:01 *
60+
1 Awie Veldsman (WPA) 1:24:35
Juniors
1 Melikhaya Frans (EPA) 1:08:59

WOMEN
1 Ren? Kalmer (CGA) 1:12:59
2 Zintle Xiniwe (WPA) 1:13:15
3 Annerien van Schalkwyk (AGN) 1:13:58
40-49
1 Maya Lawrie (AKZN) 1:22:47
50-59
1 Annatjie Botes (ASWD) 1:32:17
60+
1 Liz Ruickbie (CGA) 1:35:47
Juniors
1 Jessica van Wyk (ACNW) 1:40:00

* Kotov, although a foreigner, has permanent residence status and is thus eligible for the national championships.

Ask most sport fans what the three biggest sporting events on the international calendar are and chances are good they’ll immediately get two right, the Olympic Games and the FIFA Soccer World Cup, but few will know that the IAAF World Athletics Championships rank third on this list. With some 2000 athletes from just over 200 countries heading to Daegu in South Korea at the end of August, this means that the World Champs will be the world’s biggest sport gathering of 2011!

In 2009, the USA topped the medal table with 10 golds and a total haul of 22 medals, with Jamaica second on seven golds and a tally of 13 medals. Russia and Kenya each took home four golds, and a respective total of 13 and 11 medals, whereas no other country could claim more than two golds or hit double figures overall. South Africa finished ninth on the table with two golds and a silver. Only 19 out of 202 countries participating could claim a gold medallist, and only 37 country’s athletes made the podium across all the events – down from the 22 and 46 respectively of 2007 – so you can see how tough it is to earn a World Champs medal.

SOUTH AFRICAN HOPES
At the time of writing (late June), the final South African team had not yet been announced by Athletics South Africa, but there were some safe bets as to who would make the team and be likely medal contenders in Daegu.

Men’s 400m Hurdles
LJ van Zyl owns the five fastest times run in 2011 thus far, and also look out for Cornel Fredericks, who ran the seventh and ninth best times of the year, with only American Jeshua Anderson getting between the two South Africans, and then only by one hundredth of a second faster than Fredericks. If both South Africans can get into the final in Daegu, we could see an incredible double medal haul in an event that has long been one of this country’s strongest.

Men’s 800m
South African hopes will be pinned on defending World Champion Mbulaeni Mulaudzi, who hasn’t been in the best of form this year – although that said, his best of 1:45.50 in Rome in May is not too far off the year’s best 1:43.68 run by Sudan’s Abubaker Kaki, while world record holder David Rudisha of Kenya has run 1:43.88. The 800m final at major championships often becomes more of a tactical race than a flat-out speed race, and if Mulaudzi can avoid getting boxed in, he may be able to bring another medal home.

Women’s 800m
Nobody will forget the political hot potato that Caster Semenya’s disputed gender testing became after she won the 2009 World Championship title, and having finally been allowed to return to competition late in 2010, she is slowly regaining the form that saw her blow the field away in Berlin. Fastest this year has been Halima Hachlaf of Morocco (1:58.27), with Caster fifth on the list with 1:58.61, and the South African is one of only five women to break 1:59 thus far this year, and one of only three that have done so twice, so looks a good bet to medal once again.

Men’s Long Jump
Having won the silver medal in Berlin in 2009 to go with Olympic silver in 2008 as well as World Indoor Champs gold in 2008 and silver in 2010, South Africa’s Godfrey Khotso Mokoena is one of the favourites for 2011 in terms of pedigree. However, in terms of form, Mokoena’s best in 2011 has only been 8.19 metres, meaning nine athletes have jumped further this year, led by Australian Mitchell Watt’s two 8.44 leaps. Second in the rankings is Zimbabwean Ngonidzashe Makusha (8.40), followed by 2007 World Champion and 2008 Olympic Champion Irving Saladino of Panama (8.30), so Mokoena will have to lift his game in Daegu if he wants to finish on the podium again.

Men’s Javelin
If he can find another three to four metres, Robert Oosthuizen could emulate South Africa’s first ever World Champion, Marius Corbert (1993) by bringing home a gold medal in the javelin. His best of 84.38m puts him 11th on the world list for 2011, behind the world leading 88.22m of Vadims Vasilevskis of Latvia. Next best is Germany’s Matthias de Zordo on 85.78m, so Oosthuizen is clearly within reach of a podium finish if he has a good meet.

THE MAN TO WATCH: LJ VAN ZYL
The 400m hurdles star is the only South African going into the World Champs with a world number one ranking, having posted the five fastest times in the world in 2011, and the only man in the world to dip under 48 seconds this year, which he has done four times! He was also unbeaten on the world stage until June’s IAAF Samsung Diamond League Series meeting in New York, but that could be good going into the World Champs, to keep him on his toes. Granted, he also went into the 2009 World Champs with the world’s fastest time of that year, and only made it as far as the semi-final round, prompting some critics to say he had peaked too soon in the season, but Van Zyl has hopefully learnt from that experience and will go into these World Champs older and wiser.

With the 2002 World Junior Champs title and Commonwealth Games gold (2006) and silver (2010) medals behind his name, he will be looking to add to his honours in Korea. He will also be looking to improve on his World Champs record, as his best result thus far was fifth in 2005. In 2007 he was eliminated in the heats and in 2009 he made the semi-final, just a year after finishing fifth in the Olympic final in Beijing. His confidence will have been boosted by beating Llewellyn Herbert’s long-standing South African record when he ran 47.66 seconds in Pretoria in February, and then ran what is still the year’s third-fastest 400m time in the world a month later, clocking 44.86. However, it will be his specialist 400m hurdles event where he will be aiming to bring back World Champs gold.

SOUTH AFRICA’S WORLD CHAMPS MEDALS
Since readmission to international sport in 1992, South African athletes have participated in nine World Champs meets and brought home 13 medals. The three medals of 2009 were a big improvement on the zero return in the two previous meets, and our athletes will be looking to build on this success in 2011.
1997 Gold Marius Corbett Javelin
1997 Silver Llewellyn Herbert 400m Hurdles
1999 Silver Hezekiel Sepeng 800m
1999 Bronze Jopie van Oudtshoorn, Hendrick Mokganyetsi, Adriaan Botha, Arnaud Malherbe 4x400m Relay
2001 Gold Hestrie Cloete High Jump
2001 Gold* Morne Nagel, Corne Du Plessis, Lee-Roy Newton, Matthew Quinn 4x100m Relay
2003 Gold Jacques Freitag High Jump
2003 Gold Hestrie Cloete High Jump
2003 Silver Okkert Brits Pole Vault
2003 Bronze Mbulaeni Mulaudzi 800m
2009 Gold Mbulaeni Mulaudzi 800m
2009 Gold Castor Semenya 800m
2009 Silver Khotso Mokoena Long Jump
* The South African team actually finished second to the American team, but was promoted to the gold medal position after the Americans were stripped of the win for some members of their team admitting to using banned substances.