Category: Features

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.”

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.