Category: Features

Ask Joyce Keeling about her first, long-awaited trip to Port Alfred in the Eastern Cape and she is likely to roll her eyes in exasperation before launching into a story about her husband’s absolute dedication to his running. Because while Vic refused to take her there for many years, all it took to change his mind was a road race…

“My parents got married in Port Alfred, so I asked Vic to take me there to see it. He refused because there was no race there to run. It went on for years like that! Then one day he turns to me and says, ‘We’re going to Port Alfred’, so I asked, ‘Why now?’ Turns out it was because he wanted to run the Washie hundred-miler. At first I said, ‘You can go on your own,’ but then I thought I was cutting off my nose to spite my face, so I eventually agreed to go. As I always joked, he was married to running and I was his sideline!”

Still, for all her mock indignation, Joyce was always there to second Vic in his running. Little wonder the Golden Reef Club awarded her numerous ‘Agter Elke Runner’ certificates for her many years of support.

LATE STARTER
Vic only took up running when he was 47, after playing hockey for 30 years – but he was bitten hard by the running bug after seconding his eldest son, Brian, in a race. He ran his first race at the 1975 Marits Mini Marathon 16km in the southern suburbs of Johannesburg, but says, “That was more of a trail fun run, and my first real road race was the Spring Striders 32km in 1976, which I ran in 3:44:10, finishing 864th out of 870 finishers.”

Throughout his running career he kept a meticulous hand-written record of all his races, which Brian recently added up to find that his father has finished 1 018 races, including 243 marathons or ultra marathons, which in turn included 17 Comrades and 17 hundred-milers. His total race mileage comes to 29 097km. Even now, aged 81, Vic still has clear memories of his early races. “My first marathon was the Vaal Marathon in 1977. I remember I was told by some chaps to follow the legendary Mavis Hutchinson if I wanted to finish, so I stuck with her the whole way. I finished in 4:23:20, a few seconds ahead of her.”

His first Comrades followed in 1978, the same year he helped start his beloved Golden Reef Road Running Club. “People told me to walk when I got to a hill, then run the flats and downs, but I ran everything and finished in 9:52. The following year Johnny Halberstadt gave a talk at our club, and he said he rested on the uphills – and that was when he was still running to win it, so this time I listened and ran 9:17!”

Vic went on to finish 17 of the 22 Comrades Marathons he started. One near miss saw him finish just four minutes outside the final cut-off in the big race in 2000, and he still reckons he would have made it that year if not for the congested roads. “The first ten kays took me one hour and 32 minutes. It was impossible to get going.” He also ran to halfway in 1999 and 2003, his last Comrades at the age of 74, because he enjoyed the atmosphere of the race and wanted to be part of it even though he wasn’t fit enough to run the full distance.

Another of his favourite races was the Washie, which he finished seven times, and it was his first Washie in 1981 that provided one of his proudest running moments. Having finished that year’s Comrades with Brian, the two then tackled the Washie together. “As we came over the last hill and saw the finish at the bridge, we forgot our blisters and accelerated. Then, as we neared the finish, we heard them say over the loudspeaker, ‘Here come Vic and Brian Keeling, father and son, the first time in South Africa that a father and son are finishing a hundred-miler together.’ That was something else!”

EARLY YEARS
Born in Kenilworth, Johannesburg, Vic started his working life as an apprentice fitter and turner at Consolidated Main Reef Mine on the West Rand. Along with some friends, he sent an application to the Overseas Tank Ship Corporation, and when he received a job offer, he flew to Mombasa, Kenya to join his first ship, despite all his friends pulling out. “It was my first time in the air and my first time out of the country, so I sat there asking myself what I was doing! But I had discussed it with Joyce, who was then still my girlfriend, and we decided that it would be good for me, that it would help me grow up.”

So from 1949 to 1951, Vic sailed the world, fetching crude oil in the Persian Gulf and delivering refined kerosene and gasoline to South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong and more. He started as a machinist, and then worked his way up through fourth engineer to third engineer before returning home, where he married Joyce and joined Blyvooruitzicht Gold Mine in Western Transvaal as a draughtsman. After two years he transferred to Rand Mines Limited, where he rose to chief engineering design draughtsman, giving the company 45 years of service until his retirement.

“I had a pressurised job, so I loved my runs
home after work, which I did twice every week. But that was not always so safe. One time I ran home from work in the dark and the gravel road had been graded that day. I stepped in a big hole where a rock has been removed and smashed my 25-year service wristwatch as I fell. Luckily the company fixed it for me and now Brian has it – and it still works!”

RUNNING BOOM
Vic started running as the Running Boom swept the world in the late 70s, so he saw the rapid growth in the sport. “When I started, the only big race was the Springs Striders 32, which had about 1 200 runners while most others were about half that size. I saw how races grew quickly in those years, and suddenly it took longer to get going at the start.”

The increase in fields saw personal seconding replaced by manned water points, which Vic still has mixed feelings about. “We lost the closeness of the personal seconds. I met seconds of other runners, especially in the hundred-milers, and the next year when you went back you’d meet the same people again. Even today I still see some of them and we still have something to chat about. I loved meeting people during events and making lasting friendships.”

“But the development of watering points was also a good thing. The roads were becoming too congested with all the seconds, especially the youngsters on their motorbikes, who were rather a nuisance because they were getting in our way. As the years passed, the watering points got better, especially in Comrades, and it is quite nice to reach water tables now and enjoy the vibe.”

Vic has seen other things change over the years, notably shoes. “When I started, a lot of the long distance runners used Tiger Ultra-Ts, which had virtually no midsole. You simply can’t believe what they used to run in! Shoes are much better these days, but I think they’re too expensive. Also, these days, people throw their shoes away as soon as the heel looks a bit worn out. I used to cut a wedge out of the heel when it was worn down and use contact adhesive to glue on a new homemade plastic heel section.”

ULTIMATE CLUB MAN
Last year Vic left Golden Reef after 32 years when he and Joyce moved down to a retirement village in Fish Hoek, Cape Town. Brian says it took him years to convince his father to make the move. “I believe my dad comes from a different era. He lived in Johannesburg for 80 years, has been married for nearly 60 years, worked for the same company for 45 years and ran for Golden Reef from its inception in 1978 until March last year. You wouldn’t believe how hard it was to get him to move!”

“My dad was a ‘routine guy’. He did the same training runs and routes on the same days and at the same times. He ran home from work twice a week; on Wednesday nights he did the club time trial, then it was long weekend runs with clubmates – the same routine for 30 years. And he wouldn’t miss a time trial. He ran more than 1 100 of them before he stopped counting. It didn’t even matter if there was a marriage in the family, he still wouldn’t miss one. And if there was a function at Golden Reef, the rest of the world could be falling apart and he would still go to the club! He is still running and has now joined Fish Hoek Athletic Club, but I think he will always consider himself a Golden Reefer.”

VIC’S REMARKABLE RECORDS
Thanks to Vic’s meticulous hand-written race diary, we know that he ran the following races and mileage:
  17 x hundred-milers
  1 x 100km
  17 x Comrades
  41 x 51-60km
 46 x 50km
  2 x 43-49km
  119 x 42.2km
  101 x 32km
  35 x 22-31km
  326 x 21.1km
 45 x 16km
  143 x 15km
  125 x 10km
Total number of races: 1 018 races
Total race mileage: 29 097km

 

Being overweight was always a part of his young life; in fact, he can’t remember a time when he was not chubby. As a kid he loved food and would eat everything and anything! His chubbiness eventually led to him being extremely overweight and with the extra kilograms came disappointment and sometimes even embarrassment, because he was never able to join his friends playing sport or fulfil his one secret wish… to run!

In spite of his body size Ketan was an avid Comrades supporter as his dad, Natvarlal Mistry, is a Comrades runner. He followed the build-up to the Comrades Marathon and looked forward to race day even more than he looked forward to his birthday! He supported his dad on the route or if he could not make it to race day he was glued to the TV screen. And when it was all over, Ketan would picture himself one day also running the Ultimate Human Race…

THE DAY HIS LIFE CHANGED
Ketan was not active in primary school in Lenasia, south of Johannesburg, but it never really bothered him. When he enrolled at Parktown Boys’ High School things changed. “Suddenly I was in a hard core boys’ school where sport was a priority and a means to bond with your mates. By the time I started high school I weighed about 100kg and it didn’t bother me, but in high school it became an issue. When I went shopping I had to look at clothes in the ‘up size’ section. I could not buy Levi’s jeans because they did not have a size big enough for me,” remembers Ketan, who by the age of 16 weighed in at 110kg and had a 42-inch waist.

In Grade 10 Ketan’s cousin, Kaylash Bhana, approached him. “Bru, this is just not on. You need to lose weight.” Ketan respected his cousin’s opinion and that day he realised for the first time that he had to lose weight before it was too late. Kaylash gave him a book called Body for Life, written by Bill Phillips. “That book changed my life. It was the first book I ever read from start to finish. It took me a week to finish the book. I knew nothing about nutrition and excercise, but the book explained everything clearly.”

STEP BY STEP
It’s not easy to lose weight at any stage of life, and even more so when you are a teenager, but Ketan was determined to do it all on his own. The first thing he did was to cut junk food, sweets and crisps from his diet.

“The meals at home were always quite healthy, but the problem was my portion size. I used to eat about six or seven rotis at once. Then I started halving my portions. I have never told anyone this before, but sometimes I was still very hungry when I got up from the dinner table! I then forced myself to fill up with water. I also told myself that I did not need the extra energy as I was off to bed anyway. I knew if I allowed myself an extra serving of food it would lead to two or three extra servings the next day.”

Initially Ketan did not tell anybody about his weight loss plan. But when his parents became aware of their son’s determination to lose weight, they supported him wholeheartedly. “My mom loves baking! She used to make samoosas at least every second week, but in the nine months it took me to lose weight, she only baked about three times! I told her if you are going to bake, I am not going to have anything. I even refrained from chocolate, something I love. Once someone held a chocolate right in front of my mouth. I refused to have it. In nine months I did not touch one single block of chocolate.”

One day a week Ketan allowed himself to eat whatever he wanted, but even on this off day he would not indulge excessively. “On a Sunday night I would allow myself one samoosa or a handful of crisps. That was it.”

THE FIRST STEPS TO A LIFE OF FITNESS
Ketan convinced his dad to buy an Orbitrek exercise machine. “I woke up at 4:30 in the morning and trained on the Oribtrek. Initially I could not run, but started walking with my dad every other morning. The first couple of times I was huffing and puffing. We used to walk only 20 minutes. I stuck it out because I just wanted to be thin and feel normal.”

Walking with his dad had other advantages too; it became a bonding session between father and son. “We saw many runners while walking and my dad used to encourage me and say soon I would be running too. Though I could never run because of my weight, I always knew running was somehow a part of me.” Walking progressed to running and before Ketan knew it, he was running 3-5km every second day.

His weight slowly started coming down and Ketan felt great! For the first time he could fit into ‘normal’ clothes. He remembers buying his first pair of Levi’s jeans, a size 36. At school he started participating in sport and even played squash. After he lost 20kg he progressed to 7km runs on weekends. “From there my running just took off.”
 
A NEW ME!
Ketan eventually lost so much weight that his friends did not recognize him. As he was attending school in Parktown, his buddies from Lenasia did not get to see him very often. “I remember going to a function and chatting to a girl. My friend asked her if she knew who she was talking to. She had no clue and could not believe it was me.” There were many other funny moments, like the time Ketan’s pants fell off his hips while he was standing in the school bus. “Though I was wearing a belt, my pants were just so big they did not stay up. Everyone started laughing!”

Within nine months Ketan lost 40kg, weighing in at a healthy 70kg. He kept his weight stable and by the time he started studying accounting at the University of Johannesburg, he was still the same healthy weight.

THE ATHLETE
Ketan and his dad kept training together and Ketan built up to running half marathons. “The first time I felt part of the running community was at my first 10km race in Lenasia.” Ketan has since run several road races, including the Two Oceans Half Marathon last year. His longest race so far has been the Colgate 32km race in Boksburg. Part of his daily training includes an hour yoga combined with breathing exercises.

Today Ketan, now 23, is a dedicated runner with a big dream of running and finishing the Comrades Marathon hand in hand with his dad. By the end of the year he wants to tackle a full marathon. “Running has become part of my life,” he explains. “I can’t imagine my life any other way.”

Ketan’s advice to anyone wanting to lose weight is that the decision to shed those extra kilograms has to come from inside yourself. “You don’t lose weight for anyone else. You do it for yourself. It is all about you.”

He gets his inspiration from the back markers who run Comrades. “The front runners are great, but they run professionally. The runners who inspire me are those ones who have nine to five jobs; the labourers who run to work and back just to get their training done. I have the utmost respect for these people. One day I will be one of them. I will be at the Comrades Marathon. Maybe even next year…”

 

 

You couldn’t blame Farwa Mentoor if she admitted to being a bit tired of repeatedly being asked the same question: “Can you beat the Russians this year?” For the past eight years, since she made her ultra-marathon breakthrough in 2002 by finishing sixth at the Two Oceans and fourth in the Comrades, this question comes up at every media conference. And she always answers the same way: “I’ll do my best for my supporters and for my country.” Then she goes out and produces another gold-medal run, more often than not finishing as the first South African woman.

The question is, does all this ‘taking the fight to the Russians’ inspire or demotivate the 37 year old from the Bonitas Elite Team? Especially when the Russians, with the Nurgalieva twins usually at the forefront, once again dominate our premier ultras, while Farwa and her fellow South African runners are once again deemed not good enough by the pundits.

“It’s so easy for everyone to say these things, but they don’t know how tough it is to beat the Russians,” says Farwa. “I tried to race them in Comrades and in Two Oceans but couldn’t do it. Adinda Kruger tried in Oceans this year, and she also found it tough. So everyone is saying something is wrong, that we don’t run as well.” She goes on to say that the Russian athletes are simply in a different league right now, given that they consistently perform so well in both ultras each year, even when the races are closer together on the calendar. “It’s supposed to be impossible to race both hard – even Bruce Fordyce says that – and if the South African athletes run Oceans hard, they usually don’t do well at Comrades. We can’t work out how the Russians do it. They’re like machines.”

“So now I just concentrate on running my own race.
I’m motivated to be the first South African runner home, and I’m also motivated to run for my husband and kids, because they support me hugely and sacrifice a lot for my running.
They can’t have a proper holiday in December, because that’s when I start my Comrades training.”

ALL-TIME GREAT
While Farwa has never won either the Comrades or Two Oceans, she has quietly become one of the all-time leading gold medallists in both races. After the 2010 Comrades she moved up to joint third with nine golds, and at Oceans she is joint first on the list with eight golds. Put the two lists together and she comes out on top, but unsurprisingly, she says she wasn’t even aware of these records. “Until this interview I didn’t even think about how many gold medals I have. We all tend to think only about how many Comrades or Two Oceans we’ve run in total, and we look at the guys with 20, 30 or 40 medals as the real heroes. Still, It would be nice to have the records for the most golds.”

Farwa has also been the first South African woman home in eight of her nine Comrades, and she says the only time she was beaten by another local runner, Riana van Niekerk in 2008, she was struggling with exercise-induced asthma. “I didn’t even know I had it. I was diagnosed after that race, and the doctor told me I’d always had it, but it had steadily gotten worse. Now I take an anti-inflammatory for my lungs, which has solved the problem completely.”

There have been other races when things didn’t quite go according to plan. In the 2005 Comrades, her legs gave in near the finish, but in true Comrades spirit, she crawled over the line. “Before that I had thought it was easy to run Comrades. I didn’t know how it felt to be sore during the race – after the race, yes, but not during. It made me feel very humble.” She also had a bad run at this year’s Two Oceans. “I stopped running at 42, walked till 50, then bailed. I was just feeling so tired because I did a lot of mileage, hills and speed work just before Oceans in preparation for Comrades. We knew Oceans this year would be too close to Comrades to race it hard, so I was using it as a training run and it was easier for me to decide to bail.”

EARLY YEARS
Farwa grew up in Mitchells Plain in Cape Town, the third of seven children. She took up running while at school, inspired by watching Frith van der Merwe on television. “She was the person who made me want to run Comrades. She was almost beating the top men!” In high school, Farwa excelled in the 800m and 1500m as well as in cross-country, being crowned triple SA schools champion under the Apartheid-era sports federation for coloured schools. “I also ran in the seniors because I was fast enough, and did well in some 10km and 15km road races.”

After school, she attended teachers’ training college in Worcester for two years, where her running took a backseat to her studies. Still, she did compete in inter-tertiary meets, and is still proud of winning the 800m and 1500m against Theresa du Toit of Maties one year. “I hadn’t lost it,” she says with a big smile. Then, after college in 1996, she married Anwar, and he later became her running coach. Their first daughter, Fatima, was born a year later, and a second daughter, Kauthar, joined the family in 2000. The family recently moved down the coast to Bredasdorp, near Cape Agulhas. “We moved mainly for the kids, because there’s a lot of drugs and gangsters in Mitchells Plain. The bonus for me is that this is a perfect training area – lots of hills and nice quiet roads, and the air is much cleaner here.”

FAMILY TIME
As a full-time runner as well as wife and mother, Farwa has to juggle her running and family commitments. “With Anwar as my coach, we both have to get up very, very early! The kids have to be at school at 7:30am, so we have to get up at 4am to train and be back by 6am to get the kids up and ready.” Farwa says that when she’s not running, you’re likely to find her at home with her kids. “We don’t get a lot of time together because of the running. My husband and I have to leave them alone a lot, so when I’m not running I want to be with them. I love going to the beach or walking in the mountains with them, and watching Hannah Montana with them.”

Farwa says it is great having Anwar as her coach, and likes that running is always present in their house. “He knows me so well, and knows when I’m tired or not feeling well. He helps even more with the kids and the house when he knows I need more rest, and I can talk with him much easier than another coach.”

She normally does two training sessions a day. The morning sessions are usually 12-15km, while the afternoon sessions usually comprise hill or speed sessions. In peak mileage periods, on Wednesday mornings she does a long run of 25-35km, followed by a 12-15km afternoon run. Her running programme is supplemented by gym training, but not with weights. “I was given a pilates-type programme by my physio that only uses my own body weight,” she explains.

LOOKING AHEAD
Farwa says that Comrades remains her focus. “I still want to do well, especially next year when it will be my tenth. And I still want to break the ‘up’ record – in 2004, Elena Nurgalieva, Marina Bychkova and I were all ahead of Frith’s record at one point, so if I can just do a little bit better then I will be very happy. I know I can still do it,” she says. “Also, it will be nice to see how I will do in the veteran category in a couple of years. I hope to be running even better then, and still want to compete with the seniors. Becoming a veteran doesn’t mean the end, because in Comrades the veterans often run better than the seniors.”

FARWA’S PBs:
10km  35:53
 
15km  54:08
 
21.1km  77:25
 
42.2km  2:49:46
 
Two Oceans  3:43:34
 
Comrades  6:18:23

FARWA’S TWO OCEANS RECORD
1999  4:07:48  13th
 
2002  3:49:35  6th
 
2003  3:43:34  3rd
 
2004  3:45:51  5th
 
2005  3:50:20  6th
 
2006  3:47:17  5th
 
2007  3:53:03  9th
 
2008  4:07:33  7th
 
2009  3:59:45  4th

FARWA’S COMRADES RECORD
2002 6:41:20 4th
 
2003 6:32:38 8th
 
2004 6:18:23 3rd
 
2005 6:19:21 4th
 
2006 6:41:32 6th
 
2007 6:24:30 4th
 
2008 6:59:40 8th
 
2009 6:45:33 5th
 
2010 6:38:41 5th

ALL-TIME WOMEN’S GOLD MEDALLISTS

COMRADES
 
Maria Bak 11
 
Marina Bychkova 10
 
Farwa Mentoor 9
 
Valentina Shatyayeva 9
 
Elena Nurgalieva 8
 
Grace De Oliveira 7
 
Olesya Nurgalieva 7
 
Tatyana Zhirkova 6
 
Berna Daly 5
 
Valentina Liakhova 5
 
Yolande Maclean 5
  
TWO OCEANS
 
Grace de Oliveira  8
 
Farwa Mentoor  8
 
Elena Nurgalieva  7
 
Olesya Nurgalieva 6
 
Sarah Mahlangu  5
 
Tatyana Zhirkova  5

Crossing the finish line as the winner of Ironman 2010 was one of his greatest achievements. Although he has never doubted that he was capable of it, many people wrote him off, saying he would never win again after finishing second three times and failing to complete the race last year. So when Raynard crossed the finish line as the 2010 Ironman winner he proved to everyone that he still has what it takes and that his racing career is by no means over!

“I knew that I was capable of winning. I kept a low profile and on the day just got on with it,” says Raynard. He has raced Ironman every year from 2006 until 2009 and finished second three times, which is by no means a bad accomplishment! After failing to complete the race last year due to asthma, nobody really expected him to be up there with the best this year, nobody but Raynard who believed in himself and showed the world why he has won seven Ironman and two Ironman 70.3 titles. He also has a host of top ten finishes all over the globe. This total includes two top ten finishes at the World Championships in Kona, Hawaii, an event Raynard has set his heart on winning in October this year. He is currently in Europe preparing for this race, regarded by most as the ultimate in triathlons.

STARTING OUT
Raynard was a cross-country runner at school; he loved athletics and also played soccer. At the age of 16 he got his first bike and competed in his first duathlon, finishing second. “From that day on I was addicted to the sport!” A young Raynard participated in many duathlons and canoe triathlons before moving to an actual swim triathlon. “My swimming was always my weakest and most challenging discipline, but I seem to have mastered it over the years.”

Once he found a special connection with swim triathlons, he started specialising in them, winning multiple South African titles in Olympic and long distance triathlons, as well as numerous Olympic distance races in Europe. In 2000 he switched to Ironman.

Raynard loves triathlon because of the challenge it holds and of course, because he is good at it! “I sometimes wish I had golfing, tennis or rugby talent as I would be a far wealthier man right now, but I guess you can’t choose where your talents lie; you can only be grateful that you have them.”

TRAIN THE BODY, TRAIN THE BRAIN
Training for a race such as Ironman takes dedication and the ability to train skillfully. Raynard was forced to rest for two months in November and December due to injury. “I think that was a blessing in disguise as I had not had a rest for a long time and had been racing like crazy.”

After his injury healed he put in some quality training for Ironman SA 2010, including a big bike week of 1 000km. Alec Riddle, who has coached some of SA’s top marathon runners, helped Raynard with his running. “My run training wasn’t so much about mileage, but about specific types of sessions which helped my running speed and speed endurance.” Most of his swimming was done on his own, with daily 5km sessions at a gym. “On average my weekly mileages were around 600km of cycling, 100km of running, 30km of swimming and three gym sessions.” Training for the run is his favourite pastime because it takes the least amount of time, but when it comes to racing, the bike wins!

Though he looks like a man of steel, Raynard has off days like all of us where training is the last thing he wants to do! “The training is the hard part,” Raynard explains, “It is the racing that is fun. When you do well at the races, it motivates you to get out there and train. So when I am feeling lazy and not wanting to train, I remember what it feels like to win, and that always gets me out there. The hardest time is over holidays and weekends, when everyone is relaxing. Luckily my family is very supportive and this always helps when motivation is down.”

When you miss a training session there’s no time to make it up. “And it’s similar in daily life; there’s no time to make things up that should be done now.”

RACING ALL OVER THE WORLD
Raynard has raced all over the world and has won many races including Ironman South Africa (2005/2010), Ironman Wisconsin (2009) and Ironman Austria (2005). In his first ever finish at the 2005 World Championships in Hawaii, he became the first ever South African to finish in the top ten, with a seventh place.

“All my Ironman victories have been special, but winning in Canada was extra special because of the history of the event and all the big names in the sport who had won the race before me.”

To make it to the top takes an incredible amount of hard work, discipline, self-belief and of course, the ability to perform well at big races, Raynard explains. He tries to mentally prepare by visualising the race beforehand. “An Ironman is so long and so many things can affect your race; you just have to be mentally prepared for any misfortunes. You need the patience to push through bad patches. At Ironman Wisconsin it took about four hours to get through a bad patch, but I eventually did and went on to win the race!”

It is this mental strength that has helped Raynard achieve the extraordinary: he has recorded the fastest time ever for an Ironman race by a South African. He has also recorded one of the fastest bike splits ever in an Ironman, and that was on his way to victory at Ironman South Africa in 2005. In spite of this, Raynard stays humble and says, “Times don’t really mean much in Ironman races because the courses vary so much, but it is nice to know that I have been close to the exclusive eight-hour mark.”

THE SWEET TASTE OF VICTORY
Winning is always an awesome feeling but when you cross the finish line it is a relief to get there and hold off whoever is behind you. “The last 10km hurts a lot, so it is always a relief to finish. Getting off my feet is all I’m thinking about at that point. But after the finish the feeling of satisfaction and elation hits you.”

Raynard has raced against many great competitors. At Ironman the first person to ever break the eight-hour barrier was Lothar Leder from Germany. “He seemed to be at every race I did in my first few years. He always had my number until I beat him convincingly at the half Ironman in SA in 2004!”

THE WAY FORWARD
Raynard’s goals are to win an Ironman event on every continent. He only has South America and Australasia left to conquer. “The problem with this goal is that the only Ironman in South America is in Brazil, and it’s only four weeks after SA’s Ironman. So to achieve it I’ll have to skip Ironman SA one year – tough decision. Another short-term goal is to do well at the ITU World Long Distance Champs. Raynard’s ultimate long-term goal is to successfully coach youngsters in the sport. “We also want to get our coaching centre in PE up and running and I’d like to get more involved with Velocity Sports Lab.”

Raynard turns 37 in November but has no plans of retiring soon. “I am still racing well. After Hawaii, I will take a bit of a break and then plan the new season.” He believes he has managed a long-lasting career by listening to his body and resting accordingly. “Also, just the drive and the excitement of racing and winning keeps me going. A big win is always enough to get the motivation back up.”

“Sport has been everything from the day I left school. It has led to everything I have in my life today, from my wife who coached me in the beginning, to the house we own. Without triathlon
I wouldn’t have any of that right now.”

ALOHA HAWAII
Speak to any hardcore Ironman and he or she will tell you the ultimate Ironman race is in Hawaii. Raynard’s biggest dream is to win the World Championships in October. He is currently staying in Europe focusing on training and preparing for this event. “Hawaii is the holy grail of triathlon; every triathlete dreams of winning the most famous race in the sport. To win there, you need everything to be perfect for you and hope the other
100 guys that are there to win don’t have the perfect day!”

NEW FACES IN THE CROWD
There are many new faces to look out for in the sport of triathlon. “In South Africa, James Cunnama has a great future ahead of him, if he doesn’t over train and race too much. There are always new youngsters popping up at various races who show huge potential. It’s what they do with that potential that defines them as athletes.”

WITH THE FAMILY
Family plays a big part in Raynard’s life and he says that, without their support, he would not have been half the athlete he is today. He met his wife, Natalie, when he first started triathlon. Natalie managed a big swim school in Johannesburg and helped Raynard get his swimming on track.

“She also used to race triathlons competitively, so the two of us spent many years racing internationally together. I think that is why our marriage is so strong, because she understands my training and racing commitments and helps keep me motivated. She’s actively involved in all aspects of my career, from sponsors, to website, massage therapist and nutritionist!” Their two kids, Kade and Jordan, definitely have their parents’ genes and are both particularly good at swimming.

Raynard admits to it being difficult travelling worldwide with a family. “When the trip is over three weeks, we try to all go. This involves taking the kids out of school, arranging their schoolwork, getting someone to look after our house and dogs, and just trying to get settled elsewhere. Remember it’s not like we go away on an extended holiday; it’s work for me, so it’s not all fun and games. Obviously we do explore and we have been extremely lucky to have travelled the world together. These are all life experiences, which we will never forget. The kids have seen and learnt things that they can never experience at school and they love the travelling!”

ADVICE FROM A CHAMPION
Raynard advises novices to start slowly, especially those wanting to get into Ironman racing. Also, first try your hand at sprint distance triathlons before trying to race an Ironman. “And if at any point it’s not fun for you anymore, then you should stop. Enjoyment is vital in this sport.”

For those runners wanting to convert to triathlon, Raynard has the following advice: “The running part of an Ironman is probably the hardest discipline of all three, so for a runner to convert to Ironman is relatively easy. Generally a runner can pick up cycling quite easily. But sometimes, if they have no swimming background, this becomes the biggest challenge. This is where it is vital to get a coach and ensure proper technique and sessions from the outset.”

If you are able to complete a half Ironman, you are usually able to finish an Ironman event as well. Remember, if you’re a novice, it’s not about the time it takes to complete the event but about actually enjoying being out there. “Don’t get too competitive too soon. Obviously strive to do your best, but don’t put too much pressure on yourself that you start to hate it.”

When considering a coach to help you with any aspect of your training it is vital to get someone with experience and knowledge of the sport. “Just make sure you shop around first. Nowadays it seems that everyone who has completed a triathlon is a coach. You want someone you can trust and who has achieved in the sport or as a coach.”

The biggest mistake most novices make is to splash out on the most expensive equipment with the hope that it will make them faster or make it easier, says Raynard. He advises to rather start slowly and gradually upgrade your equipment.

PERSONAL BESTS
 
Ironman 8:09
 
Half Ironman 3:54
 
Olympic Triathlon 1:49
 
5km Run 15:46
 
Marathon 2:39

FAST FACTS
Favourite food/drink: A good red wine and a braai
Favourite place in the world: Port Elizabeth (home sweet home)
What no one knows about you: I’m quite shy and like my privacy
Best holiday spot: Disneyland
Proudest moment: The birth of my kids
Best bike in the world: Cervelo P4

HELPING HANDS
Raynard is very grateful to all his sponsors. “They have allowed me to be a professional in South Africa and focus on my training and racing. My current title sponsor is PBS Consulting, an IT company in Johannesburg.” Raynard says Velocity Sports Lab is probably the main reason that his ‘Hawaii Dream’ is possible. “Trevor McLean-Anderson heard that we were trying to raise funds to cover the cost of the trip to Hawaii and he asked how they could help.”  He has been with many of his other sponsors such as GU, PUMA, Moducare, Cervelo, Action Cycles, Oakley, Online Innovations and Orca for many years. “They have stuck with me through all my ups and downs.”

To win or excel in triathlon you need to be prepared to sacrifice. And you need the support of your family and friends. “Training for a triathlon takes up a lot more time than training for a single sport, so if you’re not prepared to commit to putting in the work, don’t bother. There are no easy steps or miracle programmes or coaches.”

SONETTE NELL, OVERKRUIN ATHLETICS CLUB, PRETORIA
Goal: The elusive Bill Rowan medal (sub-9)
Result: 9:42:33

Start to 30km: I knew I could achieve my goal and physically I was ready. I felt very strong over this section.
30km to 60km: I still felt very strong and ready for what lay ahead.
60km to finish: I was mentally strong and a bit tired, but ready to finish.

What was the hardest part of the race?
I started too fast over the first half. I hung onto a sub-9 hour bus (there were two). The one I was in did not run at the correct pace for a sub-9 hour.

And the best part?
The start. It was the best experience ever! The athletes and the spectators were unbelievable! Another great part was when I finished, of course.

Were there times when you wanted to give up?
No, there was not one single second when I wanted to give up.
I never give up!

When did you realise that you were not going to achieve your goal?
At about 18km to go.

What factors lead to you not achieving your goal?
I started too fast in the first half, which lead to me not having a lot of energy left for the second part.

How did you feel crossing the finish line?
Wonderful! It is always the best feeling ever!

How did you feel physically after the race?
I think all of us who completed the Comrades felt stiff afterwards.

Were you disappointed?
Yes, I was. But now I know which mistakes I made.

Did this discourage you for future races?
No, not at all. It only made me stronger and I am ready for many more to come!

How long are you resting before training again?
I will rest for about four weeks before I slowly start training again.

Will you be back at Comrades in 2011?
For sure!

Are you going to try for a Bill Rowan medal again?
Of course. That is my goal and I will achieve it!

Is there anything you will be doing differently in your training for next year’s Comrades?
Yes, I need to do more strength training and work harder in all areas to achieve my goal.

What are your next short-term and long-term goals?
To achieve all my goals now and in future, to work harder to reach the top where I want to be!

STEFAN WILMANS, WESTVILLE ATHLETIC CLUB, KZN
Goal: Going for silver (sub-7:30)
Result: 8:07:53

Start to 30km: I was very positive, felt strong and ran very comfortably.
30km to 60km: Still very positive and strong.
60km to finish: My legs were getting tired and I was running behind schedule. I then realized that I was not going to achieve my goal.

What was the hardest part of the race?
The hardest part was definitely from Pinetown… so many hills.

And the best part?
Definitely Harrison Flats. I was running very comfortably at that point and felt strong.

Were there times when you wanted to give up?
No!

When did you realise that you were not going to achieve your goal?
In Kloof I was behind schedule and my legs were tired. I could not run any faster to bring my average pace down.

What factors lead to you not achieving your goal?
My legs were too tired after the 60km mark to try and keep a 5min/km pace.

How did you feel crossing the finish line?
Relieved! Although I was disappointed, I still had a strong sense of achievement.

How did you feel physically after the race?
Tired! The way one should feel after running 90km.

Were you disappointed?
No, not really. I think I was more disappointed last year when I missed the silver medal.

Did this discourage you for future races?
Not at all!

How long are you resting before training again?
I will take two weeks off.

Will you be back at Comrades in 2011?
You can bet on it!

Are you going to try for silver again?
No. Now I am just going to run to finish ten Comrades.

Is there anything you will be doing differently in your training for next year’s Comrades?
Yes. I will run more long distances slowly to condition
my legs.

What are your next short-term and long-term goals?
Short-term I want to enjoy the shorter distances, 10/15/21km, and long-term I will be back at Comrades 2011!

REINATA THIRION, RUN/WALK FOR LIFE,
CAPE TOWN
Goal: Finishing my first Comrades (sub-12)
Result: 11:41:36

Start to 30km: Elation at the start and excitement in the first few kays. I worried when I could not keep up with the sub-11 bus (yes, I started a bit fast!). But then I settled into my own pace and rhythm.
30km to 60km: I was disappointed when the sub-11:30 bus passed me and fatigue set in as the too fast start took its toll. Panic set in as the sub-12 bus came by, but I felt relief as I realised that I could easily keep up with them.
60km to finish: I felt better at the 60km mark than at halfway. With 13km to go I had renewed energy, and went ahead to finish before the sub-12 bus.

What was the hardest part of the race?
Around halfway and feeling… tired!

And the best part?
Running into the stadium, crossing the finish line, phoning home.

Were there times when you wanted to give up?
Only once – briefly – did I wish I could just get ‘out’.

When did you realise that you were going to achieve your goal?
When I saw I could easily keep up with the sub-12 hour bus.

What helped you achieve your goal?
Joining Vlam’s bus. And my stubborn streak!

How did you feel crossing the finish line?
Relieved. Emotional, happy!

How did you feel physically after the race?
My legs got very stiff, very quickly. My blood sugar dropped, but some sweet tea remedied that.

Were you happy?
Very!

Did this encourage you for future races?
Absolutely.

How long are you resting before training again?
I’m taking two weeks off running.

Will you be back at Comrades in 2011?
Yes.

Are you going to try for a Vic Clapham medal again?
I’d like a bronze medal, but we’ll see how the training goes.

Is there anything you will be doing differently in your training for next year’s Comrades?
More hills, regular time trials.

What are your next short-term and long-term goals?
Working on my 5km time and running a comfortable 4:30 marathon.

MARIJKE GREVELING, NEDBANK BLOEMFONTEIN ACHILLES ATHLETIC CLUB.
Goal: Going for Bronze (sub-11)
Result: 10:22:40

Breaking the race into three sections, what was the experience like?
Start to 30km: It was difficult because there
were so many people on the road, but after that it got better.
30km to 60km: All went smoothly up to 46km; then I found it more difficult on the uphill at Alverston.
60km to finish: I was on course for sub-10, but my wheels came off at 70km. I walked the last three kays.

What was the hardest part of the race?
The last 20km. From 70km I lost a lot of time and had to walk a lot more because my legs were tired and sore.
And the best part?
From 25km to halfway. My pace was steady and I was full of energy.

Were there times when you wanted to give up?
No. Last year I almost bailed four times, but this year I just wondered now and again what
I was doing there… again.

When did you realise that you were going to achieve your goal?
I always knew I was going to make it.

What helped you to achieve your goal?
I have run a slower second half in my last two Comrades, so I know that if I am at halfway by a certain time, then I’ll be okay.

How did you feel crossing the finish line?
It was great. When I walked down the Golden Mile, a guy at the side of the road jokingly told me I was not allowed to walk the last kay, so I told him nicely that I could do what I wanted, because I was tired. But I still ran into the stadium anyway.

How did you feel physically after the race?
My muscles took a hammering and were very sore, worse than last year.

Were you happy?
Yes, I improved my 2009 time by nearly 17 minutes.

How long are you resting before training again?
I’ve got a sore hip that must recover first, so I will wait four to six weeks. I don’t feel like running at the moment anyway.

Will you be back at Comrades in 2011?
No, I don’t like the up run – I last did it in 2002. I may run the down again, but first I need to strengthen my legs in the gym to cope with the uphills better.

What are your next short- and long-term goals?
Short-term, to rest properly, and long-term, to run a good 3:30 marathon time. And I want to run the Loskop again because it is a great race.

aving run some of the fastest times by a South African in 2010, Lusapho April is quickly becoming a top international runner, but it’s not just talent that is taking him places.
It’s also his measured approach to racing. What little he does, that is… – BY SEAN FALCONER

In South Africa it is an unfortunate trend that fast, young athletes are invariably drawn to the ultra-marathons – because that’s where the big money and television coverage are to be found. Even if these athletes don’t go in for the ultras, they often over-race every weekend while chasing the relatively small prize purses on offer at most local races. This invariably leads to either injury or burnout, and many of them never live up to their full potential.

It is therefore most refreshing to listen to Lusapho April speak about his future running plans. In a nutshell, if it isn’t fast and flat, the 28-year-old, full-time athlete from the Eastern Cape simply is not interested. And nothing further than the marathon! This is an athlete with the determination to follow the path that few South African runners have the patience to stick to – like the mega-successful Hendrick Ramaala and Elana Meyer, both of whom have won fame and fortune on the international stage without ever running an ultra… or racing every weekend.

“I can easily train for three months without racing, and I will only run races if there are good courses for fast times,” says the softly spoken but eloquent Lusapho. “I don’t want to run myself into the ground, and won’t make the same mistakes so many other runners have made.” Clearly it’s working for him, because at the time of this interview in early June, he had only run four races in 2010 – and all of them saw him win the race or post a personal best, list leader or an SA record!

WHAT A YEAR
It started in March when Lusapho ran a PB 43:50 for 15km in Port Elizabeth, and the fastest time so far in 2010 by a South African. Then at the beginning of April he won the Old Mutual Two Oceans Half Marathon, clocking 1:03:54.
“It felt good to finally win Oceans, because I’ve been trying for three years. In 2008 I should have won, but I stopped under the first banner in the finish straight because I thought I was finished, and the second guy came up fast and I lost the race by one second. Then in 2009, Stephen Mokoka outsprinted us in the last kay, but this year was mine.”

In May Lusapho headed over to Germany to run the TUIfly Hannover Marathon and came home with a fifth place and 2:10:44 finish, knocking a big chunk off his 2:14:19 PB set on the same course in 2009 in his debut marathon, and running
the fastest marathon so far in 2010 by a South African. According to his coach, Karen Zimmerman, Lusapho ran comfortably with the leaders up until 37km, but then dropped slightly off the pace, “So we’ll work on a stronger finish for his next race.” Still, he says it is the highlight of his athletic career thus far. “In my first marathon, I didn’t really crack it with the distance and I had problems with cramps, so this time it went much better.”

A week later he broke Mark Plaatjies’ 20-year-old SA record for 25km in Berlin, clocking 1:15:02 to finish tenth in a fast race
that saw both the men’s and women’s world records smashed.
“We decided that since I was in Germany anyway, I should grab the opportunity and see how it goes. I felt good and decided to race it, but I didn’t know about the record until later.”

FAMILY TIES
Lusapho was raised by his grandparents in Addo, near Port Elizabeth, following the death of his mother when he was just a few months old. His father, Lindisile Jonas, lives in Uitenhage with his wife and six other children. Lusapho is the eldest of Lindisile’s children and has two step-brothers and four step-sisters. He now lives part-time with his aunt Phindiwe April in Uitenhage when not training in Hogsback.

“He is close to his family; they are very important to him and he appreciates their support and understanding in pursuing his goals,” says Karen. “He is
also close to my husband Perry Beningfield and I, and we
have supported him since 1997. He lives and trains with us at Hogsback at altitude when not in Addo or Uitenhage. He’s been living there since the beginning of 2006, although he’s been training there every year
since 1999.”

Lusapho started running in Grade 7 and was soon selected for the Eastern Province under-13 cross-country team. Two years later he started training with Karen and joined her Atalanta Athletics Club training group in Port Elizabeth. She later became head coach at the University of Fort Hare, where Lusapho enrolled for a BA in Human Movement Studies. While there his athletic career really took
off and began dominating his programme, so he did not complete his studies, but hopes to do so once his international career is over.

According to Karen, “Lusapho works very hard towards his goals and follows a healthy lifestyle. He is a vegetarian, takes vitamin, mineral, carbohydrate and protein supplements, doesn’t smoke, drink alcohol or take drugs, gets enough rest and doesn’t
over-race.” That has seen him build up an impressive running
CV. He is a multiple Eastern Province and Border champion at junior and senior levels in track, road and cross-country, was South African Junior Half Marathon Champion, has won
multiple national SASSU student championship titles in track, cross-country and the half marathon, and has medalled at the
SA Junior and Senior Track & Field and Half Marathon Champs.
He has represented his country ten times at various levels over the years (see Proudly South African, below).

DISAPPOINTMENTS
Lusapho is riding the wave of success right now, receiving more invites to high profile overseas races, but in recent years he has suffered some setbacks too. “I wanted to try for the Olympic marathon in 2008, and had been invited to run in the Netherlands where I hoped to qualify, but a month before the race I tore my Achilles tendon in training.” Another disappointment followed in July 2009 when he was kicked out of the national high altitude marathon training squad. Karen didn’t agree with the training programme of a visiting Kenyan coach appointed by ASA for a training camp, and was told by ASA that, after 13 years as Lusapho’s coach, she was no longer needed. Then Lusapho picked up an injury after the SA Half Marathon Champs, where he finished third South African, and did not return for the second part of the training camp.
ASA wrote to him, labelling him lazy and ill-disciplined, and said he would never be selected to represent South Africa again.

“After the injury and the problem with the training camp, I was just not interested in running. Some people even referred
to me as the ‘dead man of running’.
But in 2010 I decided to let my legs do
the talking and made a big comeback,” says Lusapho.
He hasn’t been called up again by ASA since then, but hopes that his times will secure his return to the national team.

FUTURE GOALS
“The London 2012 Olympic marathon is my big target for now.
I don’t like running in extreme heat, and next year’s World Champs will be in Korea, which means they will be hot, so
I’m not really keen on going, but I will see closer to the time.
I would definitely go to World Champs if it affected my selection for London.”

“My other big goal is to run the Big 5 marathons. I want to do London first, then Chicago or Berlin. And in the half marathon
I would love to run in Lisbon and Berlin, the really fast ones.
And the Seven Hills race in Netherlands, where the world record
was run – even though I don’t know where the hills are supposed to be, since they ran the record there!”

One thing that Lusapho is adamant about is that he has no interest in moving up to ultras at any time. “I have no aspirations in Comrades. As soon as my international career is done, I will stop running and spend more time with my family. They often tell me to do something else with my life, but this is where I want to be right now. I also want to finish my studies, so that I have something to fall back on. Of course, it will depend on how well I do with my running. If I do well, I plan to open a business that will generate income for myself.”

Given his success thus far, his fast times and his measured approach to racing, it looks likely these plans will someday become reality.

Lusapho’s Best Times
 10 000m  29:13.85
  10km  28:25
  15km  43:50
  21.1km  1:01:32
  25km  1:15:02
    42.2km  2:10:44

Proudly South African
Lusapho April has represented his country in a number of international competitions, often finishing as the top-placed South African:

 
2001 African Junior Championships 10 000m (Reduit, Mauritius) – 9th
  
2003 World Student Games 10 000m (Daegu,
South Korea) – 9th
 
2004 World Student Cross-country Champs 12km (Turin, Italy) – 7th (2nd team)
  
2005 African Student Cross-country Champs 12km (Algiers, Algeria) – 2nd
 
2005 World Student Half Marathon Champs
(Izmir, Turkey) – 22nd
  
2006 World Road Running Champs 20km (Debrecen, Hungary) – 18th
 
2006 World Student Cross-Country Champs (Algiers, Algeria) – 8th
  
2007 CAA Southern Region Cross-Country Champs (Zomba, Malawi) – 6th
 
2007 World Cross Country Champs (Mombasa, Kenya) – 42nd
  
2007 World Road Running Champs 21km (Udine, Italy) – 34th

They are the new faces on the block and judging by their phenomenal performance at Comrades 2010, it is clear that Team Toyota will be a powerhouse to be reckoned with in future! – BY MICHELLE PIETERS

South Africa’s top selling car manufacturer, Toyota, has recently thrown its weight behind SA road running as a sponsor of the Comrades Marathon, and has established a new elite section of Team Toyota running club. This is great news for our sport and we welcome Toyota with open arms as they contribute to the growth and upliftment of the great discipline we all love.

THE START OF SOMETHNG SPECIAL
Team Toyota, which consists of about 90 recreational athletes, decided shortly before the 2010 Comrades Marathon to expand their team by establishing an elite section. John Hamlett, one of the country’s most well-known and experienced Comrades trainers, was appointed by Toyota as coach.

Many of these brilliant runners, some with top-class marathon times under their belts, were training without any sponsorship whilst some were living below the breadline. Toyota’s sponsorship therefore not only makes it possible for South Africa to develop running talent of this calibre, but also helps these runners live a better life.

MEET THE TEAM
The small elite team produced some incredible results for Toyota for their very first outing, with two golds and some fantastic finishes. We meet the first members of what is sure to become a powerhouse team in years to come:
Fanie Matshipa
Fanie, who has a 2:20 marathon time under his belt, led the race up until the 60km mark. He set the pace forcing key contenders to chase him and even caught the early rabbit Charles Tjane. The real fight for Fanie began at 60km not only with his fellow competitors, but also within himself as he started to fatigue. Fanie managed to hold on to finish in a brilliant fifth position in a time of 5:39:53.

Lindsay van Aswegen
Lindsay, the only female runner in the team, produced a fantastic result, finishing eighth
(and second South African women home) in a time of 6:46:52. Lindsay, who has won gold twice before, is proving that even at the age of 42, she is a top contender. With a marathon PB of 2:57, Lindsay bettered her previous best time (7:08) by more than 20 minutes and accomplished the rare achievement of running the second half of the race ten minutes faster than the first half. Coach Hamlett believes she is still capable of going 20 minutes quicker and eventually challenging the Russian twins.

Gift Kelehe
Gift, brother of the 2001 Comrades winner Andrew Kelehe, has always lived in his brother’s shadow. But those days seem to be in the past as police officer Gift is slowly starting to make his own impact on the South African running scene. He finished 16th male in a time of 5:53, a brilliant performance considering his training suffered a little when he went on a course during the key training months of January and February.

Frans Chauke
Frans has always been known as ‘the rabbit,’ setting a blistering pace in many races before finally blowing. This year Frans committed to a ‘smart’ Comrades and in the process, improved his previous down Comrades time by 20 minutes. He finished in 6:04 in 28th position overall. This has inspired Frans, an Oceans and Comrades gold medallist to such an extent that he has now set his eyes on a Comrades win.

Andrew Kelehe
Andrew, the 2001 champion and holder of ten gold medals, also ran as part of the Comrades Legend’s challenge and finished ahead of fellow legends, such as Bruce Fordyce and Shaun Meiklejohn.
 

 

 White Modisenyane
White refers to himself as ‘the old man’ of the team’s training camp. He is a chef and had to work hard to fit his training in, as he was on a work course from February to April. White managed to finish 89th male in a comfortable 6:33.

Joseph Maerman struggled with injuries during the team’s training camp but still managed to produce a silver medal. Joseph, who does not specialise in Comrades, improved his previous Comrades time and finished 92nd male in 6:34:19.

 

Lucas Raseruthe
Lucas, who has finished in the top ten before, suffered from shin splints this year and finished in a disappointing 9:02. He vows to be back soon!

 

LOOK OUT FOR THEM
Team Toyota has a large contingent of amateur athletes and this will be the feeder group from which some athletes will move into the pro-teams fold. Other talented and upcoming young runners in the team to look out for are Drew Fischer and William Mokwalakwala.

“Team Toyota is set to grow in the next three to four years. Two gold medals in their first outing shows Team Toyota means business and that they are here to stay! As coach I certainly see several gold medals and many new faces wearing the Toyota kit coming in the top ten at Comrades. Watch this space,” says Coach Hamlett.