First Province signs up to #runclean

Western Province Athletics (WPA) has become the first athletic province to officially endorse the Modern Athlete #runclean campaign, which aims to clean up the litter problem in road running by calling on all runners to stop dropping used water sachets and other litter on the roads.

This campaign was launched in August 2015 by Modern Athlete, South Africa’s largest running publication, as the team behind the magazine has grown ever more concerned about the amount of litter being left on the roads by the running community during races. While much of this litter is cleared up by hard-working clean-up teams, some still gets left on or alongside the roads and thus ends up in the environment, especially if the wind is blowing during a race.

As the first province to pledge support for the campaign, WPA has called on all race organisers in the province, including both clubs and events companies, to include the #RunClean logo on their race flyers, and the provincial officials will work with race organisers to give extra attention to their litter management plans. The province will also be use its social media platforms to promote the campaign.

WPA has also invited race organisers to liaise directly with Modern Athlete to engage more formally to give their events coverage in the magazine and on the magazine’s digital platforms if the events support the campaign in an official capacity. Thus events will receive extra, positive publicity, which in turn could promote entries, at the same time that the environment benefits from the spreading of the anti-litter message.

“Here at Modern Athlete we have made it our mission to promote a cleaner sport and try to eradicate the litter problem in our races, by continually reminding runners to think before they throw,” says Modern Athlete Editor Sean Falconer. “We believe that every piece of plastic not dumped on the road is a step in the right direction, which will not only lead to less litter on the roads, but in the long run to less waste being produced by our sport, much of which potentially ends up in the sensitive environment or the oceans, so we ask all runners, clubs, events and athletic provinces to join our campaign and pledge to #runclean!”

A number of races have already officially signed up to the campaign, including the Vital Winelands and Red Hill Marathons in the Cape, and the Dis-Chem Half Marathon in Gauteng.

Think before you throw – #runclean

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What individual athletes can do to #runclean:

• Many runners go for long training runs without carrying any water, but suddenly in a race they cannot get through three kays without water. You don’t need to drink so much water when running, especially in shorter distances – and you really don’t need to take three sachets at each water table! So often runners take more than one sachet and toss one or more unused, or only use half the water in the sachets before throwing them away. That not only wastes precious water, but also means more waste lying in the road.

• Better idea: Carry your own water in a hydration backpack or water bottle belt, so that you don’t need to use the sachets. Some runners say it weighs them down, and thus slows them down, but trail runners seem able to run quite comfortably and quickly while carrying water, so surely road runners can also do so.

• When you do use the sachets, don’t drop them (or other refuse) in the road – always look for a bin. Come on, moving a few metres towards a bin really won’t cost you that much time.

• In fact, you don’t even need to throw the sachets away… You could carry your rubbish till you can throw it away, even if that is at the finish. Just stick the empty plastic sachets in a pocket, or in the waistband of your shorts, because carrying a few pieces of ultra lightweight plastic simply will not weigh you down that much!

• Handy hint: If your running kit does not have one, make your own pocket by sowing on your front provincial licence number with the upper edge left loose, to form a pocket in which you can carry rubbish to the next bin or the finish. Again, this will not weigh you down and cost you time.

• If you simply must drop a sachet in the road, try to at least do so within easy distance of the water tables, in demarcated litter areas, not two and a half kays up the road. That way the clean-up crew can quickly, easily and safely clean up. Remember, many of these volunteers are not runners, and they are there to support you and help you get to the finish line, not spend hours of backbreaking work walking for miles along busy roads to clean up after you! Think they will be back next year to hand you water sachets after that? Think again…

Never toss a sachet where it cannot be seen or retrieved by the clean-up crew. Especially not into the bushes next to the road. Or into a storm water drain. Or under parked cars.

On windy days, make doubly sure your litter is well disposed of in bins or rubbish bags so that it doesn’t get blown all over the place, thus making it even less likely that it all will be picked up by the clean-up crew.

• If you see fellow runners littering, try to diplomatically suggest a cleaner attitude going forwards, but avoid getting into an argument or confrontation.

• Even better, why don’t you volunteer to do water table duty at a local race and then help clean up the mess afterwards. That should make you think twice about tossing your sachet next time, because we doubt you will enjoy picking up a few thousand sachets. Nobody would enjoy that!

Lastly, make a point of being a cleaner runner by promoting a no littering rule, not only in your own behaviour, but also in your social media comments and interaction with fellow runners, and include #runclean in your Tweets and Facebook posts.

Think before you throw – #runclean

Mundell Breaks Own 50km African Record

South African Olympian Marc Mundell broke his own African and SA record for the 50km race walk event as he clocked 3:54:12 to finish third in the Australian 50km Road Walking Championships in Melbourne on Saturday 12 December. His previous best was 3:55:32, which he set when he finished 32nd at the 2012 London Olympics.

Mundell spent the last seven weeks in Canberra at the Australian Institute of Sport, attending an international race walking training camp as he prepares for the Rio Olympics in August, as well as participating in a nutritional research study on elite walkers. This saw him training with some of the best race walkers in the world, including three time Olympic medallist Jarred Talent of Australia and 2015 World Champs bronze medallist Ben Thorne of Canada.

In the Australian 50km Road Walking Championships, Canada’s Evan Dunfee was first home in 3:43:45 to take more than six minutes off his personal best, set a new Canadian record (the previous record had stood since 1981) and qualify for the Rio Olympics, while Australian Chris Erickson successfully defended his national title by finishing second in 3:54:10 and also booked his spot for Rio. SA’s Mundell was just two seconds behind the Australian for his new PB and another Rio qualifier.

The IAAF qualifying standard for the 50km race walk is 4:03:00, and Mundell has consistently finished well under that mark in all his races since London 2012, while he officially qualified for Rio at the IAAF World Championships in Beijing in August.

2016 Comrades Entries Closed

Entries for the 2016 Comrades Marathon have officially closed. The Comrades Marathon Association (CMA) has announced that the entry cap of 20,000 was reached earlier this morning, necessitating the closure of the entry process.

Athletes that missed the entry cut-off will still be able to get a substitute entry during the Substitution window from 1 to 21 April 2016, if they can find an athlete that wishes to withdraw.

CMA Race Director, Rowyn James has thanked all Comrades entrants for getting their entries in on time, saying, “Our plans are that the 91st Comrades Marathon is a truly awesome experience for our athletes as well as our supporters and spectators.”

With entries closed, athletes must now officially qualify for the 2016 Comrades, with the qualification period running from 30 August 2015 till 2 May 2016, and runners are reminded that the 2015 Comrades Marathon will not be an automatic qualifier for next year’s race.

Next year’s ‘down-run’ will be run six months from now, on Sunday 29 May 2016, starting outside the Pietermaritzburg City Hall at 5:30am and finishing 12 hours later at the Sahara Kingsmead Cricket Stadium in Durban. The 91st edition of the iconic ultra-marathon is expected to once again boost the KwaZulu-Natal economy by a whopping 500-million Rand.

CMA General Manager, Chris Fisher says, “The Comrades Marathon contributes to the economic impact of the entire KwaZulu-Natal region due to the ever-increasing number of runners from the rest of Africa and internationally. This year we will be hosting athletes from some 70 countries around the world.”

Please visit www.comrades.com for more information.

Photo via Dischem21.co.za

Walker named Athlete of the Year

At the Central Gauteng Athletics Award ceremony at Monte Casino on Saturday night (28 November 2015), Lebogang Shange was honoured with the award of Athlete of the Year in the Senior Men category.

Shange has broken four South African records, won the All African Games in the Democratic Republic of Congo, won the IAAF race walking challenge in Dudince, Slovakia and came 11th in the IAAF world Championships in Beijing this year.

The records he has set this year include:

  • 3000m in 11m 20s on the track at HPC in Pretoria at an Athletics Gauteng North league meeting
  • 20km on the road in Lugano Switzerland at the IAAF race walking challenge he set the record at 1h 21m 61s , and then broke his own record in August Beijing 1h 21m 43s
  • 5000m on the track at Cork City Athletics meetings in Ireland 18m 66s
  • 20 000m on the track in Bedford, England at the English Athletics Championship in 1h 23m 00s


Shange, who is an orphan from Orange Farm, thanked his ‘family’; Brenda Wakfer, who introduced him to walking, coached him and helped him find sponsors, his coach, Chris Brits, the team at the Tuks High Performance Centre, and his sponsor Ivan Glasenberg.

Photo credit: Julien Heon/www.julienheon.com

Wayde Dominates SA Sports Awards

Track star and World Champion over 400m, Wayde van Niekerk pulled off a deserved clean-sweep of the main awards at the 2015 South African Sports Awards in Mangaung, Free State this past weekend.

He was named Sportsman of the Year and Sports Star of the Year, and he also walked off with the People’s Choice Award. Van Niekerk won gold in the 400-metre event at this year’s IAAF World Track and Field Championships in Beijing, China, as well as setting SA records in the 400, 300 and 200m events during the course of the year.

Cyclist Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio took the Sportswoman of the Year award after an excellent year that saw her win the road and time trial titles at the SA Championships, then win the Auensteiner-Radsporttage event in Germany, and become the first South African woman to break into the world’s top 10 ranking.

Another track star was amongst the awards was Paralympics sprinter Ilse Hayes, who took home the Sportswoman with a Disability of the Year award. The double gold medal-winner at the recent 2015 IPC Athletics World Championships also set a new World Record for 100m in her T12 class in Brazil earlier in the year. The Sportsman with a Disability Award went to Paralympic wheelchair tennis player Lucas Sithole.

The full list of winners was:

Sports Star of the Year: Wayde van Niekerk
People’s Choice Awards: Wayde van Niekerk
Steve Tshwete Lifetime Achievement Award: Rev Makhenkesi Arnold Stofile, Mohamed Margiet, Enos Mafokate, Dr Chomane Chomane
Sportsman of the Year: Wayde van Niekerk
Sportswoman of the Year: Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio
Volunteer of the Year: Nkosinathi Ngubane
Coach of the Year: Graham Hill
Sportswoman with a Disability: Ilse Hayes
Sportsman with a Disability: Lucas Sithole
Team of The Year: Springbok Sevens
Newcomer of the Year: Kagiso Rabada
Sport Journalist of the Year: Bareng-Batho Kortjaas
Photographer of the Year: Veli Nhlapo
Recreational Body of the Year: Indigo Skate Cam
Indigenous Games Star of the Year: KZN Dibeke Team
National Federation of the Year: Basketball SA
Administrator of The Year: Virginia Mabaso
School Team of the Year: St John’s College – Junior Men’s Pair
Developing School Team of the Year: Montshiwa Primary School

Road Rangers: Looking out for your safety

Cycling in South Africa continues to grow and gain popularity as a sport with more and more cyclists taking to the road and mountain bike trails every day. Some people even refer to cycling as “The new Golf – but for the whole family”. The steady increase in the number of cyclists on and off our roads demands a higher level of awareness and safety amongst cyclists and other road users.

Meet the Road Rangers
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In 2009 the Road Rangers identified the need for an organisation that is dedicated to the promotion of safety amongst cyclists in South Africa. In 2015 the Safety Initiave Road Rangers became a registered non-profitable organisation (Road Rangers) and also applied to be a socio economic contributor. The Road Rangers is a well-established organisation and all the Road Rangers who were registered at the end of 2014 form the core of the Road Rangers as we know it today.

Training, focus and dedication are all contributing factors in the success of the Road Rangers. This group of volunteers dedicate their time, energy, and very often their personal resources to the promotion of safety in sport. The Road Rangers focus specifically on providing a higher degree of safety for cyclists and these dedicated marshals have become beacons of safety on the road and during cycling events.
Road Rangers are required to undergo continuous training and development to meet the highest standards and gain in-depth knowledge of cycling rules, traffic regulations, points-man duty, traffic management and road control. The Road Rangers also play an important role in providing safe passage when motorists want to pass pelotons or face approaching pelotons crossing white lines into the oncoming lanes. Competitive cyclists are also managed in accordance with road rules as required by traffic authorities, ensuring a higher level safety for cyclists and other road users during sport events.

Road Rangers ethos and challenges
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Rain or shine, the Road Rangers are out on the road every weekend of the year where they create safety awareness, train cyclists, manage traffic, and maintain decorum by reducing confusion and aggression between cyclists and other road users.

The Road Rangers are working with a number of traffic authorities to secure more recognition which proves to be a very challenging task. 2016 looks very promising as the Road Rangers continue on their quest to create awareness, also working with Cycle Lab where proper marshalling is provided as part of the Cycle Lab cyclist training programme.
Cyclists are encouraged to join a cycling club, like Cycle Lab, where they are exposed to proper marshalling. This is especially important for non-professional or social riders who do not have regular exposure and don’t understand the process of being marshalled. “Cyclists often get impatient with marshals because they are not use to being marshalled. When faced with the unknown, cyclists tend to be abusive towards marshals – the very people who volunteer their time, energy and resources to ensure the safety of cyclists and other road users”, says Road Rangers vice chairman, Hedley Judd.
Road Rangers work closely with commissaries (CSA) during cycling events to provide quick feedback and control of the competitors, time gaps, convoys, and general public.
Road Rangers are not medics and only some of the Road Rangers are first aid qualified. In the event of an accident the Road Ranger’s first goal is to first secure the scene and then provide other assistance as best possible. Cyclists’ safety on the road is the main objective and it is important that cyclists adhere to warnings.

Get involved and support the Road Rangers
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Like most non-profitable organisations, the Road Rangers rely primarily on sponsors and private funding to accomplish their mission. One of the main challenges faced by the Road Rangers is to keep their members motivated and involved despite a lack of funding.
Income from services rendered by the Road Rangers cover the basic expenses while additional expenses like training, essential equipment and maintenance of motor cycles / quad bikes are often funded by the Road Rangers in their personal capacity.

Road Rangers are clearly visible to athletes and road users. They perform their duties all across central South Africa in high-traffic zones and at prestigious sport events every weekend of the year, regardless of weather conditions. The Road Rangers regalia make provision for sponsored branding opportunities and interested sponsors are invited to contact the Road Rangers for more information and available opportunities.

Become a Road Ranger
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You can also become a member of this élite team. The Road Rangers covers both on and off-road events and, as a motorcycle enthusiast, you will never find a better opportunity to ride in places that would otherwise be off-limits to motorbikes.
In order to become a Road Ranger you will need a road-worthy licensed motorbike, correct and current drivers license and insurance on your motorbike. Applications to become a Road Ranger can be sent directly to Craig Bezuidenhout at the Road Rangers.
All candidates are required to appear for an interview with one of the committee members in order to determine suitability and complete all the required documentation. All approved candidates will be required to undergo training on Saturdays and reach a certain level of competency before being deployed in the field.
The Road Rangers is not a bike-club and they are not out to source or gain new members as you would expect from a bike-club. Being a Road Ranger is not about being a biker, it is all about marshalling and the safety of cyclists.

“It is out of courtesy that cyclists get through safely. We can’t enforce the law, we bring people through safely.” – Craig Bezuidenhout (Road Rangers Chairman) during his interview with Eksportief at Cycle Lab, Fourways.

“Being a Road Ranger is not about being a biker, it is all about marshalling and the safety of cyclists.” – Hedley Judd (Road Rangers vice chairman) during his interview with Eksportief at Cycle Lab, Fourways.

Book the Road Rangers for your cycling event
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In order to book the Road Rangers for your event the following standard process will apply:

1. Initial contact and date reservation.
2. Formal quotation will be issued by the Road Rangers.
3. If the quotation is accepted by the organiser an invoice will be generated.
4. Once payment is received (at least 14 days prior to an event) the booking is secured.
5. Once the quotation is accepted by the organiser it is expected that the Road Rangers chair person be included in the organising team / committee.

Contact the Road Rangers:
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Website: www.roadrangers.co.za
E-mail: [email protected]
Chairman: Craig Bezuidenhout (Cell: 082-952 9794)
Vice chairman: Hedley Judd
Secretary: Erika Bezuidenhout
Mountain bike coordinator and training captain: Greg Hegland
Website, forum and training captain: Edwin Smith
Event coordinator: Louis Naude

Winelands: First Race to #RunClean

The first road running event to officially pledge to support the Modern Athlete #RunClean campaign is the Vital Winelands Run in Stellenbosch in November, and we’re challenging more events to sign up as we work towards cleaning up the litter problem in our races.

Late in September an e-mail arrived from Clinton Logie, head of the joint organising committee at Helderberg Harriers AC and Run Walk For Life Somerset West for the annual Vital Winelands Marathon, Half Marathon & 10km event, saying that they want their event to officially support the #RunClean Campaign. The Winelands has been on the calendar for over 30 years and is a very popular road run through the picturesque Stellenbosch and Somerset West wine route area, so litter along the roads is a real eyesore and something the organisers want to eradicate.

Clinton wrote that the organising committee met and discussed ways to support the campaign, and came up with the following ideas:

1. Print posters that can be displayed at the various pre-race registration points, promoting #RunClean and urging runners not to litter on the route by using the bins, or carrying refuse to the next water station or the finish.

2. Commit to having more refuse bins on the route, placed in such a way as to encourage runners to use them, perhaps with #RunClean posters displayed at water tables as well.

3. Use social media and newsletter mailers to increase awareness of the #RunClean campaign and the race’s efforts to support the campaign.

4. Get the race day announcer to promote the #RunClean theme and urge runners not to litter on the route.

5. Supply cups at the finish area for water, instead of water sachets, as the littering of sachets around the finish venue and parking areas was quite a problem last year. Water canisters will then be positioned just beyond the finish area for runners to fill their cups, and bins will be prominently positioned for throwing away used cups.

6. Come up with an idea to incentivise runners to bring their plastic rubbish to the finish and then photograph them throwing used sachets into a special #RunClean bin at the finish line, with a prize courtesy of the sponsors going to the best #RunClean supporter, as chosen by the organisers, based on their efforts to #RunClean. A selection of these photos of #RunClean runners will then be published and promoted on the Modern Athlete website and in the magazine.

7. Ask runners to Tweet about their #RunClean efforts in the race, or pics of them doing their part not to litter, also tagging the race and sponsor as well, and one lucky tweeter, randomly selected, will also receive a prize from the sponsors.

As Clinton summarised in his mail, “The overall feeling in the committee is that littering by the runners along the route is a problem, and we need to keep on with the raising of awareness to stop this, and to do whatever it takes to support the #RunClean campaign.”

Modern Athlete would like to thank Helderberg Harriers, RWFL Somerset West and Vital for coming on board with #RunClean, and we trust this will be just the first of many events to do so.


We would love to hear from you about your efforts to #RunClean, so send your letters, photographs or ideas to [email protected].

Think before you throw – #RunClean

Harriet Jepchumba Chebore from Kenya won the women’s 2015 Old Mutual Soweto Marathon 42.2km race with a time of 2:50:15.

About turn for sport administrators

The fact that the South African athletics season is out of sync with the international calendar is a major problem in local athletics.

Danie Cornelius (Tuks Athletics Manager), who has been elected as Chairman of the Track and Field Commission of Gauteng North Athletics, is fully aware of it.

“It is time that we as sports administrators should realize that sport should be about the athletes. With apologies to the late John F. Kennedy, we should not ask what our athletes can do for us as administrators but rather what we can do for them. If we want our athletes to be successful we need to get in line with what is happening internationally,” Cornelius said.

“That is why I will, for the first time, allow the province’s top athletes who represented South Africa at the World Championships in Beijing to decide for themselves whether they want to compete in any of next year’s league meetings or the provincial championships.

“In the past athletes were compelled to participate at the provincial championships in order to be selected for the South African Championships. I think we put our athletes at a disadvantage when we expect them to start competing in February and to peak at the provincial championships and then again at the South African Championships.”

“I am also not going to force Akani Simbine (Tuks/HPC), joint SA record holder in the 100 metres (9.97s), to represent the university in the Varsity Cup Series meetings. At the most he might be part of the relay team. Luckily there are so many good sprinters at Tuks that we can afford to rest him.

“We made a big mistake in 2014 by expecting Akani to represent Tukkies at all the Varsity Cup meetings, as well as at the South African Student Championships and the National Championships.

At most of the meetings he raced the 100 metres as well as the 200 metres and sometimes the 4×100-relay as well. As a result he was totally over-raced when his international season started.”

“I will be honest. If Akani should qualify for the 100-metre final at the Games it will mean more to the University than if he should win a race at the Varsity Cup meeting or the South African Student Championships. Actually the same goes for all the province’s top athletes. It is time that everybody involved in athletics should realize that an Olympic medal is the ultimate achievement.”

Soweto Champ Repeats

Over 19 000 runners took to the streets of Soweto in the Old Mutual Soweto Marathon on Sunday morning, 1 November. The race started and finished at the Expo Centre in Johannesburg (NASREC), connecting runners from all over the world to six significant heritage sites dotted along the 42.2km marathon route, including Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital, Walter Sisulu Square, Regina Mundi Catholic Church, Morris Isaacson High School, Vilakazi Street and Hector Pieterson Memorial.

The marathon men’s race was won by defending champion, Sintayehu Legese Yinesu from Ethiopia, who crossed the finish line in a time of 2:23:20. Zimbabwean Mike Fokoroni took second place in 2:24:12, followed by John Kirui from Kenya (2:24:42). “I feel so blessed to have been given the opportunity by Old Mutual, Soweto Marathon and the support from Nedbank Sport Athlete Development Initiative through their development of Ethiopian as well as South African runners,” said Yinesu. “Without their support it would not have been possible for me to defend my title.”

In the women’s race, Kenyan Harriet Jepchumba Chebore led the marathon field home in a time of 2:50:15. Second place went to Amelework Fikadu Bosho in 2:50:15 and in third place, Selam Abere Alebachew ofthiopia completed the marathon in 2:52:03. The two marathon winners each take home R200,000 in prize money.

In the half marathon, Akopo Africa showed fine form to win the women’s title in 1:19:34, while Elroy Gelant took line honours in the men’s race in 1:06:33. Meanwhile, the 10km men’s title went to Namakoe Lucky Nkasi, and Rutendo Nyahora took the women’s title.

For the first time all three routes took runners through the heart of Soweto, allowing all participants to revel in the township’s rich history. “True to tradition, The People’s Race attracted widespread support, with Soweto residents lining the streets, which added a unique spirit and atmosphere to this occasion,” said Mokaedi Dilotsotlhe, Chief Marketing Officer of Old Mutual Emerging Markets. “With Soweto’s rich history and diverse culture as backdrop to the race, we believe that it’s a race every South African should do at least once in their life, and we’re looking forward to returning next year for the 2016 Old Mutual Soweto Marathon, to give the rest of South Africa the opportunity to experience it for themselves.”

Photo credit: Foto Asylum

Watch out for race scam

Please note that runners registered for the Old Mutual Soweto Marathon are receiving false SMS messages instructing them to collect their race packs from the Union Buildings in Pretoria and to bring R50 along.

The Soweto Marathon Trust along with Old Mutual urge everyone who has received the SMS to ignore it as the information is false.

Race pack collection will take place at Johannesburg Stadium and without any payment due by runners. The venue will open for runners to collect their race packs from 09:00 – 18:00 on Thursday and Friday, 29 and 30 October 2015 with extended hours on Saturday, 31 October 2015 from 09:00 to 19:00.

Further details regarding collection will be communicated to all registered runners directly from the organising committee.

Runners are advised to follow all further updates on Twitter via @SowetoMarathon or visit the website on www.sowetomarathon.com.