Category: News

Hardworking Joburgers need a very compelling reason to go out on a school night. Around 300 of them were convinced once given the opportunity to dress up in ridiculous clothing, apply luminous war paint and chase each other around Delta Park for a few kilometres in the dark.

Many of those same lunatics found themselves amongst the 500 runners at Walter Sisulu Botanical Gardens on Saturday morning, tackling the heat, the heart rate and that notorious hill.

The two races comprising the annual Merrell Autumn Trail Runs held last week in Gauteng cannot be more different. One is a lush, green, flat path and the other a dry, rocky, steep and technical trail. Both draw out a lot of sweat, some profanities and many jubilant smiles from all the characters who triumph the route, some attempting an off road race for the first time and others seasoned trail addicts.

Michael Moyo and Moreblessing Ndlovu pushed the pram with their three month old daughter in it through the finish line, having run the entire 5km evening race without any torch, prompting organiser Graham Bird of Mountain Runner to instantly offer a spot prize of a Black Diamond headlamp to the couple so their little navigator can better enjoy the view on their next night time excursion. Other participants picked up a plethora of Merrell and Nikwax sponsored prizes for being brightly dressed, for reaching the microphone first with a correct answer and of course for finishing first, second or third in their category.

Joburg trail runners now have the whole of Winter to wait before the Merrell Spring Runs opens up again in August with two more different and challenging races.

Full results on www.mountainrunner.co.za. Race pictures on www.facebook.com/MountainRunnerEvents

Lebogang Shange broke a South African race walk record for the second time in eight days. His time (on Sunday 15 March) for the 20km race walk event in Lugano, Switzerland, was 1 hour 21 minutes and 50 seconds.

Shange was second behind the Frenchman, Yohann Diniz, who broke the 20km world record on 8 March. The time walked by Shange, an athlete from the High Performance Centre, is 32 seconds faster than the previous South African record (1:22:21) that was set by Chris Britz in 1996 in Eissenhuttenstadt.

His record time means that Shange has qualified for the World Championships in Beijing (22-30 August). At the University of Pretoria last week, Shange bettered another SA record that was set by Chris Britz, his coach, by winning the 3000m walk in a time of 11 minutes and 20.39 seconds. His time was nearly seven seconds faster than the previous record of 11:27.20 that was set in 1989.
Diniz’s winning time in Lugano (15 March) was 1:17:24. Caio Oliveira (Brazil) was third in 1:22:00 and Tom Bosworth (England) fourth in 1:22:23.

Race walking might just be the most exciting athletics event at the moment because hardly a weekend passes without a world record being bettered.

Diniz broke the 20km race walk world record last week (8 March) at the French Championships in Arles, clocking 1:17:02. However, his record was broken on 15 March by Japan's Yusuke Suzuki at the Asian Race Walking Championships in Numi, Suzuki’s home town.

Suzuki improved it by 26 seconds, winning at the IAAF Race Walking Challenge meeting in 1:16:36.
Britz is quite excited about his protégé’s performances. He does not hesitate to predict that Shange is undoubtedly capable of even faster times.

“It would seem that Lebogang’s time for the first 10km was 41 minutes and 20 seconds and his time over the last 10km was very near to 40 minutes.

“The challenge now is to get him to go out a little bit faster over the first 10km.
“There are still a few small things in his technique that needs to be sorted out and it is very important that Shange should believe in his own abilities.”

Shange will be competing in Dudinska, Slovakia, this weekend.

Varsity Athletics launched its third season in Johannesburg on Monday. It’s expected to be bigger and better than ever, with last year’s champions Tuks looking to make a strong start when the first meet takes place on 24 March in Potchefstroom. The second meet will take place on 20 April in Stellenbosch.

This year’s meetings will see a number of big names competing, including Olympic silver medallist Caster Semenya. The 24-year old will represent Pukke in the two meets.

Nine of the 19 South African athletes who participated in the Commonwealth Games in Scotland last year had taken part in Varsity Athletics earlier in 2014 – and of those nine, three won medals (two silvers and a bronze). “The fact that the athletes who took part in Varsity Athletics went on to not only compete but win medals at such a prestigious event is evidence that the quality of the competition is world class,” says Duitser Bosman, CEO of Varsity Sports.

Varsity Athletics exposes athletes to the level of competition, packed stands and noisy crowds they can expect to find wherever they travel in the world. “We believe that part of what makes Varsity Sports so great is that it exposes its participants to the kind of competitive intensity they can expect at big events,” says Bosman. “This helps them get used to the sometimes hostile atmosphere from the crowd so that they’re not overwhelmed when they have to perform under those circumstances for the first time.”

The age cut-off of 25 ensures that this platform serves as a catchment for youngsters who might otherwise fall away, while having the meets televised boosts the profile of some of South Africa’s most promising athletes.

“Without regular competition and incentive to compete, we run the risk of some of our best athletes slipping through the cracks,” Bosman points out. “By offering athletes the platform to showcase their skills and go up against other top competitors, we hope that we can keep them motivated. It’s our mission to provide a springboard for these incredibly talented athletes to launch their careers.”

Varsity Athletics meetings are conducted under the rules of IAAF and ASA, and athletes may take part in two events, excluding relays. Athletes earn points for their team according to where they’re placed. Nine points are awarded for first place, and seven for second place. Thereafter, the value of each place decreases by one point up to eight, which is worth a single point.

If there’s a tie for first place in any of the field events (except high jump), the athletes who are tied will get an additional trial. For the high jump, the standard IAAF jump-off rule applies. In the case of ties for any of the other places, the points are added up and divided by the number of athletes involved.

Akani Simbine proved on Saturday at a league meeting at the University of Pretoria that it is just a matter of time before he breaks through the magical 10 second barrier when he won the 100 metres in 10.06 seconds.

In the history of South African athletics only five athletes were able to run the 100 metres in a time faster than 10.10s.

South Africa’s most significant sprinting highlight was undoubtedly when Simon Magakwe won the 100 metres in 9.98s at the national championships last year, becoming the first South African to break 10 seconds.  Simbine finished second in the same race in a time of 10.02s.

Johan Rossouw (10.06 in 1988), Matthew Quin (10.08s in 1999) and Sherwin Vries (10.08s in 2003) are the only other sprinters who were able to run faster than 10.10s.

Unfortunately for the hpc/Tuks sponsored athlete, the wind from behind (2.6 metres/second) was too strong on Saturday for his time to be officially recognized by the statisticians. Simbine won the 200m in a personal best time of 20.35s, but again the wind from behind (2.1 metres/second) was too strong.

However, Simbine is undoubtedly in good form at the moment,   especially considering how much he improved on his winning times of the previous weekend on the same track.  Last Saturday he won the 100m in 10.42s and the 200m in 20.76s.

“Getting rid of the rust,” was Simbine’s comment on his first two races for the season. Ever since last year’s Commonwealth Games in Glasgow Simbine has been struggling with a torn hamstring and some other niggles.

Simbine does not hesitate to describe his 10.06s run as a great confidence booster.

“I now know that I am again capable of running really fast times. Quite honestly, I did not expect to break 10.10s. I would have been satisfied with a time of 10.15s but, when I noticed the time on the stopwatch a few metres from the finish, I accelerated a bit and dipped towards the line. My time was 10.07s at first, but it was rounded off to 10.06s. I knew immediately that it was not going to be official because I could feel the wind from behind.”

Since achieving a time of 10.02s last year, Simbine had to answer the question of when he was going to break through the 10 second barrier on countless occasions.  His answer remained the same.

“I know I am capable of running times faster than 10 seconds, but I am not going to become obsessive about it. My body will tell me when it is time to do so.  Once I have done it, it will be important to keep on running times faster than 10s.  I would be very disappointed if it should turn out to be merely a one-off happening.”

Simbine hopes for another fast performance during the Gauteng North Championships at Tuks this weekend.

Russel Tucker won the discus on Saturday with a distance of 60.87m.                        

The Comrades Marathon Association (CMA) will once again host the annual Bonitas Comrades Expo at the Durban Exhibition Centre in May.

The three-day Expo is the largest running-related exhibition in South Africa, with more than 100 exhibitors, showcasing the latest in running-gear, nutrition, technology and more.

With over 50,000 visitors attending last year’s Expo, the event has become a highlight on the Durban exhibition calendar; and caters for every kind of runner and sporting enthusiast.

So whether you are a novice or veteran runner, the Comrades Expo is not to be missed. This is the meeting place for athletes from around South Africa and the globe before their big race on Sunday, 31 May 2015. It is a space where stories are shared, advice is swopped and pre-race nerves are quelled.

The Durban leg of the Comrades Athlete Registration process is a major facet of the Expo. Runners who have opted to do their Comrades registration in Durban can collect their race numbers here as well as their goodie bags, New Balance Comrades runner tee, Nedbank Comrades headgear; in addition to the 90^th commemorative Comrades watch if they’ve ordered one.

Comrades Coach Lindsey Parry and other running professionals will also be on hand to offer advice and support. Entrance is free. Be part of the Comrades experience by visiting the Durban Exhibition Centre between the 28^th and 30^th of May 2015 between 09h00 and 19h00 on Thursday and Friday; and 09h00 to 17h00 on Saturday.

Race Director Rowyn James says, “In line with our 90^th Comrades Marathon celebrations, our three-day Expo is going to be an exciting and memorable experience. We invite you to be part of it.”

For more info, please call Comrades Marathon House on 033 897 8650.

NOTE: The Pietermaritzburg Athlete Registration will be hosted simultaneously at Comrades Marathon House at 18 Connaught Road, Scottsville.

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Records are meant to be broken and the older the record, the more reason to break it. This is why Carina Horn, former national champion, is back in the country from Austria to compete in the South African Athletics Championships in Stellenbosch (17-18 April) for the first time in three years.

Horn, an athlete from Tuks Athletics, has her sights firmly set on Evette de Klerk’s South African 100m record (11.06s), one of the oldest records in South African athletics. De Klerk’s record breaking-performance took place on 20 April 1990 in Germiston. Since then only Geraldine Pillay came close to improving on it when she ran 11.07s in 2005 in Durban.

During the past few seasons South Africa’s female sprinters have run ‘pedestrian’ times compared to what was happening in international athletics. However, Horn started what will hopefully be the revival of South African women’s sprinting last year when she ran times of 11.21s, 11.17s and 11.16s in European meetings. This means that she is currently the fourth fastest ever local sprinter.
When competing in European indoor meetings this season, Horn has shown that she is in good form. Of the five races in which she competed she won two and finished second twice. There was only one little mishap to which her brother refers as her ‘super glue’ race because it seemed to him as if she got stuck in her starting blocks.

More important is that Horn has twice improved her own SA 60m record by running times of 7.21s in Dusseldorf and 7.20s in Berlin. Horn is quick to point out that there is no guarantee that she will be able to improve on De Klerk’s 11.06s record. “If the weather plays along I will certainly come close to doing so, but the weather in Stellenbosch can be very unpredictable. However, if the conditions are perfect during the heats I will certainly attempt to go for the record.”

When Horn left South Africa to train in Linz under the guidance of Rainer Schopf, her best time in the 100m was 11.59s. She has since improved by 0.43s. “The reason for this improvement is that, for the first time, I am being coached to focus on the right things. Rainer keeps emphasizing that the 100m is a very technical race and he has me working on small technical details for hours on end to help me to become faster.

“For example, we will spend an entire training day on just my first step out of the starting blocks. Rainer is not a believer in more is better. While training for the indoor season I never ran farther than 60 metres and now, in the build-up to SA’s, I don’t think I will run farther than 80 metres.
“I think our decision that I will run only the 100m sprint, will also make a difference. Training for the 200 metres is something totally different.”

Horn’s dedication to becoming South Africa’s fastest woman can perhaps be best explained by the following quote from Arnold Schwarzenegger: “The worst thing I can be is the same as everybody else. I hate that.” According to Horn, who is a big fan of Schwarzenegger, she does not want to be remembered as just another talented sprinter when she could be remembered as South Africa’s best sprinter.

By breaking one of South Africa’s oldest athletic records at an Athletics Gauteng Meeting at Tuks on Saturday, Lebogang Shange proved that he is a man of his word.

Shange won the 3000m walk in a time of 11 minutes and 20.39 seconds, nearly seven seconds faster than the previous record of 11:27.20 that was set by Chris Britz in 1989.

As early as January the High Performance Centre (hpc) athlete confidently told anybody who was prepared to listen that he was going to break the South African records held by his coach, Chris Britz, and he reiterated on Friday afternoon that the 3000m record was going to be his.

“It is amazing that I was able to do what I had set out to achieve. This is hopefully the first of many records. I intend to go for the 5000m walk record next year.  The year after that I will try to break the record in the 10 000m, followed by the 20 000m record. The secret of being constantly successful is to try not to be too greedy. That is why I will focus on one goal at a time. I am planning to be a competitive walker for a long time to come. If my body holds up I will only retire at 42,” the 25-year-old said.

Shange will leave for Switzerland tomorrow where he will compete in the 20km walk on Sunday.

LJ van Zyl (Tuks and hpc) was the other athlete who had reason to smile on Saturday. He won the 400-hurdles in a time of 49.42s, which means that he has qualified for the World Championships in Beijing. Wouter le Roux was second in 49.87s.

“My winning time is not a true reflection of what I am capable of at the moment. I purposely did not run flat out.  If I did I would probably have run a time faster than 49s.  It was the first time this season that I competed in a 400-hurdles race and it was the confidence booster I needed.  It is my fastest season opener in four years for the 400-hurdles.”

Van Zyl will compete in the 400-hurdles again on 19 March in Sasolburg and he hopes to go faster than 49 seconds then.

Akani Simbine (Tuks and hpc), who competed for the first time after having been side-lined with an injury for a long time, won the 100m in 10.42s and the 200m in 20.76s.

“I am satisfied. I just wanted to get a feel for racing again and get the ‘rust’ out of my system before I start gunning for faster times.”

Wenda Nel, the South African 400-hurdles champion, won the 400m in 52.43s.

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Venue: Alto Wine Estate, Annandale Road, Stellenbosch (about 1km from Mooiberge/Thirsty Scare Crow)

What could be more pleasant than running on a warm summer night on one of our country’s oldest most beautiful and celebrated red wine estates. Being an avid trail runner, I was a bit reluctant at first because there were only two short distances on offer, 8 and 5km…

Turned out to be quite challenging: The first half of the route is steep and relentless uphill running (all on jeeptrack) and greeted at the top with a well deserved picturesque sunset view of the Helderberg Valley.

You will get a killer workout and it was quite the exercise to prevent yourself from tripping and stumbling with the fast descent.
Our post race treat: Live music with good red wine and cheese platters. Excellent venue and great organizing by Amoija Events.