Category: Racing

The sport of powerlifting does not enjoy as much publicity in South Africa as many other codes, but thanks to new runner Mariska Casey, more runners will know about it now. – BY SEAN FALCONER

Weightlifting is an Olympic sport and thus many people will have seen the two main disciplines of the sport on TV, the snatch and the clean and jerk. Both involve lifting the weight above one’s head, but classic powerlifting, a non-Olympic discipline at this stage, is all about strength in the squat, bench press and deadlift, picking the weight up with a more controlled movement. And one of the best in the business is chartered accountant and University of Johannesburg lecturer Mariska Casey. (For work purposes, she still practices under her maiden name, McKenzie.)

The diminutive 37-year-old 45-kilogram lifter competes in the 47kg body weight category and is not only the current champion in her weight category, but also holds the SA records for the squat at 95kg, bench of 55kg, and a deadlift of 130kg! She also represented South Africa in June at the Powerlifting World Cup in Finland, where she finished ninth in her weight group – in just her second year in the sport. “I’m not in the top three yet, but quite happy with top 10 so soon after starting. In fact, I thoroughly believe it is a miracle… but my future goal now is to make top five at the World Cup next year, then top three the year after that. My journey has just started, so I am just trying to lift as heavy as I can, and I need to lift often and stay fit, which is where running comes in…”

Mariska recently joined the Modern Athlete Running Club in Central Gauteng and did her first race in late August, having been introduced to running by close friends, Modern Athlete Brand Ambassador Rene Kalmer and her fiancé Andre. “I really enjoy my running and I’m currently running two to three times a week, doing a 5km to the nearby park and back in the mornings. It’s just about fitness at this stage, so my maximum racing distance will be 10km, but I’m hoping to do at least one race per month, because anything less and it will be easy to lose track of my running and become difficult to get back into it.”

Hidden Talent
Mariska says she got into powerlifting thanks to husband, Patrick, taking it up in early 2014. “I saw quite a bit of change in him, especially losing weight, and thought it would be a good idea for me too, so I joined him at the gym in May that year. I started because I have a naturally pear-shaped body, and was getting more so as I got older, so the idea was to lose weight. But my first competition in September was quite an eye-opening experience – I never knew I was so strong until that first competition, and quickly realised that I can do more than most women.” She adds that it is all about strength, not getting big and bulky muscles. “The aim of powerlifting is to be as strong as possible, not to bulk up and look like Arnold Schwartzenneger. In fact, the complete opposite happens with women, who tend to get smaller. My muscles have become more defined instead of bigger.”

As for representing South Africa, Mariska says that is still sinking in. “I call it my ‘little lucky packet,’ a hidden talent I never knew I had, and it is so amazing to represent your country alongside the best in the world. The Chinese and Russians are so strong, so to be up there with them is an honour. Also, the day you get your green and gold jacket is just incredible – even though my jacket is a bit big, as they don’t make Protea jackets in my size. Still, it is an honour to wear it!” She adds that powerlifting is not in the main Olympic fold yet, but the sport has applied for Olympic inclusion and may be added for the 2020 Games, so she really has something to work towards. “And the running will really help my overall fitness if I hope to get to the Olympics some day!”

Winter on the Highveld seems to have magically disappeared, and the summer-like weather brought more than 250 runners out to take advantage of a balmy summer evening at Country Club Johannesburg (CCJ) in Woodmead on 31 August for the fitCal 10km Night Trail Run.

A typical African sunset greeted runners as they arrived at CCJ, giving way a spectacular view of the Sandton skyline by night as the start of the race drew near. While the starting point provides for great views before racing gets under way, it also presents runners with a challenging uphill finish, but the rest of the route is fortunately gently undulating, providing still more stunning views of Sandton at various points on the scenic CCJ property.

Added to that, this run really does provide something for everyone, taking in jeep track, open grass, paved paths and many people’s favourite, the pine forest sections.

The first runner over the line was Edwin Sesipi, making light work of the route – although he probably didn’t see much of the scenery – as he came home in a blistering time of 35:45 to pocket the first prize of R2000. Sipho Ncube and Danisa Moyo rounded off the men’s podium positions. The women’s title went to Estie Steyn in 48:06, also earned her a cool R2000, with Takelani Ndandani and Samantha Summerscales also amongst the prize money.

The atmosphere at these fitCal Night Trail Runs is fantastic and there are few better venues for a run in Johannesburg than CCJ, so the Modern Athlete team invites you to join us there and see for yourself. The next race in the series takes place on Monday 21 September – information and entries at www.fitcal.co.za/ccj.

South African runners are blessed with a terrific race calendar, with so many great races to do, so check out these events for the coming month, including road and trail runs as well as other running disciplines, and make your racing plans! Arranged by province for running events, with closely situated provinces grouped. – BY TOM COTTRELL AND SEAN FALCONER

GAUTENG: CENTRAL GAUTENG
 

Sunday 5 September
MTN Half Marathon, 10km & 5km, MTN Innvoation Centre, 216 14th Avenue, Fairlands, Race Organiser 011 844 0410 (w) NEW DATE – WAS 13 JUNE

Sunday 6 September
Gauteng Marathon, Half Marathon & 10km CANCELLED

Wednesday 9 September
Jackal's Night Trail Run Series #5 8km & 4km, Jackal Creek Golf Estate, Boundary Road, Northriding, Race Organiser 011 053 9153 (w)

Sunday 13 September
Fred Morrison Half Marathon & 10km, Germiston Stadium, Delville Road North, Delville, Germiston, 7am, Les Black 082 552 7866
CHOC Celebration of Life Fun Walk 8km & 4km, Zoo Lake, Lower Park Drive, Parkview, 8:30am, Ndizwanga Mulovhedzi 076 478 8663
Spring Break Trail Run 20km, 10km & 5km, Hero Adventure at Hobbey Park, Krugersdorp, Terence Vrugtman 073 051 5611

Sunday 20 September
Sasfin Gerald Fox Memorial Half Marathon, 10km & 5km, Johannesburg Zoo, Upper Park Drive, Forest Town, 7am, Saul Levin 083 326 0848

Sunday 27 September
City2City Ultra Marathon 50km, Half Marathon & 10km, Gauteng Train Station, West Avenue, Pretoria, to James & Ethel Gray Park, Melrose, Johannesburg (21 & 10 start at finish venue), 6:30am, Race Organiser 011 844 0416 (W)
Zoo Conservation Trot 10km & 5km, Centenary Lawn, Johannesburg Zoo, 7:30am, Ionna Karamitsos 011 646 2000 (W)

GAUTENG: GAUTENG NORTH
 

Saturday 5 September
Spirit of Flight 10km & 5km, Swartkop Air Force Base, 6:30am, Jan Essau 071 343 4504

Saturday 12 September
Value Logistics Addicted to Life Half Marathon, 10km & 5km, Tshwane University of Technology Campus, Staatsartillerie Road, Pretoria West, 6am, Race Organiser 071 405 5588

Wednesday 16 September
Lester Mills Memorial Nite 10km & 5km, LC De Villiers Sports Campus, Hatfield, Pretoria, 6;30pm, Vollie Spies 082 821 6952

Saturday 19 September
Clover Irene Village Mall Spring Run Half Marathon, 10km & 5km, Irene Village Mall, Centurion, 6am, Wynand Breytenbach 082 937 0733

Thursday 24 September
Great Weskoppies Series #3 10km & 6km, Weskoppies Psychiatric Hospital, Ketjen Street, Pretoria West, 5pm, Race Secretary 076 480 3435

Saturday 26 September
Andrew Greyling Half Marathon, 10km & 5km, Brooklyn Design Square, cnr Veal & Middel, Brooklyn, Pretoria, 6am, Liesel van Zyl 083 373 9818

GAUTENG: VAAL TRIANGLE
 

Thursday 24 September
ArcelorMittal Athletics Club 60km Relay, Flora Gardens Indoor Cricket & Hockey Club, 13 Shakespeare Street, Vanderbijlpark, Malie van der Walt 082 853 9144

WESTERN CAPE: BOLAND

Saturday 5 September
Worcester Rainbow Half Marathon, 10km & 5km, Johan Heyl Sports Grounds, Roux Road, Worcester, 6:30am (21) & 7am (10 & 5), Andrew van Wijk 083 357 6059
Riebeek-Kasteel Half Marathon & 10km, Riebeek-Kasteel Church Hall, Piet Retief Street, Riebeek-Kasteel, 7:30am, Anneke Mouton 082 495 3234
Green Mountain Forest Trail Run #2 21km, 10km & 5km, Hawequa Forest to C’Vine Estate, off R101, Paarl, 8:30am & 9am, Dominique Provoyeur 084 363 4104
Staalwater Trail Run 15km & 7km, The Caledon Casino, Hotel & Spa, Caledon, 9am & 9:15am, Dirtopia 021 884 4752 (W)
Tru-Cape Kogelberg Mountain Race 21.1km, 16km & 5km CANCELLED

Saturday 12 September
Piket-Bo-Berg Trail Run 16km & 8km, Moutons Valley Farm, Piket-Bo-Berg, Piketberg, 9am & 9:15am, Gus Pickard 076 450 7870

Wednesday 16 September
Moore Stevens Nite 10km & 5km, Coetzenburg Stadium, Stellenbosch, 6:30pm, Mohamed Ally 072 995 9655

Sunday 20 September
Cape Mohair Fynbos Trail Run 30km, 12km & 6km, De Uijlenes, Gaansbaai, 7:40am, Race Organiser 082 689 0355 NEW DATE – WAS 13 SEPTEMBER
Full StrideSpring Trail Run 12km & 7km, Muratie Wine Farm, off R44 between Stellenbosch & Klapmuts, 8am & 8:15am, Dirtopia 021 884 4752 (w)

Thursday 24 September
Run for Heritage Trail Run 9km & 5km, Imbuko Family Vintners, near Wellington, Time TBC, Cherona Vlok 082 523 9161
Saturday 26 September
Ceres Fruit Juices Michell’s Pass Half Marathon, 10km & 5km, Victoria Park, Ceres, 7:30am, Nico Jansen 078 882 5299

WESTERN CAPE: SOUTH WESTERN DISTRICTS
 

Friday 4 September
George Herald Run with the Stars Nite 10km & 3km, Glenwood House, Glenwood Avenue, George, 6pm, Thia Landsberg 083 477 4780

Saturday 12 September
Hartenbos Spar Spring 15km & 5km, Hartenbos Spar Parking Area, cnr Kompanje & Kaap De Goode Hoop Avenue, Hartenbos, 8am, Pierre van Schalkwyk 082 771 5562

Thursday 24
Pam Golding Spring Health Run 10km & 4km, NG Kerk Moeder Gemeente, Courtenay Street, George, 8am, Thia Landsberg 083 477 4780

Friday 25 – Sunday 27 September
Oyster Catcher 3-Day Trail Run, (20km, 20km & 16km), Reins Nature Reserve to Mossel Bay, 9am, Trisport 083 662 2022

Saturday 26 September
PetroSA Marathon, Half Marathon, 10km & 3.5km, De Bakke Santos Caravan Park, George Road, Mosselbay, 7am, Race Organiser 044 873 0023 (W)
Marloth Mountain Challenge 55km Ultra Skyrun, MMC Lite Relay (24km, 16km & 15km) & MMR 10km, Marloth Mountain Reserve, near Swellendam, 6am, Wildrunner 021 821 9898 (W)

Sunday 27 September
Redberry 8km & 4km Trail Run, Redberry Farm, Blanco, George, 2pm, Daniel Raubenheimer 083 376 7414

WESTERN CAPE: WESTERN PROVINCE

Saturday 5 September
Medihelp Tekkie Challenge 10km & 5km, Jan Kriel School, School Street, Kuilsriver, 7:30am & 7:50am, Estelle Kock 073 313 1668
Realtors International TSiBA Trail run #5 11.5km & 5.8km, Bloemendal Wine Estate, Tygerberg Valley Road, Durbanville, 8am, Japie Swanepoel 082 443 3033
WPA Race Walking Grand Prix #4 30km, 20km, 10km, 5km, 3km & 1km, Youngsfield Military Base, Wetton, 7am, 8am, 9am & 10am, Pieter Vorster 084 922 9002

Sunday 6 September
Satori Camel Run 16.1km, Noordhoek Sports Fields off Chapman’s Peak Drive, Noordhoek, 7:30am, Stephen Sharwood 082 822 0883

Wednesday 9 September
Merrell Spring Night Run #1 powered by Black Diamond 8km & 5km, Simon’s Restaurant, Groot Constantia, 6:30pm, Tatum Prins 083 449 0760

Saturday 12 September
Crazy Store Table Mountain Challenge Trail Run 40km & Relay (12km, 11km & 19km), Jan van Riebeeck Sports Field, De Hoop Avenue, Cape Town, 7am, Caeli Manuel 072 924 2371

Sunday 13 September
ARD Three Vlei 10km & 5km, Fairmont High School, Klip Road, Grassy Park, 7am & 7:20am, Race Secretary 072 122 4002
Up Blaauwberg Hill 15km & 8km Trail Run, Blaauwberg Conservation Area, 7:30am, Gail Moriarty 082-0429562

Wednesday 16 September
Merrell Spring Night Run #2 powered by Black Diamond 8km & 5km, Simon’s Restaurant, Groot Constantia, 6:30pm, Tatum Prins 083 449 0760

Saturday 19 September
Sanlam PEACE Trail 22km and 11km, Somerset Road, Green Point, 7:30am & 8am, Wildrunner Events 021 821 9898 (W)
Sanlam PEACE 4.2km Fun Run, Green Point Athletics Track, 10am, Race Office 086 184 6464

Sunday 20 September
Sanlam Cape Town City Marathon & PEACE 10km, Green Point Athletics Track, 7am & 6:50am, Race Office 086 184 6464

Wednesday 23 September
Merrell Spring Night Run #3 powered by Black Diamond 8km & 5km, Simon’s Restaurant, Groot Constantia, 6:30pm, Tatum Prins 083 449 0760

Saturday 26 September
Hewat Festival of Running 100km, 50km & 5x5km, Three Anchor Bay Lawns, 6am & 12pm, Kanu Sukha 072 210 1127
Old Fisherman's Trail Challenge 20km, Hout Bay Yacht Club to Fish Hoek Sailing Club, Time TBC, Richard Sutton 082 643 6186 NEW DATE – WAS 6 SEPTEMBER

Sunday 27 September
Cape Town Half Marathon Classic PLUS 10km Charity Walk, Beach Road, Sea Point, 7am, Kanu Sukha 072 210 1127

Monday 28 September
Tygerberg Nature Reserve Full Moon 6 km Fun Run #8, Tygerberg Nature Reserve, Wildrunner Events 021 821 9898 (w)

KWAZULU-NATAL

Saturday 5 September
Sunday Tribune Mont-Aux-Sources 50km Challenge, Royal Natal National Park, Ukhahlamba Drakensberg Park, 5:30am, Xanthe Holmes 083 387 3939

Saturday 5 – Sunday 6 September
Lynford Umko 2-day Trail Descent, (Day 1: 30km, Day 2: 18km), Lynford School, Ixopo, 7am, Sue Squires 039 834 1927 (W)

Sunday 6 September
Dolphin Coast Striders Ultra 50km, Half Marathon, 10km & 5km CANCELLED

Saturday 12 September
Mpati Mountain 15km & 5km, Dundee Junior School, Excelsior Avenue, Dundee, 2pm, Elmarie van der Westhuizen 083 654 0121
YMCA Trail Run 8km & 4km, Burman Bush, Time TBC, Race Info: www.kzntrailrunning.co.za

Sunday 13 September
SAPS Striders Heritage Challenge Half Marathon & 10km, Kings Park Athletic Stadium, Durban, 6:30am, VG Naidoo 082 418 0743
Alick Rennie Mountain Trail Run 25km, 10km & 5km, Underberg, 7am, Race Info: www.kzntrailrunning.co.za

Wednesday 16 September
Giba Monthly Night Trail 10km & 5km, Giba Gorge, 6:30pm, Race Info: www.kzntrailrunning.co.za

Friday 18 – Thursday 24 September
100 Capital Classic – 6 Days, (Friday: 32km @ 6pm; Saturday: 12-hour @ 7am, 100km, 100 mile, 24-hour, 48-hour & 6-day @ 9am; 12-hour Longest Night @ 8pm), Pietermaritzburg Oval Cricket Ground, Park Drive, John Hall 082 491 7679

Saturday 19 September
Mountain Splendour Mania Trail Run 15km & 7.5km, Mountain Splendour Eco Resort, Central Drakensberg, Dave Ward 082 492 1995
Giant's Cup Uncut 65km & Corporate Relay, Sani Pass Hotel, Himeville, to Bushman’s Nek Resort, Underberg, Time TBC, Spurgeon Flemington 082 329 7737

Sunday 20 September
Rhino Run 12km & 5km, Sugar Rush, Ballito 7.30am, Race Info: www.kzntrailrunning.co.za

Saturday 26 September
Mandela 67-minute Challenge, Verulam Recreation Grounds, 5pm, Anand Naicker 083 783 6363

Sunday 27 September
Ethekwini Township 2 Township Marathon & Half Marathon, King Zwelithini Stadium, Umlazi (42), to Princess Magogo Stadium, KwaMashu (21 starts here), 5:30am, Sipho Mkhathini 082 460 9761

FREE STATE

Saturday 5 September
Vic Theron’s & Webbers Spring Race 10km & 4.5km, Bloemfontein Achilles Sport Centre, Att Horak Avenue, Bloemfontein, 7am, Beverley Olivier 071 895 3183
Bultfontein Boertjiefees 23km, 10km & 5km, Bultfontein Show Grounds, 7:30am, Deon Lodder 082 921 3330

Saturday 12 September
Bloempark Sweat & Eat 10km & 5km, Bloempark Church, Charlie Sutton Street, Fichardtpark, Bloemfontein, 7am, Huibrie Pretorius 079 527 2266 NEW DATE – WAS 5 SEPTEMBER

Saturday 19 September
Allan Ferguson Round Naval Hill 10km & 4km presented by Twizza, Bloemfontein Bowling Club, Union Avenue, Hamilton Park, 7am, Beverley Olivier 071 895 3183

Wednesday 23 September
NG Kerk Pellissier 10km, NG Kerk Pellissier, Vlakfonteinlaan, Pellissier, 6pm, Jurina Immelman 082 381 8120

Saturday 26 September
Powertraveller 4 Peaks Mountain Challenge, Moolmanshoek Private Game Reserve, 6am, Michael de Haast 072 078 5278

Sunday 27 September
Runtastic Pyramid Challenge, Moolmanshoek Private Game Reserve, Time TBC, Michael de Haast 072 078 5278

EASTERN CAPE: BORDER

Saturday 5 September
Star Bakery Tony Viljoen Masters Marathon PLUS Walker Half Marathon, Macleantown Road, Cobongo turn-off, to Beacon Bay Country Club, 6am, Tony Viljoen 084 291 9029

Sunday 6 – Tuesday 8 September
Wildcoast Wildrun #1, (112km – 43, 35 & 34km), Kei Mouth, Eastern Cape to the Hole-in-the-Wall, 6am, Tamaryn Middleton 021 821 9898 (W)

Saturday 12 September
Sterkspruit Telle Bridge 30km, 10km & 5km, Telle Bridge Border Post to Bensonvale College, Sterkspruit, 7am, Anele Sinxadi 079 311 0362

Sunday 13 September
Caltex Beacon Bay Motors Sole Destroyer Half Marathon, Highgate Hotel, Voortrekker Road, to Oxford Striders, Beach Road, Nahoon, East London, 6:30am, Stan Barbour 083 608 4353

Sunday 13 – Tuesday 15 September
Wildcoast Wildrun #2, (112km – 43, 35 & 34km), Kei Mouth, Eastern Cape to the Hole-in-the-Wall, 6am, Tamaryn Middleton 021 821 9898 (W)

Sunday 20 September
Daily Dispatch Fun Run 8km & 4km, Orient Beach, East London, 9am, Sharonne Dewing 083 318 3853

Thursday 24 September
Hemingway's Casino Nite 8km, Hemingway’s Casino, East London, 5pm, Bronek Urban 082 577 0932

Saturday 26 September
Lammergeyer Mountain Challenge 24km, Lady Grey Country Club, Lady Grey, 7am, Pieter du Preez 083 294 9477

Saturday 26 September
Aloe Travel/CHOC 10km & 5km, Opposite Old Selbornian Club, East London, 2:30pm, Sharon Eldridge 083 284 3781

EASTERN CAPE: EASTERN PROVINCE

Saturday 5 September
Rockets Muirite Half Marathon, 10km & 5km, Muir College, St Thomas Muir Drive, Uitenhage, 6:30am 7am & 8am, Margie du Toit 082 547 5413

Sunday 6 September
Sunshine Coast Trail Run 21km & 8km, Springmount Farm, 10km from Nanaga on Alexandria Road, 9am, Jane Barnado 082 642 3958

Saturday 19 September
Clover Milk Run 10km & 5km, Kings Beach, Port Elizabeth, 7am, Shane Brown 079 490 0669 NEW DATE – WAS 26 SEPTEMBER

Sunday 20 September
Rhino Run Port Elizabeth 20km, 12km & 6km, Crossways Farm Village, Van Stadens River Valley, 9am, Sheena O’ Keeffe 072 293 4974 NEW DATE – WAS 27 SEPTEMBER

Saturday 26 September
Kowie Striders 27km, 10km & 5km, Big Pineapple, Bathurst (21), to Port Alfred Country Club, Mentone Road (10km & 5km start at finish venue), 6:30am, Lynette Harbrecht 082 811 4908

FAR NORTH: LIMPOPO

Saturday 5 September
Tzaneen Spring Opener Half Marathon, 10km & 5km, Jetty 3, Tzaneen Dam, 7am, Paul Zaayman 083 460 4204

Saturday 12 September
Hout is Goud Day Breaker 80km Circuit Breaker & Relay, AKTV Resort, Klein Kariba, Warmbaths/Bela-Bela, 6am, Erika Kotze 082 320 0859

Saturday 19 September
XDirt Ugly Six Mabalingwe Trail Run 18km, 10km & 5km, Mabalingwe Nature Reserve, Rooiberg, Bela-Bela, Kyle McConnach 079 524 7914

Saturday 26 September
Two Countries at Musina Marathon, Half Marathon & 10km, 42: Starts 10km inside Zimbabwe, 21 & 10: Eric Louw High School, Musina, 6am, 7am & 7:30am, Hennie Coetzee 082 929 8154 NEW DATE – WAS 19 SEPTEMBER

FAR NORTH: MPUMALANGA

Saturday 5 September
Alzu Rhino Run Half Marathon, 10km & 4.9km, Alzu Petroport, N4 Middelburg-Wonderfontein, 7:30am, Johan Mostert 082 314 5843
Nedbank Om-die-Dammetjie Half Marathon & 10km CANCELLED

Wednesday 9 September
Eskom Nite 10km & 4.9km, Eskom Park, Emalahleni (Witbank), 7pm, Paul Bester 082 966 7767

Saturday 12 September
Collisen Electrical Midack 20km, 10km & 3.6km, Pienaardam Leisure Resort, 8km from Middelburg, 7am, James Faber 082 443 4193
SA Cross Country Championships, Middelburg – Rest of details TBC

Wednesday 16 September
Nashua Kanonkop 10km & 5km, Kees Taljaard Stadium, Kanonkop, Middelburg, 7pm, Naudene van Tonder 082 495 4173

Saturday 19 September
Sabie Shufflers 32km, Half Marathon, 10km & 5km CANCELLED

Saturday 26 September
Boulders 25km & 10km, Mara turn-off from N4, 25km from Nelspruit/Mbombela towards Komatipoort, to Kaapmuiden Primary School, 6am, Deon Valks 082 788 0675

Wednesday 30 September
Maximed Pharmacies Night 10km & 5km, Standerton Showgrounds, 7pm, Lukas van der Merwe 082 412 4161

NORTH WEST: CENTRAL NORTH WEST

Wednesday 2 September
FFG Night 10km & 5km, Trim Park, Potchefstroom, 6:30pm, Theo Coetzee 083 538 3162 NEW DATE – WAS 5 SEPTEMBER

Saturday 19 September
PG Glass Vlakvark Trail Run 21km, 10km & 5km, Faan Meintjies Nature Reserve, 10km from Klerksdorp on Dr Yusuf Dadoo Avenue, 7am, Robin Stocken 082 469 3330

Saturday 26 September
Thales South African Fox Trail Run 16km & 10km, Potchefstroom Military Base, Eleazer Road, 8am, Theo Coetzee 083 538 3162

NORTH WEST: NORTH WEST NORTH

Saturday 5 September
Keystone Milling Rustenburg Mountain Race 25km, 10km & 5km, Rustenburg Kloof Resort, Race Organiser 083 264 3071 NEW DATE – WAS 22 AUGUST

Saturday 26 September
Marico Bosveld Marathon, Half Marathon, 10km & 5km, Marico Bosveld Dam, Groot Marico, 7am, Andries Brönn 083 662 0236

NORTHERN CAPE: GRIQUALAND WEST
 

Saturday 26 September
Kimberley Transnet Engineering Half Marathon & 10km, Pirates Club, Kimberley, 6am, Donald Phillipson 072 598 1445

NORTHERN CAPE: NORTH WEST CAPE

Saturday 5 September
Namaqualand Flower Trail Run 20km & 9km, Gifberg Holiday Farm, 29km from VanRhynsdorp, 7:30am, Grant Ross [email protected]

NEIGHBOURING COUNTRIES: NAMIBIA

Saturday 5 September
Husab Mine Marathon, 10km & 5km, Husab Access Road, Swakopmund, 7am, Frank Slabber +264 (0)81 240 3383
Spring Festival 9km & 4.5km Fun Run PLUS 2km Walk, Avis Dam, Windhoek, 8am, Cycletec +264 (0)61 244 324
Namibian Cross Country National Champs, Windhoek

Tuesday 8 September
Windhoek Harriers Nite 8km PLUS 5km Walk, Jubber Hockey Field, Olympia, Windhoek, 5:45pm (5) & 6pm (10), Windhoek Harriers +264 (0)81 212 4421

Saturday 12 September
The Rock Half Marathon & 9km, Spitzkoppe, near Usakos, Time TBC, OTB Sport +264 (0)61 260 312

Tuesday 15 September
Windhoek Harriers Nite Race 10km PLSU 5km Walk, Jubber Hockey Field, Olympia, Windhoek, 7pm, Windhoek Harriers +264 (0)81 212 4421

Saturday 19 September
Navachab Half Marathon, Usab Field, Karibib, 7:30am, BK Karumendu +264 81 311 8489
Breast Cancer 10km & 5km, Windhoek, Time TBC, Lizelle +264 (0)61 237 740

Wednesday 23 September
Windhoek Trail Run CANCELLED

Saturday 27 September
Visrivier Marathon & Half Marathon, Keetmanshoop, 6am, Annette +264 81 319 4116

NEIGHBOURING COUNTRIES: LESOTHO

Saturday 12 September
Highlands Trout Mountain Challenge Marathon, Half Marathon & 5km, Orion Katse Lodge, Katse Dam, Lesotho, Bruce Fordyce 011 726 2867 (w) NEW DATE – WAS 28 FEBRUARY

TRIATHLON & DUATHLON

Sunday 13 September
Buffalo City Tri, East London, Amathole – More details TBC

Sunday 27 September
Tinman Challenge Triathlon, 1km/32km/10km, 600m/ 20km/5km & 200m/5km/2.5km, Sun Coast Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, 7am, Damian 031 764 1885

ORIENTEERING

Saturday 5 – Sunday 6September
Gauteng Foot & MTB #3 Rogaine, Lakenvlei, Belfast, Mpumalanga, ROC: Nick Cooper 074 188 9250

Tuesday 8 September
Cape Challenge Schools Park Event, Cape Town, Western Cape, PENOC: [email protected]

Saturday 12 September
Durban Event, Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, DOC: Peter 084 654 5510

Sunday 13 September
Gauteng Bush Event #6, Kloofendal Nature Reserve, Johannesburg, Central Gauteng
Cape Point to Point Event, Central Square Century City, Cape Town, Western Cape, PENOC: [email protected]

Tuesday 15 September
Cape Challenge Schools Park Event, Cape Town, Western Cape, PENOC: [email protected]

Sunday 20 September
Cape Colour Coded #4, Lebanon South, Grabouw, Western Cape, PENOC: [email protected]
Gauteng MTB #3, Van Gaalens Cheese Farm, Magaliesburg, North West, AR: Lisa Da Speville 082 936 2509

Tuesday 22 September
Cape Challenge Schools Park Event, Cape Town, Western Cape, PENOC: [email protected]

Tuesday 29 September
Cape Challenge Schools Park Event, Cape Town, Western Cape, PENOC: [email protected]

ADVENTURE RACING

Friday 4 – Saturday 5 September
Lilyfontein Adventure Race, 30km to 110km, run, MTB & paddle, East London, Border, Margaret Mitchell 043 737 4258

OBSTACLE RACING

Saturday 19 September
GI Joe Lion Clash, 12km & 6km courses, Tikwe River Lodge, Virginia, Free State, More info: www.gijoe.co.za

Thursday 24 September
Impi Challenge Gauteng #2, Elite (20km), Challenge (12km), Corporate (12km), Dash (6km) & Mini (1km), Van Gaalen Farm, Hartbeespoort, North West, Race Office 076 772 3735

It can be daunting to prepare yourself physically and mentally for your first obstacle race, especially if you don’t know what to expect, but this simple advice will get you to the start line and across the finish line. – BY SEAN FALCONER

If you’ve got your first obstacle race pencilled into your diary in the next few months – and chances are good that you do, given that the Impi Gauteng #2 is on 24 September, while the Jeep Warrior #7 (10 October) and Impi Cape Town #2 (17-18 October) both take place in Stellenbosch, along with a few other events on the calendar – then you’ll appreciate a bit of good advice to prepare yourself for the big day. Obstacle racing has exploded in popularity all around the world in the last few years and more people are venturing into the mud and obstacles for the challenge, fun and buzz, so you’ll be part of a global move.

Obstacle races are great fun, but require fitness, endurance, strength, agility, coordination and flexibility. You will get far on enthusiasm, but the key to a great race and minimising post-race soreness is training and preparation, so give yourself time to get your body ready for it, especially if all you’ve been doing is straight running. If so, chances are good that you’ve been neglecting your upper body, and those first few climbing or lifting obstacles will soon let you know that a bit of time in the gym would have been a good idea before the race…

Find the Fun in Training
When you do your training, try to inject some fun into things. For example, instead of just going for a run, throw in regular stops to do push-ups or burpees, or add some strength drills such as pull-ups or lifting of heavy objects. This will simulate the actual race, as you will run from obstacle to obstacle, and will add some extra stimulation and challenge to your training. Playgrounds are therefore a great option for training venue, as you can run loops and return to your ‘obstacles.’ Even better, get your friends to join in and really make the sessions fun.

Obstacle races can feature a wide range of movements, including pulling, jumping, climbing, carrying, balancing and crawling. If possible, try to find out about the obstacles in your upcoming race so that you can prepare properly for them, by incorporating activities or drills in your training that mimic or compliment those movements – and most of the training programmes or advice for obstacle racing suggest that you incorporate at least two strength work sessions per week into your training programme.

Enjoy the race!
If you want to race for time or a good position, go for it, but if this is your first obstacle event, the best advice is to relax, take it slow, enjoy the vibe, keep your sense of humour, enjoy a joke and a chat with fellow racers, help strangers over obstacles, and get through your first one still smiling. Obstacle racing is almost guaranteed to make you feel like a kid again, so get out there with your mates, have fun getting dirty together, and just enjoy the experience. The racing can come later, once you have some experience and know what to expect from obstacle racing – and then you’ll see how easy it is to design creative training workouts to get you ready for your next obstacle expedition.

Winters are not for sissies. They’re dark and cold, and can be downright miserable. But that doesn’t mean you have to take months off from training only to start from scratch come early spring. There are other options to beat the cold. – BY RAY ORCHISON

If you’re not one of the brave souls willing to tackle the dark of night or skate across the tar on frost then your first option is to hit the gym, which gives you a number of cross-training options. During a jam-packed running season, there is often little time for anything other than running, so the winter months are an opportune time to get back to some strength work. Key muscle groups to focus on for runners include the glutes, quads, calves, hamstrings and core.

Spending some time on strength work will go a long way to keeping you injury-free and will make you stronger and faster come the start of the new running season in September. Here are a few recommended cross-training workouts and their benefits:

1 Rowing machine
Time: 32 minutes
Workout: 5min easy warm-up, then 5x2min on high resistance as fast as you can with 3min easy between, then 5min easy cool-down.
Benefit: Develops all-round body strength and cardio capacity.

2 Elliptical trainer
Time: 20 minutes
Workout: 20min easy
Benefit: Reduces impact from the road (especially good if coming back from injury) and develops base fitness.

3 Stair master
Time: 20 minutes
Workout: 5min easy on bike to warm up, then 10x30sec fast with 30sec easy between, then 5min easy on bike to cool down.
Benefit: Develops strength, speed and cardio capacity.

4 Swimming
Time: 20 minutes
Workout: 5min easy to warm up, then 10min of 1 lap hard/1 lap easy, then 5min easy to cool down.
Benefit: Develops core strength and lung capacity. (Start with short swims if you’re a beginner.)

Hamster on a Wheel
Some countries get so cold during winter that it’s not actually possible to train outdoors, and in these countries, many top runners do the bulk of their training for months on treadmills and still achieve some amazing results. The treadmill is a great option for getting your easy runs done – I say “easy” runs, because it’s very difficult to do proper quality sessions like hill repeats or intervals on a treadmill. It’s difficult to gauge correct pace, build up to correct pace or work out what the incline for your hill repeats should be. Also, trying to maintain your running pace while pressing buttons and pulling levers is bound to end up with you on the floor behind the treadmill with a case of ‘belt-burn.’

When you do quality sessions outside, you’re working harder and therefore generating a lot more heat, which makes colder mornings or evenings far more doable. Therefore, my advice is to use the treadmill for your easy runs and hit the road or the trails for the balance.

Midday Running Break
Another great option is to head out for a quick run during your lunch break or between meetings. Instead of sitting at your desk putting calories in, hit the road and burn excess calories while setting yourself up for a great running season. Here are a few great lunchtime workouts to keep you improving your fitness during winter:

Midday Run 1: Take the Stairs
Time: 45 minutes
Workout: 20min easy warm-up, then 20×20-30m stair sprints with walk down recovery, then 15min easy cool-down.
Benefit: Develops your explosive power and fires up your fast-twitch muscle fibres.

Midday Run 2: Run Hard & Rest
Time: 46 minutes
Workout: 20min easy warm-up, then 4x2min hard with 1min rest between, then 15min easy cool-down.
Benefit: Develops your speed endurance.

Midday Run 3: Short Sprints
Time: 40 minutes
Workout: 20min easy warm-up, then 5x30sec sprints with 2min easy jog between, then 10min easy cool-down.
Benefit: Gets the legs turning over and develops base speed.

Midday Run 4: Hop to it!
Time: 36-40 minutes
Workout: 20min easy warm-up, then 2-4x100m single leg hops (50m on right leg, then 50m on left leg) with 3min easy jog between, then 10min easy cool-down.
Benefit: Develops base strength. (If you’re a novice, start with 1 or 2 reps and gradually build up from there.)

No More Excuses
Before you know it the smell of spring will fill the air and the weekends will be packed with races. Don’t waste the last six weeks or so of winter tucked up under the duvet or stuck behind your desk. Get out there and start working on your weaknesses. What you do now will go a long way to ensuring a great and fulfilling running season.

As an asthmatic, challenging to tackle the world’s big seven summits is quite a feat in itself, but for Katlego Letheo, her dream entails overcoming more than that. She chats to Modern Athlete about training for the big peaks, and being on Everest when Nepal’s earthquake struck. – BY LAUREN VAN DER VYVER

MA: You’ve set yourself one calendar year to climb all the summits – what made you take this on?
Katlego: When I was living in Cape Town, I met a Russian girl who invited me on an evening hike, but I didn’t make it. It wasn’t an asthma issue, it was a fitness issue, so my mindset shifted. I started walking and swimming, and weeks later I got to the top of Lion’s Head, and decided that I wanted to climb Kilimanjaro. On that journey, I found out about the Seven Summits Challenge, the Grand Slam of mountaineering to climb the highest peak on each continent. (See below– Ed.) I never thought of myself as an athlete growing up, but after finding mountains, I have learnt a sport where I can pace myself. It’s you and the mountain, and you have to manage yourself at high altitude. I figured I could be more than the book-smart chubby girl with asthma.

MA: You were close to the peak of Everest itself. Then the earthquake in Nepal happened…
Katlego: Everest was always something to think about, because it claims lives. We were on the mountain for two weeks and returned from intermediate basecamp at 5800m and I remember being in my tent when everything started to shake. We were worried about the climbers further up and with some stability problems on our side after the aftershocks, we had to wait for instructions. We struggled to reconcile with the decision not to continue, because you dedicate so much to the climb, but it was also a vote for the people of Nepal who suffered so much.

MA: Dealing with any climb must take a lot of mental strength.
Katlego: Sport gives you that confidence and toughness. I took a year off my job as an IT auditor to do this challenge. I have been training at the Wanderers with Jeff Lunsky, who is a fitness coach with the Highveld Lions, and it’s the best challenge to train alongside pro cricketers. He also helps train the country’s top female squash player, Cheyna Tucker, so being able to do time trials with her is a nice challenge. Monday to Thursday I’m with Jeff doing high intensity intervals with strength, to simple cardio. From Friday to Sunday, I am either in the Drakensburg or the Cape to do big hikes. For the last while, I’ve been doing a lot of tyre pulling, because when I take on Mount McKinley in Alaska, we have to pull our own sleds with supplies. Then it’s on to Mount Elbrus in Russia, where I had to turn back before.

MA: Do you ever have a bad moment when you think about backing out?
Katlego: A climber always has that insecurity and it’s difficult to always have your game face on. But in the case of Everest, it was the first time I was being sponsored by the National Lottery Distribution Fund, so there was a responsibility even though it didn’t work out. Above a certain altitude, you’re pleading with the elements to be able to continue. You have short breath, everything swells, you have acid reflux. But with so much support from friends, family and Jeff, it makes it easier.

MA: You’re also giving back to children who are inspired to conquer mountains, too.
Katlego: I’m working with schools and teaching kids how to hike and rock climb, and they love it! I am also going to identify five kids who will go to Kilimanjaro with me in October. All they need is to be aware of the sport. I hope that I can take this development further after summiting all of the seven. There are a lot more adventures for me after that.

Follow Katlego’s journey at http://katlegoletheo.tumblr.com.
 

The Seven Summits

The Seven Summits Challenge is to climb the highest peak on each of the seven continents:
Mount Everest, 8848m (Asia)
Mount Aconcagua, 6961m (South America)
Mount McKinley, 6194m (North America)
Mount Kilimanjaro, 5895m (Africa)
Mount Elbrus, 5642m (Europe)
Mount Vinson, 4892m (Antarctica)
Puncak Jaya/Carstensz Pyramid, 4884m (Australisia)

Starting out as an adventure racer, Pretoria’s Greg Avierinos saw obstacle racing photos on Facebook three years ago that made him want to challenge himself in this new sport, and today he’s one of South Africa’s elite obstacle racers. – BY LAUREN VAN DER VYVER

Come October, Greg Avierinos will head over to Ohio in the USA for the Obstacle Racing World Champs, looking to do even better than the second place in his category at the 2014 World Champs. “I’m pretty competitive. Growing up on a farm in the east of Pretoria, I started racing quad bikes and did adventure racing when I was 12,” explains Greg, adding that competing in multi-day adventure races over 250km steeled his mind for the endurance and strength needed for obstacle racing. “I love suffering, in a way, because from my adventure racing, I’ve gained a tough mind to keep going. And while I’m new to the travel thing, it’s definitely exciting when you get to a new city – different weather, different altitude, trying different things.”

Fitness Focus
With a family obsessed with sports – his father did Expedition Africa in June while his sisters also took on Warrior after seeing Greg compete – fitness is an important feature of the 20-year-old sports science student’s lifestyle. His running and cycling formed his fitness base for his first Warrior race back in 2012, but his lack of upper body strength work made him miss a few obstacles on the way to the finish. So he decided to train still harder and focused on specific CrossFit workouts geared towards his preparation for obstacle racing, and the success soon followed.

However, the main contributing factor to Greg’s success in the sport has been his own backyard simulation training with friends. “My training deals with carrying poles, dragging tyres and working on the upper body,” says Greg. “I have a 180-metre loop at my house where we push tyres and sleds, and we have a jungle gym where we focus on rope climbs and bars.” Greg usually starts with a 1km warm-up lap and goes straight into tyres, runs another lap and then it’s log-carries. He ends up working on grip strength on the makeshift monkey bars, too. “The top guys can all do the obstacles, but your speed makes the difference, so with me doing a lot of multisport training, it makes me well-rounded. I work out three times a day, with longer rides and runs on weekends, and with speed and hills a few times a week.”

Adrenaline Seeker
Having also cycled 11 days along the Freedom Trail as well as finished the 947 race on a unicycle in 2011, Greg reckons focusing on obstacle racing calms his need for adrenalin. “You have to train for a variety of things, because each race is unique and you never know what you’ll get.” And while he is excited about the growth of the sport here in SA, he’s also interested to take on the Spartan World Games after Worlds, with Warrior SA nationals also set for November. “It’s epic to see new events coming along – the Beast is coming, Spartan is on its way, and every weekend the current events see up to 9000 people!”

There are two ways to approach winter from a training perspective: To stay tucked under warm blankets and sleep the winter away, or to toughen up, get out of bed and set your body up for a few early spring PBs. – BY RAY ORCHISON

The human body is an incredible machine. It only maintains the structures it believes are needed for survival. In other words, use it or lose it! There’s nothing quite like hitting the snooze button and rolling over under a warm duvet on a cold or wet winter morning. And given that we’re out of the official running season, you can be forgiven for hitting the snooze button every now and then. The problem is when the snooze button becomes the norm…

Within seven to ten days you lose your sharpness or racing edge when you stop training. It’s not a problem following a hard season or key event. In fact, it’s normal, as we allow our body to recover and repair itself before we begin to build up again. When you stop training for two to three weeks and longer, however, you begin to lose base fitness. This means that your endurance systems, which have been built over months of hard work, together with your muscles, begin to atrophy or waste away. So if you go into full hibernation during winter, you come back into spring requiring lots of hard work to get your systems back to where they were before.

Keep Ticking Over
The better approach to winter is to allow yourself a few easy weeks with one or two extra lie-ins, but keep the body ticking over at a maintenance level. Yes, you won’t be firing on all cylinders, but you should maintain a level where, given a few weeks of focused training, you’ll be race-ready or pretty close to it.

The type of sessions will depend on what you’ve built over the months, and the areas you want to work on. If you’ve improved your speed, strength and endurance, then at this point you’ll possibly reduce your speed and endurance and work a little more at maintaining or even building your strength. If you’ve greatly enhanced your endurance, then this is a great opportunity to maintain a certain level of endurance while working on building your speed. Basically, winter is a great opportunity to work on your weaknesses while maintaining your strengths.

Motivate Yourself
This all sounds great… until that alarm goes off in the cold dark hours and suddenly all motivation goes out the window. It is extremely difficult to get out of bed on a cold or wet morning when you have no purpose for doing so. So, one of the best ways to get motivated is to have a goal in place. For a beginner this might be to run your first 5km race. For a novice, it might be to move up to the half or full marathon distance. For an advanced athlete, it could be looking to PB at 10km or a half marathon. Winter also gives us a great opportunity to spend a little more time at the gym and to eliminate any muscle weaknesses or imbalances.

The worst possible thing you can do when the alarm goes off is to start thinking about it. The more you think about it, the more excuses you will come up with. When that alarm goes off, don’t think about it. Just turn it off and get up! The other alternative is to put the alarm far away from the bed, so you have no option but to get up to turn it off. Once you’re up and out the door, it’s usually not as cold or as bad as you thought it would be, and before you know it, you’re back from your session, standing under a warm shower, feeling good about yourself and glad that you got out there and did it.

Try these winter-warming tips for surviving the cold months while still getting in your running fix.

1. Dress Right
You want to be warm without sweating so much you get a chill later from damp clothing, so you should be slightly cool when you start your run. Wear layers of technical fabrics that wick sweat away from the skin, with zippers at the neck and underarm area to vent air as you heat up. Also, wear gloves and a hat to prevent heat escaping from exposed extremities. After your run, get changed out of cold, damp clothing as soon as you can, because your core body temperature drops as soon as you stop running.

2. Warm up
Move around indoors enough to get the blood flowing but without breaking a sweat. Run up and down your stairs, or use a skipping rope, and a speedy house-cleaning session works, too.

3. Deal with Wind
Start your run into the wind and finish with it at your back, so you won’t be blasted by cold air after breaking a sweat, but to avoid a long, cold first half, you can break this into segments, such as running into the wind for 10 minutes, then turning to run with the wind at your back for five to seven minutes, and repeating.

4. Get Motivated
Make a date to meet someone for a run, because there's no backing out when someone is waiting. If running solo, tell yourself that you can turn back after five minutes if it's really bad – chances are good you’ll stay out there once you get going.

The inaugural Over The Moon Trail Run Series, hosted by Two The Core Events in association with Modern Athlete Magazine, was held on the evening of Wednesday 17 June in Johannesburg. Offering a technical 10km route for the more serious trail runners and a 5km shorter route for those looking to just enjoy themselves, the event was held at the RideFree Bike Park in Modderfontein Nature Reserve, and this was the first in the series of four events for 2015.

Entry to the race included sponsor giveaways, glow in the dark paraphernalia, as well as a free boerewors roll and first beer, while event frills such as music and fun for the whole family were also on the cards! Added to that, awesome prizes were up for grabs for the winners of each event, including weekends away at City Lodge, Subaru travel bags and a TimeX Ironman watch.

With the sun tucking behind the mountain, the temperature was only going one way… down! But in spite of the cold, just over 100 runners braved the temperatures and the dark to take part. A hush descended over the lake as Alistair “Allycat’ Cronk began the race briefing, followed by a bit of a warm-up for the runners conducted by Elsabe Venter, and then they were off for some fun on a brand new, never run before route at the RideFree Bike Park. The first 800m were flat or downhill, then the route climbed a long, gradual hill towards the top of the highest point, before descending through the bush on technical single track back to the finish.

The 5km race was won by Dudley Turner in a time of 24:52, and he was followed in by Jason Meredith (25:09). The women’s title was claimed by Debbie Ward in 26:45, with a lead of 1:15 over second-placed Nicola-Jayne Kirkby. The more challenging 10km race came down to a sprint finish as Bennie Roux and Raymond Orchison burst out of the bush and headed for the finish straight side by side! Bennie’s legs proved to have the edge over Raymond’s as he claimed a narrow four-second victory in a time of 38:31. For more results visit www.twothecoreevents.co.za.

Here’s what a few runners had to say about the route:
Ashleigh: “The route was challenging and involved a lot of single track, but all round was very enjoyable.”
Lauren: “The route was very flat for the first part, which was great because we could get into a rhythm before it got sandy and rocky! It was my first night trail run, so it was disorientating with the lamp – you never know where to step, but the runners warn each other about puddles or descents in the trail. Then there were some hills and single track for the next few kays!”
Carina: “I found the route hard but had fun doing my first night trail run.”

The vibe around the event was described as amazing, especially in the freezing cold conditions, and the many fire pits proved a most popular feature before and after the race as the runners looked for some warmth. (And a few shots of Sherry lent a helping hand, too!)

The next Over The Moon Trail Run takes place on Wednesday 15 July, again at the RideFree Bike Park in Modderfontein Nature Reserve, starting at 7pm. Bring your friends and family, grab a beer and a boerie roll, and enjoy the vibe at this fun event. R110 gets you a 5km entry and R130 gets you a 10km entry. Visit www.twothecoreevents.co.za to enter – closing Tuesday 14 July at 12pm.