Category: Racing

Brandon Cumby was lying in his Parkland Hospital bed following an electric shock and 25-foot fall from a tree in August 2012. The self-described skeptic had tubes in his mouth, internal burns below his abdomen, a lacerated liver and a bevy of broken bones.

Friends and family were reading him uplifting passages from his favorite athlete’s books. One stood out: “We have two options, medically and emotionally: give up, or fight like hell,” from Lance Armstrong’s book,It’s Not About the Bike.

“I chose to fight like hell,” said Cumby, whose Facebook page is sprinkled with inspirational quotes. “I lay there and thought: ‘I’m going to get back as fast and as hard as I can. I’m not going to let this define me.’”

Despite a painstakingly slow recovery, beset by complications, Cumby, 34, focused on healing and regaining his strength. His goal, set before the accident, was to run the MetroPCS Dallas Marathon.

Cumby will be on the starting line Sunday thanks to moral and financial support from the running community and a free race entry from Dallas Marathon executive director Marcus Grunewald.

“That’s been the carrot dangling in front of him,” said his running partner, Rebecca Baker, who will run with Cumby. “It will be less than a year and half since he was on life suppor

Between 1993 and 2004, cricketer Gary Kirsten played 101 Test Matches and 185 One Day Internationals for South Africa, then launched a successful coaching career that saw him lead India to the World Cup title and SA to the world number one Test team ranking. Now running his own academy while still coaching overseas, he still finds time for a morning run, and the odd ultra. – BY SEAN FALCONER

Finishing the 2012 Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon in 5:33:31 was the fulfilment of a long-held dream for legendary Proteas opening batsman Gary Kirsten. “Being from Cape Town, I’d always wanted to run the breathtakingly beautiful route,” he says. However, getting to the start line was a real challenge, as he had to run a qualifying marathon while on tour in New Zealand with the SA team, and that meant a very long night…

“We finished the last ODI against New Zealand in Auckland on the Saturday night, around 10:30pm, and literally an hour later three of us jumped in the car to drive four-and-a-half hours to New Plymouth. We slept for one hour when we got there, ran the marathon, then drove back to catch a flight out of Auckland. It was a pretty tiring day, but a great experience, and gave me a healthy respect for that sort of distance. I finished in 3:53, but struggled a bit in the last 5km, so it was a good mental challenge, too.” Much like his cricket career, then, where he had to overcome the combined mental and physical challenge of facing the world’s best bowlers.

CARRYING HIS BAT
Gary wracked up a formidable set of records in his cricketing career. He was the first Protea to play in 100 Test matches, the first Test batsman to make hundreds against each of the other nine Test nations, and his 188 not out against the United Arab Emirates at the 1996 World Cup remains the highest ODI score by a South African and the highest score in World Cup history. He also held the record for the highest Test score by a South African after batting for 14.5 hours against England to make 275 in 1999. That mark was subsequently surpassed by Graeme Smith’s 277 in 2003, but it remains not only the second-highest SA Test score, but also the second-longest innings in Test history.

Unsurprisingly, Gary says he had to be really physically fit to be able to concentrate on batting for such long innings, and therefore has been running for 25 years, but reckons running an ultra is far more challenging than batting through a long innings. “Spending all day in the middle and running a marathon are very different experiences, but running a marathon is definitely a harder physical challenge!”

ALWAYS ON THE RUN
After his playing days came to an end, Gary turned to coaching, and his finest moments came when he led India to the World Cup title on home soil in 2011, followed by coaching South Africa to Number one in the World Test team rankings in 2012. In between all of that, he helped form a company called Performance Zone, focused on working with individuals and teams in business and sport, then established the world class Gary Kirsten Cricket Academy and also became a sought-after guest speaker.

In terms of running, Gary averages about 40km a week, mostly in the suburbs around his home in Cape Town and the nearby Kirstenbosch Gardens, and he says he prefers starting the day with a run. “Except for winter in Cape Town, I prefer to run in the mornings. It’s a great way to start the day, and my advice to people who think they are too busy to go for a run is to make it a priority in your day.” However, his hectic work and travel schedule make it hard to settle into a regular training routine, especially the months when he is overseas in India, coaching the Delhi Daredevils in the Indian Premier League.

“I find running a great way of seeing places I travel to, so my adidas running shoes are the first thing I pack, but when I am coaching in India I run mainly in the gym, because it is difficult to get around on the roads. I find running is a great time to meditate, or think of ideas to outwit rival teams.” Also, Gary’s training philosophy in cricket is easily adapted to his running: “Simple repetition in practice is important to build a strong mechanical base that can withstand the pressure of performance.” That’s what made him such a great batsman, and what is now working for him as a runner.

Artistic
gymnastics consists of six disciplines: Floor, rings, high bar, pommel horse,
parallel bars and vaulting. Much of the work done in these disciplines requires
intense muscle strength and control, along with flexibility and balance, but
Nick says endurance comes into it as well. “Ninety percent of gymnastics is anaerobic,
but the high bar takes a huge toll on you and you need endurance, so my running
fitness definitely helps there. On the other hand, the strength, endurance and
balance of gymnastics helps with pretty much any other sport, which is why I
picked up running so quickly.”

Nick (23)
is currently studying B.Sc. Sports Science at Stellenbosch University, where he
is a member of the gymnastics club. He took up the sport in high school, while
also participating in the discus and shot put in athletics, and has added
trampolining and tumbling for fun in recent years. “You must do all six
disciplines for the overall rankings in artistic competitions, and my strongest
disciplines are the rings and floor. I love the physical challenge of
gymnastics – there is always something new to learn and another level up to
strive towards – plus the social aspect of my club is great. We all have
similar interests and tastes.”

He says
that for now, his goal in gymnastics is to maintain his current level and have
fun, because to push for the highest levels in the sport would require far more
training time than the six hours a week he can currently fit in around his busy
academic schedule. “For now my goals are the Boland Champs, then the SA Champs,
but mostly it is about having fun while competing with the university club.”

MULTISPORTER

His other
major sporting goal is to put more time into his running, swimming and cycling,
so that he can improve on his initial road running and triathlon performances. “After
school, I started running because I was upset about my overall fitness. I
started with beach running, then did my first 10km race, and within six months
I was running half marathons. I’ve run a 42-minute 10km and 1:43 for the half
marathon.”

“I love the
tension release and relaxed mindset that running gives me, and the fresh air
and scenery. I enjoy technical trails and running on the beach, and especially
love running downhills, but with my studies being so demanding these days, I
usually only get about two runs in per week, on top of everything else I am
doing.” Besides gymnastics, that includes swimming and cycling, since Nick has also
taken up triathlon in the last few years, which saw him enter the 2011 Ironman
70.3 and finish in 7 hours 58 minutes.

“Ironman
went fairly well, but I realised I had not done enough for the swim,” he says. “I
had only trained in the pool and struggled with the open water conditions, but
my running made up for it. Now I want to branch more into triathlon, so my
immediate goal is to get my swimming on par with my running, and to maintain my
current cycling fitness. And still find time to fit in gymnastics!”

One of the
highlights of the three-day SA Sub-Youth, Youth, Junior and Under 23 Champs came
on the third and final day when Tiaan Smit broke the SA record in the junior
men’s 110m hurdles. He crossed the line in 13.51 seconds, breaking Tshepo Lefete’s
two-year-old record of 13.71. Thando Roto claimed the junior men’s 100m title
in 10.53, running the fastest time in the country this year, while Phillipa van
der Merwe won the SA title in the junior women’s 100m race in 11.89. Meanwhile,
Justine Palframan and Sonja van der Merwe enjoyed a ding-dong battle in both
the 200m and 400m events for under-23s, with Justine taking the shorter title
and Sonja being awarded the 400m title on a photo finish 53.32, having only
begun training again late last year after a long injury lay-off.

In the middle
distances, five athletes really stood out. In the 1500m for sub-youth men, Thabile Mkupheli led two others
under the old SA record with his 4:06.81, while Carina Viljoen ran an excellent
9:57.06 in the 3000m for youth girls. Meanwhile, three athletes won two victories
each: Rantso Mokopane took the 1500m and 3000m steeplechase for juniors, Tshegofatso
Setlhakgoe the 1500m and 3000m for sub-youths, and undoubtedly one of the stars
of the meet, Gena Lofstrand won both the junior 800m (beating last year’s
stand-out athlete Monique Stander) and 1500m.

BACK TO THE BOSCH

With the very
successful juniors out of the way, all eyes turned to Stellenbosch for the 106^th
SA Senior Champs, and it was terrific to see the stadium so full and the
athletes dishing up such exciting athletics, but what stood out was the number
of younger athletes stepping up to the podium, proving that the future of track
and field in SA is bright. So, while Chris Harmse collected an incredible 18^th
consecutive national title in the men’s hammer-throw and Sunette Viljoen won
her ninth title in the women’s javelin, the sensation of the meet was once
again Gena Lofstrand. She led from the gun to win the women’s 800m in a PB
2:04.60, the second-fastest time by a junior in the world this year. Other
youngster to shine included 20-year-old Wayde van Niekerk in the men’s 400m,
winning in 45.99, while junior Anel Oosthuizen set a new junior SA record as
she won the 20km race walk.

In the
men’s 100m, Simon Magakwe won a fifth straight title, then also added another
200m title as well.

Other highlights
included SA Half Marathon champ and recent Old Mutual Two Oceans Half Marathon
winner Stephen Mokoka claiming his fifth consecutive 10 000m title, in the
second-fastest time in the world thus far this year, 28:22.30, and then ‘doubling’
with a first 5000m title as well, in the fastest time run in the world this
year (13:25.94). Only Xolile Yawa has won the 10 000m title more times
(nine) than Stephen. Another double winner was Mapaseka Makhanya, winning both the women’s 1500m and
5000m titles, and setting a PB of 15:53.61 in the longer race. One of the best
races of the meet was the men’s 1500m, where Johan Cronje outkicked Juan van
Deventer in the home straight to win in 3:38.13 and retain his title.

TICKETS
TO RUSSIA

By the end of the two-day meet, long jumpers Lynique
Prinsloo (women) and Zarck Visser (men), as well as men’s 400m hurdlers Cornel
Fredericks (winning his third SA title) and PC Beneke, had all recorded
A-qualifying standards for the IAAF World Championships in Moscow in August. World Champs javelin bronze
medallist Sunette Viljoen and women’s 400m hurdler Annerie Ebersohn had also
put one proverbial foot in the team for Russia by setting B-qualifying
standards. Lynique’s winning jump of 6.81 metres was one of the best performances
of the weekend as she improved her personal best by more than 20 centimetres
and moved to third on the all-time SA list, while Zarck’s 8.29m moved him to second
in the men’s all-time SA list.

The surprise of the meet was undoubtedly the return to
competition of former world high jump champion and still SA record holder,
Jacques Freitag (31), who finished second behind Ruan Claasen on countback
after both jumped 2.10m. Jacques said he had very little time to prepare for
the Champs, but vowed to soon be one of the best in the world again.

K-Way Platteklip Charity Challenge, Table
Mountain, Cape Town

Heavy cloud cover and cool conditions set the stage
for Andre Calitz’s record attempt as he took on the famous Platteklip Gorge, aiming to climb it 12 times in one
day, more than the vertical height of the world’s highest mountain, Everest! He
cracked the first summit in just 35 minutes and 36 seconds – it takes most runners around 90 minutes – and with
seven laps completed within six-and-a-half hours, he still had more than five
hours to fit in the five remaining summits to achieve his goal, which he
triumphantly achieved within the 12-hour cut-off.

“Just the idea of having to climb up so many times
is enough to make you tired from the start, but you just put one leg in front
of the other and keep slogging. Luckily the climbs get sort of blurry after a
while!” says Andre. “The last lap was not the hardest one. Lap six was hard, as
I was only halfway, and Lap 11 was tough as I did not eat enough before the
lap, so I bonked a bit.”

TIMING VS
LUCK

There’s no specific schedule for the cable car, so
timing is more luck than planning, and for a runner aiming to set records,
chunks of time can be lost waiting for the next trip down. “I had no specific
plan with regards to the cable cars and I actually timed most of them quite
badly this year,” says Andre. “Also, last year I got very cold coming down the
mountain, so this year I had a K-Way jacket in each car.”

A second-time entrant, race day offered many
highlights for Andre. “Seeing my wife there with my dog Monty, running a lap
with him, and having family, friends and sponsors there to support me was
incredible. It’s so great seeing the blue and orange race tees when you climb
and cheer each other on. There is a real camaraderie in this race, which is
very special.” Another great element of the event is the fundraising done by
the runners, with this year’s event bringing in R450 000 for the event
beneficiary, Sinenjongo High School.

In 2013, Lee-Anne took honours at the Turkish Airlines Ladies Open,
Madrid’s Open de Espana and the Sanya Ladies Open in China. The humble athlete
from Wellington in the Boland was also voted the Player’s Player of the Year by
her fellow professionals, while back home her efforts were also recognised with
a nomination for Sportswoman of the Year at the South African Sports Awards.
She finished the year in 53^rd place on the world rankings list and
second on the Order of Merit money list for the year, and attributes her
success to the great support she receives. “It’s about focus and the continuous
support from my coach and family that made my season. Support in South Africa
is growing, so hopefully ladies will take to the sport more!”

FINDING THE FAIRWAY

Lee-Anne remembers playing caddy for her dad on
weekends for extra pocket money while growing up, learning the game along the
way. “I hit some balls when everyone finished playing and someone mentioned to
my dad that I had a natural talent. I never looked back!” She continued to play
when she moved to the USA to study psychology at the University of Tulsa in Oklahoma, and then decided to give it a go as a golfer
after a successful start to her career at amateur collegiate level.

She turned pro in 2005 and qualified for the Ladies
Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Tour in 2007, but it wasn’t an easy journey
in the beginning for SA’s number one. “It was a tough start, for sure. Travelling
was hard on me,” she says. “Eventually I had to get used to the lifestyle,
competing with the best and making some friends. I lost my qualifying card at
the end of 2007, but worked hard to qualify for the Ladies’ European Tour in
2008.”

Lee-Anne’s breakthrough came two years later with wins
at the Deutsche Bank Ladies Swiss Open, the S4C Wales Ladies Championship of
Europe, the Finnair Masters, the Sanya Ladies Open and the Suzhou Taihu Ladies
Open, putting her at the top of the money-earner list that year. “I had a new
coach and one back at home who strived to give me positive feedback,” she says.
“My training was intense in the off-season and I remained fit to concentrate on
my game. Still, it took a lot of patience to get there.”

GOING SWINGINGLY

For a pro golfer, adequate endurance and strength work
(especially on one’s core) is necessary to be fit enough for top level golf. “I
spend five to six hours on the course a round, so it’s important to stay fit,”
says Lee-Anne, who does her peak fitness training in her off-season months. “It
gets difficult to train all-out on tour, travelling between tournaments, so you
have to have racked up your fitness levels pre-season, as you can fit in minimal
sessions during the season.”

Having played hockey when she was younger, Lee-Anne says
she has developed weak knees, and thus keeps her cardio to short bursts of 45
minutes each session. She uses running, swimming and time on the elliptical trainer in the gym to work on her endurance,
while also doing light weights and cross-fit to work on her core. “A strong
core for a golfer is ideal, because it helps with our swing when we twist our body
playing the shot,” she says. “Strong stomach muscles, hips, legs and back help
with the strength and technicality of your game.” Endurance work also helps
Lee-Anne maintain full concentration through long, pressurised rounds on the tour,
and she is extra careful about nutrition as well. “I make sure I’m disciplined by
cutting down a lot of sugars, especially during a round. I grab nuts and
biltong to keep me going, and that keeps me fuller for longer. It’s hard to
keep healthy on tour, but your game is better when you do.”

Lee-Anne recently moved back to the Boland and is now based at Pearl Valley
Golf Estate, where she loves coming back to a good ol’ South African braai with
family and friends. This year, she is eyeing the majors, having already
qualified for four out of the five. “I want to remain on form and stay
focused,” she says. “Golf is about fun, patience and practising the right thing. Everything from your
attitude and short game will benefit!”

Follow Lee-Anne on Twitter: @LeeAnnePace

Most of us
know that there are many health benefits to running, including a healthy heart,
mind and body, but the one disadvantage to running is the impact on your bones
and joints. There is a fine line between solid training and doing too much
mileage, which can result in pain, bruising, even a stress fracture, often just
before a big race you’ve been training for. All runners who have suffered from
this know how terribly disappointing it can be after putting in all the hard work
and then not to reach the start line. The good news is that cycling as a
cross-training activity offers a great way to maintain your training while
reducing the risk of overuse injuries, and can really compliment your running
performance.

CYCLING CURE

Johannesburg-based
physiotherapist Toni Hesp has completed 23 Comrades Marathons and says that one
of her best Comrades races yet was when she had picked up a painful stress
fracture just six weeks prior to the big day. She decided to only cycle for
those last weeks leading up to the race and went on to run a great Comrades. She
says that once she had taken that impact off her legs, her body was able to
heal in time for the race.

“An athlete
can get away with running three to four times a week and then compliment their
training with cycling and they will still have a good Comrades or ultra-marathon.
So instead of running six times a week, cut down on the running mileage and
start pedalling,” says Toni. “Cycling works a lot of the same muscles that
running does, including the quads and hamstrings, but you don’t have the
jarring effect on your body. Another advantage that cycling brings to a runner
is the endurance factor, because so many hours are spent on the bike and this
compliments an athlete’s level of endurance.”

Toni adds that
cycling gives the body a break from the impact that running has on the body,
giving the athlete better odds in avoiding injuries. Also, runners who battle
to get up the hills and usually end up walking will also benefit from cycling,
as it focuses on the upper legs and strengthens them. So before you know it,
you wont be walking those hills anymore.

TIPS FOR GETTING
STARTED

?        
It doesn’t matter if you have a mountain
bike, a road bike, a hybrid or a triathlon bike. What does matter is having a
bike that fits, so get expert advice from your nearest reputable bike shop
before buying a bike – or borrowing the too-big (or too-small) frame and wheels
from your neighbour.

?        
Essential items are a helmet, bike shorts
(these are padded in the crotch and butt), sunglasses and a seat bag with a
spare tube, multi-tool and inflation device. Optional Items are cycling gloves,
chamois cream, bike shoes and clip-in pedals, and a bike computer.

?        
Before you go on your first ride, make sure
you know how to change a tyre if you get a flat. If you don’t have a cycling
buddy to teach you how to do this, go to a local bike shop and they will be
happy to teach you.

Cycling is something you can do with friends and family who are not running
enthusiasts, as many people will ride with you just because it is fun to ride
bikes. Also, you can ride outdoors or indoors: If you want to get out and enjoy
the fresh air on a beautiful day, you can just hop on your bike and ride. At
the same time, with an indoor stationary bike, you can still get a good workout
if the weather is lousy, or you get home after dark.

READER-RIDER SNAP POLL

We asked
our readers if they use cycling for cross-training and whether it helps them
with their running, and the answers were overwhelmingly positive:

Dean Martins Almeida: Absolutely,
no doubt.

Ollie Olivier: If you cycle fast. Otherwise
your heart rate lingers below the target rate.

Joulanda du Toit: Yes, it
does.

Natalie Madies: Only on
recovery days

Debbie Osborne:
Absolutely 100% YES!

Rob McDonald: Most
definitely.

Willie Venter: Definitely.
It increased my hill climbing strength and drastically reduced knee pain on
steep trail descents. Should’ve started long ago!

(Strap) Women’s Running

Menopause
is an event that typically occurs in women in midlife, during their late 40s or
early 50s, and it signals the end of the fertile phase of a woman’s life. This
transition from a potentially reproductive to a non-reproductive state is the
result of changes in female hormonal production by the ovaries. This transition
is normally not sudden or abrupt, tends to occur over a period of years, and is
a consequence of biological aging.

For some
women, the accompanying effects that can occur during menopause can
significantly disrupt their daily activities and sense of well-being, and while
Lisa Mickelsfield, Senior Researcher in the MRC/Wits Developmental Pathways for
Health Research Unit at the University of the Witwatersrand, says that it
hasn’t been proven that exercise reduces the symptoms of menopause, but that it
has been suggested that women who exercise have more tolerance for the physical
discomforts and are therefore able to manage the symptoms better. “Exercise is
very important in improving the quality of life during this phase of a women’s
life.”

More
importantly. Lisa says there are certain things an active woman entering
menopause needs to take note of: “Women entering this phase of life need to pay
attention to musculoskeletal factors, such as the decrease in oestrogen, which
is associated with decreased flexibility and bone mineral density. For this
reason, women should spend more time stretching before and after training and
also avoid training in places where they could easily fall. Another thing to
take into account is a good sports bra, as breast tissue becomes more lax
during the menopausal years.”

There are a few
other steps you can follow to help you run in synch with this life change:

1. Stay hydrated. Hot
flashes and night sweats can disrupt your hydration levels, which may leave you
fatigued and greatly affect your running performance. A simple strategy to
measure your hydration level is to look at the colour of your urine. The darker
it is, the more dehydrated you are. When it is completely clear you could be
over-hydrating.

2. Run
with the flow. Modify your training programme to suit these life
changes, notably by running based on how you feel rather than following a
strict programme. Run at an easy effort on the days when your symptoms are at
their worst. Save hard workouts and long runs for the days where you feel your
best, and then give it your all. You will be able to maintain a balance this
way.

3. Invest
in lean muscle. The loss of lean muscle tissue during midlife is known
to have an effect on the metabolic rate, and this loss increases post-menopause.
This can be minimised by incorporating resistance training two to three times
per week in your programme to develop and maintain muscle tissue. This will
boost your metabolism, increase bone density and joint stability, and can also
improve your running economy.

4. Take notes. Keeping a
journal to track your symptoms as well the calories you burn and the fuel you
consume can help you make more healthful choices. Logging the details of your
runs also gives you a better sense of control, and allows you to adapt your
training if you’re feeling tired. This allows you to better manage your
training and your life.

Ocean Basket Bay to
Bay 30km & 15km, Western Cape, 5 January

When
the Dutch established a colony in Table Bay in 1652, in what we now know as
Cape Town, they required timber for building and for ship repairs, but there
was no large forest in the immediate vicinity of the settlement. After
exploring the area further, they found a wetter valley on the other side of the
mountain, with a plentiful supply of trees. This area became known as Hout Bay,
or Wood Bay. The only problem was that Hout Bay could only be reached via one
of three mountain passes, meaning it was hard work to get the timber…

Today
there are three roads leading into Hout Bay – Chapman’s Peak Drive, Constania
Nek Drive and Suikerbossie Drive, and all three feature prominently in long
distance running or cycling events, a fitting throw-back to those intrepid settlers
of the 17^th century. The road from Camps Bay to Hout Bay, via Llandudno,
goes through the pass between Judas Peak (part of the Twelve Apostles) and
Little Lion’s Head. This pass is called ‘Suikerbossie,’ and is most famous for
being the toughest hill on the world’s biggest timed cycling event, the Cape
Argus Pick n Pay Cycle Tour. It also features prominently in the Ocean Basket
Bay to Bay 30km & 15km road running event.

This year saw the 38^th running of the Bay
to Bay, and the men’s title went to Gauteng-based former capetonian Anthony
Godongwana (Transnet) in 1:40:20, with
Dicardo Jakobs (Nedbank) second in 1:41:13 and Wanda Roro (Itheko) third in 1:41:47.
In the women’s race, another former capetonian (and Anthony’s partner), Thozama
April of Transnet, scored a convincing victory by more than seven minutes,
coming home in 2:03:01. Second was Fortunate Chidzivo (Itheko/Zimbabwe) in
2:10:52, with Bulelwa Simae (Nedbank) third in 2:12:13. The winning times were
a bit slower than the previous year due to a headwind in the second half of the
race.

In past years the 30km had
been accompanied by a 2x15km relay on the same route, but this was replaced by
a point-to-point 15km race in 2014, starting in Hout Bay. The inaugural men’s
title went to Sityhilo Diko of Nedbank in 51:02, while Zintle Xiniwe (Maxed
Elite) won the women’s race in 1:03:30.

As the
winter chill arrives, so the mornings and evenings when we exercise are getting
darker and colder, and while you might feel safe running in your own
neighbourhood, it’s better to know how to become aware of what’s around you and
sidestep any potential danger. Whether you’re on a solo run, walk or ride,
there may be someone watching you, checking your regular route and how
vulnerable you are, so keep an eye out for that. It’s true what they say, there
is safety in numbers, but we can’t always join our club mates, training
partners or loved ones for a workout, so here are some essential safety tips
for scenarios you may face out on the roads or trails.

Scenario 2: You’re going out for an
early morning run by yourself and it’s dark out.

Tell
a loved one your route and how long you’ll be gone (even if it’s an early SMS
to your friend or mom). Alternate your running
routes and if you are running in the dark, choose a route with street lights.
Avoid crime spots like parks, alleys and subways. Find a friend who runs around
the same time as you do – there’s safety in numbers and it will help your motivation.

Scenario 2: You’re
running towards a suspicious-looking stranger on your usual route.

Always
remember to trust that intuition telling you to avoid a certain situation. If
you see someone that looks suspicious or makes you feel uneasy, change your
route or cross the road so that you don’t have to run past them!

Scenario 3: On a solo run, a
stranger follows you and makes inappropriate gestures or wolf whistles.

Never react to strangers
on route. If the stranger follows you, head
straight for any brightly-lit shop, garage or house. Remember to surround yourself
with people. The gestures could be harmless, but it’s better to be safe than
sorry. On your way home, get your key out before you reach your gate.

Scenario 4: On route, a
stranger runs towards you.

You have to think quick.
Carry a whistle/self-defense mechanism (irritant spray or shock unit) in case
of attack and keep it readily accessible. Also, consider leaving your iPod or
mp3 player at home, as you will not hear people that may have bad intentions
for you. Rather be aware of your surroundings so you can act quickly.