Category: Racing

Durbanville Triathlon, Western Cape, 4 May

I
am a triathlon addict and off-road convert who has recently been trying to
improve my technical skills on the mountain bike, as this is where I struggle. So,
at the last minute, I decided to enter the off-road Durbanville Triathlon, as
the triathlon season was coming to a close and this would be the last tri
before winter really set in.

READY TO GO

I
arrived at Phisantekraal in Durbanville, collected my race number, said hi to
some friends and then took my bike out for a little spin before heading to the
transition. I shimmied into my wetsuit and was pleasantly surprised to find the
water quite a nice temperature. Now, my training hadn’t been going as well as I
would have liked, as I started a Masters at Stellenbosch University this year and
had been quite unaware of the workload involved, so I went into the race with
the mindset of a participant rather than that of a competitor. However, I
quickly changed my mind when I found myself in fourth place overall after one
lap of the swim. I decided to turn on the pace and exited the water in second,
with only the leading male athlete ahead of me!

The
bike route suited me in that it wasn’t too technical and I could focus on
pushing hard. I knew that the bike leg was most likely my weakest of the three,
and so I was keen to focus as much as possible and not let the other girls
catch me. As one of the top male competitors passed me, he felt the need to
say, “Jy’s nogals sterk vir ‘n meisie!” (You’re quite strong for a girl.) Laughing
to myself, I kept the pressure on and was surprised to finish the bike without
being caught by the other girls.

RUNNING AWAY

I
really gunned it from the start on the 8km run course and felt really good. This
was the first race that I have ever led from start to finish and it was quite a
cool experience. I absolutely loved the event! Iqela Events did a great job of
organising the race and the route was well marked. There were two different
distances to cater for different abilities and all the athletes appeared to
really enjoy their day out. I can’t wait to do the race again next year! But,
for now it’s time to knuckle down, get some studying done, put in the base
training and wait for winter to pass.

The Cell C Nelson Mandela Bay
Sevens might be dubbed ‘Rugby’s Biggest Party,’ but when the boys are out on
the field, it’s everything but a party. These guys are fit, and to top it all, very
fast! Just how fast the Sevens players are is evident in America’s Carlin Isles:
With a personal best of 10.13 seconds for 100m, Isles is ranked 78^th
in the world over the distance, which means he would have qualified for the
semi-finals of the 100m at this year’s London Olympics.

NEED FOR SPEED

Our very own Blitzbokke certainly
don’t have to stand back for the likes of Isles, as biokineticist Allan
Temple-Jones is not only one of the best in the business, but also believes in
scientific training to simulate what is required to perform in match
situations. “Running is massively important as Sevens is about high intensity
bursts of energy being performed repeatedly. The players need to be conditioned
to be able to do this faster, longer and with greater intensity than the direct
opposition, while showing minimal fatigue,” says Allan, who is currently in his
sixth season with the Blitzbokke and who previously worked at the High
Performance Centre at the Sports Science Institute of South Africa in Cape Town.
There he worked with various elite sportsmen and teams, including the Cape
Cobras cricketers, Santos Football Club and the SA Men’s Hockey team.

Allan’s coaching involves a wide range of
cross-training methods including boxing, rowing, wrestling and grappling
sessions, hypoxic pool sessions and even yoga, to name but a few, but running
and speed sessions are top of the list. “On a Sevens rugby field the intensity
is extremely high, with very little opportunity to recover. You always need to
reintroduce yourself into play by not being caught on the ground; if you don’t,
the opposition will look to exploit this. You are also covering the same size
field with only seven players. This in itself means that physical conditioning
is paramount to performance.”

THE SCIENCE BEHIND IT ALL

Allan is known for his technical approach to coaching
and his tools of the trade such as laptops, heart rate monitors and other
gadgets. He says that on top of speed, technology is crucial in order to ensure
that each individual is monitored on a personal level in such a way that they
can improve and develop according to their own unique needs and abilities. For
example, by using GPS data, Allan is able to monitor each player’s intensity
during training and make sure they are reaching the desired speed zones in training,
and all players’ speed is regularly assessed over 10 metres and 40 metres.

Having tasted much success in the IRB Sevens Rugby
World Series in recent years, including several tournament wins around the
world, the team is now raring to go and ready to represent South Africa at the
upcoming tournament in PE. Allan says the boys see the event on home turf as a
special occasion: “Even though every opportunity to wear a Springbok jersey is
special, we will aim to make South Africa even more proud.”

Bonitas City2City
Marathon, Half Marathon & 10km, Pretoria to Johannesburg. 30 September

 These days the event, known as the City2City since
1988, attracts a field of several thousand runners, with accompanying half
marathon and 10km races as well, making it one of the bigger events on the
Gauteng calendar. It is run in alternating directions each year, and this year
saw the ultra start in Wanderers, Johannesburg, and finish at the Centurion
Rugby Club, the so-called ‘Down Run,’ which meant it once again offered runners
a mix of flat stretches with torturous
knee-aching downhills.

Johannes Kekana, wearing brand new veteran age tags on
his vest, clocked an impressive 2:50:39 to win
this year’s main event and grab the R30 000 prize after a massive battle with
defending champion Odwa Tunyiswa, who eventually faded to 10^th.
Johannes’ time was the third-fastest ever by a SA veteran for the distance. In
the women’s field, Tshifhiwa Mudalamo came in first in 3:28.22, looking
exhausted and with legs cramping, while former SA Marathon champ Charne Bosman came
home a minute later after a conservative first race beyond the marathon mark.

WHAT THEY SAID

“I’m 40 now and I knew I had to keep
strong with all the young guys. It was an easy course but for one tricky hill,
but I’ve trained in this area so I knew what to expect. I felt confident to
push with 10km to go.” – Johannes Kekana

“It’s my first ultra and with about
7km to go I thought it was over for me. In Midrand, because there were huge
hills and I was starting to tire. But I stuck to my pace and didn’t want to
blow it. My next goal is doing well at Two Oceans.” – Charne Bosman

“On two uphills I struggled a bit but kept on going. It’s my
second City2City, having won it last year. It’s a race that definitely tests
your fitness at this time of the year.” – Lizih Chikore

50KM MEN

1 Johannes Kekana                   2:50:39

2 Joseph Mphuthi                      2:53:11

3 Vusi
Malobola                        2:53:56

50KM WOMEN

1 Tshifhiwa Mundalamo             3:28:22

2 Charn? Bosman                      3:29:32

3
Lizih Chokore (ZIM)                 3:31:58

21KM MEN

1
Masilo Matjiane (LES)             1:07:24

21KM WOMEN

1
Regina Koech (KEN)               1:24:53

10KM MEN

1
Kgosi Tsosane                       30:16

10KM WOMEN

1
Rutendo Nyahora (ZIM)           35:37

In November, SA
mountain biking stars Yoland? de Villiers and Johan Labuschagne will go after
their third consecutive win in the mixed pairs category at the Contego
Wines2Whales MTB Race powered by Maserati. It’s clear that this duo has
successfully ticked all the boxes needed to succeed at a three-day mountain
stage race, including teaming up with the ideal partner.

“When choosing
a partner, make sure that you are more or less equally strong on the bike,”
says Yoland?. “Johan and I understand each other completely. We know each
other’s weaknesses – not that Johan has any – and help each other in order to
achieve the best as a team. Johan is calm and collective and in control, I’m
usually the opposite, and this is what I need to keep focused during the race.”

Johan believes
that their team’s strength is experience. “My top tip when taking on a three-day
MTB stage race would be to choose your partner carefully. Make sure that you
have the same objective, and most importantly, be more concerned about your
partner’s wellbeing than your own, especially if you’re taking part in the
mixed team category. Also, remember to make friends with the riders around you,
as you will see them the next day and the next.”

THE CELEBS SAY…

Check out the
rave reviews from celebrity riders who have done the Contego Wine2Whales MTB
Adventure and Race powered by Maserati as part of the songo.info ‘Ride with a
Celebrity’ initiative.

Burry Stander: “I really enjoy the chilled pace at which we get to ride as well as the
atmosphere. The routes are of a very high standard and a lot of fun. The sport
has done so much for me and it’s great to see disadvantaged communities getting
the opportunity to ride.”

Dan Hugo: “I enjoy the three days of stepping into a joyous mountain biking/camping/socialising
adventure. The routes are magnificent. If the weather is good, you get crazy
views of False Bay on day one, and great views from Onrus on day three, while
day two has some brilliant trail riding in the Elgin valley.”

Oliver Munnik: “The route combined with the vibe amongst riders is what makes the
Wines2Whales so enjoyable. Everyone is there with the common goal of having fun
while pinning some rad single track. Of course, knocking a few beers down the
hatchet after each stage is pretty schweet.”

Christoph Sauser (World Marathon Champion and
Co-founder of songo.info): “It is an honour for
songo.info to be an official charity of the event. It presents us with the
perfect platform to raise funds for the charity while having fun with our
charity riders and the public. Wines2Whales is the perfect combination of
friendship, nature and riding. The organisers know how to package the best
trails in the Cape into three days of riding.”

EVENT INFO

Friday 2 – Sunday 4
November: Contego Wines2whales MTB Adventure

Friday 9 – Sunday 11
November: Contego Wines2whales MTB Race

Route: Start @
Lourensford Wine Estate, Somerset West, Finish @ Onrus Caravan Park, just
outside Hermanus

More info: 076 118 0874 / [email protected] / www.wines2whales.co.za

Follow us: Facebook: Contego Wines2Whales or Twitter: @w2wmtb

Nike WE RUN Jozi, Sandton,
Gauteng, 7 October

“So here we are, hanging out on the M1 highway after a
Sunday morning run,” remarked running buddy Craig van der Westhuizen shortly after
we had completed a race which was by no means ordinary in any way! Firstly, for
the first time ever in South Africa, the race ended right in the middle of a
highway, which meant thousands of runners were doing the same as Craig and I, ‘hanging’
on the M1 Highway after completing the race. When do you ever get the chance to
‘hang’ on a highway in South Africa, let alone alongside 20 000 other runners
in one of the biggest 10km fields in the country?

Part of the global Nike WE RUN City 10k Series tour, hitting
34 cities in 17 countries and connecting 400 000 runners, this was a second for
South Africa, after the inaugural Nike Run Free event in March, which saw 10 000
runners take to Johannesburg’s CBD in a night race. Just like that first run,
this latest event was superbly organised from start to finish, despite doubling
in size – truly world class, in my experience! Also, in what was a first in groundbreaking
digital innovation, Nike only officially revealed the route once all 20 000
registered runners had signed up, as each runner helped reveal a segment of
this route through their registration.

The run started in a normally traffic-packed Katherine
Street in affluent Sandton, with all the runners donning their official race
day tee. I was joined by Modern Athlete
colleagues Rui Dos Santos and Nicole de Villiers at the race, and later also
met up with some running buddies from Bedfordview Athletic Club. With our green
face paint on, we waited in an electric atmosphere for the starter’s gun… but there
was to be no gunshot. Instead, the start was heralded by fireworks, just part
of the superb effort put into organising this race.

The first two kilometres took quite a bit of bobbing
and weaving through the thousands of runners – it was always going to be a
challenge to run a good time in a race of this magnitude. The race took us
straight into the heart of Alexandra, one of South Africa’s poorest townships,
and what really stood out for me was how in a matter of only five minutes we
ran from a multimillion Rand suburb to a township where hardship and extreme
poverty unfortunately still prevail. It was therefore all the more heart-warming
that the people of Alexandra were lining the streets in their thousands,
cheering runners along and adding to what made this race extra special.

The route was definitely not easy! There were some
major uphills to contend with – and they were not short! If it wasn’t for Craig,
I would have probably taken it a lot easier, as it was very clear most runners
were out there to enjoy the day and not to chase PBs. Then came the extra
special part, running onto the M1. Apart from the fact that it was a welcome
breather, being a relatively flat stretch, it brought with it a great feeling
of freedom to run where very few others have ever finished a race – on a major
highway in South Africa! As we crossed the finish line I knew I was one of 20
000 runners who took back the streets of Jozi on this special day. What a great
feeling of freedom!

FOR THE KIDS

Knowing that the race gave back to the community of
Alexandra was a great incentive to enter this race, with a portion of each runner’s
registration going to developing grassroots running. This enabled 1 700 children
from primary schools in and around Alexa, as well as from Nike’s grassroots
programmes facilitated in partnership with Sport for Social Network and
Grassroot Soccer, to participate in an accompanying 2.5km race. These kids received
a race-day tee, cap and a medal. For many of the children taking part, it was
their first official race experience, with the hope of igniting an ongoing passion
for running.

RESULTS

MEN

1. Xolisa Tyali                     29:57

2. David Manja                    30:12

3. Joel Monne                     30:22

WOMEN

1. Rutendo Nyahora             35:24

2. Irvette Van Blerk              36:01

3. Daina-Lebo Phalula          36:29

The life
of professional dancer and instructor Nadia Katz revolves around long days in
the studio, either giving classes or rehearsing for upcoming shows and events,
and she says nothing beats a good run after a hard day’s dancing. “When dancing,
your mind is always busy, you are concentrating on getting the routine right,
so sometimes I like to run for the purpose of clearing my mind and to mull over
the days events. It’s also a great way to remain healthy and lean, and most of
the dancers in my company use running as their cross-training.”

In turn,
Nadia also believes that more runners should take up dancing as a fitness
activity. “Since I run, do crossfit and dance, I know what the different forms
of exercise do for your body. I would suggest dancing as a brilliant method of
cross-training for runners, because in conjunction they work well together. Dancing
works and tones the muscles, and elevates your heart rate and brings it down
again rapidly, which enhances your running fitness.

She adds
that dancing makes a great break from your normal running routine. “Dancing
also exercises your mind and concentration levels, whereas some runners tend to
get a bit bored with only running day in and day out. I think that runners do
such an intense form of exercise, where you are constantly aware of how hard
you are working, so to cross-train using dance is a fantastic change of scenery
for the mind and body, as with dance you often don’t realise how much exercise
you are doing until the sore muscles appear the following day!”

TONE IT UP

Having
danced since the age of eight and tried so many different dance styles through
the years, including ballet, tap, jazz, hip-hop, Latin and ballroom, Nadia knows
a thing or two about getting a good workout on the dance floor. She recommends
that runners who would like to use their cross-training sessions to tone up
more than gain cardio fitness should take on some contemporary dance or pole
dancing.

“These
forms of dance for strength training create long, lean, strong muscles. Contemporary
dancing includes some ballet and new era modern dancing. I put this dance form
in the category of strength training because ballet itself is a lot of work and
some dance routines include lifts. For those who want to strengthen the legs
and especially calf muscles, Latin dancing and Ballroom keep you on your toes
exercising multiple muscles in the legs. This is also a great way for couples
to cross-train together.”

“In pole
dancing, you are carrying your own body weight a lot of the time, especially
when you get to the more advanced stages. For the beginners, pole dancing
focuses on the core muscles, whereas the advanced levels place a lot of
emphasis on muscle groups in the lower part of the body as well as in the arms.
It is a very controlled dance movement.”

For those
runners looking to work on their cardio fitness, Nadia suggests Zumba. “It most
certainly ups your cardio levels and you get a good sweat out of these
sessions. It is also a dance form that any beginner can get into. In an
activity like running, you don’t necessarily use your core as much, but in
Zumba you work the core muscles extensively, creating a lean mid section. Another
great benefit that dancing gives you that other forms of cross-training don’t
is that it helps improve your balance – not many exercise forms do this for me.
So go ahead and book that dance class!”

Nadia is
the owner of the Katz School of Dance in Sandton, Johannesburg and runs the
Corporate Dance Company SA. She has featured in music videos for the
Parlotones, Lloyed Cele and Mandoza, amongst others, and her dance company performs
at corporate events, functions and parties. For more info, contact Nadia on 082 572 0563 or [email protected], or visit www.katzproductions.co.za.

You’re having the race of your life and feeling strong,
even though you’re running just inside your own red line. You’re on for a PB,
but then the inevitable happens: You turn the corner and there she is, waiting to
devour you. Yes, I’m talking about that dreaded hill that usually comes along
at the worst possible moment in the race and finishes you off. The funny thing is
that most of us can run hills without any problems during a training run, but
when we’re pushing our limits in a race, the increased pace together with
increased gradient takes us to the ‘wall’ very quickly. But the answer to this
problem is really simple: Incorporate more hill training into your training programme.

THE WHAT, WHEN AND HOW

Now that’s all good and well until you head out the
door for your first hill session, only to realise that you haven’t got a clue
what to do. How often must you do hills, and how steep should they be? What
distance should you cover up the hill, and how many repeats should you do?
Suddenly it’s not that simple. To help you get to grips with all this climbing,
here are the different types of hill sessions that all have their time and
place:

?        
Short steep hills of up to 100m in
length or 15 to 30 seconds in duration are useful for creating leg strength and
power. The focus on these repeats is power. As with all hill sessions, your
focus should be on a strong arm pump, strong leg driving with a hill knee lift
and upright posture, looking forward – not down at your feet! (To achieve this,
imagine there is a rope attached around your waist and someone is pulling you
up the hill). These sessions are excellent in the last few weeks leading up to
a 10km race.

?        
Medium length, medium steepness hill are between 100m and 300m, or
between 30 and 90 seconds. Because these hills are not as steep as the short
hills, they allow you to run at or near race pace, and are a great way to work
speed and strength into a single workout. Include these hills in your peak
training weeks.

?        
Long shallow hills range from 300m to
600m and sometimes up to 1km in length, or a duration of 90 seconds to 3
minutes. The focus here is to build strength, so include these hills early on
in the season as a stepping stone to hardcore speedwork on the track or in interval
work.

?        
Downhill repeats are generally done
on a hill between 300m and 600m in length with an incline of 10 to 15 degrees.
Downhill sessions, or eccentric training, has been shown to reduce the onset of
muscle soreness experienced after a hard workout or event. The benefits of this
type of session last for up to six weeks, but introduce these sessions with caution,
as you must have a strong base before attempting them. Including downhill
repeats every six weeks in the peak weeks before big races, especially Comrades,
will help in reducing muscles soreness in the days that follow the race.

IMPORTANT NOTES

Hill sessions are not the only session that will help
you improve your running, so mix your training up with other types of training,
including speedwork, tempo running, intervals, and long slow distance, plus
cross-training such as swimming and cycling. When you do
your hill sessions, remember the following:

?        
Doing 8 to 10 repeats
with a slow jog or walk back for recovery is more than enough per session.

?        
Form is more
important than speed, so focus on your form.

?        
As with anything,
introduce hill work gradually and slowly.

?        
Do not attempt hill
sessions if you have problems with your calves or Achilles.

?        
Do not attempt
downhill sessions if you have problems with your knees.

?        
And remember that the
hills are your friends!

For more info on hill training and road running tips,
visit Ray’s site at www.runetics.com.

Born in
Mafikeng and then moving to Gauteng,
Nothende remembers growing up with music and receiving her first bass recorder
from her grandfather. Her passion for music was evident when she began writing
songs at age 11, and after practising church hymns, her school teacher made
sure she joined the choir. Soon Nothende was on the road to stardom: “I started
singing solo and I broke out of my shell,” she says.

After school,
Nothende attended a TV audition and someone heard her sing – and had her in a
studio within three hours to record her first single. Today, she’s a hit on
radio stations across the country, with several number one singles to her name,
and has grabbed South African Music Award (SAMA) nods for her debut album LoveLight. And Nothende says she puts
everything into her music: “Why bother if you don’t sing with emotion? Music
has to be real because it has the power to affect people. I want to give my
audience that high.”

HEALTHY LIFESTYLE

A sports
fanatic at school, Nothende competed in athletics, swimming, gymnastics and
basketball, and says she appreciates the health benefits of running and eating
right. She fits in a run three times a week and often changes her routes for
different scenery. “I like to challenge myself and to dance on stage, you have
to be fit!” she says. “So in between music and tours, I keep active – time
doesn’t stop and you need balance. Even if it’s a 30 minute run! When it comes
to my music or changing my eating habits, I never limit myself.”

And so, three
years ago Nothende decided to give up meat and alcohol, and after six months
she could feel the difference. “I felt incredible. I adapted easily, and though
it was an experiment at first, it has changed my life.” Now, when touring, she
makes sure she carries fruit everywhere, and says she always asks organisers at
events to give her the vegan option. Nothende also grows her own vegetables and
makes juices and shakes at home, where she spends a lot of time in her kitchen experimenting
with recipes she shares with her mom, who has also embraced veganism. “I eat a
lot now, but I never get that full feeling. I’ve also not been sick the last
three years!”

Forever Resorts Loskop Marathon, Middelburg, Mpumalanga,
20 April

With
5 000 athletes lining up in the pouring rain in Middelburg less than a
week after the tragic Boston Marathon bombing, a minute’s silence was dedicated
to the victims of the attack, and many runners donned black armbands to show
their support for their running brethren and the supporters killed in America. “We
were deeply saddened by the news of the bombings that took place,” said Kobus
Tait, Managing Director at Forever Resorts South Africa, title sponsor of the
Loskop event. “It is truly sad that a sports event that is meant to draw people
closer in camaraderie is used to target soft and innocent victims.”

Once the
race got underway, Nedbank’s Samuel ‘Seun’ Moleshioa seemed the favourite to
take the win after his strong showing from Kranspoort Pass
until the final climb, but once again Varaday’s Hill proved the decider as Transnet’s
Othaniel Phahlane came flying past him. The first-time Loskop runner then
zoomed down to the Loskop Dam finish to clock 2:46:10, just two minutes off the
course record set in 2005 by former Olympic Marathon gold medallist Josiah
Thugwane.

NOVICE WINNER

For Othaniel,
the win came as quite a surprise, not just because it was his first Loskop, but
also because of the tough conditions: “About 10km into the race it started to
rain really hard. When I saw one runner stop, I said I must just carry on, and
at 40km into the race I knew I could win this race.” Seun held on for second in
2:50:06, while 2010 winner Joseph Mphuthi (Toyota) was third in 2:50:25. “Finishing
third again is not good,” he said after the race. “I finished 15^th
at Comrades last year and want to finish in the top 10 this year. We will see
how things go.”

In the
women’s race, Kenya’s Jennifer Keoch, running in Nedbank colours, was first
over the line in a time of 3:18:11, followed by Zimbabwean Lizhi Chokera (Nedbank)
exactly four minutes later, and Lizhi’s cousin Muchaneta Gwata (Maxed) third in
3:33:44. In the tough accompanying half marathon, David Manja (Nedbank) took
line honours in 1:09:53, while the women’s title went to Nedbank’s Myrette
Filmalter in 1:25:31.