Category: Racing

New
heroes are born each year at the Forever Resorts Loskop Marathon. This year
Zimbabwean Tabitha Tsatsa stole the show, smashing the eight-year-old women’s
record in a time of 3:14.37, just under three minutes faster than the 3:17:31
set by Paulina Phaho in 2004. That earned Tabitha a R100 000 incentive for
breaking the record! “I was planning to do it from the start, and when I
reached the 41km point, I knew I could do it!” said Tabitha, who added that she
loved the route’s up and downhills.

In
the men’s race, Rustenburg’s Phillip Molefe took line honours in 2:46:07. “I
came to run around three hours, so I’ve done well!” he said after the race. “I
knew I could challenge the guys on the last hill and knew I could win it from
that point.” Phillip is enthusiastic about running Comrades after his win and
is motivated to continue doing well: “I have my son’s name on my shoes and
every time I run, I’m reminded of him and my family. This has made me more
confident!”

As
one of the country’s most popular ultras, the Loskop never disappoints when it
comes to organisation and atmosphere. A field of 3 500 runners took on the
50km ultra this year, and as usual, the splendid finish at the Loskop Dam
attracted a big crowd of local support. The runners, after collecting their
medals and goodie bags, had a swim, danced to the live music and enjoyed a
braai with family, friends and club mates. As they say, Loskop is lekker!

 Loskop
Heroes

Modern Athlete was at the
finish line to ask runners how their Loskop run went.

John Mathete: “The route
was very good, but the last hill up near the finish was very difficult for me –
but I will do it again because it’s so well organised!”

Jackoline Nel: “Loskop is
well organised and a great training run for Comrades! This is my last long run
before Comrades. The uphills were tougher than I thought, but I prefer the ups
in short bursts.”

Paipai Malatji: “The route
is quite tough on my legs. I’m not used to uphills, for sure, but it’s much
better than a normal flat route. This is my fifth Loskop and I keep coming back
because it’s so well organised and its quite fun before and after!”

Jarred Lloyd: “I think my
run went well. I didn’t walk once! This is my sixth year at the race and for
me, it’s the best in the country, and it definitely has the greatest vibe!”

Yousuf Omar: “The climbs
were fantastic, but it was tough at the last stretch! I cramped up a little,
but I kept going! The scenery is amazing and we even saw monkeys on the road!
You can definitely get your momentum going!”

50KM MEN

1 Phillip Molefe (Rustenburg)
2:46:07

2 Phahlale Mohloli (Mr
Price/Lesotho) 2:47:07

3
Joseph Mphuthi (Toyota)
2:50:37

50KM WOMEN

1 Tabitha Tsatsa (Mr
Price/Zimbabwe) 3:14:37

2 Lizih Chokore
(Nedbank/Zimbabwe) 3:23:01

3
Muchaneta Gwata (Mr Price/Zimbabwe) 3:24:58

21KM MEN

1 Elmore Sibanda (Zimbabwe)
1:10:58

2 Othaniel Phahlane (Nedbank)
1:11:40

3
Collin Parura (Nedbank/Zimbabwe) 1:11:43

21KM WOMEN

1 Melanie Van Rooyen (Canon Richards
Bay) 1:26:21

2 Chiyedza Chokore (Mr
Price/Zimbabwe) 1:31:35

3
Ndofhiwa Mandiwana (Bidvest) 1:32:49

With three
different distances on offer and even a 50m nappy dash for toddlers, this event, organised by Randburg Harriers and
Sportsvendo, really catered for every type of runner as well as the
whole family, which saw the race once again attract a great turn-out. The
courses were hilly and tough, but for many this was a perfect training run
before Comrades in June. In the men’s field, Nedbank’s Shadrack Hoff won the
21.1km in a solid time of 1:08:03, just a second ahead of Phillip Molefe from
Rustenburg. In the women’s race, Nedbanks’s Olympic marathon qualifier Rene
Kalmer led the field home in a course record 1:16:18, with clubmate and fellow
Olympic qualifier Irvette van Blerk second in 1:19:17.

The fun did
not end with the running, though! Race sponsor, SA Pork, together with
co-sponsor Eskort, hosted an inter-club pork braai competition, and the team of
celebrity judges included top runners Bruce Fordyce, Irvette van Blerk and Nick
Bester, society favourite Annie Malan, Egoli star David Vlok and Kwaito legend
Kabelo Mabalane, who had all run the Kwai Challenge and were ready for some
good food! They judged on taste, creativity and presentation, under the
guidance of chef Stephan Prinsloo, and the winners of the braai competition
were ‘The Purple Pigs.’ The day ended off with a surprise performance by Kabelo
to really wrap up a great event.

Heard at the Finish

Dan Mothiva (21.1km): “The route was fast and I thought
the short hills were okay in the end. This is great preparation for Comrades,
because it’s a well organised event for the whole family!”

Patricia Prismall (10km): “Getting in around 90min is not bad
for a 60-something, wouldn’t you say? The hills were long, but I overcame it!
It’s a very well organised family day!”

Warren Pie (21.1km): “I just flew, so it went well for me.
I got in at 1:26, so it’s a PB! You can still get momentum because the hills go
quickly, and Harriers are great organisers.”

Road running
is one of the few sports that doesn’t have separate events for men and women,
except for top level races or competitions, like the Olympic Marathon, or the
Big City Marathons like New York, Boston or London, where the elite women have
a separate start and run apart from the men. In most other sports, the
competition is divided, with different leagues, tournaments, meets, matches or
races for men and women, but in running, not only do women generally compete on
the same route and at the same time as the men, but they often fare better than
men. Yes, the top men’s times are usually faster than those of the top women,
but in the long run, the two fields are actually fairly evenly matched. In fact,
some would say the women are actually stronger.

Dr Andrew
Bosch, Associate Professor of Exercise Science and Sports Medicine at the
Sports Science Institute of South Africa, explains that women’s physical
make-up can enhance endurance exercise and match their male counterparts. “Women
tend to have a lighter skeletal structure than men. Glycogen storage capacity
is the same in terms of amount per kilogram of muscle, but women will tend to
have less muscle, so in absolute terms will have a bit less glycogen. However, their
body mass is lighter, so in terms of glycogen used per kilometre, it will be
less than a heavier male, so it all equals out eventually,” he explains.

PASSING THE GUYS

So if a man
and woman with identical finishing times and PBs for a shorter distance go head
to head in the Comrades Marathon, who is likely to come out tops? “Relative to
identical short distance performance, say 10km, women will generally run a
faster Comrades than men with the same 10km time. So in that context, one might
discuss whether or not women are relatively better,” explains Dr. Bosch.

Although
the man and woman who are competing should expect the same Comrades time, he
adds, often it would be the woman who manages a better pace over time. “You
will find that in most cases the male runner will start far too fast, and so
the males tend to ‘blow,’ whereas the females pace themselves better and
therefore finish much quicker.”

WINNING WOMEN

?        
Female
athletes generally have a smaller muscle mass than their male counterparts,
around 20% less in the legs and up to 40% less in the upper body. However,
their muscle tissue quality and how it responds to resistance exercise is
identical to men. Women just don’t develop as much muscle mass as men because
they have less testosterone. But when it comes to endurance sport, the ‘power’
comes from aerobic function and endurance capacity, not muscle bulk.

?        
In
the last century, and specifically the last 30 to 50 years, the rate of
improvement in world records in endurance events has been more rapid in female
athletes than males. For example, in the 400m freestyle swimming event, the
winning time for the women in the 1924 Olympic Games was 16% slower than the
men. In 1984, that gap had diminished to just 6.9%.

?        
In
the 1970’s, female Comrades winners were clocking between eight and nine hours.
Nowadays they finish in just over six hours. Back then, the male winners
finished two to three hours ahead of the female winners. Now the gap is just
under an hour.

For
the last six to eight months, Comrades consumed your mind and your time, and
now suddenly there seems to be this big void. Despite the pain and suffering
endured on the 3^rd of June, it’s amazing how quickly you start
chomping at the bit to start running again. In my case, it’s my wife who can’t
wait for me to start running again… I tend to get a bit cranky after a few days
without a run.

The
bottom line is that you have just covered 90km on foot, and if you think back
to race day, you’ll remember just how far that really is… as you constantly reminded
yourself almost every kilometre from around the 60km mark! You have put your
body under tremendous stress, pounding out over 90 000 foot strikes during the
race, and in tests done by Professor Tim Noakes, he found that athletes’ exercising
heart rate was elevated for up to a month after the race.

BEST TO REST…

Therefore,
many runners want to know how much rest they need, and when they can start
running again. This varies from person to person, depending on age, fitness, total
mileage done and how hard you raced the Big C. For example, a first-time
finisher would probably have run up to a 56km ultra or 60-65km long club run, and
on race day everything beyond that was new territory for the body, which would result
in more damage. In contrast, a runner with 20 Comrades medals has covered that
distance many times and will recover a lot quicker. But regardless of how many
Comrades you’ve run, you’re still going to need time to recover.

So
listen to your body! Stay off your legs until that ache
in the muscles has gone. If this was your first Comrades, stay away from
running for a minimum of one month. It’s also important to remember that the Up
Run and the Down Run are very different in terms of recovery. I find that
although the Up is tougher in terms of the amount of hills you have to climb,
the damage done to your legs is far less than that of the Down, which involves
a lot more pounding. Norrie Williamson describes the Down Run beautifully when
he says, “You’re so sore, your blood hurts!”

…BUT KEEP TICKING OVER

That
leaves the question of what you can do in the meantime while taking a break
from the road? For starters, you can spend a lot more time with your family,
friends, hobbies… and your job. Chances are that these got the scraps of what
was left of you during those hard training weeks. So take the time to enjoy the
extra time you have available, and rediscover what it means to have a social
life. And there are still many ways to keep fit, while also helping the body to
recover quicker:

?        
Hit the pool: Swimming is
a great exercise to keep your cardio up and to strengthen your core and upper
body, and of course, there’s no pounding on the legs.

?        
Run in the
water: If you still want to ‘run,’ get hold of an aqua-jogger belt and go for
a jog in the pool. It can be a great workout, and again, no pounding on the
legs. Keep it interesting by mixing it up, for example: 5min easy to warm up, then
6×2:30min hard with 30sec recovery between, finishing off with an easy 5min
cool-down. Be creative.

?        
Hit the gym: Get a great
cardio workout on the spinning bikes, rowing machines or elliptical trainers.

?        
Build
strength: This is also a great time to do some upper body and core strength training.

Before
you know it you’ll be back on the road and heading toward your next goal… perhaps
Comrades 2013?

Katie
Hector (formerly Woods) has been part of the national women’s hockey team since
2003, has amassed nearly 170 caps, was SA Player of the Year in 2008, and was
part of the hockey squad that went to Athens in 2004 and Beijing in 2008, so
she is really looking forward to London. “In Athens I was just a youngster in
the team and more of a squad player, but by Beijing I was vice-captain and a
regular. This time round we’re in a pool with Germany, Argentina, Australia,
New Zealand and the USA. The draw looks more favourable for us because we usually
do better against Germany and Argentina than Holland and the Asian teams.”

Kate
says the recent success of the national team is largely thanks to hard-working coach
Giles Bonnet doubling the number of tests they play per year from about 25 to
50, which means new players rapidly gain experience. “Another huge factor is
that about 80% of the squad are contracted to play professionally in Europe,
where the standard is much higher, plus they can get together to train once a
week. I played two seasons pro in England, but still had to work on the side to
make ends meet, whereas now the girls have pretty decent contracts. There only
a few of us still in SA, actually, and I am the only one married with a baby in
the squad.”

HOCKEY STAR

Kate
(30) grew up in Durban and also participated in tennis, squash and swimming at
school, but hockey was always her focus, and she already earned provincial
colours at under-13 level. After school, she went to Stellenbosch to study a BA
Sport Science with Business Management degree. “I moved to Stellies partly for
the amazing hockey set-up at Maties, but also for the culture and vibe.” She soon
made the Maties first team and the Western
Province team, then in
her fourth year she was selected for the national team. “My strengths are
distribution, reading the game and being a good communicator on the field. I
wouldn’t put speed as my main strength, so I rely on my understanding of the
game and positioning to be a better defender.”

While
at varsity she met her future husband Duncan Hector, who captained the men’s
national waterpolo team for 12 years until his recent retirement. They both
decided to stay in Stellenbosch after completing their studies, so that they
could continue with their chosen sports, and both worked for Ernie Els Wines,
where Kate was in charge of hospitality, functions and the tasting room. After
eight years in Stellenbosch, Kate moved to Cape Town to begin working for adidas,
where she is currently the Product Category Manager for running, cricket and
hockey, and also oversees cycling, tennis and swimming. She now plays for the
Western Province Cricket Club hockey side.

Kate
actually retired from international hockey for two years to have her son
Samuel, who is now 19 months old. “I didn’t think I would ever play at that
level again, but Giles approached me to play again, and it has been fantastic
the way he has managed me, understanding that I am juggling family, work and
hockey. But I’m planning to retire from international hockey again after the
Olympics. Something has to give, as I am sacrificing a lot of family time at
the moment. It’s tough to spend less time with Sammie, and I couldn’t do it
without my mom living next door, as she steps in between me and our nanny. When
possible, Duncs and Sammie go with on tour or to tournaments, even though they
don’t stay with me – I like to keep them near me so I can see them every day.”

ALWAYS ON THE RUN

Naturally,
Katie has to be super-fit to play for the national side. “We do four training
sessions a week with the fitness trainer, focusing on cardio, core and fitness,
which includes a lot of interval work on the treadmill, plus shuttles and
hills. Then we have two extra fitness sessions before skills sessions, where we
do agility, ladders and sprints. And on the weekends I fit in a long run of
about 40 minutes, usually on Sundays because we play club matches on Saturdays.”

When
asked if she enjoys all the running, Katies just smiles. “I’m probably a bit
biased because I’m involved in running at work, but I love leaving the stick
and ball behind and running to clear my mind. I’ve done the Two Oceans Half in
about two hours, a nice slow jog with Duncs, and I plan to do more races once I
am out of hockey, including a few more trail runs. But for now the focus is
still on hockey, and the Olympics!”

(Intro) You’ve been
an athlete all your life and the only thing you ever really had to worry about
is whether you’ve done enough quality training for the week. Then you make the
big (and special) decision that it’s baby time! Suddenly, your training world
changes, because while you would like to still fit in your sport, you also want
only the best for baby. Being pregnant does not mean an end to training, but it
does mean finding creative ways to keep fit. And you might just surprise
yourself, because your body is capable of amazing things while pregnant… In
fact, you will most likely end up a stronger athlete. Here’s how! – BY MICHELLE PIETERS

So there I
was, trying to sit cross-legged with what looked like two chicken legs sticking
upright in a sea of flexible yoga mums-to-be, all with flexible limbs flat on
the ground. My first thought was that this class might just turn out to be more
of a challenge than any run or triathlon I have ever participated in,
especially since I have become quite inflexible over the years due to many
running miles on the road, and probably not enough stretching. But I was up for
the challenge, as I wanted to give baby the best possible start to life. So when
I found out that specialist Pregnancy Yoga teacher Dominique Olivier lives in
the same street, there was no excuse not to attend her class.

The first
class was challenging, definitely not a gentle stretching class with lots of
meditation. Every move had a specific purpose, with lots of poses to build
strength. I was sweating, battling with some poses, and even a bit sore the
next day. But over the next couple of weeks, each class became a little easier,
though it is always a good workout with deep stretches and poses. There is also
something about getting to know your body, and what it is capable of, on a
different level to running and cycling until you are dead tired!

I am not
saying give up your chosen sport while pregnant, but combining your sport with
Pregnancy Yoga will definitely make you stronger. And though I am still the
most inflexible in my class, I am so much more flexible than I ever was. I also
believe I have built strength all over that will serve me well when I am back
to my normal training schedule.

FILLING THE GAP

Dominique
is one of the few specialist Pregnancy Yoga teachers around, and teaches in a
way that not only makes you stronger, but also prepares you for labour, without
you even realising it. As a trained Bikram Yoga teacher, she realised the need
for specific Pregnancy Yoga classes when many of her students, who were either
runners or triathletes, enquired about carrying on with Bikram whilst pregnant.
This is not advisable, unless you are comfortably accustomed to doing Bikram, so
Dominque decided to specialise in Pregnancy Yoga. “I realised there are a lot
of extremely fit, strong women out there who want to stay fit without being
told they need to slow down and relax.”

This,
combined with her passion for all things pregnancy-related, prompted her to
start with two classes a week. Within weeks she had up to 50 students at her
sessions, and that without advertising once! She says she realises some women
find her yoga classes too challenging, but also knows that there are just as
many who want more intense yoga. “My classes are challenging, but at the same
time there is no pressure if you can’t do something. I encourage students to
only do what their bodies allow them on that specific day.”

Many
athletes can benefit from yoga during pregnancy, because as relaxin is released
into your body in preparation for baby, you become more flexible and can use
your body in ways you never thought possible. “For that reason, I don’t
advocate to my students to be careful when stretching. I rather advocate to
stretch in the right way,” says Dominique.

POST-PREGNANCY YOGA

Dominique also
offers classes where you AND baby can join in, and you can join any time you
are ready. The classes consist of some intense core work and lots of squats
with baby, which means that in no time, you will be in even better shape than
before baby!

Dominique’s
passion for Pregnancy Yoga has also led her to open her own shop, the Ovenbun
Shop, for which she sources only the best baby products on the market. For more
info, check out www.facebook.com/ovenbunyoga,
visit www.ovenbun.com, e-mail [email protected] or call 073 881
6525.

Running Power

As women, it’s important to feel
safe and empowered in any sticky situations, whether to avoid a mugging, or faced
by a stranger who is looking for trouble. And women need to feel like they can
protect themselves – especially when running or training alone. – BY LAUREN VAN DER VYVER

You’re out running
alone and suddenly hairs on your neck stand upright. Something just does not
feel right about the approaching strangers, so you turn around and run back as
fast as you can, but the lingering thought stays with you: Would you have been
able to defend yourself if you needed to?

Mark
Grobbelaar, founder and developer of the self-defence course WIP
(WomenINpowered), believes that in any life-threatening situation, it’s not the
moves learnt at a self-defence course that would save you. Rather, he believes
your survival would depend on a simple, effective self-empowerment system
designed especially for women to take charge and make a choice.

“It’s not about
teaching women how to fight, it’s about giving women the mental and physical
ability and technique to make a choice in a threatening situation,” explains
Mark, who is graded to a 5^th Dan in Karate, and drives home how
important it is for women to feel like they can handle themselves.

TAKING CONTROL

Most of the
time, women sign up for self-defence classes to be taught how to throw kicks
and punches. Mark believes a self-defence course should be as much theory as it
is physical. “I teach one move, one positioning, one result, and believe this
way everyone remembers it and it lives with them.”

In one of
Mark’s sessions, women take turns to
punch through a thick wooden plank. Mark says women start out thinking that
they’ll never break a wooden board, but eventually believe they can do it 100
times over. And in this lies the key to self-defence success. “You can master
it in a short time, and you can take the power back,” says Mark. He compares
self-defence to changing a car tyre: If you’re shown how to do it and do it
once yourself, you can say you know how to do it. With defending yourself out
on a run or bike ride, you may initially tell yourself that you can’t
immobilise an attacker, but you can take steps to learn how to do so, and be
prepared to take the power back if ever faced by that situation.

Radio DJ Koula
has completed the WIP course and feels that all women need to feel confident
and not scared. “We are so used to running in gyms because it’s safe, but once
you’ve broken that plank, you feel confident, like you can do anything!
Everyone needs to be behind the empowerment of women, and athletes need to know
how to take care of themselves on the roads.”

For more
info, go to www.wip.org.za, or visit www.facebook.com/pages/Woman-INpowered-WIP.

When
it comes to tapering for Comrades, most of us find ourselves in one of two
groups:

?        
PACMAN RUNNERS: Like Pacman,
these runners are never satisfied, always wanting more, gobbling up as many
kays as possible right to the very end. Pacman runners start to panic as race
day draws ever nearer and as the nerves begin to mount, every aspect of their training,
especially the quantity, is brought into question. Pacman runners begin to
doubt their training and believe, either through own illogical conclusion or
through listening to others brag about the amount of kays they’ve accumulated
over the last couple of months. They often believe they have not done enough
mileage and don’t have enough “time on the legs.” And so, in a desperate
attempt to shove more kays into the logbook, and to ensure that they are not
found wanting on the day, they do one more long run, or squeeze in one more
double session, or add an extra kay or two to the remaining runs left in the
last few weeks.

?        
BRING-ON-THE-HOLIDAY RUNNERS: These are
runners who simply cannot wait for the taper period for one reason or another.
For this runner the 60 to 65km long run marks the high water mark, and once
they hit that target they shut down into holiday mode while they wait for race
day to eventually arrive.

I’m
hoping that the problem with these two groups is blatantly obvious. The Pacman
runners end up doing far too much, lining up at the start of Comrades tired and
drained, and the day is simply a long hard slog from beginning to end. The
Bring-on-the-holiday runners end up doing little to nothing for far too long,
normally five to six weeks before race day, so by the time race day comes their
legs and bodies have long since gone into holiday mode. Once in that state
there is no way you’re going to convince your body that suddenly running 90km
is a good idea!

THE SPOT-ON CONFIDENT GROUP

There
is, however, a third group of runners. In contrast to the other two, this is a
very small group of runners. They get the taper just right – not too much and
not too little – and they are confident in their training and in what they have
done in the preceding months. They will line up at Comrades well rested, strong
and sharp, and they will achieve the goal they have spent months training for.

GUIDELINES

I
have no doubt that every one of us wants to be part of this third group, so the
question then is, what is the correct way to taper? Here are a few guidelines
to ensure that you get it right:

?        
Your taper should start around three weeks before race
day.

?        
Your taper should see a drop in quantity and an
increase in quality. The drop in quantity will ensure that your muscles
recover sufficiently before race day and the increase in quality will ensure
that you line up on race day sharp and ready to rumble. Just a note of caution:
An increase in quality does not mean hitting the track flat-out.

?        
Your total weekly distance should drop off with each
week, by 20-30% in the first week of taper, 40-50% in the second and 50-60% in
the third. So, for example, if your peak week was 100km, then week 1 of taper
would be 70km, week 2 of taper 50km, and the last week would be 30km.

?        
You’re going to lose your mind in the taper weeks.
Your mind will tell you that you’re getting unfit, that you should be doing
more, that you’re not ready, but this is normal. Instead of focusing on those
thoughts, turn your mind towards the race: Visualise the route, and plan your
race strategy, as this will ensure that you line up not only body sharp, but
mind sharp too.

?        
Get lots of sleep.

?        
Load up on vitamins and minerals and immune boosters.

And
have fun. Enjoy not only your taper, but also the race you have spent months
getting ready for. Good luck with the remainder of your training!

To say that Yolandi was nervous after hearing that she would
be participating in the Absa Cape Epic would be an understatement. She never
imagined that she would be faced with such an arduous challenge, cycling 781km
with 16 300m of climbing in eight days, with such short notice, says Yolandi.
“The Epic is a very hard race. You have to be able to comfortably ride 12 to 15
hours a week before taking on an event like the Epic, or any mountain bike
event lasting longer than three days.”

Luckily, Yolandi is an old hand at mountain bike races and
has acquired many titles over the years. She is a former winner of the Momentum
94.7 Cycle Challenge and has won renowned races such as the women’s category of
Joberg2C, the Nissan Diamond Rush Race, The Marrick four-day MTB Challenge and
the Crater Cruise held in Parys. Still, the Epic was a step up, she says: “I
think the difference between the Epic and other mountain bike races is the fact
that you push or carry your bike a lot and they take you over really rough
terrain, so there is a huge mental aspect to the Epic which you have to prepare
yourself for.”

THE START OF GREATER THINGS

The start to Yolandi’s remarkable
cycling career was influenced by her father who was eager to take part in the Cape
Argus Pick n Pay Cycle Tour. “My Dad was the first one in the family to take up
cycling. He heard of the famous ‘Argus’ and dragged my mom along on training
rides, but he soon got too strong for her. She needed a new training partner
and asked me to join her on a ride one day. I can’t remember much about that
specific day, only that I was 12 years old and that I enjoyed it so much that I
went out the following day, and the following day, and since then I have never
looked back!”

Yolandi believes that cross-training,
including some running, was crucial to her recent Epic success, as it reduces
the risk of injury and improves muscles balance. It also strengthens the
muscles, both those used on and off the bike. She believes that running can
play a big part in a cyclist’s performance. “Running is a weight-bearing sport
while cycling is not. Therefore. I believe riders, especially women, can
benefit from running, as it can help prevent osteoporosis and help in the times
when you are off the bike.” Besides cycling, Yolandi trains in the gym three
times a week and these sessions include running on the treadmill.

LOOKING AHEAD

The Absa Cape Epic was a good
training block for Yolandi, because she is preparing for the gruelling climbs
of the TransAlp Challenge in July. The route courses
through some of the most beautiful mountains in Germany, Austria, Switzerland
and Italy. “I believe I
have enough endurance on my legs now, and therefore will focus more on
intensity.”

As for the future, there are still
many mountain bike races ahead, but Yolandi says that once she is finished with
her cycling career, she would be very interested in taking on some off-road
running as well as competing in the ever more popular XTERRA off-road triathlon
races. But until then, this epic rider has many more tough hills to climb on
her bike!

COMRADES SCOOPS TOP AWARD

The
CMA bagged yet another impressive accolade at the recent annual Virgin Active
Sport Industry Awards. The competition consists of 16 award categories. The
judging panel was led by former SA rugby captain Bob Skinstad, and included the
likes of Danny Jordaan, CEO of the 2010 FIFA World Cup Organising Committee
South Africa, and Gideon Sam, President of the South Africa Sports Confederation
& Olympic Committee.

The
Comrades Marathon won the category of Sport Participation Event of the Year and
was up against such contenders as the Bidvest Unity Walk, Discovery 702 Walk
the Talk, JP Morgan Corporate Challenge, Momentum 94.7 Cycle Challenge and the
Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon.

Race Charity News:

Rhinos Rule the Square

Champions of rhino
conservation recently put their money where their mouths are when four three-quarter
life-sized rhino, painted by South African celebrities, as well as exclusive
travel packages and fashionable watches were auctioned in aid of the Wildlands
Conservation Trust’s Rhino Conservation Project. The Wildlands Conservation
Trust is one of the official charities of the Comrades Marathon.

The Michelangelo Hotel Ballroom on Nelson Mandela Square played host to
the fundraiser, which was the culmination of Nelson Mandela Square’s Find and
Save the Rhino campaign – a joint initiative with the Wildlands Conservation
Trust. A magnificent R400 000, which included pledges by
generous guests in attendance, was raised. A further R210 000 was raised late
last year during the campaign, bringing the final tally of this initiative to
an impressive R610 000!

Race Charity
News:

Our Daily Bread

A total of 1 200 loaves of bread were
distributed by the Community Chest of Pietermaritzburg to welfare organisations
last month. The Community Chest manages and co-ordinates this programme and
ensures that the benefits filter down to the communities who need it. Electronics
company, Kay Makan, makes the bread available for distribution to the needy on
an annual basis. It is one way in which its owner says “thank you” to the
community for their ongoing support. Jonathan’s City Superspar is also a
partner in this community upliftment venture and makes the bread available at
cost.

CMA TEAM
IN THE MOTHER CITY

Running
enthusiasts can catch up with the Comrades team at the three-day Old Mutual Two
Oceans Marathon Expo from 4-6 April in Cape Town. The Two Oceans ultra is a
major qualifying race for the Comrades Marathon.

COMRADES
TRAVEL

The
CMA will soon be launching its own travel service, Comrades Travel. Consultants
will contact Comrades runners directly to advise them of the best and cheapest
travel options to the Comrades Marathon.

RUNNER’S
STORY

The
CMA realises that every Comrades journey is a story worth telling, so please
e-mail your story to [email protected].
Here is the story of Roshan Mohan.

I
have been a long distance runner for nearly 10 years and 2010 was my first
Comrades Marathon. Before that, though, on 14 March 2010, while running in
Malvern, I became the victim of a hit-and-run. The occupants of another vehicle
came to my rescue, and Lloyd and Lorraine Demmer rushed me to the Chatsmed
Garden Hospital.

X-rays
indicated that my right humerus was broken with some bones shattered due to the
impact. The next day I was wheeled into the operating theatre for a four-hour
operation. My right arm was dislocated and a titanium rod was inserted. Some of
the muscles from my arm had to be removed for the screws to set in, and I was
told that my humerus would take between six and 12 months to heal.

The
orthopaedic surgeon said that I would not be able to run Comrades due to the
nerve damage and the imbalance on the right side of my body, but upon being
discharged, I made the decision that I would run The Ultimate Human Race.
Without any physiotherapy, I was rehabilitated with the help of my wife. I
stopped all medication in order to be drug-free while running the Comrades.

My
first training sessions were an epic battle, but with my wife’s enduring
support, I prevailed. On 26 April, I took on the 52km Chatsworth Marathon and
finished in 6:17. Then on 30 May I conquered the race of all races. I struggled
after the halfway mark, but kept pushing on to finish in a time of 11:56.

My
2011 race was slightly better with a personal best of 10:18 and I look forward
to a great run this year. I remain grateful for all that I have and consider
myself a 2010 Comrades Miracle Runner.

SOCIAL NETWORKING

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the Comrades family online and be the early bird that gets all the Comrades
Marathon news, as it happens:

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for first hand information!

It was a star-studded elite men and women field that lined up, aiming
for important ITU points in an Olympic year, and of course also the title of
South African Champion. With warm conditions and a typically strong wind, the
stage was set for a challenging race.

Among the big South African names were Richard Murray, Erhard Wolfaardt
and Hendrik de Villiers, all three with their sights set on the two spots for
triathletes in the South African team going to the Olympics in London later
this year. The women’s race saw Kate Roberts, who has three African Triathlon
World Cup titles to her name, and Andrea Steyn, the undefeated BSG Energade Tri
Series champion, lining up. The strong presence of international competitors
from Germany, Poland, China, Finland, Belgium, Morocco and France meant the
locals had their work cut out for them.

THE RACE IS
ON

The men were first to head out on their 1.5km swim, braving big breakers
to get behind the waves. Young Henri Schoeman led the men out the water,
followed by Frenchman Frederic Belaubre. They left transition turning into a
strong headwind for the first of four laps of 10km on the bike. The chasing
group of German Franz Loeschke, South Africans Wicus Weber and Wian Sullwald,
and the Moroccan Mehdi Essadiq, all worked hard for the first 5km to catch up
with the leaders. The lead group then remained the same for the rest of the bike
leg, steadily pulling away from the chasing groups.

The race was well supported and there was a great atmosphere as the
excitement mounted during the run. Loeschke took the lead in the run and the
rest of the field simply could not catch him. He won the race in a time of
1:57:26, followed by Belaubre some 30 seconds behind him. The first South
African to cross the line, and claim the South African title, was 18-year-old
Wian Sullwald in third place, doing extremely well in his first Olympic distance
race. “I really would like to get a podium at Junior World Champs. It will be
quite tough, but fortunately there is still some time to train for this,’ said
Sullwald after the race.

WOMEN’S RACE

In the women’s race, Mari Rabie was first out the water with Kate
Roberts in second position. They worked together on the bike course, hoping to
open a gap between themselves and the chasing group, but after one lap they
were caught by the chasing group consisting of South Africans Carlyn Fischer,
Vicky van der Merwe, Gillian Sanders, Corinne Berg and Andrea Steyn.

All African Games Champion Carlyn Fischer entered transition first and
quickly led the rest of the field out onto the run course of four laps of 2.5km.
She was followed by Belgian Katrien Verstuyft, Kate and Gillian. With about 1km
to go, Sanders laid down the gauntlet and pulled away from the group. She held
onto her lead to win the race in a time of 2:12:08, followed by Fischer in
second place and Verstuyft in third.

“There were two titles up for grabs today, so that made it extra tough,
and with the foreign girls racing it made it more exciting,” said Sanders. “I’m
still in my winter training, and I didn’t taper for the race, so I am very
pleased with the result. I stopped my law job a year ago to train for the
Olympics and try to get into the squad. I have some races coming up and will
know by the beginning of June if I made the team.”

The ITU Triathlon Premium African Cup was superbly organised with great
racing and nail-biting finishes, living up to its reputation as one of the best
races on the calendar.

TOP 10 MEN

1. Franz Loeschke               1:57:26             Germany

2. Frederic Belaubre            1:57:53             France

3. Wian Sullwald                  1:59:13             South Africa

4. Anton Ruanova                1:59:34             Spain

5. Mehdi Essadiq                1:59:46             Morocco

6. Wikus Weber                   1:59:57             South Africa

7. Erhard Wolfaardt             2:00:02             South Africa

8. Henri Schoeman              2:00:39             South Africa

9. Etienne Diemunsch          2:01:17             France

10. Sylwester Kuster            2:02:29             Poland

TOP
10 WOMEN

1. Gillian Sanders                2:12:08             South Africa

2. Carlyn Fischer                 2:12:27             South Africa

3. Katrien Verstuyft              2:12:41             Belgium

4. Kate Roberts                   2:13:09             South Africa

5. Sarah Fladung                 2:13:37             Germany

6. Andrea Steyn                  2:14:11             South Africa

7. Kaisa Lehtonen                2:14:33             Finland

8. Vicky van der Merwe        2:14:44             South
Africa

9. Yi Wang                          2:15:03             China

10. Yi Zhang                       2:16:30             China