Nedbank Running Club Athletes will target the Old Mutual Soweto Marathon as the last major race for 2016

It takes place in a part of the country with unrivalled heritage, and new race director Danny Blumberg hopes the Old Mutual Soweto Marathon will become Africa’s version of the New York City Marathon.

Blumberg, who took over the role of race director for “The People’s Race” this year, rolled up his sleeves and got working on an event that he believes has the potential to become “the premium marathon in the country”.

A major change in 2016 will see the race’s start and finish being hosted at FNB Stadium.
“We would like this to be the ‘Boston’ or ‘New York’ marathon of South Africa, and having the start and finish at the iconic stadium will most certainly assist with this,” Blumberg says.
For his first year in the job Blumberg has signalled that he will be concentrating on the Old Mutual Soweto Marathon being “operationally sound” and working with sponsors to enhance their offerings and initiatives.

The organisers of the marathon invite athletes to “Be Part of The People’s Race: A Movement Greater Than Yourself”. It encourages South Africans to learn more about Soweto and exposes international runners to one of the most vibrant parts of the country.

The route honours Soweto’s rich history and runners will pass six significant heritage sites on the marathon route. They are:

*   Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital, the third largest hospital in the world with 3,400  beds and 6,760 staff members;
*    Walter Sisulu Square, the birthplace in 1955 of The Freedom Charter which outlined the vision of a non-racial South Africa based on liberty and civil rights;
*    The Regina Mundi Catholic Church, which became famous for its role in the anti-apartheid struggle and where Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu presided over the Truth and Reconciliation Commission hearings;
*    Morris Isaacson High School, where learners played a central role in the Soweto Uprising of 1976;
*    Vilakazi Street, the only street in the world to have had two Nobel Prize winners as residents. They were former South African President Nelson Mandela and Tutu.
*     The Hector Pieterson Memorial, named in honour of the 13-year-old who was one of the first fatal victims of police action during the Soweto Uprising.

Old Mutual’s Head of Brand Karen Thomas said: “We are proud to once again be involved with the Soweto Marathon. The route and surrounding areas are steeped in South African history and the marathon is itself a tribute to that legacy.”

A total of 25 000 runners are expected to take part in the three races staged on November 6. The standard marathon (42.2km) will start at 6am, the half marathon (21.1km) at 6.30am and the 10km run at 7am.

Race registration can be done online at www.sowetomarathon.com, with entries closing at midnight on September 5 or once each distance has reached its capacity (9000 participants for the 42.2km, 8000 for the 21.1km run and 8000 for the 10km run).

For more information visit  www.sowetomarathon.com or contact info@sowetomarathon.com or call centre numbers 0619171001 and 0619181002. The call centre operating hours are Monday to Friday from 9am to 4pm.

OLYMPIC PROFILE: IRVETTE VAN ZYL

Irvettte who so far this season is unbeaten in local races (track and field) will represent South Africa at the Olympic Games in Rio in the marathon.

Her best marathon result was in 2013 when she finished 10th in the London Marathon in a time of 2:31:26. Nedbank Running Club is confident that if nothing unforeseen happens she might dip under 2 hours and 30 minutes in Rio.

Personal:

Years in Sport:
15 years in athletics

What got you Started?
My Godmother, Frances van Blerk, ran Comrades in 1991 and that got me started.

Biggest accomplishment in sport?
Representing South Africa at the 2012 Olympic Games

Things you do in your training that are key to success?
Strengthening exercises & run your easy runs so that your body recovers from the harder runs

What would be your ultimate achievement?
To run SA Marathon record of 2:26

How do you set your goals?
Short term goals are the key to long term success. Set shorter distance goals for longer distance success.

Biggest challenge & how do you manage it?
Stress. But I try take things as they come.

What is your diet like?
I eat a lot of FutureLife for lots of energy, carbs, like pasta, rice, potatoes and use Biogen for Recovery. Often enjoy jelly sweets for treats.

What led to your breakthrough?
Qualifying for the 2012 London Olympics

Best advice you were ever given?
Just enjoy your running and be the best I can be.

Saying or motto you live your life by?
To always have fun in training sessions.

Where do you draw your inspiration from?
From my husband LJ. He always has a positive outlook on things and situations we find ourselves in.

Most treasured possession/s?
Nike Running shoes & running watch

What do you usually eat for breakfast?
FutureLife, Coffee and rusks

Favourite holiday destination?
LJ's family farm in the Eastern Cape

How do you celebrate Christmas Day?
Eat as much trifle pudding as I can

In the movie of my life I would be played by who?
Cameron Diaz

Stranded on an Island, what are your three essentials?
Surf Board, Sun glasses, beach towel.

What would you buy with your last R100?
Lip Ice, Wine Gums, Paper & towel.

Join Dis-Chem for a parkrun with Comrades Marathon Winner: CHARNE BOSMAN and other Nedbank Green Dream Team Members

Old Mutual Wild Series Mont-Aux-Sources Challenge

Irvette remains unbeaten in local races

By winning the TotalSports Women’s 10km race in Durban in 33 minutes and 2 seconds on Sunday, Irvette van Zyl (Nedbank) retained her unbeaten record in local races this season.

However, she had to work hard for the victory.  The Phalu twins, Lebogang and Diana, were absolutely relentless in their effort to chase her down right until the end. Only 16 seconds separated the first three athletes. Lebogang finished second in 33:05 and Diana third in 33:18.
From an Olympic perspective it is interesting to note that Christine Kalmer finished 4th in 34:50.  This means that the athletes who will represent South Africa in the marathon in Rio all finished in the top four.

Van Zyl describes her race as ‘slightly’ frustrating.

“Every time I gained a slight lead and got into a nice rhythm I was forced by the Metro Police to stop dead for a second because the traffic was too hectic. I was hoping to run a time faster than 33 minutes but I soon realized it was not going to be a day for fast times, therefore my only goal was to make sure that I win. After about 8 kilometres I managed to open a gap on the twins again.

“Over the last few hundred metres I was my own worst enemy. There were quite a few mud puddles on the road and I decided that there was no way that I was going to dirty my running shoes. My ‘vanity’ cost me valuable seconds. Afterwards, when I realized how close I came to running a time of 32 minutes, I was a bit upset. If I knew I was so close to running 32 minutes, I would have run through the puddles.”

Van Zyl’s last race before the Games will be the SA Half-marathon Championships (30 July) in Port Elizabeth. It has been quite a few years since she won the title.

“I would love to win but it will be difficult because I am not going to taper down at all. Because the half-marathon will be my last tempo-run before the Olympics, I will be racing on tired legs.”

Lloyd Bosman wins second half-marathon

By winning the Madiba Half-marathon in George over the weekend, Lloyd Bosman (Nedbank SWD) proved that he has got his ‘mojo’ back.

He won the Knysna Half-Marathon in 1:07:10 the previous weekend and this past Saturday his winning time in the Madiba Half-marathon was 1:04:00, making it two victories in two weekends. If Bosman is to be believed it will definitely not be the last time this year that he will be first to cross the finish line.

According to Bosman he decided to make a race of it right from the first kilometre.  He turned the race into a classic scenario of ‘catch me if you can’ and nobody was up to the challenge.
Ettienne Plaatjies, also Nedbank SWD, was second in 1:07:22 and Elfonzo Pieterse, from the same club, finished third in 1:09:01.

John April (1:11:48 – 5th), Auschten October (1:14:29 – 6th), Curshwill Taylor (1:17:52 – 8th) and Gershwill Jacobs (1:19:04 – 10th) are the other Nedbank athletes to finish in the top ten.
But this was not where the ‘Green Team’ dominance ended. Melissa van Rensburg won the women’s race in 1:25:03 and 58-year-old Annatjie Botes was third in 1:34:49.

In the 10-kilometre race it was almost a ‘totally green affair’ with the Nedbank athletes taking the top six spots.

Godwin Heyns won in 33:05, Dullan Solomons was second in 33:28 and Francois Maquassa third in 33:36. Peter Ncube was 4th overall in 35:14 and Wouter Frazenburg 5th in 35:24.

Lentswe win Rassie Smit 10km Memorial

Brandon Lentswe (Nedbank) won the Rassie Smit 10km Memorial Run in Orkney on Saturday.
The race developed into an interesting duel between Lentswe and Collins Mabu, also from Nedbank. Lentswe ensured his victory with a well-timed acceleration to finish in 31 minutes and 22 seconds.  Mabu crossed the finish line 62 seconds later.

Nedbank’s athletes totally dominated the 10 kilometre junior race and took the three top spots. Mosimanegape Tolomo won in 34:18, Thembekile Kupiso was second in 35:27 and Moses Bulwane third in 35:50.

But the success of the ‘Green Team’ did not stop there. Maria Shai won the women’s race in 37:20.
Watching the 5 kilometre race must have been exciting for Pio Mpolokeng of the Nedbank Running Club in Central North West, because Oratile Mogale won in 16:35 and Lucky Letsogo finished third in 17:28.

With their performance the two young athletes proved that Mpolokeng’s decision to make them part of his exciting development programme was justified.

For the past few weeks they have been part of a training camp organized by Mpolokeng in Klerksdorp.  Mpolokeng is a hard task master who does not settle for mediocrity.

He was looking for disciplined athletes who would relish the challenge of hard work and dedication. Actually there was quite a lot at stake for the young athletes who attended the training camp.  At the end of the camp four of them got the nod and will receive bursaries to complete their schooling at the Are-Fadimeheng Secondary School in Klerksdorp, starting next year.

After Saturday’s race Mpololeng said he was happy with the way Mogale and Letsogo performed.

Other Nedbank results:

Francois Joubert won the AfriForum Springbok Vasbyt junior 10km race in 40:40 at the Voortrekker Monument.

Chamankwana Mailola finished 3rd in the men’s senior race. His time was 37:12.
Thomson Magagane was second in the half-marathon in a time of 1:40:11.  Malusi Dlomo finished 3rd in 1:41:06.

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