Newsletter
 
Brought to you by: www.nedbankrunningclub.co.za
24 November 2016
 
Events

 
Free State
26 November 2016
Vaal Dam 10 km & 4 km
 

KwaZulu-Natal
26 November 2016
Sani Stagger Marathon
 

KwaZulu-Natal
26 November 2016
Sani Stagger Half Marathon (Down Run)
 

Mpumalanga
26 November 2016
KM I Airport Trail Run
 

Border
26 November 2016
Kapaailand Half Marathon
 

Western Province
26 November 2016
Edgemead Classic
 

Western Province
26 November 2016
Muizenberg Mountain Trail Run - Spur Country Classic
 

Western Province
26 November 2016
Edgemead 10 km Classic
 

Western Province
26 November 2016
Muizenberg Mountain Trail Run - Spur Country Classic - CANCELLED in 2016
 

Eastern Province
26 November 2016
City to Town Half Marathon
 

South Western Districts
26 November 2016
Die Vlakte Marathon, Half Marathon & 10 km
 

Vaal Triangle
26 November 2016
Emfuleni Fun Run/Walk
 

Gauteng North
26 November 2016
Ludwig's Run of the Roses 8 km Run/Walk
 

Gauteng North
26 November 2016
Muller Potgieter Half Marathon & 10 km
 

KwaZulu-Natal
27 November 2016
Kwa-Mashu Half Marathon & 10 km
 

KwaZulu-Natal
27 November 2016
Family Day Msinsi Reconnect Trail Series
 

Gauteng North
27 November 2016
Spur Gauteng Summer Trail Series 4 of 4
 

Gauteng North
27 November 2016
Summer Trail Run - The Big Red Barn
 

Boland
27 November 2016
Lourensford Market Trail Run - November
 

Boland
27 November 2016
Klapmuts Cup Trail Run
 

Central Gauteng
27 November 2016
RAC City Lodge Tough One 32 km & Asics Five
 

Central Gauteng
29 November 2016
Dynamite 10 km Night Run/Walk
 

Western Province
30 November 2016
Metropolitan 10 km
 

Central Gauteng
30 November 2016
K-Way Serengeti Night Run/Walk
 

Gauteng North
02 December 2016
Wild Dog Night Race - Pretoria Zoo
 

KwaZulu-Natal
03 December 2016
Hilton College Summer Series Trail Run
 

Mpumalanga
03 December 2016
Buffalo Gorge Trail Series - December
 

Western Province
03 December 2016
Beachcomber 15 km & Old Mutual Two Oceans 5.6 km
 

Western Province
03 December 2016
Beachcomber 15 km, 10 km & 4.2 km Fun Run
 

Eastern Province
03 December 2016
Aspen PE City Marathon & 10 km
 

 

100 km World Championship

Mamabolo ready for 100 km World Championship

By winning the SUPERSPAR 21 km in Bela-Bela last weekend, Ludwick Mamabolo (Nedbank Running Club) showed that he is on track to give a good account of himself at the 100 km World Championships in Spain.

Elliott Makgoba (Monaco), who refused to accept defeat, made the 2012 Comrades champion work hard for his victory. The battle between the two athletes continued until the final kilometres, when Mamabolo eventually won the running dual by a mere nine seconds.

His winning time was 1:14:51, with Makgoba finishing in 1:15:00. Surprise Makofane was third in 1:18:38.

Another good result for Mamabolo this season was his second-place finish (in 2:25:25) at the Johnson Crane Marathon.

Mamabolo, along with Gift Kelehe (Comrades winner, 2015), David Gatebe (Comrades winner, 2016), Bongumusa Mthembu (Comrades, third place, 2016) and Rufus Photo (Comrades, fifth place, 2016) are the athletes who will compete at the 100 km World Championship in Los Alcazares, Spain, on 27 November.

The Nedbank Running Club athlete admits that running was not always his favourite sport.

'At first I was an avid soccer player, but I realised that there is an age restriction in soccer. You can play up to a certain age, but when you reach that age, you can, in effect, no longer take part. Running does not have that limitation, so I said to myself, 'Why don't you try something you can do on your own?' At the relatively late age of 23 I became a competitive runner.'

Mamabolo says the best advice he ever got was to never quit what he started.

 
National Personalities and Stories

Nzima sets half-marathon personal best in Delhi

On Sunday Sibusiso Nzima (Nedbank Running Club) gave one of the best performances of his career when he finished fifth at the Delhi Half-Marathon in India.

The in-form South African athlete completed the race in a best time of 1:01:44. He climbed to second place in this year's national rankings for over 21,1 km, behind Stephen Mokoka.

Nzima's performance chopped 26 seconds off his previous best time of 1:02:10, set in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, more than six years ago.

He crossed the line two minutes off the pace of Olympic marathon champion, Eliud Kipchoge from Kenya, who won the race in 59:44.

Kipchoge accelerated away from his last remaining challenger, Ethiopia's Yigrem Demelash, with one kilometre to go.

Demelash, the 2012 world junior 10 000 m champion, finished second – four seconds later. Augustine Choge (Kenya) finished third in 1:00:01. Mokoka's best time of 1:01:26, which he ran in Port Elizabeth, ranks him 105th on the 2016 IAAF list. Nzima's time places him 138th on the list.

Manja establishes himself as one of South Africa's top distance runners

Driven by an absolute hunger to succeed, David Manja (Nedbank Running Club) has established himself as one of South Africa's top athletes over 10 km and 21 km.

Manja has been on form since the end of July, throwing down the gauntlet virtually every time he raced. It has certainly paid dividends. His latest moment of glory was winning the Old Mutual Soweto Half marathon. Earlier highlights were winning the Southern Region 21 km Championships in Madagascar, as well as the 10 km elite men's race at the South African Cross Country Championships in George.

He finished fourth overall at the South African 21 km Championships in Port Elizabeth and was second in the Mandela Day 21 km in Pietermaritzburg.

Manja is one of the success stories of Pio Mpolokeng (Nedbank Central Northwest coach). As a coach Mpolokeng has made it his mission to find new talent. He scouts around in the deep rural areas of Northwest Province in search of future champions who need help to develop their talents and fulfil their true potential.

'I am looking for disciplined athletes who relish the challenge of hard work and dedication,' he says.

It would seem as if Mpolokeng is trying to replicate the East African training regime in South Africa.

His athletes go out to train, come home to eat and then sleep until it is time for the next training session. They never stop focusing on the most important thing in their lives – to become better runners.

Manja is appreciative of the role Mpolokeng has played in helping him to become a truly competitive runner.

'Because I don't have matric, running is what I do to earn a living and to provide for my family. The first time I realised that I had a talent for distance running was in 2010 when I was competing in the Northwest School Championships in Potchefstroom. I finished second in the 5 000 metre race for under-19s. Joel Mmone won.

'Joel came to congratulate me afterwards and introduced me to Pio Mpolokeng. This made the race a life-changing experience for me, because I don't think I would have been the runner I am today if it was not for Joe's introduction.'

Manja says he prefers to compete in road races rather than in track and field events because he earns money by competing in 10 km and 21 km races.

But he has not totally given up the idea of competing on the track.

'If I should be able to run a time faster than 27 minutes in the 10 000 metres I might qualify for the IAAF World Championships in London, which would be an exciting challenge.'

Another major goal of Manja's for next year is to compete in the Old Mutual Two Oceans Half-marathon.

'Actually, I want to start winning international races like my role model, Stephen Mokoka,' he says.

And he has set himself another big challenge for next year: he wants to run a fast time in the marathon.

'I did compete in the Cape Town Marathon, but it was not a good day at the office for me. I finished in 2:28:07, which was certainly not a time to get excited about. The plan is that I will compete in another marathon late next year, hopefully running a much faster time.'

Nedbank development athlete makes a name for herself in US cross-country running

Annie Bothma, a former Nedbank Running Club development athlete, has been making a name for herself in the NCAA Cross Country League in the US over the past three months.

The best word to use to describe her performances is 'impressive'. She has managed to win three races and to finish second in a fourth. Her consistency has led to her capturing the individual title at the NCAA Southeast Regional, along with being named NCAA Southeast Regional Runner of the Year.

A definite highlight for Bothma, who runs for Coastal Carolina University, was her victory at the NCAA Southeast Regional at Panorama Farms in Charlottesville on 11 November.

'I just ran my heart out, focusing on my breathing and staying calm,' she says. 'Uphill I focused on keeping my strides shorter and downhill I focused on speeding up.'

Jeff Jacobs (head coach) describes Bothma as incredibly fit.

'Annie is a very hard worker and an amazing talent. It's very exciting to be coaching her,' he says.

Last weekend Bothma suffered a slight setback at the NCAA Cross Country National Championship in Terre Haute, Indiana.

She was forced to drop out just before the one-mile mark because of intense back pain.

'It was a bad break for Annie but I am very proud of her accomplishments this season,' says Jacobs. 'The good news is that she still has three more opportunities to qualify for the nationals.'

Bothma is no stranger to personal setbacks. When she was six years old she contracted scarlet fever.

'I was hospitalised and moved into ICU. At one stage I had a fever of 43°C. The doctors doubted that I would make it. My mom got a scripture from God: ''But for you who fear my name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in his wings. And you will go free, leaping with joy like calves let out to pasture," (Malachi? ?4:2? ?New Living Testament??). When I was discharged a week later, I skipped out of the hospital like a young calf,' is how she remembers her ordeal. ??????????????

'I started running in grade 7 to escape some problems. The more I ran, the more I wanted to run.'

In October last year Bothma was hit by a truck and had to be sidelined for about 10 months.

'I was able to start running seriously again only in June this year,' she says.

Bothma ascribes her success to her move to South Carolina.

'The warm weather is definitely a better fit for me. I am also lucky to be under the guidance of two fantastic coaches, namely Zola Budd and Jeff Jacobs.'

Like Budd, Bothma also prefers to run barefoot.

Nedbank Running Club National Manager, Nick Bester, is naturally excited about Bothma's recent success in the USA.

'The whole purpose of the Nedbank Running Club Development Programme is to identify talented young athletes and to nurture them to be able to fulfil their true running potential. It is most rewarding when these athletes eventually develop into champions,' he says.

 
Comrades 2017

Final week for 2017 Comrades entries

A little more than 1500 entries are still available for the 2017 Comrades Marathon as the entry process nears its end. The Comrades Marathon Association (CMA) has announced that the three-month long entry process will close in less than a week as last minute entries come in thick and fast.

CMA Race Director, Rowyn James has urged aspiring participants to get their entries in before the process closes. James says, “For the first time in 16 years, the Comrades up-run will once again be finishing at the impressive Scottsville Racecourse. We look forward to hosting our runners on Sunday, 4 June 2017 for the 47th up-run in Comrades history.”

The current entry breakdown is as follows:

South African Entrants    16725

Rest of Africa Entrants    363
International Entrants    1236

The United Kingdom, USA and Brazil lead the tally of international entrants with 263, 173 and 141 entrants respectively.    

Female entrants make up just over 23% of the entry field so far at 4235.

Prospective Comrades runners are urged to enter before the entry process closes on 30 November 2016 or as soon as the 20,000 entry cap is reached. For the latest entry barometer and more information, please visit www.comrades.com

Entry fees for the 2017 Comrades Marathon are as follows:
•    Local Entries            : R 460.00
•    Rest of Africa           : R 770.00
•    International           : R2650.00

For details on how to enter, please visit the Comrades Marathon website: www.comrades.com

Statement issued by the Comrades Marathon Association

 

 
Upcoming Events

Invite to the Nedbank Running Club Central Gauteng Year End Function

Invite to the Nedbank Running Club Gauteng North Year End Function

 
Race Results

•    Berdine Smith finished second in the women's CSI Marathon in Bloemfontein. Her time was 3:26:07.

•    Piet Jacobs had a bitter-sweet moment in Daegu. He won the half-marathon but, unfortunately for him, he forgot his race number at home, which meant that his victory was not official.

•    Fortunate Chidzivo continued her excellent form to win the Wineland half-marathon in Stellenbosch in a time of 1:21:00.
Phathiswa Dyalvane finished 5th in the women's marathon and Sityhilo Diko was 4th in the men's marathon.

•    Fikile Mbuthuma won the Queensburgh Harriers Mineshaft 15 km women's race in a time of 1:03:09.