Newsletter
 
Brought to you by: www.nedbankrunningclub.co.za
10 December 2020
 
Message from Nedbank

Dear Nedbank Running Club Members,

Nedbank would like to thank you for your continued support during a very challenging year. We wish you a joyous and safe festive season, and look forward to seeing you in 2021.

Yours in Running

Kelly Thompson
Nedbank Sponsorship Manager

 
Nedbank Running Club National End of Year Letter

Dear Nedbank Running Club Chairmen, Committees and Members.

Nick Bester - Nedbank Running Club National Manager

What an unexpected, strange year it was for humankind and for the Nedbank Running Club and all our members in South Africa as well as at our Nedbank Running Clubs on the African continent.

The complete newsletter Should just read-cancelled due to COVID-19 Pandemic. The familiar Nedbank Green gazebos and feather flags were not present like normal and our runners were not able to compete on the roads in races across South Africa

With most of the races cancelled luckily there were a couple of outstanding performances.

All credit for the continuity that the clubs maintained this year under very tough conditions was because of the capable and strong leadership of our Chairmen and Club Committees. They must be applauded for the manner in which they looked after the interest of our club members of the Nedbank Running Clubs across South Africa.

A couple of Great performances countrywide and abroad:

There were a couple of great performances in 2020 to add to the Nedbank Running Club`s achievements in this difficult year.

Dischem 21km

2020 starts off with green podiums for Nedbank running club

The 2020 season has officially kicked off and the Nedbank running club has started off where it left in 2019 by fulling up podiums around the country. From Johannesburg to Durban and Cape Town, January may not be over yet, but the team has already started to shine.

In Johannesburg at the popular Dischem Half Marathon, Nedbank running club athlete Chrizell Roberts took victory with teammate Deanne Horn in 4th. Roberts is an athlete to keep an eye on next year. Coached by national Nedbank running club team manager and former Comrades winner

In the men’s race, Sibusiso Nzima finished 2nd with former winner Juan Van Deventer finishing 3rd. Other Nedbank running club athletes Phillimon Mathiba and David Manja were 4th and 5th respectively giving Nedbank running club 4 out of the first 5 cross the line.

Om Die Dam 50KM Ultra Marathon.

Van Deventer leads Nedbank running club to victory at Om Die Dam

Former Olympic 1500m finalist Juan Van Deventer from the Nedbank running club green dream team stepped up in distance this past weekend at the Om Die Dam 50km in what was his first ever ultra-marathon.

The star athlete had no challenge after breaking away from the main group with 12km to go and went on to take victory in 2:52:55 leading home another 4 Nedbank running club teammates in the top 10 with former winners Marko Mambo and last year’s champion Joseph Manyedi in 5th and 9th respectively.

“I am elated to take victory today,” said Van Deventer after crossing the line. “This was a perfect steppingstone for Comrades and id like to also thank Nick Bester for guiding me, all our sponsors and my amazing wife Maxine, daughter and family for all the backing and support.”

In the ladies’ race, Cobie Smith came an agonizingly close 2nd, crossing the line in 3:34:33, the second time she has finished in this position. 

Cape Town Marathon

Mothibi comes out on top at Cape Town Marathon

Nedbank running club green dream team athlete and defending Comrades Marathon champion Edward Mothibi ran one of his best races to date when he took the overall race within a race Cape Town Marathon yesterday.

Being Africa’s only World Athletics gold label marathon on the continent, the Cape Town Marathon had to get innovative in order for the event to take place. With Covid19 taking over the World and events being cancelled, Cape Town stepped up to hold an elite’s only invitational race but with a twist.

Run in 3 separate city’s, different athletes were hosted in each marathon, with coastal athletes all competing in Cape Town, and athletes living at altitude being split into two groups, with one in Pretoria and the other in Potchefstroom. 

To make the process fair, Dr Ross Tucker formulated an altitude adjustment calculator to take into factor the different altitudes of the venues. This made the race interesting as it meant that someone winning in Cape Town could still lose the overall title to someone winning in Pretoria or Potchefstroom, even if the winners of the altitude event ran a slower time.

This didn’t matter though for Mothibi as in brutal conditions and a very slow course, Mothibi obliterated his previous marathon best to take not only the win in the Potchefstroom event but the overall Cape Town Marathon title to with his 2:16:48. Teammate Peter Muthubi took 3rd in the Potchefstroom event in a time of 2:25:23 and 6th overall

Over in Pretoria, teammate Phillimon Mathiba who was running his first marathon since his amazing 2:13 in last year’s Dublin Marathon ran a strong race in equally tough conditions and a harder course around the Tuks University grounds. Finishing nearly 3 minutes ahead of the 2nd placed finisher, Mathiba crossed the line with his hands in the air in 2:18:29. With the adjustment of time, Mathiba took overall 2nd in the event giving the Nedbank Running club the top 2 spots on the podium. His teammate Chrizell Roberts took 3rd in Pretoria in the ladies’ race in a time of 3:21:59.

London Marathon

Gerda Steyn shines bright in rainy London

Nedbank running club green dream team athlete Gerda Steyn yesterday produced one of the races of her life, finishing 7th in the London Marathon in 2:26:51, and narrowly missing the 14 years old South African record of 2:26:35 run by Colleen De Reuck in the 1996 Berlin Marathon.

On a day that saw many athletes struggle, and winning times in excess of up to 4 minutes slower than what was anticipated, Steyn used her ultra-marathon background and strength to move through the field, which ultimately resulted in her 7th place finish in what is one of the most competitive races in the World.

Each year, the magnitude of the London Marathon stands above any other marathon in the world, where the world’s best including World Champions, world record holders, Olympic champions and some of the fastest runners in the World on the international scene run London, in which this year was by invitation only.

“Tough, but so worth it!” stated Steyn after the race. With the race being run in a secure biosphere due to the Covid19 pandemic, no spectators were allowed at the event which saw the athletes navigate 19 laps of St James Park.

“I’m so grateful for the support from around the world. What we missed in the crowds of London today, I carried with me in my heart and it was all of you that made for a roaring day.” Her time eclipsed her previous best of 2:27:48 from last year’s New York Marathon, an event which saw her qualify for the Olympic Games which has now been postponed to next year.

Steyn will now need to assess her plans for 2021 which could see a clash between the Olympic Games and the Comrades Marathon, roughly 1 month apart. “I am already on my way again out of London and I will spend my travel time to rethink everything.”

On just missing the South African record, Steyn showed her true character and smiled. “I am getting good at just missing records now by a few seconds, but I will leave here feeling proud that I put it all out there from the start.” The reference to just missing records comes from last year’s Two Oceans Marathon where Steyn narrowly missed out on the 21 years old course record of Frith Van Der Merwe’s.

Records will always be broken, but titles remain forever. The Nedbank running club congratulates Gerda and her coach, Nick Bester, our National team manager on a fantastic performance in the wet and windy streets of London

Nedbank Runified series of virtual races.

The Nedbank Runified virtual races were a huge success-Please see in depth report when you click on this link https://we.tl/t-WAGBNatfJ7

On top of the social series our Elite team did have the opportunity to race over several distances with very good incentives and prize money that were awarded to the top 10 athletes.

10km Results Male

10km Results Female

21,1km Results Male

21,1km Results Female

32km Results Male

32km Results Female

42,2km Results Male

42,2km Results Female

Well done to all the Green Dream Team athletes who managed to run a solid race in 2020.

Development programs

The Nedbank Running Club’s Development Programs across the country stayed on course and were well managed with strict COVID-19 protocol reserved. Former marathon star Pio Mpolokeng, manager and coach of the Nedbank Running Club Klerksdorp in Central North West is one of the best coaches and development officers in South Africa and he scouted for new talent in the North West Province. Will see his team next year on the roads with several of his development athletes expected to perform at the highest level in major races in the country under his mentorship.

We are delighted in the superb work of the NRC’s Development group in Soweto, under the very capable chairmanship of Siyaya Khoza. Siyaya kept on advising and recommend training programs to his development squad to be ready for 2021.

The new established development club in Carletonville under the watchful eye of Coolboy Ngamole is still going strong.

Ludwick Mammobola,Comrades Champ established a Nedbank Development Club in Limpopo in the beginning of 2020 and they are growing fast in numbers with quality runners in their camp.

Nedbank Fastlegs running Club under the guidance of Kantoor Nkoane in Bloemfontein is stable and they are getting ready for the 2021 season.

The Nedbank Skosana Development initiative in Gauteng North is also moving forward. This club is under the management of SA athlete Enoch Skosana, a multiple SA representative. His athletes are ruling the cross-country and track scene in Pretoria and did organise and present the very successful Nedbank/Skosana 10km road race for the 3rd consecutive year.

All thanks to our sponsor Nedbank

Most importantly is the faith that our sponsor Nedbank has in our clubs, and we want to take this opportunity to thank them wholeheartedly for the on-going support during this extremely different and tough times for all sporting mass events. With a sponsor such as Nedbank the Nedbank Running Clubs and athletes can approach the future with confidence that they will stay supporting them -even in tough times when needed most.

We are pleased that Nedbank Marketing confirmed their support to the running clubs till the end of December 2022. The very capable Tobie Badenhorst and Kelly Thompson are at the steer at Nedbank Marketing and did this from their homes was another challenge.

Important

Please remember that the members are our biggest assets and we must ensure that we are ready for them to join our clubs without any problems in 2021. Please ensure that there will not be a shortage of running gear when you reopen in January 2021.Please see that your administration is in place to ensure a smooth joining process in January 2021.

Road running races and entry procedure:

Please keep in mind that the trend these days is that entries to major races like Comrades, Soweto marathon, Two Oceans, etc. did get sold out very quickly-make sure to get you and your runner’s entries in ahead of time.

Please stay closely in touch with your Athletic Province to know when the 2021 licenses will be available and make arrangements and get yourself in gear with all the necessary tools to be able to handle the rush in the new season should covid-19 rules on races being relaxed . Here are some pointers.

  1. My suggestion is that all clubs must plan to attend the very first race in their respective provinces with license numbers, joining and registration forms and club kit. The club gazebo and representatives of your respective clubs must be at all the races in your province for at least January and February, as this time is crucial to recruit new Nedbank Running Club members.
  2. Club kit-We got enough kit on hand EXCEPT RUNNING VESTS. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic all NIKE`s factories were closed abroad and we could not place an order for this. We still got some Vest`s sizes in stock but if we run out we need to order the locally manufactured vest for next year. Please send us a breakdown of all the sizes of the vests that you require for your club members-also specific state how many men`s and how many women`s vests you require and work according to the membership totals registered on our national website page. We will supply -first come first supply-the Nike vests first and then order the other vests locally. Please remember there are a waiting time of 8 weeks for this.
  3. The box of free kit that we send to you is mainly for training purposes and must please be used for development runners, incentives to committee members as well as prizes at club functions and time trials. You received it free from us and we expect you to give it out to get the Nedbank name on the roads and to support your active and loyal club members.
  4.  We are waiting in anticipation to find out when the new 2021 license numbers will be available, but the 2020 licenses will be allowed until at least 31 January 2021.
  5.  A friendly reminder to distribute advertising pamphlets with your club’s contact details and joining procedures at all the races during January and February 2021 to attract more members.
  6.  Please try and plan your AGM long in advance to ensure all at the club are aware of the AGM to enable as many people as possible to attend. This will allow the election of a strong committee to look after the needs of the members.

Other sporting activities under the IAAF and ASA constitution

Historically the NRC has concentrated on ‘road running events’, and that will continue to be our focus, but we ask you to pay special attention to the needs of your members regarding IAAF/ASA standards, namely cross-country, race walking as well as track and field.

Trail running, and track events is becoming very popular. It would be a good idea to start catering for these athletes, especially in the light of the amount of publicity it has been generating lately. In doing so, we could attract many (junior) members as school children are restricted from running long distance road races, and they are mostly involved in cross-country and track events. A good idea is to consider an annual junior trophy or two in your annual awards ceremonies.
 
From our Partners

Nedbank Running Club partners and sponsors

We are extremely fortunate to have partners and sponsors that contribute towards the success and wellbeing of our athletes as well as the added benefits of keeping their immune systems strong to fight off infections and viruses that our members get infected with during the year. We want to thank our co-sponsors NIKE SA, BIOGEN, BAVARIA and FUTURELIFE for their contribution towards the successes of the Nedbank Running Clubs and our athletes and members.

We also thank them for their contribution with quality prizes and incentives for the Nedbank Runified series winners and achievers during this year.

 

 

Mr. Brandon Fairweather - Biogen.

On behalf of the Biogen team, we want to wish all NRC Members and their families a happy, safe & healthy Christmas. 2020 has been a year like no other and we remain inspired by the constant and sustained enthusiasm and passion for your running. Congratulations also to Nick, Adriaan, Kelly, Cuan and team for keeping the club going, and motivated, further highlighted by award winning Nedbank ‘Runified’ series, which not only brought runners around SA together, but also contributed to NRC experiencing exponential growth to remain the biggest club in South Africa. It remains our pleasure to be the nutrition partner of choice to Nedbank Running. God Bless you all and Merry Christmas.

 

Special Biogen online promotion to all Nedbank Running Club Members

 

Live a better, healthier live with FutureLife Smart Food

 

Bavaria Now Available in 500ml Can

Dutch brewer Bavaria recently announced its much-loved Bavaria 0.0% malt beverages are now available in an affordable 500ml can.

Traders and spaza shops in in Diepsloot, Soweto, Tembisa. Alexandra, JHB CBD and Cosmo City are now stocking the 500ml can with an RSP of R13,00 per can.

Says Oliver Wills, Marketing Manager at Bavaria “We’re extremely proud to share the news that the distribution figures for Bavaria 0.0%. are growing. This latest move will help us reach new customers and better meet the growing market demand for non-alcoholic beers.”

By adding this new can size for its sellers, Bavaria further cements its leading position in the non-alcoholic beer market. And, by offering a larger selection of non-alcoholic products than its competitors, the company is poised to meet the rapidly growing demand of consumers who enjoy non-alcoholic beer.

“We’re finding that consumers are drinking alcohol more responsibly, which has led to an exponential growth of the alcohol-free beer segment,” continues Wills. “Because of this, there’s a real appetite for non-alcoholic beers with different flavour profiles, something Bavaria 0.0% can deliver on with its huge range of flavours and variants.”

Having been in the country since 2013, Bavaria 0.0% recently reaffirmed its commitment to the South African market by launching a new design for its iconic bottles. For more information please visit @bavaria_za on social media.

 

Nike Run App

Whether you want to run your first race or you're out to beat your PB, the journey begins with the Nike Run App. We have the plans you need to start off right and finish strong—whatever your level, whatever your goal.

In the Nike Run App, you can track your runs, set goals, measure your progress and celebrate success.  You can also share your journey with a community of runners, compare Challenges, and cheer each other on.

We understand the need for variety. To meet your goals, you need to incorporate many different types of workout into your routine. That's why Nike Run offers several different kinds of runs.

Here are the types of runs available in the Nike Run App:

  • Basic: Run for as long and as far as you'd like.
  • Distance: Decide how far to run.
  • Duration: Choose how long to run for.
  • Speed: Manually mark laps and view splits.
  • Audio-Guided Runs: Run with guidance from Nike's coaches and record-holding athletes in a variety of workouts. AGRs are available on mobile devices and on Apple Watches.

For more information and training plans, visit: https://www.nike.com/za/running/training-plans  and download the Nike Run App for free on your mobile device (supported on IOS and Android).

 
Nedbank Running Club Bonus Performance Structure for Clubs

Sponsorship allowance to Nedbank Running Clubs for the 2021 season:

The incentive scheme that we used for the past 3 running seasons worked well, and we will continue with this incentivized sponsorship structure for the 2021 season. Clubs will be incentivized for efficiency and performance by their committees and runners. Those performing Nedbank Clubs will benefit financially, measured by their performance over the year.

NEDBANK RUNNING CLUB BONUS PERFORMANCE STRUCTURE

Nedbank Running Club Performance Bonuses   
      Time Trials
1    Weekly organized time trials.
2    Official timing done by a member or helper.
3    Time trial venue with clubhouse facilities.
4    1 x Monthly time trial where drinks or food are supplied to members.
5    Time trial results posted on national website.
6    Joining facilities, license numbers, kit available and on sale every week.
7    Nedbank branding displayed, feather flags etc.
                                                                  TOTAL POINTS AVAILABLE: 7
      Club Gazebo at Races
1    Club gazebo at provincial races with safe keeping facilities for belongings.
2    1 x Monthly club gazebo with food, snacks and drinks.
3    Display of Nedbank branding.
4    1 x Monthly photos, etc. displayed on website.
5    Chairs, table and cooler box at club gazebo.
                                                                 TOTAL POINTS AVAILABLE: 5
      Club Committee Meetings
1    Bi-Monthly committee meetings.
2    Minutes, Agenda and notes sent to Head Office.
3    Constitutional Yearly AGM.
4    Attending of provincial meetings by a committee member.
                                                                TOTAL POINTS AVAILABLE: 4
      Development & Performance
1    Regular provincial podium finishers.
2    Podium finishers dressed in correct Nedbank kit.
3    Weekly podium photos & results sent to head office and added to website.
4    Development and provincial runners free license & kit (podium potential).
5    Acknowledgment of podium finishers at year-end function; trophies, etc.
6    Support development & podium finishers with race entries, transport etc.
                                                               TOTAL POINTS AVAILABLE: 6
      Website & Communication & Publicity
1    All details of members available on the website: cell nr, email address, license nr. Etc within 1 week after they joined.
2    Monthly newsletters & communication sent via website to members.
3    Display of club photos, and news on activities, members on website.
4    A Member of the Month Award to one of your club members each month.
5    Own Nedbank Running Club Facebook updated page.
                                                             TOTAL POINTS AVAILABLE: 5
      Nedbank Club Kit
1    Must have stock on hand to supply to members: running + podium + casual.
2    All club members must be wearing official Nedbank/NIKE kit in 2019.
                                                             TOTAL POINTS AVAILABLE: 2
      Nedbank Club race
1    Presenting of a road race under your Nedbank Running Club.
                                                            TOTAL POINTS AVAILABLE: 1

                                                            TOTAL POINTS AVAILABLE = 30

EACH NEDBANK RUNNING CLUB WILL GET 3 X SPONSORSHIP PAYMENTS IN 2021:
1    A cash sponsorship amount of R25 000-00 will be done by the end of January 2020 as soon as we received your 2020 financial statements and bank statements.
     
2    TOTAL points scored X R1000-00 per point = sponsorship performance payment. See table above.
This will be done in June 2021. Maximum of R30 000 available per club.

3    Membership bonus. This will be paid at the end of November 2021.
We will be subsidised R50-00 towards every registered, licensed runner of your club that is captured on the website.

A performance bonus formula will be used.
Percentage of Total points scored during the 2nd incentivised sponsorship.
Payments divided by total point’s available x 100% x total members.

A club with 200 members x R50 per member would receive R10 000 if they scored 30 from 30 points in the performance bonus structure.

For example: If you score 20 points out of a total of 30 points available, you will receive 66,66% of your membership bonus amount at the end of November.
 

NEDBANK GREEN DREAM TEAM AND PROVINCIAL SUPPORT CRITERIA FOR ATHLETES

Nedbank Green Dream Team:

  • Achieve top 5 positions in national Road Running Championships in SA (10KM, 21KM and 42km Champs).
  • Achieve top 10 positions in national events especially the Comrades Marathon and Two Oceans 56km.
  • Achieve top 3 positions in national prominent road events such as Soweto Marathon, Durban Marathon, Mandela Marathon, Two Oceans Half Marathon, Spar Women’s races, FNB Races etc.
  • Selected based on national/international performance and potential.
  • Media friendly: be visible in the printed media, newspapers, and magazines as well as on TV.
  • Athlete to be very visible through social media by promoting his/her sponsors, training and racing updates (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, blogs).
  • Limited to a pre-determined number of athletes.
  • Special branded clothing/Biogen/Future Life/Nike Trainer & Race shoes.
  • Entries to pre-determined races.
  • Travel & accommodation to identified races.
  • Monthly retainers to help with running expenses.
  • Free membership & licensing.
  • An incentive to podium finishes in certain pre-determined national & provincial races (see website).

Provincial podium and development athletes:

  • Achieve top 3 positions in provincial events and races where they are domiciles on a regular basis.
  • Biogen/Future Life/Nike Trainers & Racers via NB Sport or Club.
  • An incentive to podium finishes in certain pre-determined national & provincial races.
  • Entries to races within the province(s) in proximity (within reason).
  • Travel expenses to races /club activities (within reason).
  • Free membership & licensing (if not licensed by province).
  • Free running clothing (within reason).

What is expected from top Green Dream Team and Provincial Athletes?

  • Be a representative and role model for Nedbank Running Club.
  • Dressed in Nedbank clothing as prescribed on and off the podium.
  • Plan their races for the calendar year.
  • Inform the club of races he/she wants to compete in at the beginning of the month or quarter.
  • Inform the club when he/she is sick or injured and entry can be substituted in certain races.
  • Plan races & transport with the team in a cost-effective manner.
  • To follow a proper program preparing them adequately for the race distance & give feedback to the club.
  • Communicate with chairman and/or respective team captains (trouble shooting)
  • To be involved with club activities (time trials/club runs/monthly functions) & development of athletes.
  • Earn an income outside running in order to make a living.
  • Use retainer and club financial support for running expenses.
  • To help identify & attract talent to the team.
 
News and Results

Nedbank Skosana 10km a success

The rain may have come out on Saturday morning, but that didn’t damper the spirits of runners who got to experience a real race again with the annual Nedbank RC Skosana 10km taking place.

The rain may have come out on Saturday morning, but that didn’t damper the spirits of runners who got to experience a real race again with the annual Nedbank RC Skosana 10km taking place.

With the event signaling the first official race back in Pretoria since the Covid19 lockdowns and restrictions were enforced, a field of just under 300 runners set off from the Kgosi Mampuru sports fields.

The new way of hosting races was put into full force with athletes arriving at the event. All entries for the event were done online beforehand and instead of athletes arriving and filling out entry forms, health screening forms were done, and every athlete’s temperature was checked on arrival, to ensure maximum safety at the event.

The event was graced with the presence of Comrades champion and Nedbank running club green dream team athlete, Edward Mothibi, who was getting back into training after his recent Cape Town Marathon victory. Teammates and Olympians Juan van Deventer and Irvette van Zyl were also in the race, which for both was their first race back since injury.

In the men’s race, Gladwin Mzazi from Boxer AC was victorious, taking charge with 2km to go to win in a time of 31:38 and pick up R1000 and a Biogen and Future Life hamper. Lucky Mohale was 2nd with Matthews Leeto rounding off the podium in 31:48, both athletes also receiving a cash prize as well as Future Life and Biogen hampers.

In the women’s race it was a runaway victory for Boxer’s Glenrose Xaba breaking the previous course record to cross the line in 34:48. Twin sisters Lebo and Lebogang Phalula were 2nd and 3rd respectively in 36:11 and 36:29.

“A big thank you to all our sponsors, Nedbank, Nike, BIOGEN, FUTURELIFE & BAVARIA for assisting to ensure the race happened and all the prizes and products that was sponsored,” said race director Jacqueline Rencontre.

“I would also like to say thank you to Nedbank running club GN Chairman,Jacqueline Rencontre who managed and organized this event with the help of Enoch Skosana.Also a word of thanks to national team manager Nick Bester who really assisted with the planning and prize money sponsorship for the event.”

With the successful running of the event, other clubs can now take learnings from the Nedbank RC Skosana 10km event which has now set the benchmark of races during Covid19.

Levergy the Big Winners at 2020 Hollard Sport Industry Awards

 
Tail-end Charlie
We want to wish you a happy Christmas and a prosperous new year in 2021
Let’s” JUST RUN IT”