TRAIL RUNNING
Fighting
Ashley in action at the Impi Obstacle race
FIT
He only recently took up competitive running , but Ashley Robinson is quickly making a name for himself on the trails , with various race wins and podium finishes to his name in both running and obstacle course racing . Seems the running bug has bitten this pro fighter , stuntman and personal trainer hard ! – BY SEAN FALCONER
Having only decided to enter in order to enjoy his weekend run with a few more people , Ashley ( 26 ) was rather taken by surprise when he found himself coming home first in the medium-length 10km race at the Fisherman ’ s Friend Strongman obstacle course race in Paarl in October . “ I wanted to go for a run that day anyway , and I saw all the posters around town , so I thought OK , let me go run with the other people , and in my mind obstacles are like doing CrossFit , so I ’ ll get a full workout in as well . Then I realised it was a big event with a lot of people , and it was a competition with prizes involved , so I could actually win something while having fun . Still , I was very surprised when I won it , because I didn ’ t prepare to race and didn ’ t prepare specifically for any obstacles , but my general fitness kept me going .”
Soon after the Fisherman ’ s Friend event , he started winning various smaller trail running events in the Boland area , and then he finished second in the prestigious IMPI elite race in Stellenbosch in November , beating some of the top OCR athletes in SA on a very tough 20km course featuring 28 obstacles , including six elite obstacles . Ironically , he had planned to run the 10km medium-distance race on the Saturday , but at the last minute he was needed on set for stunt work in a film he had been working on , so he asked the organisers if he could move to the Sunday , even if it meant he had to race the elite race . And while many experienced OCR athletes failed to finish the gruelling course , Ashley once again found himself on the podium .
“ I was up with the leader , Anele Bans , for much of the race . He was leading until the 12th obstacle , and then I took the lead until the second-last obstacle , but I got stuck there for four minutes , because I didn ’ t know how to get through the grip strength obstacle . I would get halfway through and my arms would fail , so I would have to start again . I then saw how
he did it and got through on my next attempt , but he was now too far ahead and I couldn ’ t catch him again . Technique and strategy are important , not just strength , on some of those obstacles !”
FIGHTING SPIRIT
Ashley is actually a multi-talented sportsman . He took up karate at a young age and went on to earn his black belt , played soccer throughout school and after school , in between studying sport science at Stellenbosch University , has moved into professional Muay Thai , kickboxing and boxing . “ I started karate at the age of five , because at kindergarten I kept getting into a lot of ‘ kiddie fights ’ and had a problem with my anger , so my parents put me into a karate dojo , and it actually helped me to be more calm . I learnt to be a more disciplined kid , and with all the challenges that life throws at you , it ’ s safe to say that martial arts
Images : BeSnapped , Chris Hitchcock & courtesy Ashley Robinson
22 ISSUE 102 JANUARY 2018 / www . modernathlete . co . za