activities these days , so it ’ s got to be fun , colourful , exciting , and it ’ s got to be over quickly – by 12 o ’ clock they ’ re home again .
MA : The world class elites really add to these events ! MM : Last year we had the world ’ s fastest time ever for 12km in Cape Town , and in Durban we had the fastest 10km ever by a man and woman in SA . It ’ s because we have an actual elite athlete programme . With respect , I think a lot of other big SA road events think they have an elite athlete programme , but just because you have elite athletes running in your event doesn ’ t mean that you have an elite programme . An elite programme is where you invite athletes and pay them to be there , incentivise them to perform , and they are part of your media build-up and come to your press conference the day before . There is a difference .
MA : Do you think our cities could handle 100,000 people doing a running event , like Bay to Breakers ?
MM : We ’ d love to expand the races , but there are understandable limitations from the cities , and the other question is can we commercially handle more people across the series ? Somebody has to pay for the medals , T-shirts and everything else , and it becomes really expensive , so we ’ ll see how it develops .
MA : We ’ re currently seeing a massive growth in running in SA , which a lot of people attribute to the popularity of parkrun , so how do you see your races fitting into this picture ?
MM : People don ’ t like to stagnate , and I think there are three directions they can go after starting with parkrun ... a certain percentage will be happy to continue with parkrun , while some may drop out , but I think there are a lot of people who are inspired to go to the next level , and any of the FNB runs , or our 10km Totalsports Women ’ s Races , are certainly that next level .
MA : Speaking of which , is that also the thinking behind the Totalsports Women ’ s Races ?
MM : Well , it ’ s quite interesting , as people sometimes confuse the Spar Ladies ’ Challenge races with the Totalsports Women ’ s Races , but there is quite a difference between the two . The Spar races are real mass participation events , and it ’ s a fantastic series , but what we try to do is create a healthy lifestyle experience for a specific target market , and it ’ s got a lot to do with Totalsports ’ goals , because women are a large part of their performance clientele , so the race elements are focused on their running experience .
MA : Another notable part of your FNB races are the pre-race city cleanups . Is the idea just to make the route pretty on race day , or is there long-term thinking behind that ?
MM : It ’ s definitely not just focussed on race day . We have 30 events in our stable and deal with a lot of charities , but we don ’ t want to just hand over a cheque , so with the Run Your City Series events there are two focal points where we want to make a difference . One is animal welfare , and the other is revitalisation of the inner city , especially in Joburg and Durban . It ’ s about getting people to understand the challenges of running inner cities , so when we do the cleanups we try to align with and support organisations that are revitalising the inner cities , like the Heritage Foundation in Johannesburg . Our team is passionate about this , so they are out there cleaning the streets themselves , doing their part to drive the programme and keep the cities clean .
MA : Lastly , without giving any secrets away , are there still more ideas coming from Stillwater Sports ?
MM : Absolutely ! Certain events take on an identity that stays the same year after year – the best example is Comrades , where the course may only change slightly – and that ’ s what people go back to , but the new trend with younger participants is that they are looking for a new , changing experience . So you always need to weigh up where to create tradition , and where to create freshness , and it ’ s an ongoing task to find the balance .
WALK THIS WAY
By Anel Oosthuizen
WINTER WALKING
They say summer bodies are earned in the winter , and if you wait for the perfect conditions , you ’ ll never get anything done , but when that alarm shouts in my ears at 4:45am and it ’ s four degrees Celsius outside , all I sometimes feel like doing is throwing my phone against a wall ! It ’ s the most difficult season to get training done , especially in the early hours of the morning – and I know I ’ m not the only one who feels this way during the winter !
EXPERT ANALYSIS
I recently spoke to fellow race walkers Lebogang Shange , Wayne Snyman and Natalie Le Roux , who all have won SA titles and set SA records , and asked them what their winter training programmes look like . Lebogang says he likes to stick to his normal walking , because – as he put it – he never really experiences winter . That ’ s because he is always travelling the world , chasing the sun ! Talking specifics , he adds that he hates doing long sessions , and absolutely loves his 500m and 1km speed intervals .
In contrast , Wayne stays in SA most of the time , and loves to throw in a bit of a variety in his training – as they say , variety is the spice of life . He incorporates some swimming in his programme , and says that it helps with his lung capacity and staying in shape . He also does a little bit of trail running during the winter months to change things up ! Meanwhile , Natalie likes to do a bit of cycling , as well as joining her Comrades friends for a longer race walking session . She also loves to involve some easy running into her programme , as it keeps her fit and helps with recovery after longer walking sessions .
Images : Courtesy Anel Oosthuizen
IT WORKS FOR ME
The cold is definitely not my friend , but I always try to make winter training fun by including something different to the normal everyday training sessions , such as jogging every now and then as well as incorporating some gym sessions . I have also noticed that one ’ s appetite changes drastically when it gets colder , so concentrating on your diet ( and not grabbing everything hot in sight ) will also help you stay in shape . That ’ s my recipe to avoid losing it completely through the winter !
ABOUT THE AUTHOR : Race Walker Anel Oosthuizen is a multiple SA Champion and Record Holder , who represented SA at the 2016 Rio Olympics .
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