Tri Success
Coach Vicky
MULTISPORT
Vicky wins the Momentum Knysna Forest Half Marathon BIG5 Champ
It takes a special type of athlete to race flat-out in five separate endurance sports events in seven days , but that ’ s what the annual Momentum BIG5 Challenge demands , and former pro triathlete Vicky van der Merwe is a master at it .
– BY SEAN FALCONER
The Momentum BIG5 Challenge forms part of the annual Pick n Pay Knysna Oyster Festival in the first week of July , and athletes must complete the Knysna Cycle Tour 80km MTB , the Knysna Lagoon Mile Swim , the Featherbed 15km Trail Run , the MTBX Cyclo-Cross , and the Knysna Half Marathon , with the smallest accumulated time determining the winners . It ’ s a grueling multisport event that only a few hundred athletes are able to take on , and one of the best is 28-year-old Stellenbosch-based Vicky van der Merwe . Having won the title in 2017 , she retained the title by coming home in an accumulated time of 8:20:54 , ahead of second-placed Fienie Barnard ( 8:34:23 ).
In the first event , the MTB , strong rider Fienie established a significant lead as Vicky finished 10th overall and second of the Big5 entrants , but Vicky then made up time by winning the trail run overall and finishing second overall in the swim and MTBX ( again behind Fienie ). “ The 80km MTB is always the toughest for me , as there are other girls who are much stronger on the bike , so I was pleased to finish
10 minutes faster than last year . My MTBX race was also faster ,” says Vicky .
That saw her line up for the final event , the half marathon , with a seven-minute lead , and she could therefore run a fairly relaxed race , in stark contrast to 2017 . “ Last year I was only lying fourth going into the run , with a massive deficit of nearly 20 minutes to first place in the Big5 , so I had to run really hard to win the title .” Nevertheless , she still won the half marathon overall and took the BIG5 by nearly 14 minutes .
“ Overall , it was an awesome , challenging week , and topping it off with a win in the half marathon was great . The thing about the BIG5 is that you are never certain of a win until the last day , as anything can go wrong , and you have to pace yourself .”
Tri Success
Vicky was a strong swimmer in primary school , then took up running when she began high school in Stellenbosch . Soon she was talked into giving triathlon a try , and success followed . “ I won the Western Province Champs when I was 15 , then went to the SA Champs and came out of the water second , but finished the bike leg stone last . I ran like crazy and caught them all again to finish second in the under-23 category .” That saw her selected for the SA team for the World Champs in Japan , where she finished 60th . “ I had a good swim and run , but again got dropped on the bike , and I realised I needed to work on my bike . After working with a cycling coach in Germany , I finished 14th at the next World Champs , in Switzerland .”
After claiming three junior World Titles in biathle , qualifying for five consecutive World Triathlon Championships as well as racing on the international pro circuit , Vicky ’ s tri career was unfortunately disrupted for several frustrating years by stress fractures in the shin and the hip as well as glandular fever . In spite of successful hip surgery in 2014 , she is no longer racing professionally , but hasn ’ t lost her competitive nature . “ Triathlon is still my focus , but I select my races carefully , and the professional racing phase of my career is now behind me . I run half as much as I used to , doing more quality than quantity , and more gym work , and I believe I have now found what works for me , because I am actually racing better now !”
Coach Vicky
These days Vicky is perhaps better known as a coach , thanks to the work she is doing with her Stellenbosch Triathlon Squad . “ When I came home after competing on the world circuit , I had to decide between going into law , which I had studied , or continuing in triathlon . I had such a great support structure here in Stellenbosch when I began my tri career , so I decided to create a structure to help others to achieve their goals , and in November 2014 I began with just 15 athletes , but it quickly grew . I ’ d done a few coaching courses , but had also learnt a lot from my high performance background , and could apply that knowledge and experience .”
“ We are now about 200 athletes , ranging from World Champions Flora Duffy and Brad Weiss to complete beginners , with 17 training sessions a week , including lunchtime swim and run groups , and a junior group just starting up . I now have Cobus Fourie working with me , and another coach coming on board soon , and the focus is on group work , but athletes can ask for personalised programmes . Stellenbosch provides such a great training environment , and I have received great support from the sporting community , so this is a very rewarding job , and I love what I do !”
Vicky in coaching mode with her STS swim and run squads
Images : Matthew Du Toit & David Papenfus
30 ISSUE 110 SEPTEMBER 2018 / www . modernathlete . co . za