Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 112, November 2018 | Page 12

ROAD RUNNING
The Legend of
Zoo Lake
Hendrick
finishes
runner-up
at Two
Oceans
2014
If legendary athlete Hendrick Ramaala’s hard work as a coach and mentor
pays off, South African middle and long distance athletes will someday be
able to challenge the North African athletes that currently dominate the world
stage, but his athletes are going to have to do a lot of laps around Zoo Lake
to get there! – BY MANFRED SEIDLER
When they gather in the early morning and get ready
for training, they are usually still sleepy and sluggish,
but as the laps progress and the bodies warm up, so
too does the speed and fluidity of the group change.
By the end of the training session, if you have stayed
and watched in awe, you will have witnessed
the next generation of racing machines in South
Africa.
sport with success on the international circuit. Just as
Hendrick did... from this very venue.
A LIVING LEGEND
When talking road running legends of South Africa
with people who know the sport, various names will
always be bandied about, but one name that always
comes up is that of Hendrick Ramaala. With eight
sub-2:10 marathons to his name, two sub-60 half
marathons, a New York Marathon title and a runner-up
placing in the Big Apple, six finishes in the top 10 of
the London Marathon (three of which were third place
finishes) and a best marathon time of 2:06:55 (beaten
only by Gert Thy’s SA record of 2:06.33), Hendrick is
A closer look, however, makes you realise just
how much running pedigree is in this training
group. Amongst them is 2:09:31 winner of
the 2018 Beppu-Oita Marathon in Japan and
two-time World Champs marathoner, Desmond
Mokgobu, as well as double 2018 SA 10km and
Cross Country Champion, Precious Mashele.
You will also notice the still fit and imperious
looking SA running legend, Hendrick Ramaala
churning out the laps, leading a group of
younger middle and long distance athletes
who are looking to forge their careers in the
12
ISSUE 112 NOVEMBER 2018 / www.modernathlete.co.za
rightfully considered one of the all-time best athletes
in SA road running. In the latter years of his career he
also tried ultra-marathoning, posting a second-place
finish in the 2014 Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon.
He first came to prominence in the athletics scene of
the mid-90’s, when he carved out a name for himself
as a fierce competitor in both cross country and middle
distance track competition. He famously said, after
representing South Africa in the 10,000m at the 1997
World Championships, that wearing the South Africa
vest was a huge honour. “When you run in the South
African colours, there is no pain. You feel no pain.”
When Hendrick started out in athletics, he
could be found virtually every morning and
evening running around Zoo Lake, churning
out lap after lap after lap like a metronome.
Whether it was a long run or a speed session,
he trained around the Lake. “It is perfect. Soft
underfoot, safe, you do not need to worry
about cars, and it is at altitude. It worked
perfectly for me. I tried to do training camps
in other parts of the world, but I always came
back here. It just worked for me.”
“Worked” is an understatement, really. It was
here that Hendrick laid the foundation for his
10,000m SA Record of 27:29.94, run in 1999
in Port Elizabeth. It was here that he prepared
S
wing past Zoo Lake in Saxonworld,
Johannesburg each morning and you will see a
group of sleek, lean, fit-looking athletes quietly
going about doing their training run laps around the
Lake. Very little, if any, banter is heard. This is a time
to focus, as training is a vital cog in the wheel of the
business of running and racing, and these athletes
therefore take it very seriously.