Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 115, February 2019 | Page 41

TRACK & FIELD
Cherise competing
for (left to right)
Kovsies, NMMU and
Eastern Province
actually very inspirational, as were Sarina and DB.
I was always active at school, but had never taken
running that seriously. I knew by grade eight that I was
going to go into physiotherapy and got a bursary to
study at Kovsies. Had I not, I probably would not be
running the way I am at this point.”
BREAKTHROUGH YEAR
Having finished at Kovsies, Cherise transferred to
the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University in Port
Elizabeth in 2016, and then in 2018, having moved
back home to East London, she signed up to run for
the Boxer Athletic Club. Besides the new club colours,
she enjoyed a whole host of other new things in 2018:
Three new PBs in the 3000m steeplechase and two
new PBs over 10,000m on the track, plus three new
PBs for 10km on the road. So 2018 was definitely a
breakthrough year for her, but Cherise explains that
it came on the back of really hard work. “I changed
coaches when I moved back to East London after
completing my studies, and I am now with George
Bradley. It took some time to adapt to his work, so
2017 was really all about getting to know how my
body reacts to his training philosophy, and what works
and doesn’t work for me. But I knew when I finished
third at the SA Cross Country Trials in Bloemfontein
early last year that 2018 was going to be a good year.”
Cherise lives in East London and practices
physiotherapy at the Cecilia Makiwani Hospital. She
is passionate about the field of paediatrics, and sees
herself moving into that area in the future, but for now
she is happy to focus on general physiotherapy while
chasing the goals she wants to achieve in her running.
Fortunately, her current work situation allows her
do this: She starts her days with a morning training
session, and after work it is straight back to the track
for the second workout. Unfortunately, Cherise has
no-one of similar level in her event to train with in East
London, so she relies on the help of male athletes to
push her to go faster in training. “It is frustrating, but it
is beyond my control, so I just have to adapt.” Coming into 2019, Cherise was hoping to do still
better at the latest SA Cross Country Trials at Tuks
in January, but an injury in October last year set her
back. “I knew that purple patch I was experiencing in
2018 couldn’t last, but I milked it for it all it was worth,
until I picked up a stress fracture in October. I only
started training properly again in December, so had
no expectations for the Trials, but after a few good
training sessions, I felt good and thought I’ll just give it
a go and see what happens. It was actually going well
until the third lap of five, when I was cut off by one of
the other runners and completely lost my rhythm, both
mentally and in my stride. It took me another lap and
a half to get back into my stride, and by then I knew I
was out of top six contention, so I relaxed and just ran
comfortably.”
Her performances have seen a steady improvement
over the years, after having committed to athletics
properly only once she went to the University of Free
State (Kovsies) and started to train with DB Prinsloo
and Sarina Cronje. There she also met Louzanne
Coetzee, who is chasing the world marathon record
for blind athletes. “I was initially worried about how to
combine my studies and running, but Louzanne was Comfortably is actually a huge understatement, as
one of the coaches at the race clocked Cherise as
running the fastest last two laps of the entire field
in the women’s 10km... but by then the damage
was done and she finished eighth. In order to make
the SA Team and run in the Green and Gold at the
World Cross Country Championships later this year,
she needed to have finished in the top six. “I was
BALANCING THINGS
certainly upset about being cut off, but to be honest,
the World Cross Country Championships wasn’t my
main priority. I really want to break the SA 3000m
Steeplechase Record this year, which stands at
9:54.19. I know it will be extremely hard work, and I
have to improve dramatically, but I really believe I can
do it.”
BIG YEAR AHEAD
While the track is currently her focus, Cherise
ultimately sees herself as a longer distance runner. “I
love the long runs and the further I go, the better I feel.
Ultimately, I think I will race the Comrades Marathon,
but that is still far away in the future. This year I want
that 3000m steeple record, and to bring my 10km
time down to around 33:30 or so, and I also want to
medal at the SA Cross Country Championships in
September. I may try out a half marathon towards the
end of the year, but it will be some time before I move
up to that distance regularly, let alone the marathons
and beyond.”
Besides these running goals, there is another big
date – arguably the biggest – marked on Cherise’s
calendar for 2019: In May she will walk down the aisle
with fiancé Alexi Carreira. Add all the planning for that
to the focus on that 3000m steeplechase record, and
she looks set to have quite a busy time for the next
few months!
Cherise running for
Border at the SA
Champs
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