Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 121, August 2019 | Page 21

“After that I was invited by a colleague to take part in a marathon. I didn’t even know which race it was, and it turned out to be the City to City 50km from Centurion to Johannesburg. That was my first ever race, and I did it in four hours and 19 minutes. That’s where I saw that I can do this, because I wasn’t sore afterwards, but I also learnt that I need to eat before a race, because at 30 kays I was so hungry, I could see stars before my eyes! I ran past a Spaza shop, and 100 metres later I turned around and went back to the shop, because luckily I had R100 in my pocket. I bought apples and peanuts, then started running again.” Siya looking back and finally realising that he has the final rose “What really inspired me was this 60-year-old man who passed me on a hill, even though he was limping! I only caught him again near the finish. That’s when I said to myself, next time I’m not going be beaten by an old man, and I also said to myself, one day I’m going to run the Comrades and finish in the top 10. That was the day I made it my goal.” Silver Specialist In 2011, Siya ran his first Comrades, finishing in 7:23:33 and earning a silver medal. The following year he was confident of doing still better, perhaps even breaking six hours for the Down Run, but blisters put paid to that hope. “Up till Cowies Hill I was still on course to break six hours, but then I had to take off my shoes and walk the last 15 kilometres. I still managed a 7:15:15 for another silver, but it was disappointing to me.” In 2013 he was back to his best and clocked 6:31:30, which caught the eye of his Discovery Running Club. “I was a top runner in the club, so they approached me to go run the London Marathon in 2014. It was fast and flat, and I was the first South African to cross the line, in 2:29. After that I went on to achieve my Comrades PB in 6:11 in the 2014 race, using the speed I had built for London.” The following year he clocked 6:21:30, then had a bad run in 2016, only finishing in 8:50:48. Having moved to Cape Town to take up a job as a specialist running shoe salesman at the Sportsmans Warehouse in Sea Point, he missed the 2017 Comrades, but this would turn out to be the year that really launched his running career. It began when he sold former international rugby referee Jonathan Kaplan some new shoes and they got chatting. “I didn’t have a club yet, because I had just come to Cape Town, so Jonathan told me he would get me sorted out with his club, Atlantic. He said everybody would be so excited to have a 6:11 Comrades runner in the club! They gave me the kit and stuff I needed, and Jonathan would come and see me, just to encourage me to keep on going. They also helped me get to races, and I am very grateful for their support. It was a great club to join.” RACE MANAGEMENT FROM START TO FINISH Online Entries | Race Office | Race Marketing | Live Timing and Results www.peaktiming.co.za | [email protected] | Grant 082 468 0195 SELECTED UPCOMING EVENTS: 18 th Aug 2019 1 st Sept 2019 3 rd Aug 2019 1 st Sept 2019 7 th Sept 2019 12 th Oct 2019 3 rd Nov 2019 21 Click on the race logo to be taken directly to the entry page