Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 123, October 2019 | Page 19

Race winner Israel flanked by Miltas Tshabalala and Thompson Magawana
(second and third) at the 1992 Two Oceans
came from in my day. So I go back to Sterkspruit
once a year to see what is happening in my old home
town.”
Israel started on his coaching journey when he joined
forces with Marcel Viljoen at Fitness from Africa (FFA),
and together they coached a number of athletes in the
Fourways area and on the West Rand (Randfontein).
“I used my experience from all the years of running
and what I learned from coaches in my time. I knew,
though, that I needed more, so I did my level one
coaching course.”
These days Israel can often be found at the schools
and in the townships of the West Rand, looking for
new talent and bringing them into his Israel Morake
Athletics Club, or ISMO AC. He is also regularly asked
to give talks on coaching and preparation for races,
in particular Comrades, but it is his coaching in the
Eastern Cape and on the West Rand that are what
make his eyes light up. “I spent some time coaching
on the East Rand, in Boksburg and so on, but when
I formed my club in Randfontein, I knew I was in the
right place.”
BACK TO HIS ROOTS
hit that purple patch that all runners look for. A win at
the Kellogg’s Springs Striders 32km in February was
followed by a runner-up spot at the famous Peninsula
Marathon in the Cape in March. The latter race
showed just how tough Israel was. He was embroiled
in a fierce battle with clubmate Mark Page for the
lead, and while chasing hard in second place, he was
knocked down by a car. Israel simply got back up and
continued the chase, but eventually had to settle for a
bruised second place.
That year ended with victory in the Hyper to Hyper
Marathon in Pretoria in November, and after a steady
1990, including a solid 6:17:40 Comrades debut
for 45th place, Israel had huge ambitions for 1991.
He had his sights firmly set on doing the ‘double’ in
the Two Oceans and Comrades ultra-marathons –
and he came damned close, too. In his debut Two
Oceans, he finished second to Miltas Tshabalala,
crossing the line just one minute and two seconds
behind the winner, after posting the fastest split on
the day for the final 14km from the marathon mark to
the finish. “I was training really hard for the double.
But I had to be happy with second at the Two
Oceans. In hindsight I should have attacked a bit
earlier,” recalls Israel.
He went on to finish fourth in the Comrades with a
massive PB of 5:45:43, crossing the line just four
minutes 50 seconds behind winner Nick Bester
(5:40:53), and narrowly missing the podium by just
30 seconds, as Colin Thomas took third in 5:45:13.
One could argue that he left his charge too late in
both races, but in 1992 Israel did get it right as went
one better at the Two Oceans Marathon, taking the
title in one of the wettest days the race has ever
witnessed. He was dubbed the winner of the Three
Oceans – that’s how heavy the rains were – as he
won in 3:15:56. After that, Israel claimed two more
gold medals at Two Oceans for top ten finishes,
coming home eighth in 1993 and sixth in 1994,
followed by two more top 20 finises in 1995 and
1996. He also recorded a 17th place in the 1996
Comrades, clocking 5:52:12.
PASSING ON THE TORCH
Looking at Israel today, you’d never say he is now 61
years old. His smile is still as broad and infectious as
ever as he churns out a 35-minute 10km race, even
in the rarified air and on the infamously hilly courses
of the Highveld, but he says he just runs for his own
personal pleasure these days. Instead of focusing on
his own running, he now spends more time trying to
find the next generation of middle and long distance
athletes, and he is prepared to look far and wide to try
and find this talent. “We cannot neglect the outlying
regions. That is where so many of the great runners
In 2016, the organisors of the Sterkspruit 28km
contacted him and asked him to hold a training clinic
with local athletes. Having grown up in the region,
Israel was only too happy to oblige. “There are so
many young runners in that area that have talent, so I
saw it as a great opportunity.” But Israel went beyond
the hosting of clinics. “I saw that the race needed
some help in the organisation, so since 2017 I have
been assisting with the actual organisation of the race,
which has a 28km, 10km and 5km run. Being part of
the race also gave me a chance to start another club
branch of my club in Sterkspruit, and I have identified
coaches in that area that look for the talent and then
assist the athletes.”
All in all, Israel has come full circle. Having started his
running career in Sterkspruit, today he is looking for
the next Israel Morake in the very area where he grew
up. And it just adds to this legendary runner’s legacy
in SA running.
The next generation in ISMO AC colours
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