Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 129, April 2020 | Page 24

THE RUNNING
MANN
By Stuart Mann
Code Brown in Hillcrest
To be honest, I was viewing the Hillcrest Marathon as something of a ‘grudge purchase.’ Big field, big city, double-
lap routes are my least favourite marathon type, but more importantly, once a year is more than enough to ingratiate
my legs on the Comrades route – and my muscle memory still hadn’t forgotten their last visit in June 2019! Needless
to say, my legs would have preferred waiting another few months before setting foot in Hillcrest again, but there I was
anyway…
Marathon #237 / Unique
Marathon #137 / 9 February 2020
The Goodie Bag could make for an
eventful Valentine’s evening
This year was the 41 st running of the Hillcrest Marathon,
making it by some way the oldest standard marathon
in the KZN province. Entries are limited to 3000, split
across the marathon and half, which Hillcrest Villagers
club chairman Marc Allen told me, “is the maximum
we believe we can have to ensure a safe, enjoyable,
personal and top-class experience for our runners and
walkers. We don’t want to be the biggest – we strive to
be the best.”
D
rinking Lite beer and running sensibly in
December had left me injured, but I got the
“all clear” from my biokineticist the Thursday
before the race that my legs would be good for
a Sunday marathon. I gave it one more sleep to
see whether the bio session had broken me, and
upon finding myself still relatively mobile on the
Friday morning, I ran out of excuses and had no
option but to book my flight to Durban. Luckily, my
accommodation was sorted, since my mate Campbell
‘The Great’ Nel offered me his son’s room for the
night. (Thanks, Daniel!)
Although Eskom ruined my arrival with a pitch-
black welcome, Campbell made things right with a
cold quart of Lion Lager. He apologised for a lack
of mugs to serve the beer in, explaining that his
former running club had looted his house during a
club function, with the net result being that he now
drinks straight from the bottle… and runs for Hillcrest
Villagers instead.
24
Campbell also produced a tasty Steers burger (take-
away restaurants are one of the few beneficiaries
of rolling blackouts) and a large luminescent sack,
which turned out to the race goodie bag. The race
is held just before Valentine’s Day, and I noted that
the goodie bag was crammed full of items that
could potentially make for an eventful Valentine’s
evening, like deodorant and a giant tub of Vaseline,
as well as post-romance recovery in the form of
natural anti-inflammatories and “down boy” calming
Chamomile tea. The only item that caused me some
consternation was the Orlando Pirates-branded
deodorant, since surely this would reduce your ability
to score. (Sidenote: I have no idea how you’d use half
a kilogram of mayonnaise for a memorable Valentine’s
date, but I am sure that the French have found a way.)
With an entry fee of R270, this has to be one of the best
goodie bags and value-for-money races in the country.
Maybe it was just the beer coursing through my veins,
but I was starting to warm up to the Hillcrest Marathon.
ISSUE 128
129 MARCH
APRIL 2020
2020
/ www.modernathlete.co.za
/ www.modernathlete.co.za
Founded in 1977, Hillcrest Villagers is one the great
South African running clubs. The legendary Graeme
Fraser was one of their founding members, and
under his leadership Hillcrest became the preeminent
Comrades club in Natal in the 1980s. During those glory
days, Villagers extended their fame countrywide by
dominating the prestigious Gunga Din trophy, the men’s
team prize awarded to the fastest four runners from the
same club.
Graeme ended his Comrades career with six golds
amongst his 12 medals and Green Number 666, and
he also twice finished second behind Bruce Fordyce at
the London to Brighton Ultra Marathon in the UK. Sadly,
he passed away in 2014 from Motor Neuron Disease.
However, his legacy at the club remains in the form of
the club’s emblem, the leonotis leonurus, better known
as the “wild dagga plant,” which grows prolifically in the
area, as well as the club colours, which are “healthy diet,
number two” brown. I am told that brown was Graeme’s
favourite colour, but since his goal was for Hillcrest to
win the Gunga Din trophy in the days before portaloos,
there might have been a competitive advantage reason
behind the choice of colour. After all, you can’t hide
any mishaps in the white pants of Rand Athletic Club!
MND
Steeped in History