Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 129, April 2020 | Page 26

THE RUNNING MANN
And speaking of rugby, the Hillcrest Marathon does
gives you its own version of a ‘hospital pass’ one
kilometre before the end of the race, with the hills
finally cresting only do a few hundred metres form the
finish. If you are hurting, the best option is to hobble
through to the finish line where the title sponsor,
THRESHHold, will take all of your aches and pains
away with its natural anti-inflammatory pain relief and
recovery products.
There are, however, benefits for those who brave
the brown. Marc explains, “Hillcrest Villagers get by
far the best and most vocal support on the entire
Comrades route. It actually becomes hard work to
thank each supporter individually as you go along!
Look, when I joined the club in 2015, I also made
a snarky comment about the brown, but all that is
forgotten when you just run one major race in those
colours. Even at Two Oceans, the locals know exactly
who we are from a mile away.”
Lonely Hearts Club
It looked to me like a lot of people are looking for
love in Hillcrest. Towards the end of the lap there
was the curious sight of a lonely gentleman settling
down to a romantic breakfast for one. The poor guy
was flying solo and told whoever asked that he was
waiting for his Valentine, but gets stood up every
year. He was gone by the second lap, so I wondered
whether maybe he came right (or went home to do
some handwashing). However, it later turned out
that the joke was on us, the runners – you can read
more about Julian Draai and his lovely tradition of the
Valentine’s Champagne Breakfast Table below.
I was told by many Durban runners that Hillcrest is
one of the toughest marathons in the province, and
that it’s “more of a training run than a qualifier, because
it is just so hard.” Must be because life is cushy when
the climate is sub-tropical. After all, Durbanites bring
out the jackets and thermal underpants when the
temperature drops below 25°C – and this route is the
equivalent of a pleasant spring morning, 24.9°C in the
shade. With a total elevation gain of just over 500m,
this may be a hilly, “jacket, scarf and beanie” marathon
route for Natalians, but it would be considered relatively
flat anywhere else in South Africa.
Although the second half of the marathon was a little
painful due to my misfiring glute. Fortunately, my
journey was made a lot easier by Campbell, who had
given me a handful of Maurten caffeine gels to get
me around the route. They worked a charm and I felt
fantastic from the waist up.
THRESHHold came on board as title sponsor last
year and has helped turn a great race into a truly
exceptional event. The company also supports several
up-and-coming athletes, including the men’s winner
of the half marathon, Nkosikhona Mhlakwana. Those
who don’t recognise the name, may remember heart-
wrenching visuals of a debutant runner at Comrades
2019 slip from 9th to 11th position over the last few
hundred metres in Scottsville. That was Nkosikhona.
He is a final year Bachelor of Education student
at the University of Kwazulu-Natal, and he credits
THRESHHold with elevating his running to the next
level, saying he has been injury-free since incorporating
the supplement into his daily routine, using it to “help
with recovery of muscles and protecting the joints from
getting injured.” Look out for this talented athlete in the
colours of Mr Price later this year!
Time for a Cold One
As for the route itself, the first half of the lap is almost
all downhill and the second half returns the favour by
being almost all uphill, with your introduction to the
climb being a hairpin bend known as “Mother-in-Law
Loop.” Whilst the climbing is not that steep, there is
one fearsome section in Tunzini Road just before the
end of the lap that Hillcrest runners use for hill repeats
(and thus the surrounding flora and fauna has had to
adapt to a salty saturation diet of sweat, tears and the
occasional escaped breakfast).
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All the Needed Support
I often get bored on the second lap of a marathon,
but not with this one. Aside from several stunning
sections, there is also great crowd support along
the route, which is something of a rarity at South
African marathons, as everyone saves their support
for the big ultras. Many Hillcrest residents set up their
own support tables along the route – something you
definitely wouldn’t see in Sandton – and the people
of Hillcrest are so friendly, you almost forget most of
them are Sharks supporters!
ISSUE 129 APRIL 2020 / www.modernathlete.co.za
After crossing the finish line, there is one final fringe
benefit for runners in the form of ice-lollies – another
lovely touch courtesy of THRESHHold – and I had
also timed my flight home to ensure that I had enough
time for a couple of post-marathon beers at the
infamous Hillcrest Villagers bar. I received a message
from Campbell to meet him at the tog bag tent, so I
asked someone where I could find the tog bag area
and was told, “It’s next to the bar.” Which somehow
made a lot of sense. (Don’t worry Jolene, I didn’t see
Campbell lifting any heavy tog bags – he just stood
around drinking beer.)
Neighbouring clubs like Kloof cater
to the fickle female fashion sense