Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 131, June 2020 June 2020 | Page 30

ROAD RUNNING
MAKING A
VIRTUAL MARK
They say those who fail to adapt to changing times, will be left behind. Well, never let that be said about Tom Cottrell,
author and publisher of the Nedbank Runners’ Guide to Road and Off-road Races in South Africa. While the 30 th edition of
this venerable annual is due out in 2021, Tom has been reinventing his brand for the past few years by embracing online
and digital platforms, and his latest move is to add virtual events to the Runners’ Guide app. – BY SEAN FALCONER
For 29 years Tom Cottrell has focused on race
fixtures, first in his book and then via his website
and app, to bring runners all the info they need
to run races, such as date, venue, times, entry info
and route descriptions. But now that races are mostly
cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he has
changed focus. “Normally we only include traditional
races in our fixture lists, but these are different times,
so we’re entering into the spirit of these virtual races,
runs and challenges, by supporting them through our
digital platforms.” Says Tom.
“I know virtual races seem ridiculous to some runners,
but it is a way for runners to stay in touch with the
sport and with each other. As such, I was still amazed
by the numbers recorded by the recent Comrades
virtual run. I don’t think other challenges will be as big,
but it shows that even under difficult circumstances,
runners will speak with their feet. So, we have put a
section on our website and have also made space on
our app for virtual races… and we can send pushnotifications
through the app to keep runners up to
date on upcoming virtual runs. Users of the app will
also be able to share their pics and experiences of
these runs on social media.”
STAYING ACTIVE
Tom (66) lives in Johannesburg with wife and fellow
runner Kay, and they have two daughters and one
grandson. He no longer runs himself, but in his younger
days he posted a marathon best of 3:05, and in his
fourth Comrades Marathon in 1989, he brought his
time down to 8:04 – or 7:64, as he laughingly prefers to
call it. However, early in 1990 he was badly injured in a
car accident that claimed the life of his brother-in-law.
Tom was left with multiple injuries, including two broken
ankles, and doctors said he would likely never run again.
“At the time of the accident, Kay had recently done
her first Comrades and actually asked me if she
should carry on running, so I said you can stay here
and be miserable with me, or go run with my mates.
She was out the door before I finished talking,” he
laughs. “Not being able to join her, I kept myself
busy writing route descriptions of the races she was
planning to run, as a kind of therapy to stay involved.
Then somebody said you could make this a book, and
when somebody starts a sentence with ‘Why don’t
you…,’ then you just have to do it! So, when I was
retrenched in 1991, I decided why not, and that’s how
the Runner’s Guide started.”
The first edition appeared in 1992, and under the
Guide Book Publishers company he started in
2002, Tom went on to add the Swimmers’ Guide
in 2005 and the Cyclists’ Guide in 2008, as well
as several biographies, novels and coffee table
books. With the 30 th edition of the Runners’ Guide
currently in the planning phase, he is also putting
the finishing touches to a novel, Millwood, which
he hopes to see in stores at the end of this year.
MOVING FORWARDS
In spite of his injuries, Tom did run again… “just
to prove them wrong,” as he puts it. “I did the
Two Oceans and a few other ultras, and then in
2000 I did another Comrades, because that year
they gave us 12 hours, so I decided to chance
my arm, but more to say goodbye to the race. I
finished with three minutes to spare.” He hung
up his running shoes again after tearing his
ankle cartilage doing the Antarctic Marathon,
but remains actively involved in the racing
scene through his fixtures services.
In recent years, Tom says his main focus
has been the app, and he is pleased by
its ongoing success. “I launched my first
app about five years ago, starting with the
cycling fixtures. It was really just a PDF of
the Cyclists’ Guide for use on an iPad, but
the feedback was astounding, and soon the
running community was asking for a running app. I’ve
changed the app a bit since then, mainly because
Apple told me I could not simply create a new app
each year when I uploaded the new book’s fixtures.
They said it should be the same app, with updated
data, and they suggested I make it a free app.”
Since then, Tom says his apps have consistently
ranked amongst the top 10 free sport app download
in the Apple suite, often climbing to the top spot in
the October to December period as athletes start
planning their New Year’s racing. “Now I’m expecting
to see another spike thanks to all the virtual runs on
offer. I’m just glad to know the app is being used and
enjoyed by more and more people.”
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ISSUE 131 JUNE 2020 / www.modernathlete.co.za