ROAD RUNNING on his training , instead of over-racing and arriving at the big races too tired to give his best . “ When you are a marathon runner , you can only do so much – you need big training mileage with big intensity to prepare for a race , and that is why I only plan two big races a year . I still run a few shorter races , to work on speed , and that includes a few local races in my Boxer club colours , to say thank you to my sponsor . I have been with them since 2016 , and it is great to have a club , manager and sponsor that understands my goals and plans . We get great support from Boxer , and the members of our club are at peace with their situations , which helps us get good results ,” says Stephen .

In 2019 , Stephen ’ s two big races were the Lake Biwa Marathon in Japan in March , where he finished third in 2:07:58 , and the World Champs Marathon in Doha in October , where he finished fifth in 2:11:09 . On home soil , he also ran the Two Oceans Half Marathon ( finishing third ), FNB Cape Town 12 ONERUN in May ( another third place ) and the Nelson Mandela Bay Half Marathon in July , which incorporated the SA Champs and Stephen ’ s first place in 1:00:57 saw him claim a fourth consecutive SA Champs title at the distance . In August , as preparation for the World Champs , he went to Buenos Aires , and came home with that first SA 21 . km Record of 59:51 , and he wrapped up his year ’ s racing with a fast 28:12 to win the FNB Durban 10K CITYSURFRUN , just eight days after his World Champs marathon run !

That gave him a total of seven races in 2019 , and his 2020 plans were built around a similar plan . He started with the Mitja Marató de Granollers Half Marathon in Barcelona , Spain , which he won in 1:01:28 , and then came his first marathon of the year , the Lake Biwa Mainichi Marathon in Otsu , Japan , where he took second place in 2:08:05 . The Olympic Marathon in July would have been his next big target , but with the Olympics postponed to 2021 due to COVID-19 , Stephen had just been trying to maintain fitness and racing sharpness since March . Then came the opportunity to go to Poland , and in spite of the long racing lay-off , Stephen was able to beat his best time and best position at the World Half Marathon Champs , and once again showed that racing less is

definitely the best way to go for a top level athlete .

With the Olympics now scheduled for July-August 2021 , Stephen says the Olympic Marathon will be

one of his two big races for this coming year , and his preparation for that will be a big focus in coming months . “ I will be starting a four-month training cycle now to prepare for a big race in either February or March , possibly in the Far East again , where I have enjoyed great success , and then I will start the next cycle in April to build up to the Olympics in July .”

Given his stellar track record on the world stage , and his fifth place in the 2019 World Champs Marathon , South African fans will be hoping that he can do still better in Japan . It will be his third Olympics , having run the marathon in London in 2012 and the 10,000m in Rio in 2016 . In London things didn ’ t go exactly to plan , with Stephen being on course to run a 2:06 , but then suffering severe cramps near the finish and having to stop for several minutes in the last kilometre . He eventually finished with a disappointing 2:16 , but his reaction to that setback speaks to his character and drive , and shows that he has not lost any of the fire in his belly that he had back then .

This is what he told Modern Athlete in a 2012 interview , shortly after his Olympic disappointment : “ Athletics has played a major role in my life , and the hunger for success drives me on . I still want to make my mark in the world of running , so people will talk about me like they do about Shadrack Hoff and Hendrik Ramaala … I want to be on the same list as those great athletes , but when I get there , I will still try to achieve still more , because I want to keep the name of SA athletics on the map . So even after that hard Olympic run , I told my coach , Michael Seme , that I just had to go to the World Half Marathon Champs , because it means a lot to me to try raise our flag high .”

Eight years on and nothing has changed . Stephen is just much faster , and has more records and championship titles to his name . And his name is now at the top of that list of South African greats !

Dictating the pace in the 2018 Sanlam Cape Town Marathon

Representing Gauteng North at the SA Track & Field Champs

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