TRAIL RUNNING
It is incredible how quiet it is in Antarctica . There is
no machinery , no traffic , and no animals or insects either . The silence is actually deafening , even disorientating . And if you ’ re there in December , the sun doesn ’ t set , so you need to wear sunglasses even at 3am when you get up to go to the loo . Not that the sun warms things up too much ... an average day is anything from minus-10 degrees Celsius to minus-30 , depending on the wind chill factor . Also , it ’ s dry there , like a desert , and the thin , cold air , burns your lungs . No , Antarctica is not everybody ’ s cup of tea , and definitely not a place you want to go running ... unless you ’ re entered for the Antarctic Ice Marathon .
Many runners who tackle this incredible challenge do so as part of the Seven Continents Challenge , to run a standard marathon on every continent , or one better , the Running Grand Slam , consisting of standard marathons on all seven continents as well as within the Arctic Circle . There are even some who participate in the World Marathon Tour , which features seven marathons on seven continents in seven days . But for South African runner , triathlete and coach , Mauritz Janse van Rensburg ( 48 ), running the Antarctic Ice Marathon late last year was more an unexpected bonus adventure at the end of a crazy year of globetrotting to run four international marathons . And even more of a surprise was when he finished second .
“ I have international clients that I coach who live in Boston , so I normally go visit them for the Boston
Marathon , which I ran for the fourth time in 2019 . In July those same clients told me they needed to prepare for icy conditions , as they were going to run in Antarctica in December , so I started helping them with training for the race ,” says Mauritz , or Mo , as he ’ s known to friends and family .
“ I already had plans to run the Chicago Marathon in October with an SA client , and just after that the clients in Boston let me know that one of the guys had to withdraw , and they were inviting me to join them for the trip to Antarctica in December . There are limited places in this race , only 60 runners go each year , so it is very exclusive , and naturally I grabbed the opportunity . I also decided to run the New York Marathon in November with the Boston clients , to help me acclimatise a bit to the cold . I didn ’ t plan to run four marathons in one year , but the opportunity was just too good to miss .”
Running in the Genes
At this point in the story , it is appropriate to mention Mo ’ s impressive running pedigree and coaching background . He is originally from the Free State , having grown up in Bloemfontein with his older brother , Jacques . Both were talented athletes , with Jacques running a 3:57 dream mile at just 19 , setting several SA junior records , and going on to captain two SA cross country teams . Meanwhile , Mo achieved provincial colours for cross country and can look back on running personal bests of 31:06 for 10km , 1:09:56
The giant Russian cargo plane that takes runners to Antarctica for the half marathon , and a marathon best of 2:36:15 , but he found even more success in multisport .
Mo represented SA in both triathlon and duathlon , racing professionally for Montpellier club in France in the late 90s , and later completed six Ironman events , including the Hawaii Ironman World Champs . His fastest Ironman finish was 10 hours five minutes in the 2008 Ironman South Africa in Port Elizabeth . When trail running really took off in SA , Mo and Jacques teamed up to win the inaugural Cape Odyssey fiveday event , and also took age category line honours at the AfricanX three-day event .
Sport also played a leading role in Mo ’ s career path . He attended university in Bloemfontein and completed a B . Com degree , going on to run a successful sales and brand marketing business for 16 years , representing various sporting and surfing brands . He eventually decided to move his family down to George in the Southern Cape to be closer to the mountains and the ocean . “ It was a lifestyle decision , but I still commuted to the Free State for business . Then 10 years ago I took a leap of faith to start Soul Running Coaching with my brother . We are now the official coaches of the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon , and we offer an online coaching service . Through the race , we have met quite a few international clients , which led to me going to Antarctica Marathon .”
To the Ends of the Earth
That saw Mo winging his way back to the USA for a fourth time in a year , followed by a long flight to Punta Arenas in Southern Chile to catch the plane to Antarctica . “ They just tell you to be in Chile by a specific date , where you do a safety briefing and pick up all the gear you ’ ll need , because safety arrangements are paramount in this event . Then it ’ s a four and a half hour flight in a massive Russian Ilyushin IL-76 transport jet , with a very basic interior ,
Images : Courtesy Antarctica Ice Marathon
The start of the race
16 ISSUE 136 DECEMBER 2020 / www . modernathlete . co . za