TRAIL RUNNING
Stopping for water during the Marloth Mountain Challenge
I cramped , and I think if not for that , I would have made the top 10 . I told the guy I was running with to leave me , and he ended up 10th .” Siviwe limped home in 18th place , crossing the line in 3:24:30 . His Two Oceans record is actually most impressive , with four silver medals in five starts ( one DNF ), including 27th place in 2014 ( 3:27:25 ) and 29th place in 2018 ( 3:29:31 ).
He has also run the Comrades Marathon once , in 2016 , and says he only took on such a long race because he was asked to pace a friend . “ He wanted to run a sub-7:30 for a silver medal , but we finished in 7:33 , and I had to work to motivate him to keep going towards the end . That was the year Charné Bosman won , and I remember her going past us . But I said I would never go back to Comrades , because I often have cramps when I go past 50km . I have tried to find a solution , and tried different things , but I don ’ t really think I am built for the longer ultras .”
Having moved into trail running in the last few years , Siviwe has found still more success . In late 2018 he won the UltraTrail Cape Town 21km in a course record time , and the following year tackled the Trail Series and Mountain Challenge Series events in the Cape , winning all of the races and both series titles , then added a second place at the multi-day Dryland Traverse . “ I think my biggest running achievement to date was winning the Mountain Challenge Series , because I was really happy to break some course records set by real superstars of South African trail running .” On the flipside , he once again suffered cramps in the 2019 Hout Bay Trail Run and couldn ’ t finish , and he was bitten by a dog early in the 2019 Old Fisherman ’ s Trail Challenge , and forced to withdraw in order to be taken to hospital for stitches .
However , he came back in early 2020 to win the Old Fisherman ’ s race at the next attempt .
Overcoming Challenges
Actually , the challenges thrown at him this past year are just the latest Siviwe has had to overcome . About two years back , he was attacked while running home from a training session near the Blue Downs stadium , and stabbed in his head and hand . “ It ’ s a very dangerous area , so when I do my training , I try not to kill myself , because I need to leave something in my legs in case I need to run away . These guys with knives jumped out of the bushes and said they wanted my running gear , and they took my track suit , training shoes , stopwatch and cell phone ,” recalls Siviwe .
“ When I asked them to just give me my sim card back , as they probably won ’ t use it , the one stabbed me in my head , and again in my hand as I tried to block the knife . I managed to get away from them and ran away to try find a stone to fight back with , then I chased them barefoot into the bush and caught them . I asked them again for my sim card , and this time they pulled out a gun and threatened to shoot me , so I ran away again . It was getting dark by then , so I had to walk home barefoot in the dark .”
Speaking of walking , another challenge that Siviwe has faced all too often is having problems getting to races , and thus being forced to ask for a ride , or even hitchhike to get there . Famously , in July 2019 , just a month after the dog attack derailed his race in Fish Hoek , he needed to get to the Southern Cape for the Knysna Forest Marathon . When the car he was to use to get there broke down , Siviwe simply resorted to hitchhiking there , went on to win the race
in 2:33 , and then hitched a ride back to Cape Town . In another remarkable run , he arrived late for the start of a race after hitching a ride to get there , and in spite of starting several minutes behind the rest of the field , he still won the race !
If Forced to Choose
Siviwe is one of the few runners to really enjoy success on both road and trail , and when asked whether he considers himself foremost a road or trail runner , he answers , “ No , I consider myself a full-time runner … but only if I have full-time support from my club and sponsor . Then I can be a full-time athlete , because I have my family to feed , and that is why I am now working while also running .” Still , when pushed for an answer as to which running surface he now prefers , he finally admits that he does see himself more as a trail runner these days .
“ It was easy for me to shift from road to trail , because I have good leg-speed from the roads , which gives me an advantage over some of the other trail guys . But they are very different , and I can now say I enjoy the trails more than road . On the trails , you can stop to drink , take tablets , changing clothing , etc , and you can stop to take a photo or video of the mountains , and enjoy the views . You don ’ t get that time on the road . Also , there are really friendly people on trails , all talking to each other , and no politics .”
Looking to the future , Siviwe says “ Much depends on COVID-19 , but my plan is to run the Mountain Marathon Series and Mountain Challenge Series , plus some of the other local trail races .” Further afield , he says he is also inspired by the Golden Trail Series , but the Ultra Trail Mont Blanc in France is his ultimate bucket list event . “ That is the race of my dreams , and I will be very happy to be able to line up for that one … but you know , it will be very hard to get there without sponsors . Still , I believe one day I will run that race . I ’ m just praying that things go back to normal after COVID , so we can finally race again .”
Images : Jan George Steytler , Mark Sampson & Martyn Mulder
Hoping for more racing in 2021 !
42 ISSUE 137 JANUARY 2021 / www . modernathlete . co . za
Bring on the mountains , says Siviwe