ROAD RUNNING
Few things are as guaranteed to make an athlete smile as broadly as a phone call to say he or she has been selected for a sponsorship programme by a shoe and apparel brand . After all , an elite-level athlete can easily do around 100km a week in training , which means a pair of running shoes could need replacing after just two to three months . From that perspective , it can be an expensive career to pursue , and with sponsorship and retainers hard to come by , a gear sponsor definitely helps athletes to compete at elite level . It therefore comes as no surprise that Raydon Balie has been smiling a lot for the last few months .
Raydon has enjoyed solid success through the years
Images : Brakkies Photo & courtesy Raydon Balie & Under Armour
In December , the 26-year-old from Eersteriver , near Somerset West in the Western Cape , was told he had made the shortlist of 10 finalists in the running to be selected for the 2021 draft of the Under Armour Elite Run Crew . This is a developmental programme launched in October 2019 by Apollo Brands , the official distributor of Under Armour in South Africa , which sees young , emerging athletes signed up as brand ambassadors , and supported not only with Under Armour shoes and apparel , but also financial support to cover racing and training expenses .
The first intake of Elite Run Crew consisted of four athletes – Nobukhosi Tshuma , Thalia Charalambous , Luthando Hejana and Sibusiso Makikizela – who were selected from over 200 applications from quality track , tar and trail runners across SA . Late in 2020 , a second round was announced and another 200- plus applications were received . Under Armour then selected 10 finalists , including Raydon , and arranged a day of Zoom call interviews with all of them in early December , with input from leading athletics coaches , event organisers and media on the panel to make the final selection for the 2020 intake .
Grabbing the Opportunity
Raydon is part of the same training group in Stellenbosch as Sibusiso , coached by Ernie Gruhn , and says that is how he found out about the Under Armour Elite Run Crew . “ When I saw on Facebook that applications were opening , and they were asking for athletes capable of running certain times , I applied . Then one day , as I was getting ready for training , Luke Jacobs from Under Armour called me to say I was one of 10 athletes on the short-list , and we took it from there ,” he says .
“ The interview process was a different experience , and I was a bit nervous , but I think I did OK , because early the next week I heard I was one of the athletes that had been selected , along with Ashley Smith . It was an incredible feeling , especially since I was wondering at the time where I would get shoes from for the upcoming year . Later that week I received my first kit and shoes from Under Armour , and then I did a photo shoot near the Cable Car Station on Table Mountain , so it ’ s been an incredible experience already !” more durable Flow foam rubber midsole . “ I really like the Under Armour kit , especially the shoes , and I saw the other night that some of the guys in the US are doing longer training runs to test the new shoes at longer distances . I have only done shorter track sessions in them so far , but I can already see they are proper racing shoes .”
This Under Armour sponsorship is definitely a gamechanger for me , and will help me get to the next level in my running . They are not only going to help with entry fees for big races , but there are also incentives if we finish in the top three at provincial Champs and at ASA Champs . My goal is to make the most of this incredible opportunity , and I just want to thank Under Armour for choosing me and supporting me , and also for the way they bring the kit to our doors , and help us if we need to return anything that is the wrong size .”
Putting in the Hard Yards
Raydon lives in Eersteriver with his mother and younger brother . One of his close friends and training partners , Andre Afrika , lives just down the road , as do three more junior athletes that he regularly trains with in and around their hometown . “ Due to COVID , we ’ re doing most of our training here in Eersteriver , or using the Blue Downs track , and we also do a lot of off-road running on the mountain-biking trails around the Faure area , which gives us great strength training in the hills , but we still try to get together once a week for speed
Happy with another good run training in Stellenbosch with Ernie and the training group ,” he says .
“ Besides Sibusiso , the group also includes athletes such as Jaime Riddle , Nicholas Quenet , Nolene Conrad , Kyla Jacobs and others , so it is really an elite group . We really push and motivate each other , which has definitely helped me develop , but Ernie is very good in not allowing training to become races , so for example , if he tells us to do seven intervals , we must do five controlled , and then we can go harder in the last two , but still not flat-out racing . He always tells us before each session to listen to our bodies and stay in control .”
For the past few years , Raydon has tried to dedicate his full efforts to his running , having found that working part-time was really impacting his running . “ I did a technical course in engineering and welding when I was still in school , then worked for companies in Stikland and Blackheath in 2015 to 2016 . I also did some part-time work in retail , and as an operator making plates for Continental China , but my training suffered , and I had to decide whether to rather stop running , or pursue it fulltime .” Winning the Under Armour sponsorship shows that he made the right decision .
Taking to the Trails
Raydon has been running since he was nine years old , but says that was only for fun , and he only took
Podium regular in trail running years
The young speedster says he is especially excited about the new Flow Velociti Wind shoes , which are lighter and faster thanks to Under Armour having been able to get rid of the heavier outsole rubber by producing a
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