for her athletic achievements , but also her service to the sport . – Ed . found safer areas to run , but it is a sad indictment of human society that we even need to think along these lines , and that we still need to recommend to athletes to try run together and stick to safer areas . – Ed .
WHAT A MONTH !…
The biggest five-weekend streak I have done ... Karkloof 100 Miler ( 26 hours ), a 63km mountain bike with the boys , Cape Town Cycle Tour ( 3:15 ), Cape Town Marathon ( 2:46 ) and the Puffer Trail Run ( 7:24 ). So grateful for the most amazing wife , Jess , who backed me through this all , even though she was heavily pregnant , and to those who I could enjoy doing these events with , you all rock . What a great month ticking off an awesome list ! – Damian Will , Cape Town elites who did finish , so the number of non-starters could actually be lower . Events often have a 10 % or so drop-out or no-show rate , due to injury , illness , work and family commitments , transport issues , bad weather , people oversleeping , etc ., and COVIDrelated issues could also have contributed to this figure . – Ed .
LOVE THE BODY YOU HAVE …
That ’ s quite some month of racing and training , Damian ! I happen to know that Jess gave birth since you wrote this , so I suspect you ’ ll be a bit busier with ‘ daddy duties ’ for the next while , so glad you got in this solid mileage now . – Ed .
ON RUNNING ALONE …
I got stopped yesterday by a couple asking about trail running alone as a woman . It ’ s not the first time I ’ ve been asked … In fact , it ’ s often one of the first questions I get asked : “ Do you run alone ? Is it safe as a woman ?” I know that I ’ m maybe a bit over-confident about running alone , but the truth is , I love it , and won ’ t stop .
So , what do you do then ? Well , if you ’ re going to run alone , then be smart about the time and place you run . These are routes that I feel safe on :
Cape Town :
• Lions Head & Signal Hill Loop
• Newlands Forest / Kirstenbosch
• Kloof Corner , contour path , Oppelskop
• Chapmans Peak / Alfies Track
• Cape Point
Durban :
• Kloof Gorge / Conservancy
• Underberg Trails ( barring a snake encounter )
I don ’ t know Joburg , PE or George , so ladies , share your favourite trails where you feel safe enough to run alone . I feel empowered when I run alone , and would love for all women to feel the same sense of confidence and calm when doing something they love . – Toni McCann
As an elite-level trail runner , Toni needs to put in serious training mileage , so she will inevitably need to hit the trails alone quite often . I ’ m glad that she has
Toni McCann heads for the mountains
DISAPPEARING ENTRANTS …
If approximately 750 people out of 4000 who entered the Absa CAPE TOWN 12K CITYRUN did not start , does that constitute professional race ‘ squatting ,’ or does it speak to an ineffective substitution system , or is it free entries that get handed out to staff and VIPs who have no intention to run at all . Should intentional deliberate non-starters with no medical reason face a one-run ban ? I mean , 750 non-starters while many that wanted to run sat on the sidelines … like Rassie Erasmus as a waterboy . Just a light-hearted discussion point , don ’ t kill the messenger . – Clinton van Thunder , via Facebook
I checked the results and I see 3446 finishers out of 4169 recorded entrants , pointing to there being 723 non-starters or non-finishers , but I also spotted a number of duplicated names there , including some
Absa CAPE TOWN 12K CITYRUN
These pictures are of me running towards the finish line of the New York City Marathon in 2008 . If you look closely , you will see I have skin hanging over the side of my shorts , there is cellulite on my butt , and there are no rock-hard abs on my stomach . Yet that day I ran 2:25:53 , placed third , became the first American on the podium since 1994 , and set the American course record by a minute ( which still stands today ). This was absolutely the fittest I was in my life .
Recently I read yet another article about a coach weighing and body-shaming women , saying that the numbers tell him how to coach , and I am so sick of this narrative . There is no one way to look as an athlete . Bodies are different . I am so sick of the focus on how something looks , instead of what we can do to aide our body with love and nourishment to perform at its best . I know so many women with PTSD and lifelong eating disorders due to coaches ’ comments . When is enough , enough ?
Young women , girls , athletes … your bodies are miracles of strength . If someone tells you that you need to look a certain way , or weigh a certain amount , to be good , that person could not be more wrong . You treat your body well , fuel it , love it , and you will be amazed how far it will take you .
I used to hate that these photos of me existed on the Internet , but today I see them as a woman accomplishing amazing things at the highest level . Enough . Don ’ t let anyone stop you caring for your body , because it deserves your love . – Kara Goucher , American marathoner
They say you should never judge a book by its cover , but let ’ s be honest , many people do judge others on looks , and many feel the need to conform to society ’ s standards of what is considered attractive and healthy . It is therefore refreshing to hear a world class marathoner saying that she doesn ’ t buy into this mindset anymore , and encouraging other athletes not to do so , either . – Ed .
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