ROAD RUNNING
Images : Maja Hitiji , Kevin Sawyer & courtesy Dominique Scott-Efurd
and got to represent South Africa again , but that the race didn ’ t go even close to how I would have liked . I needed to bounce back from that quickly , though , because only two weeks later , I was representing South Africa at the Commonwealth Games . It took a lot out of me to allow myself to be sad , but then also realise I was still fit and had another opportunity to race another 10,000 on the track , so I needed to make the most of it .
MA : On a related note , I ’ d like to know what you consider the highlight of your year , if you can pinpoint one ? According to the World Athletics scoring chart , that 31:00.10 for 10,000m scored 1193 points , which made it your equal best ever performance , tied with your SA Record 8:41:18 for 3000m Indoors , run in 2018 . Does that make it your highlight of the year , or does something else stand out more than that ?
DSE : That 10,000m time was very special , and I think running 31 flat is definitely a respectable time , but I think I ’ m most proud of that 1:07 half marathon , just because I surprised myself and so many other people with it . I think it gave a sneak peek as to what ’ s next , and showed that there is still something left in my tank , and that my years left on the road could be really exciting !
MA : On that , only Elana Meyer has gone faster than you over 21.1km ( and 10,000m ), and you have moved ahead of all-time greats like Colleen De Reuck and all the other leading women in the country …
DSE : Yeah , and a cool fact is that the South African Record that Elana ran for the half marathon is 1:06:44 , but when she ran that in 1999 , it was the World Record , so it ’ s a very respectable record , which I now have to try and beat .
MA : Well , you ’ re on your way there ... which leads into my next question : What ’ s coming next for Dom Scott ? You ’ ve tended to focus on the track till now , but you ’ ve started moving into road running , and I know in the past you ’ ve said that eventually you do you see yourself running the marathon , but with the next World Champs in Hungary this year , and the Paris Olympics the year after that , are you going to stay on the track and not move to road just yet ?
Plenty to smile about after a brilliant 2022 running year
Dom will be focusing more on the road in 2023 , with a marathon debut possible later in the year
DSE : No , I ’ m going to be moving more to the road in 2023 . I ’ m really excited about it , because I feel I could keep chasing fast times on the track , but there is a clock that I ’ m kind of running against in terms of the years . I want to give myself a good shot on the roads , and I feel I need to make that step now . So , this year there ’ ll be a lot more emphasis on the road . So , after the Houston Half Marathon again in January , I may possibly debut in the marathon at some point during 2023 , although I don ’ t know which one yet . It ’ s a very scary thought , but also exciting , and I have some great training partners that are going to lead me there .
MA : For your first marathon , do you think that you will go into it from the outset to try and run the fastest time you can , or would you want to run a slower debut , more for the experience and to let your legs get used to the distance ?
DSE : It depends which marathon it is . If it ’ s a fast course , I will most probably try and run a fast time and see what I can do as a debut . People always love comparing debuts , so it would be exciting to see how quick I could go . But if I end up choosing a course that ’ s harder and hillier , then I think everything changes , and it ’ ll be more about how high I can finish in the race , and just being competitive with the other athletes that are racing on that day . So we ’ ll see ...
MA : Then I have to ask a final question about a debut marathon … Would you consider the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon for your first marathon ? I mean , besides offering a fast course , it would give you another opportunity to visit your family …
DSE : It ’ s really not about me , it ’ s about which marathon wants me . So , if Elana and the team wants me , they know who my agent is , and I would love to race on home soil . That would be really cool !
MA : Thanks so much for your time , Dom , always great to see you back in SA , and all the best for the coming year !
DSE : Thanks to you as well , Sean , I appreciate you taking the time to interview me .
Dom ’ s Best Times
In the USA they talk of PRs ( Personal Records ), whereas here in SA , we call them PBs ( Personal Bests ). Either way , this impressive list contains all the fastest times run by Dominique Scott-Efurd thus far in her career .
ROAD
1 Mile 4:32.71 16 JUN 2019 5km 15:36 3 SEP 2016 10km 31:59 2 APR 2022 15km 53:59 8 JAN 2017 21.1km 1:07:32 16 JAN 2022
TRACK ( OUTDOORS )
1500m 4:07.20 19 MAY 2018 1 Mile 4:26.63 7 JUN 2018 3000m 8:41.33 21 JUL 2017 5000m 14:59.08 21 JUL 2019 10,000m 31:00.10 6 MAR 2022
TRACK ( INDOORS )
800m 2:06.05 * 29 JAN 2016 1000m 2:42.60 * 9 JAN 2015 1500m 4:07.25 * 10 FEB 2018 1 Mile 4:28.47 * 11 FEB 2017 3000m 8:41.18 * 3 FEB 2018 2 Miles 9:31.98 ** 25 JAN 2020 5000m 15:20.84 * 1 FEB 2020
* = South African Record ** = South African Best
Focused , motivated and determined to do even better this year
Thanks to adidas South Africa for setting up this interview , and for supplying the pics to accompany it . Check out their 2023 shoes and apparel at www . adidas . co . za .
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