TRACK & FIELD to be top 10 , but I was happy , considering where I was at , having just graduated from university with a Masters , and I was still able to train and compete at a high level . But if I really have to pick one moment that ’ s my favourite , it would probably be running the South African Record in the 5000m , because I thought the 10,000m record was probably more in my reach than I would say the 5000m was . I knew I was in really good shape , but training at a high elevation in Flagstaff , it ’ s difficult to really gauge where you are exactly … so I knew I was fit , but I didn ’ t know how fit I was in terms of going after South African Record . I just wanted to get the Olympic qualifying standard for Paris next year , to be honest , and then the South African record came as well . That ’ s probably my biggest standout moment of the year .
MA : Now that you ’ ve qualified for the 5000m on time , and look set to also qualify for the 10,000m based on your world ranking , and if selected for both by SASCOC and ASA , would you consider ‘ doubling ,’ or would you want to choose to focus on one distance ?
AW : I think the goal is to double , but I still have to see how my preparation goes . Luckily , they give you quite a bit of time to decide , as the entries are not due until next year . Based on my racing , performances and fitness , I will see whether I will be able to do both . I think the 10,000m is my best event , and that ’ s the first event of the competition , so I can run it and get that weight off of my shoulders , knowing that my main event is done , and then I can just go out there and do the 5K . So , I ’ m still considering it , for sure .
MA : Let ’ s talk about that sub-28 you ran in Cape Town ... I ’ m assuming it must have been pretty hard work because you were running solo for much of the race , so was it your goal to go for a sub-28 , or did that just come on the day ? And then on a related note , I would assume it must have been a great feeling to do it in Cape Town ?
AW : I took a little bit of a break after the World Champs , about eight days , and then had five weeks to prepare for the 10K . I actually hadn ’ t run a road race in six years , so I really wanted to do it in Cape Town , because that ’ s where everything started for me , and I thought it would be fun to be with my family and just have a good race . I trained really well , and then
Visiting the family in Ceres , with mom Hester , brother Nadeel and sister Antoinette had a session on the track two weeks out from the race , and knew I ’ m probably going to run sub-28 .
I just didn ’ t know the course , because it was seven years since I last ran it … I was still a junior then ! What I did know was that nobody had run a sub-28 there before , not even the best people in the country like Stephen Mokoka or Precious Mashele , so I didn ’ t know if the course was that fast , but I knew my fitness was there . I also knew none of the other top guys had entered , but I said , I ’ m just going to go out there , run as fast as I can , hurt bad , and then have fun afterwards . And once I reached five kays , I knew I could run sub-28 .
MA : Your brother , Nadeel , was there to watch you race , and I assume you got some time with the family while back in SA ? Also , can you tell me a bit more about the family , please ?
AW : My dad , Anthony , passed away a few years ago , but I still have my mum , Hester , my sisters Estia and Antoinette , and my brother , Nadeel , who was there to watch me run in Cape Town . I also have an extremely extended
About to break the tape in Cape Town in a blistering 27:53
family , as my father has seven brothers and sisters , and my mother is the same , almost . So , it ’ s a real bunch of them , and most are in Ceres . I stayed in Stellenbosch while I was in South Africa , so that I could train for the race , and so that I would not have to get up so early to be at the race , but I would go to Ceres every week or weekend – I would switch it out – and after the race we did have some great family fun .
MA : Nadeel is also a super talented athlete , so where do you think the running genes in the family come from ?
AW : I would have to say from my dad , because he
was very athletic . He was pretty good at rugby , and athletics , mostly in the 800m .
MA : Speaking of Nadeel , he ’ s back in South Africa and I saw that he ran in the SA Champs on the track earlier this year , did some of the Absa RUN YOUR CITY races and finished third at the recent SA Cross Country Champs , but I don ’ t think he is running full-time like you ?
AW : He got married almost two years ago , and he intends to start his Masters at Stellenbosch in January . He ’ s still running competitively , but has had a few injuries and been sick a few times , which has hampered his progress and consistency , but we ’ ve been working together and he ’ s using my training programme , so that he can run the SA cross country trials . You need a decent amount of time to adapt to the programme , but once that really kicks in , you start feeling good about it , and then you can really start moving to the next phase . He doesn ’ t have that much time , but I ’ m still confident he can do well .
MA : Tell me more about growing up in Ceres , and your introduction to running .
AW : Nadeel and I naturally gravitated towards sport
Adriaan reckons his running genes come from his father
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