MANN the running mann by STUART MANN
BONUS 2 ND COLUMN THIS MONTH
THE RUNNING
MANN the running mann by STUART MANN
15 FESTIVE KAYS
In December I did something I have not done in quite some time : I flew down to Durban to run a 15km race . However , the Westville Illovo Christmas Challenge is not just another run-of-the-mill 15km race . This is the ultimate ‘ Christmas Special ,’ and I hope that once you ’ ve read my race report , filled with costumes , floats , shots and Christmas cheer , you ’ ll start planning your own trip to Durban next December .
It ’ s always nice to get invited to a well-planned Christmas party , and my invite came all the way back in July , in the following format : “ My name is Catherine Dixon and I do the communications , PR and social media for Westville Athletic Club . We host our annual race in December that is a bit of an icon on the KZNA calendar . I see that you are open to trying different races , and I was wondering if A ) you would be interested in running our event in December ( Sunday 10th December ), and B ) what would be required from your end to run / blog about our event ?”
I was still an injured runner at that time , but figured I could commit to a 15km in December . I therefore replied that if Westville were happy to cover my travel costs , I ’ d love to run their race . The helpers ’ run was on the Saturday , so Catherine suggested that to get the full Westville Christmas experience , I arrive on Friday and participate in both the helpers ’ and official runs . I am all for maximising the experience , so that is exactly what I did . ( Sidenote : I normally focus on marathons , and when I looked back at my logbook , I realised that I had not run an official 15km race since 2011 . I have also only run one official half marathon over that same 12- year period , and it ’ s obvious where my priorities lie !)
The Running Mann with Jannie and Sanet Beukes
Catching the Spirit
Westville is home to a host of running legends , and I was fortunate to be hosted by Sanet Beukes and her husband Jannie at their Loeriebos B & B in Westville , whose views are only superseded by the hospitality they provided over the weekend . Sanet was a seven-time Comrades top 10 finisher in the 1990s and Westville ’ s first female honorary member . Also , she and her daughter , Janie Grundling , are the only mother and daughter to have both won Comrades gold medals – no father and son has achieved this feat . ( True to form , Janie won the women ’ s race on the Sunday in 59 minutes , despite impaling her foot on a lamb chop bone a week earlier .)
The helpers ’ run was a relaxed affair , with just over 40 runners ( and one dog ) testing the hilly route through the suburbs . ( Actually , I think the hills tested the
helpers more than the helpers tested the hills .) The Westville crowd went to every effort to emulate race day conditions , and even produced a table of shooters amongst the refreshments . Then post-run , everyone immediately set about transforming the clubhouse and adjacent field for the following day ’ s festivities .
One of the drawcards of this race is the complimentary T-shirt , which traditionally works in the Christmas theme brilliantly . For example , title sponsor Illovo ’ s logo was included as a decorative bauble on this year ’ s shirt . Now , my race shirts normally only get used after I have finished a race , but here , my race tee ended up getting an earlier than planned wear , as my race-day attire , when I realised that I had forgotten my Fourways club vest at home .
In the relaxed ‘ novelty ’ of packing for ( just ) a short distance race , I did not do my normally diligent race gear check . However , perhaps running incognito in KZN was a wise decision , since earlier this year , I seemed to have stirred up angst amongst a group of middle-aged ladies in the Howick region , and I didn ’ t want to get ‘ Karened .’ Sidenote : My race shirt has been in heavy rotation since the race , and has already been seen on runs both side of the Jukskei . After all , tis the season …
Inter-Club Rivalry
Whilst some people run the Illovo Christmas Challenge 15km as a normal race , many clubs dress-up , run as a group , and push around a self-constructed float . There are prizes for the Friendliest Bus and Best Float , and these are hotly contested awards that come with local bragging rights . So , on race morning , the Westville club venue was a hive of activity before the 6am start , with the AOT Running Club adding to the buzz by all dressing up likes bees for one of the best outfits of the day .
All smiles before the helpers ’ run
Images : Stuart Mann , Instapix , Catherine Dixon & courtesy AOT Running Club
50 ISSUE 164 | www . modernathlete . co . za
My race shirt got an early run after I forgot my Fourways vest at home