Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 165 February 2024 | Page 47

ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

Awards

MODERN ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

July in 5:07:48 and his runner-up position to Robbie Simpson at the Ultra-trail Cape Town ’ s 55km earned his nomination .

Christiaan Greyling struggled with illness for several months in late 2022 and into 2023 , but he did enough at the UTD 62km , finishing second , 16 minutes behind race winner , Simon desvaux de Marigny of Mauritius , to book his place on the South African team to Austria . At the World Championships , Greyling ran one of the toughest races of his life to finish 78th in the 86km ‘ Long Trail ’ race .

Back to the 100 milers , and impressive performances by two athletes . Ryan Sandes ’ best race in 2023 came at the inaugural George MUT by UTMB 100 miler , and while the quality of his 21:46 time is difficult to assess , he came in well ahead of the anticipated time in difficult , muddy conditions , and finished over an hour ahead of second-placed Doug Pickard . Meanwhile , Doug Pickard ’ s best race came at the end of the year , when he saw off the challenge of several top international ultradistance athletes to finish second in the Ultra-trail Cape Town 100 Miler behind one of the world ’ s top ultra-distance athletes , Aleksei Tolstenko of Rissia . Admittedly , Pickard ’ s 23:53 finishing time was two hours adrift of Tolstenko , but it was also two hours up on the third-placed athlete , and earned him a nomination here .

Skyrun 100km winner Simon Tshabalala ( finishing in a time more than two hours off his previous best ) and Cape Winelands Maxi 76km winner , Brandon Hulley , were unlucky to miss out in this highly competitive sector .

Christiaan Greyling

Ryan Sandes

Doug Pickard

Ultra Distances – Above 50km | Women ’ s Nominees

Naomi Brand • Landie Greyling • Nicolette Griffioen • Toni McCann • Meg Mackenzie • Samantha Reilly

( Honourable Mentions : Simone Malan , Rebecca Watney )

Toni McCann ’ s remarkable victory in the UTMB OCC 55km race in August over a world-class field represents a high point in South African trail running . Over eight minutes clear of top contenders , American Katie Schide and Chinese athlete Miao Yao , at the finish , McCann ’ s win is still being savoured by trail running aficionadas around the world . She didn ’ t stop there , however , opting to end her season at Ultra-trail Cape Town in late November . Challenging British male athlete , Robbie Simpson , for the overall lead in the ‘ Peninsula Traverse ’ 55km in the early stages , McCann was content to throttle back to finish third overall in 5:47:39 , over 30 minutes inside Landie Greyling ’ s mark from 2022 , and nine minutes clear of top Kiwi Caitlin Fielder .

Meg Mackenzie delivered one of the best performances of her career with a superb third place at the Transvulcania 72km in the Canary Islands in May , and she might have finished even closer to race

winner , Martina Valmassoi of Italy , had she not been forced to stop for 15 minutes early in the race while a mid-race helicopter rescue took place .

At the other end of the ultra-spectrum , Nicolette Griffioen atoned for failing to finish the 2022 Ultra-trail Cape Town 100 Miler by finishing fourth overall and first woman in 2023 , clocking 26:11:08 . Although over an hour outside American Hilary Allen ’ s winning time and 33 minutes adrift of Kerry-Anne Marshall ’ s second-placed 2022 finish , the 2023 conditions were uncomfortably hotter . Griffioen also raced to a 6:29 victory at the Magoeboskloof 50km in March .

Staying with the UTCT 100 Miler , Naomi Brand was unable to match her 2022 run , and although she moved up one podium position to second , her time was over three hours slower . Brand ’ s nomination , however , is largely based on her strong showing in the Tarawera 100km in New Zealand in February , where

she placed sixth , 34 minutes behind New Zealand mountain-running champion Nancy Jiang .

Sam Reilly added to her impressive marathondistance races with a strong 100km performance at Ultra-trail Cape Town . She placed fifth in a very competitive international field , won by world-class Ruth Croft of New Zealand , and finished over an hour ahead of the second South African home , Kerry-Anne Marshall .

Landie Greyling ’ s comfortable win in the 53km Whale of Trail in July in 5:43:25 cannot be ignored and earns her a nomination . Simone Malan , who finished 12 minutes behind in second place , and who won the Skyrun 100km in the Eastern Cape later in the year in 16:23 , narrowly misses out , as does fast-improving Rebecca Watney , who impressed with a solid fourth place in 6:49 behind McCann in the UTCT 55km .

Remember , the winners will be announced in the next edition of Modern Athlete , so you ’ ve got something to look forward to in just a few weeks ’ time , and in the meantime , all comments and feedback on our new awards are welcomed at letters @ modernathlete . co . za .

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