Awards

MODERN ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

so I went in curious and it ended very well . The Cape Town Trail Marathon was definitely tougher , but I enjoy the challenge of running back-to-back marathons – it was a fun week ! Thankfully , this year , there will be a two-week gap between the two . I love racing and wouldn ’ t want to miss one of those !”

“ I ’ m hoping to rest more than last year , and I ’ m starting my

season later , with a focus on the shorter-distances . Then I ’ m running Sierre Zinal again in August , which I ’ ve raced twice before , and it remains one of the most competitive races in the world . I hope to run the UTMB OCC 55km , but will need to qualify by placing in the top three at the George MUT 60km . Johardt van Heerden ran a phenomenal race there last year to break my record , so that gives me a target ! Of course , I ’ ll return

to the Otter , and likely the 55km at UTCT , and I ’ ll compete in a few cross-country races again . I ’ m very excited to be part of the adidas TERREX team this year . I met many of the team in Cape Town when they were here for UTCT , and I ’ m looking forward to meeting the rest at our training camp in the Canaries in March .”

Bianca Tarboton posted an impressive 12th position in the competitive Mont Blanc Marathon in June , and second place in the Eiger Ultra Trail by UTMB in July , where her 4:05:11 was also inside the previous course record . However , Bianca saved her best for home soil , racing to a superb 4:36:55 record at the George MUT Marathon in May , finishing third overall and just five minutes behind joint winners Iain Peterkin and Jacques Buys , slashing a massive 33 minutes off Landie Greyling ’ s previous women ’ s record .

Bianca also sped to a superb 4:52 win in the Otter African Trail Run , finishing 33 minutes clear of her Protea teammate , Lijan Burger . While seven minutes outside her own record time for the classic east-to-west Otter run , the excessively muddy conditions were likely worth 10 minutes . Tarboton ’ s last race of the year was equally impressive , producing an 18-minute win over Brit Holly Page in the UTCT Table Mountain 32km , finishing third overall in 4:04:57 .

“ I ’ m very honoured , and it ’ s very cool to be a winner in both short and marathon distance trail categories . I ’ m very , very stoked with the awards , and excited to see what the nominations will look like next year . It ’ s super-exciting what SA runners have to offer , and the progress we are making to get to that world-class level . There ’ s a lot more to come from many different runners . Cian Oldknow ’ s 2:25 road

marathon in Seville is the most recent example – really amazing !” says Bianca .

“ All of my 2023 races were highlights , and I felt I performed solidly in all of them . I was able to maintain a level I was very proud of physically and mentally , and in particular I was able to identify and work on my weaker areas where I can best improve . Also , each race was a highlight for different reasons . For example , Mont Blanc Marathon was the first really big race where I was able to achieve a good position , and racing at Ultra-trail Cape Town at the end of the year , I was quite nervous , as I had not raced in Cape Town for a very long time , but was able to execute that pretty well . The support I received at the different races from my family , friends and partner Rob was certainly a highlight . That support goes a very , very long way to ultimate success ,” she adds .

In terms of marathon plans for 2024 , Bianca says her year will start in Spain . “ My first race this year will be Zegama in May , which I ’ m super-excited about . I ’ ll likely do Mont Blanc Marathon in June , and then Sierre Zinal in August . Those are my main three races . Then , because I want to race the UTMB OCC in 2025 , I may look to do a less competitive UTMB qualifier during the year . And of course , I always love to race the Otter and UTCT at the end of the year .”

Ultra Distances – Above 50km

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