ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Awards
MODERN ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Images : Stephen Granger , Johan Minnaar , Zac Zinn , Kirsten Oliver , Sam Clark , Peter Kirk Media & courtesy Rebecca Kohne , Trail Alsace Grandest by UTMB , UTCT , UTMB , The North Face
And the winner is … DANIEL CLAASSEN
Naomi Brand
Landie Greyling
Two quality performances in Europe defined Daniel Claassen ’ s season . He placed an excellent 11th in a competitive Transvulcania 72km field , which is run on the Spanish volcanic island of La Palma in the Canary Island group , and is considered one of the world ’ s toughest mountain ultra-marathons . He was also one of the best South Africans at the World Championships , with a courageous 44th position in the gruelling 86km ultra-distance race , capitalising on his renowned mental toughness .
“ I ’ m honoured to receive this award . I note that there are quite a few top names on the list of athletes who have run really well . I know that these awards will always be subjective to an extent , but I feel honoured to stand above them on this occasion ,” says Daniel . “ Wearing the green and gold for the first time was a huge high , and even if it was not my best race to date , it will remain a memory forever in my career . Being part of a team and the camaraderie was special .”
“ Secondly , my race at Transvulcania was a highlight , because I felt I had a good run in a competitive field . La Palma is a sandy , volcanic island and the terrain is unlike anything I ’ ve experienced . I enjoy running in the Alps in Europe , but the races are quite similar . This was something quite different , and I ’ d love to return … I think this race suits me well ,” he adds . “ Although out of the ultra-distance category , my win at the 46km Cape Town Trail Marathon was special , too . The tough terrain and 4.5 hours of running almost makes it an ultra-equivalent , with endurance being really important . I like to run from behind and made my move in the second half of the race , moving to the front and holding on for the win in very tough , hot conditions .”
Women ’ s Nominees
Nicolette Griffioen
And the winner is … TONI MCCANN
Meg Mackenzie
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 .
“ I am always honoured to be recognised for the work that gets put in , and I appreciate the effort in pushing for this recognition ,” says Toni . “ 2023 was a tough year , but I am proud of the progress I made – physically , but mostly mentally . There were moments where I wanted to write off the 2023 trail season , but thankfully , I have a great support system that helped me keep pushing and training , even when I didn ’ t think I could .”
“ Standing at a start line I didn ’ t feel ready for at the UTMB OCC took a lot of courage , but I had the belief of my team behind me , giving me confidence that I had done all I could , and the support of a whole
Looking to the coming year , Daniel says he ’ ll be focusing on shorter distance races , between 25km and 45km , for the first six months , an then he plans to ramp up his distance training after June to prepare for the UTMB CCC 100km in late August . “ I want to give myself the best chance to qualify for the World Champs in 2025 , so depending on how the body feels , I ’ d like to race at the SA National Championships at Karkloof . There are likely to be some fast Comrades runners taking part , and I ’ d love to race them . Ideally , I ’ d like to race as much as possible , initially over shorter distances then moving up to ultras in the second half of the year , first UTMB CCC
and then hopefully Ultra-trail Cape Town 100km in November .”
Toni McCann
Samantha Reilly
community back in South Africa , cheering me to the finish line . It was a year of some lows , lots of change , and so many great highs . That ’ s the beauty of sport ; it teaches you to face the hard days and weeks head-on and keep moving forward , knowing that there is beauty when you reach the top of whatever mountain you are climbing , she continues .
Toni says that she plans to keep working on her mental game , and implementing the lessons she learnt in 2023 . “ The year ahead scares me a little , but also motivates me a lot , and I ’ m excited to explore new parts of my body and mind that I ’ ve not yet tapped into , and new places around the world . There are still some question marks on the calendar , so I ’ m keeping it confidential for the moment until everything is confirmed .
“ I am so grateful for my TERREX team , and I look forward to all the time we will get to share together this year again , particularly coming back to Cape Town at the end of the year . I am also excited to be attending my first Western States Endurance Run 100 Miler ( in California , USA ) as crew and pacer with my teammate Yngvild ( Kaspersen of Norway ), and I cannot wait to experience this iconic event firsthand . I ’ m also working on growing outside of training and racing – I ’ ve gone back to study high-performance sports nutrition to hopefully one day help people on their sporting journeys .”
25