Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 61, August 2014 | Page 10

Ma in the lead

Danette’s
Dream
Come
True
When the World Long Distance Trail
Champs take place on 16 August in
Colorado in the USA, at the Pikes Peak
Ascent 21km, one of the most excited
runners in the field will undoubtedly be
recently crowned SA Long Distance Trail
Champion Danette Smith. It will see her
fulfil two long-held ambitions: Not only will
it be the first time she is representing her
country, but it will also be the first time she
has travelled overseas. – BY SEAN FALCONER

D

anette qualified for the SA team
in June by winning the women’s title at
the SA Long Distance Trail Champs, held
as part of the Merrell Outeniqua Traverse
38km near George. Unsurprisingly, she says
she still cannot believe that her dream has
come true. “It still feels surreal to think I
went from dreaming about representing my
country, to actually winning the SA Champs
and being selected for the team. I still feel
I have so much to learn about trail running,
and the other runners in the team are so
talented and experienced, so just to see how
they approach things is going to open up
my world, and it is a thrill and honour to be
running in SA colours.”
The Pikes Peak Ascent starts at 1800m
above sea level and finishes at 4300m,
and the organisers say, ‘There’s a reason
trees don’t bother growing above 3600m
on Pikes Peak. They can’t! Makes one
wonder if trees are smarter than runners…’
Danette therefore has a realistic view of her
upcoming run. “It’s all uphill and at high
altitude, so I have no idea how it’s going to
affect me, but I’m just going to give it my
all. I will start easy and then work my way
through it, because all of us need to finish
for our team to score points. Whatever
happens, it’s going to be an amazing
experience!”

10

OVER TO RUNNING

Danette (25) is the middle of five daughters
and her family has lived in Stellenbosch most
of her life. She says their’s is a very close,
supportive family, with her parents Danie and
Annette supporting all the girls in their sporting
activities. Growing up, Danette played tennis
and hockey at school, and only made the
transition to running at varsity. “I made the
inter-schools athletics team in the first term
of matric in 2006, and began training with
Johan Fourie’s group, and at the end of that
year I decided to focus on running. That led to
me doing my first road races, including a few
half marathons, and I found that I was quite
competitive amongst the juniors.”
After school she studied for a BA Sports
Science degree at Stellenbosch University,
and was then offered a position in the Sports
Department at Bridgehouse Primary School in
nearby Franschhoek. “ H]