Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 61, August 2014 | Page 38

OBSTACLE RACING

Taming the
Unexpected

Images: Cherie Vale/Newsport Media & Erik Vermeulen

An XTERRA champ, star triathlete and
now an obstacle racing sensation. SA’s
Carla van Huyssteen chats about the
mental and physical toughness that the
Warrior and Impi courses demand from
competitors. – BY LAUREN VAN DER VYVER

Is there anything that Carla can’t do? Just
back from winning her second Knysna Big5
Challenge in July, which included winning the
Totalsports XTERRA Pezula, she’s just adding
to an already impressive resumé: National SA
Triathlon Championship wins from 2005 to 2007,
SA XTERRA titles in 2012 and 2013, and last year
she also grabbed 12th place at the XTERRA World
Champs in Maui, Hawaii. In between that, she
was last year’s national Warrior Race women’s
champion as well as Impi women’s champ, and
Carla has simply taken to obstacle racing like
she was born to be doing it, despite the tough
physical challenge. “The thing about Warrior and
Impi is that you never know what to expect on
the courses,” says Carla. “At Impi you can use a
lot of your endurance work because it’s a hard
trail run with natural obstacles. Warrior relies a
lot more on upper body strength and working the
hamstrings.”
It’s been quite the transition for Carla, who had
to incorporate carrying, climbing and jumping in
her training, with a more focused approach on
strength work in gym sessions. Having started
rock climbing with her husband Dreyer, she’s also
used hanging to work on her strength. “You need
to be able to hang, incorporate pull-ups, step-ups
with weights, and apply that to your race. It

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makes the world of difference. With rock climbing,
too, I’ve discovered amazing places that can only
be reached when climbing. So it’s a social thing with
Dreyer, and I still get to train!”

TACKLING THE TOUGH

Over the last few months in the obstacle racing
set-up, Carla has learnt to manage the toughness
the courses bring. “In my initial Warrior races, I ran
myself to death and was out of it when I reached
the obstacles. Now I approach slower, even though
a lead-out in the beginning stages is necessary
with the improvement in competition,” she explains.
“You shouldn’t be breathless and 100% gunning it.
You’ll only wear yourself out. Luckily, my running
form helps me in stages, so I can outrun them if
someone is coming up behind me in the obstacles.”
The growth of the sport is no surprise to Carla,
either. In obstacle racing, whether you’re an elite
or just a social athlete looking to have some fun
with friends, it’s the challenge and fun element
that makes it a must-do. “The competition is
bursting at its seams and it speaks to anyone,” says
Carla. “Not everyone can do endurance, so this is
unique in that it’s a challenge, but doable, and less
time-consuming. If you can fit in a regular, hard
45-minute training session, you’ll be fine.”

ISSUE 61 AUGUST 2014 / www.modernathlete.co.za

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