Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 61, August 2014 | Page 46

Image: Cherie Vale/Newsport Media

Ma race report

Totalsports Ladies Race Durban,
KwaZulu-Natal, 20 July
The streets of Durban proved
the perfect backdrop when
over 4000 runners and walkers
gathered at Berea Rovers
Sports Club to participate in
the annual Totalsports Ladies
Race – and making a welcome
comeback was Nedbank’s
Irvette Van Zyl, claiming an
impressive win in 33:49.

H

aving spent the last six months
on the sidelines due to injury, Irvette
felt like she needed to prove she could
still run good times and went out a
little fast in the beginning stages.
“It was quick and I hit a bad patch
between 3km and 7km, my legs
weren’t responding and I was just
over-thinking things,” she says. “I felt
strong again from 7km onwards and
I’m really happy to once again finish
under 34 minutes!”
It was also a great first step towards
her end-of-year marathon goal. “I’m
currently training for a marathon in
September, so I have to be patient
and not go out too quickly next
time,” she says. “I am happy to run

Kalmer

Cruising
Spar Women’s 10km & 5km,
Pietermaritzburg, 22 June

It was pretty much a solo run for Modern Athlete’s
Rene Kalmer as she took line honours in her debut in
Pietermaritzburg. – BY LAUREN VAN DER VYVER

R

unning the Pietermaritzburg Spar race for the first time, Rene
crossed the line in 34:13 to slice 1:11 off Jenna Challenor’s 2013 winning
time, while Nolene Conrad took second place on the day in 35:37, with
Sithulisiwe Zhou third in 36:16. “Pietermaritzburg’s event is so personal.
The whole community gets involved,” said Rene. “It wasn’t even a month
after Comrades, so the whole town was still in such a spirit, and it was
very special for me running my first race there.”

For Rene, the Spar 10km races are also ideal training ahead of the Berlin
Marathon at the end of September. “They’re perfect to work on speed, and
you can race them quite often – if something doesn’t go according to plan,
it’s not the end of the world and you can try again.”
ISSUE 61 AUGUST 2014 / www.modernathlete.co.za
46
Don’t miss the next Spar Ladies races, on 24 August in Durban and 30

August in Pretoria.

Image: Sophie Thompson

Looking Ahead

With Pietermaritzburg down, Rene already has Durban and Pretoria in her
sights. “Training is going well and D \