Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 62, September 2014

Ma in the lead The Mountain ocket R ing g background, mak from a road runnin genius Although hailing turned out to be a to trail running has the transition e of the is proving to be on Lucky Miya, who move by posting a trail circuit, including ’s top guns on the Long country at the recent World South African man R VYVER best finish by a A. – BY LAUREN VAN DE l Champs in the US Distance Trai A t last year’s Otter African Trail Run, the so-called Grail of Trail in SA, Lucky Miya’s name was right up there with the likes of AJ Calitz, Kane Reilly and Ricky Lightfoot throughout the race, and his prowess for the long off-road game showed as he came home fifth in 4:29. More success has followed in 2014, with Lucky’s win in the Ingeli Skymarathon in KZN in April, with an impressive 3:37, earning him a ticket to the Skyrunning World Champs in France. Second at the SA Champs in the Outeniqua Traverse Unfortunately, Lucky’s French expedition didn’t go according to plan after he suffered a groin injury mid-race and pulled out of the event just 13km before the finish. “I remember feeling uncomfortable and at the 35km checkpoint I decided not to continue, because my groin was burning with pain,” he explains. “I was disappointed because it was my first international event and I was coping with the unfriendly rain, but I knew I can get to that point again where I compete at a high level with a strong international field.” BOUNCING BACK Fortunately the man from QwaQwa in the Free State bounced back quickly to successfully defend his title in the Num-Num Trail Challenge in August, winning in 3:52 and improving his them how we should approach the race,” says Lucky. “As the altitude went up, I battled and dropped a few positions, but I kept on fighting. The altitude was really hard on me and for the last mile it was really a mission to run – I walked almost the whole of it – so I’m very happy with my result, especially as I have never run that high before.” MAKING THE SWITCH Lucky says his running results stem from his never-worry-just-run approach to racing, something he hopes will carry him to new heights in the future. “I have my own approach. I don’t start too fast, I’m passionate about the sport and I’m mentally tough, but I prefer not to check out route profiles beforehand. It’s better not to overthink – I just go!” Images: Hayley Hagan, Jacques Marais, Andre Harmse, Tamara & Blake & Courtesy Altus Schreuder “Then someone told me to give running a try when I was 16, and I have never stopped.” 12 2013 time by 10 minutes, and that saw him head to the World Long Distance Trail Champs in the USA in peak form. There, running 21km straight up a mountain in the Pikes Peak Challenge in Colorado, Lucky came home 19th overall in 2:26:44, the highest position ever for a South African male in Trail World Champs, and he also grabbed fourth place in the 30-34 age category. Finishing the Molweni Trail Run. The Pikes Peak course starts at 1900 metres above sea level and climbs to 4300 metres at an average gradient of 11%, with the first few and last few kilometres even steeper at a 14% gradient, so the SA runners had to contend with both extreme steepness and altitude. “I started slow, which is what the experienced runners advised when we asked ISSUE 62 SEPTEMBER 2014 / www.modernathlete.co.za Winner of the Num-Num 36km.

Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 62, September 2014 | Page 12