Central Park , New York
Central Square , Addis Ababa
White House , Washington DC
Ababa at 6am in the mornings , or joining an organised Nike run through Central Park in New York on a Wednesday afternoon . Then there ’ s the reaction of ordinary people you run past – in Ethiopia people even applaud , and in many places like Lagos and Istanbul , people say words to encourage you .
MA : Tell us about your ultra-running experiences , and what you took from them .
CDP : I ’ ve run the Comrades as well as the Two Oceans , Om Die Dam , Mont Aux Sources and Slow- Mag ultras , and a 24-hour New Year ’ s race in Pretoria in 2014 , where I surprised myself by running 215km and obtaining a podium place . Running ultras has taught me that we are as big as our dreams , and to keep going when the urge to give up is overpowering . It has also taught me what a powerful painkiller laughing is , and the camaraderie amongst runners , supporters , spectators and race volunteers shows that my belief that we as humans are inherently good , is a correct one .
MA : You ’ ve also done some interesting races around the world . Tell us some of the highlights .
CDP : Paris was my first marathon in 2000 , because the London Marathon was full , and I was completely clueless about marathon running , so I followed a programme in a magazine and completely overtrained , but finished in 3 hours 37 minutes , which automatically qualified me for a place in the London Marathon the next year . When I did London , I pulled through the last few kilometres by taking every chocolate that the crowds had on offer !
However , my favourite ‘ travel races ’ have been within South Africa . Most recently I did the three Wildrun stage trail races on the Wild Coast ( it ’ s like a luxury boutique run by the sea , with great food and cheap wine at the hotels ), in the Richtersveld ( the mountains were more amazing than I could ever dream ) and in Mapungubwe ( where we ran in three countries , amongst crocodiles and lions , and on the site of an ancient trading settlement ).
MA : With all the travelling you do , is it hard to fit in regular running ?
CDP : It ’ s hard to train for ultras , and I currently rely heavily on cross-training in a gym because a chronic Achilles problem means I can ’ t run two days in a row . I ’ m just concentrating on running for pleasure , doing slow 5 to 10km runs , and although it ’ s frightening to think how unfit I am compared to two or three years ago , it ’ s nice to slow down a bit .
Exercise is the best in terms of the endorphin rush and general feelings of wellbeing and achievement , and I ’ m quite addicted to it . When I was working full-time it provided me with a great escape from the tyranny of deadlines . The other big up-side is that it enables you to travel on a tight budget , where you have to walk or take public transport , often with a bag on your back .
Right now I haven ’ t got any races planned , but I try to participate in as many organised runs as I can , such as parkruns . That said , a good running friend is getting married in the mountains in March and we ’ ll apparently be doing a little 15km trot before the wedding , so I ’ m trying to get into some kind of respectable shape for that !
No Littering – # Runclean !
Image : Two Oceans Marathon
Since Modern Athlete launched the # runclean campaign in 2015 , the topic of litter has become one of the most prominent talking points in South African running circles , both at races and on social media . Many runners have already stopped littering as a result , but still more continue to just toss their used sachets on or besides the road . In 2017 , the mission of the campaign is thus to continue educating the running community about cleaning up the sport by eradicating this litter problem .
HERE ’ S HOW ALL ATHLETES CAN # RUNCLEAN :
• Throw all water sachets or cups in a rubbish bin , or carry them until you find a bin .
• Wear running kit with a pocket for used sachets , or make a pocket with your licence number .
• Carry your own water in a hydration pack or belt , so you don ’ t need to use sachets .
• Promote a no littering rule at all times .
• Volunteer to help clean up at a water table at a race .
• Share your # runclean experience at www . facebook . com / runclean or mail to letters @ modernathlete . co . za .
FREE BINS TO ALL RUNCLEAN EVENTS !
The # runclean campaign is also promoting no littering by providing FREE bins to registered # runclean events , in conjunction with Garbie Bins . From June 2016 to December 2016 , over 40 events around the country received bins , with many runners noticing the increase in bins at races .
To register your race as a # runclean event and request FREE bins and bags to be delivered to your event , look for the sign-up link on www . facebook . com / runclean , or go to http :// modernathlete . co . za / bf . php ? fid = 287 .
Make sure to register your race three weeks before race day , tell us how many bins you need , and we ’ ll get Garbie to deliver the bins , liners and bags , all free of charge . In exchange , organisers must commit to anti-litter measures at your event , by actively promoting a no littering attitude to your entrants across all platforms , during registration , at the start , on the route and at prize-giving . Only by highlighting it will we begin to solve the littering problem .
Think before you throw — # runclean
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