Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 94, May 2017 | Page 15

brings you this much praise and love and support, I can only imagine what would
happen if I’d won!”
Tough Times…
What most people don’t know is that Jenna had a disrupted build-up to her ultra
debut, with a number of weeks out injured and much time spent with her doctor
and physio. First she picked up food poisoning in Dubai, which forced her to bail
at the 27km of the Dubai Marathon, and then she ran the PDAC 25km race in
Durban too hard, clocking 3 minute 20 kays on the downhills, and injured her foot.
And that all came after she had suffered persistent knee problems after her three
previous marathons, which ultimately saw her doctors find an enlarged fat pad in
her knee that was becoming enflamed after longer runs. “It took seven to eight
weeks to heal after my first marathon, and again after my third one, to the extent
that I had to be on crutches. Thankfully, surgery to cut it down in size sorted it out,
so my knee is ‘thinner’ now,” jokes Jenna.
“if coming second brings you
this much praise and love and
support, I can only imagine
what would happen if I’d won!”
“But having come through that, the foot injury was a huge letdown. It felt like
I just kept getting knocked back down, even though I thought I was doing
everything right and working so hard. I started questioning if this is the right
journey for me, or if I should just be a mom, but something in me would not let
me give up. I couldn’t run for four weeks, but I was still in the water every day,
pool-running to maintain my fitness, and I did bio every day as well. Mentally, I
had to really buckle down to keep on the path to Oceans, but that hard work and
overcoming those obstacles is worth it when you get that race where it just comes
together. Somebody actually said to my coach after Two Oceans that I must have
had a great build-up to the race, but it wasn’t great, it was actually incredibly hard.
But where there’s a will, there’s a way!”
Naturally, Jenna says she would not have had such a brilliant run at Two Oceans if
not for the support she receives, from family, friends, her coach and medical team,
and her sponsors. “I believe it’s not just the athlete that succeeds, it’s the team
that makes the dream work, so I owe a lot of credit to all my sponsors – KPMG
offers me the opportunity to go to these races, 32Gi keep me fuelled to perform,
and I just love the adidas brand. My coach Ernie Gruhn has guided not only my
running, but also looks after the training of my girls, making sure it is manageable
and fun for them, and I really appreciate that! Then I have my physio Wayne
Holroyd and doctor Kevin Subban, who both put a lot of work in and did wonders
to get me through my injuries. Wayne has been a best friend since our lifesaving
days, so I probably get extra TLC as a result, but he still often tells me to eat some
cement and toughen up, since he knows me so well. And I just love the Regents
Harriers running group in Durban North. I’ve been doing their long runs since I was
18 so they have been a big part of my journey.”
Unsurprisingly, she reserves special praise for Brett, saying that she simply would
not be able to pursue her running dream without his love and support. “Brett
comes from an elite athlete background, so he knows what it takes. He often has
to step in and help with the family, but he never complains. In fact, I sometimes
think he believes in my dreams even more than me! He knows that I love running,
that it sets my heart and soul on fire, and this run at Oceans made all the work and
sacrifice worth it. I am so happy and forever grateful to everyone that helped me
achieve that second place.”
Olympic Inspiration
There was one other disappointment that Jenna says actually inspired her in the
year leading up to her Two Oceans debut. In the build-up to the Rio Olympics she
ran a 2:37 marathon PB and was in contention for selection as one of the three
SA women to run the Olympic Marathon, but in the end she had the fourth-fastest
time and just missed out. “It was a big disappointment, but then again, you have
to keep in mind that when I joined the Endurocad Programme, and they asked us
to list our running goals, Elana Meyer still questioned me about the fact that I was
one of the only athletes not to list the Olympics as a goal. I told her that I thought
the Games were bigger than me, but then to get so close and miss out was a bit of
a kick in the teeth… but it also motivated me greatly. I decided to back myself and
see how far I can go as an elite runner.”
Of course, Jenna’s success at Two Oceans has sparked many a question about her
stepping up to the Comrades this year, but she says she isn’t ready for that. “Much
as I would love to run the Comrades, it won’t be this year. That would be asking
too much, too soon of my body. I’m dying to run it, but I’ve only just stepped up
to ultras, and think Comrades would be a step too far. Also, I don’t feel I’m finished
with the marathon yet, and can still try to get faster over 42 kays. I think that
when you step up to Comrades, you say goodbye to faster marathon times. So for
the rest of this year I am going to focus on the shorter distances, like the Spar and
Totalsports women’s races, and I’ve been invited to run the FNB Cape Town 12
ONERUN, and then I’ll get into another marathon training block towards the end of
the year. But for now I just want to enjoy my Two Oceans result!”
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