Author: Roxanne Martin

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Dylan Rogers: A Comrades Convo with my Dad

Roxanne MartinColumns, NewsLeave a Comment on Dylan Rogers: A Comrades Convo with my Dad

Dylan Rogers is a sports journalist with Johannesburg radio station HOT 102.7FM and part of the Big Joburg Drive Show, which you can catch 3pm to 6pm Monday to Friday on either 102.7FM or streaming on hot1027.co.za. He’ll be running his first Comrades Marathon in August, after accepting a dare from a friend, who has pledged to donate R500 to charity for every kilometre of Comrades that Dylan is able to complete. This is a special podcast where Dylan chats to his Dad ahead of his first Comrades Marathon.

Ed Sean Gets a Cool Surprise

Roxanne MartinNews, Tried & TestedLeave a Comment on Ed Sean Gets a Cool Surprise

Ed Sean Falconer received a very cool product-drop this week from Under Armour, as we were introduced to the much anticipated Iso-Chill range. After all, it’s not every day you open a package with dry ice in it, ‘smoking’ away!

The new Iso-Chill range expels heat immediately from the body when touched, making it the perfect gear for running and training. Specially designed fibres lay flat against your skin to evenly disperse heat, so it literally feels cool to the touch. With added titanium dioxide to absorb UV Energy and quickly move that heat away from your body, the tech is proven to increase your comfort and output, even during those high-pressure runs on really hot days.

Sean will be putting the gear through its paces – indoors for now, as we wait for Cape Town to unfreeze – and reporting back in the the mag. In the meantime, if you want more info on where to get hold of this amazing product range, check out the button below, or the very cool insert we have running in our latest Modern Athlete Mag!



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UA Ambassador Tatjana Tells Us More!



“Every season you feel like you need to take it up a notch, which is a challenge considering that swimming is a very technical sport and requires a vigorous training regime,” says Under Armour ambassador and Olympic Champion Tatjana Schoenmaker.

“I wouldn’t be cool and calm if I knew I was skipping sessions or not giving 100%, because it’s the constancy of your training and constant ability to strengthen your mental muscle that helps you stay on course. Also, having the right training gear is crucial and can have a major influence on your performance. The UA Iso-Chill gear keeps me cool when training, helping me boost my training performance.”

What Do You Need in a SmartWatch?

Roxanne MartinNews, Win3 Comments on What Do You Need in a SmartWatch?

We are in research mode and want to know what you are looking for in a smart watch. To help us collect this data, we need you to answer a few questions in the form below. We know ‘time is money,’ so to provide some incentive, we have two prizes up for grabs, a HUAWEI nova 9 SE phone valued at R7999, and a HUAWEI nova Y70 Plus phone valued at R5799 up for grabs. You an put yourself in the running to win one of these prizes by putting your virtual pen to paper and completing the form below.

Under Armour ISO-CHILL is as Cold as Ice!

Roxanne MartinNewsLeave a Comment on Under Armour ISO-CHILL is as Cold as Ice!
Under Armour Iso-Chill makes you feel cooler so you can work longer. 
 
Under Armour has unveiled its Iso-Chillmicrofibre technology, this game changing technology made its debut in late 2019 as a replacement for CoolSwitch a crystal technology which sent a cooling sensation back to the body once the garment tissue was activated by sweat. The key difference between Iso-Chill and CoolSwitch is the introduction of the natural element Titanium Dioxide, which unlike its predecessor, expels heat immediately from the body when touched. 

Let’s Talk Fabric 

By flattening out the fibres within their garments and adding Titanium Dioxide*, the natural element, Under Armour has released a garment within Train and Run which quickly pulls heat away from the skin – allowing the human body to continue for an extended period, at maximum capacity. The specially designed fibres lay flat against your skin to evenly disperse heat, literally providing a cooling sensation to the touch. 

Optimum Performance

As top competitors will know, it can take a minute variant to give you a competitive edge, to create the podium finish, to define who wins and who comes in second. Under Armour added Titanium Dioxide to its ISO-CHILLCollection to absorb UV energy and quickly move heat away from the body. The exclusion of this concentrated heat allows the athlete to increase the max-out time and increase output in any hot, high pressure situation.  

Garments are available in both the run and train category in Under Armour Brand House stores nationwide as well as online at www.underarmour.co.za

Ed’s World Champs Blog: Early Ups and Downs – Brought to you by PUMA

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It’s been a mixed bag of results for South African athletes in the first three days of the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon in the USA, which began on Friday 15 July. In fact, just getting to the World Champs has been an achievement! – BY SEAN FALCONER

Up until a few days ago, there were still literally hundreds of athletes, officials and members of the media from various countries waiting to hear if they would be able to go to the World Champs in the USA. The problem was not that they hadn’t qualified, or didn’t have the right World Athletics accreditation, it was because of a severe, worldwide backlog in the US State Department’s visa application process. As a result, some athletes only received clearance to travel a couple of days before the World Champs began, while others were simply denied outright when applying for an appointment to apply for a visa.

This affected a number of the SA contingent, some of who simply didn’t get to the USA, and some who did eventually get to Eugene at the proverbial ‘lastminute.com’ will have had far from ideal preparation for a World Champs meet, due to the stress, late travel plans, and jetlag. After all, they are crossing nine time zones in order to compete on the West Coast of the USA!

I’m sure we will hear more about that in coming weeks as the dust settles (or gets stirred up again), but for now, we focus on the action on the track and in the jumps and throws on the infield. South Africa has sent some genuine medal contenders to Eugene, as well as some youngsters who will get a first taste of a World Champs environment, which will definitely stand them in good stead in years to come. I am a firm believer in ‘blooding’ young athletes at the top level, if the country expects them to perform at that level in years to come.

Disclaimer: On a related note, the report below talks about athletes being eliminated in qualifying rounds. That is just how the results are listed and reported in athletics, but I cannot stress it strongly enough that this should never detract from an athlete’s achievement in qualifying for the World Champs. The focus should be on the fact that our athletes made it to the World Champs in their chosen event, putting them amongst the top 50 or 100 athletes in the world in that event. So even a first round elimination is still one hell of an achievement, even if the news reports make it sound like a failure. Because it definitely is not a failure!

Day 1…

Anyway, let’s talk results. The first day of competition started disappointingly for team SA, with elimination in the qualifying rounds for men’s long jumpers Ruswahl Samaai (8th in his heat with a best jump of 7.86m), Jovan van Vuuren (11th with 7.79m) and Cheswill Johnson (no legal mark recorded), as well as for women’s shot putter Ischke Senekal (15th with a best of 15.40m). Two of our sprinters, Gift Leotlela (5th in 10.19 seconds) and Clarence Munyai (7th in 10.47) were also eliminated in the first-round heats of the men’s 100m, but Akani Simbine scraped through with a 10.07 fourth place in his heat to go through as one of the non-automatic fastest qualifiers.

In the men’s 20km race walk, veteran Wayne Snyman once again showed that experience can trump youth by finishing a solid 12th in 1:21:23. At 37 years of age, he appears as hungry to compete as he in in his younger years, and having finished second in the recent African Champs in Mauritius, he was once again the second African athlete over the line in Eugene.

Day 2…

Saturday’s competition started with Antonio Alkana running in the fifth heat of the men’s 100m hurdles, but his 13.64 finish and fifth place was unfortunately not good enough to take him to the semi-final round. Carina Horn finished fourth in her first-round heat of the women’s 100m, clocking 11.29, and was also eliminated. Also out went Ryan Mphahlele, having finished 12th in his 1500m qualifying heat with a 3:39.17 finish. With all three of these athletes, their elimination belies the fact that they were only just outside the times needed to go further.

More positive news came in the men’s 400m hurdles, where Sokwakhana Zazini ran 50.09 to finish fifth in the second heat and made it through to the semi-final round as a fastest qualifier. And in the women’s 10,000m, Dominique Scott-Efurd ran a solid 31:40.73 to finish 17th, but commented on social media after her run that she was disappointed with her time. The highlight of the day, however, was Akani Simbine’s 9.97 in the first semi-final of the men’s 100m. It was a season best for him and put him into the final, due to be run just under two hours later. Akani thus went into another global final as one of the favourites, but had to settle for fifth place with a 10.01 time, and will no doubt be very frustrated by once again getting so close to a medal on the world stage.

Day 3…

The third day of competition started early with the men’s marathon, with two South Africans in the race. Melikhaya Frans came into the event with a personal best (PB) of 2:11:28, run in the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon last year, and he proceeded to smash more than two minutes off that mark with a 2:09:24 to finish 18th in Eugene. The other South African in the race was Tumelo Motlagale, who came home 52nd in 2:20:21, having been up with the leaders in the early stages of the race. He ran his PB of 2:11:15 as recently as May in the SA Champs race in Durban, so perhaps his legs were not quite fully recovered yet, and the SA Champs race would be better positioned a little further ahead of a major championship event next time.

The women’s 400m qualifiers saw Miranda Coetzee clock 53.30 to finish seventh in her heat and she did not go through to the next round, while men’s discus throwers Werner Visser and Victor Hogan both finished 13th in their qualifying groups, with best distances of 58.44 and 60.51 metres respectively, and will take be part of the final. Meanwhile, Soks Zazini lined up in the third heat of the men’s 400m hurdles semi-final round and finished seventh in 45.69, thus also being eliminated.

Without a doubt, the highlight of the day for South African fans was seeing Wayde van Niekerk back to top form. In the first heat of the men’s 400m qualifiers, he shot out to an early lead and then ran conservatively in the second half of his race to win his heat in 45:18 and qualify for the next round. While he still has a long way to go to regain the form and confidence that saw him win the 2016 Olympic and 2017 World Champs titles, as well as set a World Record of 43:03 in Rio in 2016, but it is nevertheless terrific to see him racing smoothly again after a long recovery following a freak knee injury suffered during a charity touch rugby game. Joining Wayde in the semi-final round is Zakhiti Nene, who clocked 45:69 to finish third in his heat.

International Highlights…

While many events have already delivered fantastic spectacles and results, there have been a few that nevertheless stood out from the rest. Both 100m finals saw a single country record a clean sweep of the podium positions – in the men’s race, Tokyo Olympics silver medallist Fred Kerley timed his dip for the line perfectly to win in 9.86 second, followed by compatriots Marvin Bracy and Trayvon Bromell. The women’s 100m title went to Jamaica’s Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce in 10.67 seconds, to give her a record fifth 100m World Title, and she was closely trailed over the line by countrywomen Shericka Jackson and four-time Olympic sprint champion Elaine Thompson-Herah.

A thrilling women’s 10,000m final was won by Ethiopian World Record-holder Letesenbet Gidey, with a thrilling sprint that could have seen any one of four or five athletes take the title. The Ethiopian has all too often just missed out on global honours due to being out-sprinted at the end, but this time she outlasted all challengers for a deserved win in a world-leading 30:09.94, and even new personal bests by Kenyans Hellen Obiri (30:10.02) and Margaret Chelimo Kipkemboi (30:10.07) were just not enough to beat Gidey.

The men’s 10,000m saw Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei make it back-to-back 10,000m golds at the World Championships. The World Record-holder came into the meet seemingly not quite at his best, but he was still at the front end of the race when the bell rang for the last lap, and he cranked up the pace to win in a season best 27:27.43. Kenya’s Stanley Mburu took silver, in spite of falling in the first lap, and Cheptegei’s compatriot Jacob Kiplimo took bronze, while the first five men all finished within one second of each other!

Ethiopia’s Tamirat Tola won the men’s marathon in a championship record 2:05:36, having broken clear after 34km. His countryman Mosinet Geremew took the silver medal in 2:06:44, while Belgian Bashir Abdi claimed the bronze medal, to go with the bronze he won last year in the Tokyo Olympic Marathon.

The World Champs will run until Sunday 24 July, so there is still plenty of action to come!

 

The PUMA Run XX NITRO is for HER

Roxanne MartinTried & TestedLeave a Comment on The PUMA Run XX NITRO is for HER

PUMA recently sent us the women-specific Run XX NITRO to wear-test, and our Marketing Director Roxanne Martin has been putting the shoe through its paces.

First Impressions

Before taking them out the box, the Run XX NITRO tells you that it is made for women who run – the name is derived from the female double X chromosome in DNA sequencing – and in line with PUMA’s RUN FOR HER motto, the design takes a woman’s needs into account, but more on that later.

The shoe’s design catches your eye the moment you look at it. The colour is bright pink with touches of purple, making it stand out. It’s bold, and in my opinion, a good-looking shoe.

Now, whenever I try a new running shoe, I like to wear it for at least three days before I attempt any running. I find that this gives the shoe a chance to ‘soften’ a bit, allowing me to wear it in before I hit the road. Doing a couple of days of walking always helps me to get used to the shoe, and how the shoe will adapt to my running style.

Straight out of the box, the shoe was a firm fit, but after wearing it for a few days, the upper had a chance to stretch a bit, and I had a chance to get used to the way the shoe guided my foot. Naturally, the sole design of a shoe has a massive impact on this, and in the case of the Run XX NITRO, it really feels that it is designed with running in mind.

Running in the Shoe

The Run XX NITRO is marketed as a women-specific neutral cushioned shoe, so being a female runner, I was understandably excited to give it a wear-test. 

When I read up on the shoe, I found that PUMA says the following: Featuring an updated fit that hugs a woman’s foot at the heel, instep and arch, the shoe’s new, firmer NITRO midsole is the perfect balance of durability and lightweight cushioning, while RUNGUIDE promotes proper alignment and increased stability for longer distances.

The first thing I noticed was that the front of the shoe was wider than other PUMA shoes I have run in. I am always appreciative of this, as the front of my foot needs some breathing room, and this ties in with the fact that women often have wider forefeet and narrower heels than men. With the wider fit upfront, my foot can hit the ground more evenly, making my running feel more stable. Meanwhile, the back of the shoe holds my heel nicely, while I run, especially around my ankle. Having weak ankles and a bunion by my big toes, I really appreciated these design elements, as it’s not often that a unisex shoe will cover these bases.

The second thing that I felt when running in the shoe was that my arch felt supported the entire time. Again, women-specific shoes usually have a more built-up arch, as women’s feet tend to be quite different to men’s, and I really felt the benefits of this in the Run XX NITROs. This also makes the shoe incredibly cushioned throughout your stride pattern, but with a terrific springiness that makes you feel like you are ‘springing into action,’ with just the right amount of give and take between putting your foot down on the ground and lifting it again, giving you even cushioning and smooth rebound.

Things to Consider Before Buying

Women often have wider hips than men, causing our legs to naturally pivot inwards at more of an angle, so many women will require anti-pronation shoes for running. When designing women-specific shoes, designers bear this in mind, adding more support in the arch, but keep in mind that this still a neutral shoe, so take that into consideration before buying.

The easiest way to understand what shoe will fit your running style is to have a gait analysis done. This measures how your foot hits the ground and how far it rolls inwards as you move forwards. The good news is that this does not need to be an expensive exercise, as you can simply pop into your local Totalsports, which coincidentally also stocks this shoe, for a free gait analysis with one of their Run Specialists.

Another thing to remember is that most running shoes are made to be unisex, meaning the men’s shoes are simply down-sized for women, and not specifically made for women. However, with this specific shoe, I found the fit is slightly bigger than normal, and I needed a size down from my normal choice, so I suggest you first try on the shoe to make sure you have the correct fit.

 

 

Would I Buy this Shoe?

After running in the shoe, my answer is a definite yes! Thanks to the women-specific features and tech built into the design, I think PUMA has done its homework well to come up with a shoe that really addresses the needs of female runners, and I really enjoyed running in them. If you want to check the Run XX NITRO out, you’ll find them at your nearest PUMA stockists, selling at a recommended price of R3199.



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Road to Comrades with Dylan Rogers

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Dylan Rogers is a sports journalist with Johannesburg radio station HOT 102.7FM and part of the Big Joburg Drive Show, which you can catch 3pm to 6pm Monday to Friday on either 102.7FM or streaming on hot1027.co.za. He’ll be running his first Comrades Marathon in August, after accepting a dare from a friend, who has pledged to donate R500 to charity for every kilometre of Comrades that Dylan is able to complete. This is Dylan’s blog of his journey to the Comrades.

A pretty good week or so, with a couple of milestones. Firstly, it doesn’t matter how old you are, getting new shoes is always a little exciting and brings out the child in every one of us. I’m no different, even at the age of 47! Fortunately, some of my running mates told me that I shouldn’t go anywhere but Randburg Runner in Linden, and they were right. Nick at the store clearly ‘knows his onions,’ and I walked away with this pair of Brooks that I hope will get me to the finish line in Durban. More importantly, Nick gave me the sense of comfort that they will.

The next thing, of course, was putting them to the test. I happened to have an eight-kilometre time trial on my programme the following morning, and since I hadn’t done one in a while, I was curious to see what I could produce – with the new shoes, of course, as well. Anyway, I was pretty chuffed with breaking 25 minutes (24:40) for the 5k and 40 minutes (39:18) for the 8k for the first time, so the speed is looking good – it’s just the strength and endurance that needs constant attention between now and the start line.

Speaking of that, I followed that time trial up with a session at iMude Sport and Wellness in Parkmore, where Riaan has been panel-beating me over the past few months and getting my over-rotated pelvis into line, so the legs were a little stiff the day after. I shook that out with an easy run the day after and then a bit of mileage over the weekend – 19km (two hours) on Saturday and 30km (3:20) on Sunday.

There’s no doubt that this Comrades training thing is a big commitment, and not just from the runner’s perspective. My wife has had to shoulder the bulk of the responsibility with the kids whilst I’ve been out on the weekends, clocking up the hours and miles, and it hasn’t gone unnoticed. Still, I’ve tried to fit in the weekend runs around my family, so there I was, running to the Country Club to meet them on the Saturday, and then running to my in-laws’ place at Blair Atholl, just past Lanseria Airport, on the Sunday – the latter requiring my wife dropping me at the bottom of Peter Place in Bryanston and seeing me nearly three-and-a-half hours later, once I’d navigated William Nicol, Fourways, Malibongwe etc!

The Epsom Salts bath after that was a bit of a treat. Was also good to do a couple of ‘warm’ runs, as this winter training thing largely sees me out early, in the Jo’burg cold, which is not how I’m going to be spending my 28 August. I suspect it’ll be a bit warmer than that! Anyway, more mileage again this week, before the big RAC Long Run on 24 July. Eek!