With two more wins in the 2023 SPAR Grand Prix Series in Durban and Mbombela, two-time defending series champion Tadu Nare is well on course to make it three series wins in a row.
Author: Tanika Laskey
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Durban Dazzles Again
The Absa RUN YOUR CITY DURBAN 10K has already produced the fastest time ever run on South African soil, and this year’s frontrunners delivered another scintillating race. – By Sean Falconer and Jacky McClean
From Netballer to Track Star: Miranda Coetzee’s Remarkable Journey to World Championships
Just four years ago, Miranda Coetzee could never have wrapped her head around the fact that she’d be an international track athlete.
It was only in 2019 that the former netballer decided to take athletics seriously and started training in earnest. Since then, Coetzee has been lowering her personal best times with regularity and is now on the cusp of competing at her second World Athletics Championships.
“To be honest, I never thought that I would make the national team or I would be going to world champs and all that, so I’m very happy with where I am right now,” she admitted.
The PUMA athlete made a statement earlier this year by claiming a 200-400m double at the South African Championships in Potchefstroom – both in personal best times. Since then she’s dipped under the 51-second mark over 400m for the first time this June in Spain. The 25-year-old reckons racing in Europe over the last few months has been an excellent learning experience.
“One thing that I never did before was analysing my races, so having a lot of races in Europe actually helps you see the mistakes that you made in previous races and you’re able to correct them in the next race,” she explained.
“Also being able to compete with people that I will be competing with at world champs gave me a heads up to see where I am. I’m also happy that my times improved a lot.”
Coetzee made her World Championships debut in Oregon last year where she finished 41st overall in the 400m heats after running a time of 53.30. She’ll certainly be looking to improve on that when this year’s championships kick off on Saturday in Budapest.
“Last year I was actually new to everything so everything was a learning experience for me. I was a bit scared, and I wasn’t strong mentally. I’ve learnt to be strong and take each race or competition as it comes, I believe in myself more than I did last year, so I really hope I make a difference this year.”
The World Athletics Championships take place in Budapest from 19-27 August with the women’s 400m heats set to be contested on Sunday morning.
Surfing on Clouds
Putting On Cloud’s new Cloudsurfer to the test proved a most enjoyable experience, as these shoes lived up to their name, making me feel like I was running on clouds. – By Richard Laskey
An Awesome ASICS Trio
The Kayano, Nimbus and Cumulus have been best-sellers on the SA market for nearly three decades. Now ASICS has set out to reinvent not just these shoes, but established shoe design. – by Sean Falconer
Tales of a First-time Comrades Second
Being entrusted with the job of keeping two novice Comrades runners hydrated and motivated resulted in an epic day and a chance to experience the race in a completely different way. – By Catherine Dixon (with Janine Nortje)
The Good, The Bad and the Ugly
The 2023 Comrades Marathon will live long in the memory… unfortunately, for both good and bad reasons. Sadly, we also saw the ugly side of the running community come to the fore. – Opinions by Sean Falconer
Ain’t No Hurdle High Enough
The women’s 100m hurdles is fast becoming one of the most highly anticipated events on the SA athletics scene, thanks to a new crop of young hurdlers coming to the fore. – By Wilhelm De Swardt with Sean Falconer
A Marathon a Day…
Between September 2019 and July 2021, Rupert van Vuuren averaged a marathon a day for 658 consecutive days, in a remarkable running challenge that saw him cover some 28,000 kilometres as he ran for a cause close to his heart. Of course, he had to overcome numerous challenges along the way, from coping with injuries and exhaustion, and replacing multiple pairs of shoes, to rushing around to join club runs and balancing running with work and time with the family. And even though he didn’t get to his target of 1000 consecutive marathon, this story is well worth the read. – By Sean Falconer
Ask Yourself Why… We Have So Many Marathons?
There are a myriad of why’s that can be asked in athletics, so this month, let’s delve into why South African running clubs organise so many marathons, and why are they often tightly packed on the race calendar? – By Norrie Williamson
