Category: News

The IGNITE DISC & evoSPEED DISC Spike mark the 25th anniversary of the PUMA DISC laceless closure system, and the world's fastest man, Usain Bolt, will be running in them this year at the Rio Olympics.

Twenty-five years ago PUMA first introduced the DISC System into its range of running shoes, a revolutionary laceless closure system that allowed athletes to tighten the upper for an easy, custom fit by simply turning the DISC dial, which tightened the internal wire system.

The system proved highly popular High, even with top level track & field athletes such as Colin Jackson, who wore the DISC spike when he won gold in the 110m hurdles at the 1993 Word Champs in Stuttgart, while German long jump legend Heike Drechsler wore the DISC spike to propel her to the top step of the podium at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona.

This year, as PUMA celebrates 25 years of DISC innovation, the company took the original DISC design and made it lighter and sleeker. It’s quicker to turn, faster to tighten, and features smooth, durable steel wires to conform to the foot. As Kohei Hagio, PUMA Senior Head of Product Line Management for Running & Training Footwear, says, “At PUMA we strive to push the boundaries of innovation in all of our products. It’s a never-ending pursuit to be Forever Faster in everything we do. The DISC System technology is a representation of this commitment and desire.”

PUMA’s current roster of track & field athletes will wear the new DISC, including Asafa Powell, Andre de Grasse and Jenna Prandini, and, of course, the world’s fastest man, Usain Bolt, who says, “I’m all about speed and the evoSPEED DISC Spike gives the most comfortable fit in the quickest time. Whether on track or during training, every second is important, so I’m very pleased that with just a quick turn of the DISC, the spike is secure, comfortable and ready to run.”

These athletes need lightweight footwear that’s easy and comfortable to wear, and creates a customised fit. The IGNITE DISC trainer and evoSPEED DISC Spike deliver all of these and more.

The IGNITE DISC trainer ensures a quick and secure fit, allowing runners to just put on their shoes and go. The upper is comprised of comfort foam that conforms to the foot shape while a breathable net mesh hugs the foot adding maximum comfort and contributing to the lightweight feel of the shoe. Thanks to its IGNITE Foam midsole, the IGNITE DISC offers superior energy return with an exceptional cushioning material that disperses impact. It’s a unique PU foam formula that offers high rebound and fantastic comfort, with midsole chevron grooves that are design to compress during landing and rebound to provide energy return. ForEverFoam is integrated in the heel to provide durability for long-lasting performance. On the outsole, guidance grooves run from the heel to the toe to mimic the natural gait pattern for a smooth ride. Forefoot Flex Grooves allow for a smooth transition and toe-off.

The evoSPEED DISC Spike is designed for the world’s fastest athletes on the track. Like the flat version, it offers a secure and fast fit with PUMA’s updated, innovative fast closing system. It wraps and secures the foot onto the platform within a split-second. For ultimate traction and propulsion, it features an aggressive full length Pebax Sprint Plate with 8 spikes. Top-of-the-line, soft, aerodynamic Clarino® synthetic upper hugs the foot and locks the foot onto the plate for superb upper support.

The IGNITE DISC will be retailing for R1 999 from 14 April at PUMA stores and selected retailers nationwide. The evoSPEED DISC Spike will be available at PUMA stores only for R2 599.

2016 is shaping up to be a big sponsorship year for MiWay Insurance with the announcement of its second sponsorship deal this year. MiWay has been announced as the title sponsor of the 40th Wally Hayward Marathon, taking place at Hoërskool Zwartkop in Centurion on 2 May 2016. Earlier this year, MiWay and B-Active Sports announced their three year partnership of the ULTRA Triathlon Series, which kicks off on 6 March in KZN.

As Head of Marketing and Brand at MiWay, Nthabiseng Moloi, says, “We are delighted to be partnering with the Wally Hayward Marathon. This is part of our ongoing quest to support home-grown events that give athletes the freedom to showcase their talent and improve their performance, in order to compete in other iconic events.”

The 40th Wally Hayward Marathon comprises a marathon, half marathon and 10km road race, and a variety of fun runs. It will once again be held in honour of one of South Africa’s greatest long distance runners. Wally Hayward’s exceptional running career spanned six decades. He represented South Africa at the 1938 British Empire Games (forerunner of the Commonwealth Games), winning a bronze medal in the 6-mile race, and then at the 1952 Helsinki Olympic Games, but is best remembered for his remarkable achievements in the Comrades Marathon, which he won five times, and ran again at the ages of 79 and 80 in the late 80s.

The event caters for the whole family with fun activities planned for kids, and Francois Jordaan, Chairman of the presenting club, Alpha Centurion Runners and Walkers, says, “We are extremely proud, as well as excited, to be partnered with MiWay Insurance who share the same passion for service excellence and a client satisfaction as we do.”

MiWay also recently extended the membership in its ASA-registered running club, MiWay Warriors, to its clients and their friends and family at no cost. “Our increasing involvement in sports, is part of our commitment to fostering a healthy and balanced lifestyle not only for our staff, but for our clients too,” says Moloi.

Online registrations for the marathon are now open, and more race information can be found at www.wally.co.za. Comrades Marathon personnel will also be on hand to provide qualifying athletes with information.

The Modern Athlete tam was saddened to hear earlier this week that one of South Africa’s greatest female ultra-marathon runners, Riana van Niekerk, passed away on 13 February after a nine-month battle with pancreatic cancer. She was just 39 years of age.

Riana was diagnosed shortly before the 2015 Comrades Marathon, when seemingly in top racing shape having just recently posted her sixth win at the Old Mutual Om Die Dam 50km ultra two months earlier in March. She had also won this event in 2002, 2005, 2007, 2009 and 2014, which included a very fast 3:22:39 in 2007, still the seventh-fastest time for 50km by a South African woman on a legal (unaided) course.

Unfortunately, six months of chemotherapy and having parts of her gallbladder and pancreas removed could not save her, and in a poignant message to friends and family on social media just after her passing, her husband Allie wrote, “She fought like the champ she was.”

Riana finished the Comrades Marathon seven times and was a four-time gold medallist (2004, 2006, 2008 and 2011), including being first South African woman home in 2008, when she finished sixth. That same year she had been first SA woman in the Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon, finishing fifth in 3:53:09, and she earned three Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon gold medals during her accomplished career, which also featured wins in the Jackie Mekler Ultra in 2008 and the Forever Resorts Loskop Marathon 50km and City to City 50km (both in 2010).

While ultra’s were her strongest area, she also won the SA Marathon title in 2009, having finished as runner-up in 2008, and boasted a marathon PB of 2:43:00 and half marathon best of 1:15:48.

So rest in peace, Riana, you will be sorely missed in running circles, and all our thoughts are with Allie, her husband, coach, manager and chief supporter.

The memorial service for Riana will be held on Thursday 18 February at 11am at the NG Kerk Wierdapark, 275 Piet Hugo Street, Centurion.

Are you passionate about trail running and ready to join ASICS and Modern Athlete for the ultimate challenge? Then register from Friday 5 February onwards and stand the chance of winning the running trip of a lifetime to the French Alps, to be part of the 2016 ASICS Beat the Sun.

In June 2016 teams from across the world will travel to Mont Blanc in France to participate in the 2016 ASICS Beat the Sun relay. This race is unique because it is not against time, it is against nature. Teams have from the second the sun comes up until the moment it sets to make their way around Mont Blanc. That is a total of 15 hours and 41 minutes to conquer a distance of 150km, with an altitude gain of 8350m along the way.

Teams representing the different continents are made up of a unique blend of elite and amateur runners, and you have the opportunity to join the best trail runners the African continent has to offer and be part of Team Africa. Anybody may apply, no matter your running ability, age or gender.

The race is split into 13 legs with the six team members needing to complete every leg between them. This means that every athlete, whether elite or amateur, needs to run at least two legs, and one team member needs to complete three. Some legs include a bit of tarred road, but most of the event will be on trail.

Along with the experience of running with and learning from Africa's top athletes, the winner of the competition will be provided with the best ASICS trail running footwear and apparel to battle it out with the sun.

So, do you have what it takes to #ASICSRunTough? Then make sure you get your entry in! Go to http://beatthesun.asics.com, register your name and country and your name may come up for this incredible prize. Registration on the site open Friday 5 February. You can also watch videos of last year’s inaugural Beat the Sun on the site.

Western Province Athletics (WPA) has become the first athletic province to officially endorse the Modern Athlete #runclean campaign, which aims to clean up the litter problem in road running by calling on all runners to stop dropping used water sachets and other litter on the roads.

This campaign was launched in August 2015 by Modern Athlete, South Africa’s largest running publication, as the team behind the magazine has grown ever more concerned about the amount of litter being left on the roads by the running community during races. While much of this litter is cleared up by hard-working clean-up teams, some still gets left on or alongside the roads and thus ends up in the environment, especially if the wind is blowing during a race.

As the first province to pledge support for the campaign, WPA has called on all race organisers in the province, including both clubs and events companies, to include the #RunClean logo on their race flyers, and the provincial officials will work with race organisers to give extra attention to their litter management plans. The province will also be use its social media platforms to promote the campaign.

WPA has also invited race organisers to liaise directly with Modern Athlete to engage more formally to give their events coverage in the magazine and on the magazine’s digital platforms if the events support the campaign in an official capacity. Thus events will receive extra, positive publicity, which in turn could promote entries, at the same time that the environment benefits from the spreading of the anti-litter message.

“Here at Modern Athlete we have made it our mission to promote a cleaner sport and try to eradicate the litter problem in our races, by continually reminding runners to think before they throw,” says Modern Athlete Editor Sean Falconer. “We believe that every piece of plastic not dumped on the road is a step in the right direction, which will not only lead to less litter on the roads, but in the long run to less waste being produced by our sport, much of which potentially ends up in the sensitive environment or the oceans, so we ask all runners, clubs, events and athletic provinces to join our campaign and pledge to #runclean!”

A number of races have already officially signed up to the campaign, including the Vital Winelands and Red Hill Marathons in the Cape, and the Dis-Chem Half Marathon in Gauteng.

Think before you throw – #runclean

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What individual athletes can do to #runclean:

• Many runners go for long training runs without carrying any water, but suddenly in a race they cannot get through three kays without water. You don’t need to drink so much water when running, especially in shorter distances – and you really don’t need to take three sachets at each water table! So often runners take more than one sachet and toss one or more unused, or only use half the water in the sachets before throwing them away. That not only wastes precious water, but also means more waste lying in the road.

• Better idea: Carry your own water in a hydration backpack or water bottle belt, so that you don’t need to use the sachets. Some runners say it weighs them down, and thus slows them down, but trail runners seem able to run quite comfortably and quickly while carrying water, so surely road runners can also do so.

• When you do use the sachets, don’t drop them (or other refuse) in the road – always look for a bin. Come on, moving a few metres towards a bin really won’t cost you that much time.

• In fact, you don’t even need to throw the sachets away… You could carry your rubbish till you can throw it away, even if that is at the finish. Just stick the empty plastic sachets in a pocket, or in the waistband of your shorts, because carrying a few pieces of ultra lightweight plastic simply will not weigh you down that much!

• Handy hint: If your running kit does not have one, make your own pocket by sowing on your front provincial licence number with the upper edge left loose, to form a pocket in which you can carry rubbish to the next bin or the finish. Again, this will not weigh you down and cost you time.

• If you simply must drop a sachet in the road, try to at least do so within easy distance of the water tables, in demarcated litter areas, not two and a half kays up the road. That way the clean-up crew can quickly, easily and safely clean up. Remember, many of these volunteers are not runners, and they are there to support you and help you get to the finish line, not spend hours of backbreaking work walking for miles along busy roads to clean up after you! Think they will be back next year to hand you water sachets after that? Think again…

• Never toss a sachet where it cannot be seen or retrieved by the clean-up crew. Especially not into the bushes next to the road. Or into a storm water drain. Or under parked cars.

• On windy days, make doubly sure your litter is well disposed of in bins or rubbish bags so that it doesn’t get blown all over the place, thus making it even less likely that it all will be picked up by the clean-up crew.

• If you see fellow runners littering, try to diplomatically suggest a cleaner attitude going forwards, but avoid getting into an argument or confrontation.

• Even better, why don’t you volunteer to do water table duty at a local race and then help clean up the mess afterwards. That should make you think twice about tossing your sachet next time, because we doubt you will enjoy picking up a few thousand sachets. Nobody would enjoy that!

Lastly, make a point of being a cleaner runner by promoting a no littering rule, not only in your own behaviour, but also in your social media comments and interaction with fellow runners, and include #runclean in your Tweets and Facebook posts.

Think before you throw – #runclean

South African Olympian Marc Mundell broke his own African and SA record for the 50km race walk event as he clocked 3:54:12 to finish third in the Australian 50km Road Walking Championships in Melbourne on Saturday 12 December. His previous best was 3:55:32, which he set when he finished 32nd at the 2012 London Olympics.

Mundell spent the last seven weeks in Canberra at the Australian Institute of Sport, attending an international race walking training camp as he prepares for the Rio Olympics in August, as well as participating in a nutritional research study on elite walkers. This saw him training with some of the best race walkers in the world, including three time Olympic medallist Jarred Talent of Australia and 2015 World Champs bronze medallist Ben Thorne of Canada.

In the Australian 50km Road Walking Championships, Canada’s Evan Dunfee was first home in 3:43:45 to take more than six minutes off his personal best, set a new Canadian record (the previous record had stood since 1981) and qualify for the Rio Olympics, while Australian Chris Erickson successfully defended his national title by finishing second in 3:54:10 and also booked his spot for Rio. SA’s Mundell was just two seconds behind the Australian for his new PB and another Rio qualifier.

The IAAF qualifying standard for the 50km race walk is 4:03:00, and Mundell has consistently finished well under that mark in all his races since London 2012, while he officially qualified for Rio at the IAAF World Championships in Beijing in August.

Entries for the 2016 Comrades Marathon have officially closed. The Comrades Marathon Association (CMA) has announced that the entry cap of 20,000 was reached earlier this morning, necessitating the closure of the entry process.

Athletes that missed the entry cut-off will still be able to get a substitute entry during the Substitution window from 1 to 21 April 2016, if they can find an athlete that wishes to withdraw.

CMA Race Director, Rowyn James has thanked all Comrades entrants for getting their entries in on time, saying, “Our plans are that the 91st Comrades Marathon is a truly awesome experience for our athletes as well as our supporters and spectators.”

With entries closed, athletes must now officially qualify for the 2016 Comrades, with the qualification period running from 30 August 2015 till 2 May 2016, and runners are reminded that the 2015 Comrades Marathon will not be an automatic qualifier for next year’s race.

Next year’s ‘down-run’ will be run six months from now, on Sunday 29 May 2016, starting outside the Pietermaritzburg City Hall at 5:30am and finishing 12 hours later at the Sahara Kingsmead Cricket Stadium in Durban. The 91st edition of the iconic ultra-marathon is expected to once again boost the KwaZulu-Natal economy by a whopping 500-million Rand.

CMA General Manager, Chris Fisher says, “The Comrades Marathon contributes to the economic impact of the entire KwaZulu-Natal region due to the ever-increasing number of runners from the rest of Africa and internationally. This year we will be hosting athletes from some 70 countries around the world.”

Please visit www.comrades.com for more information.

At the Central Gauteng Athletics Award ceremony at Monte Casino on Saturday night (28 November 2015), Lebogang Shange was honoured with the award of Athlete of the Year in the Senior Men category.

Shange has broken four South African records, won the All African Games in the Democratic Republic of Congo, won the IAAF race walking challenge in Dudince, Slovakia and came 11th in the IAAF world Championships in Beijing this year.

The records he has set this year include:

• 3000m in 11m 20s on the track at HPC in Pretoria at an Athletics Gauteng North league meeting
• 20km on the road in Lugano Switzerland at the IAAF race walking challenge he set the record at 1h 21m 61s , and then broke his own record in August Beijing 1h 21m 43s
• 5000m on the track at Cork City Athletics meetings in Ireland 18m 66s
• 20 000m on the track in Bedford, England at the English Athletics Championship in 1h 23m 00s

Shange, who is an orphan from Orange Farm, thanked his ‘family’; Brenda Wakfer, who introduced him to walking, coached him and helped him find sponsors, his coach, Chris Brits, the team at the Tuks High Performance Centre, and his sponsor Ivan Glasenberg.

Track star and World Champion over 400m, Wayde van Niekerk pulled off a deserved clean-sweep of the main awards at the 2015 South African Sports Awards in Mangaung, Free State this past weekend.

He was named Sportsman of the Year and Sports Star of the Year, and he also walked off with the People’s Choice Award. Van Niekerk won gold in the 400-metre event at this year’s IAAF World Track and Field Championships in Beijing, China, as well as setting SA records in the 400, 300 and 200m events during the course of the year.

Cyclist Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio took the Sportswoman of the Year award after an excellent year that saw her win the road and time trial titles at the SA Championships, then win the Auensteiner-Radsporttage event in Germany, and become the first South African woman to break into the world’s top 10 ranking.

Another track star was amongst the awards was Paralympics sprinter Ilse Hayes, who took home the Sportswoman with a Disability of the Year award. The double gold medal-winner at the recent 2015 IPC Athletics World Championships also set a new World Record for 100m in her T12 class in Brazil earlier in the year. The Sportsman with a Disability Award went to Paralympic wheelchair tennis player Lucas Sithole.

The full list of winners was:

Sports Star of the Year: Wayde van Niekerk
People’s Choice Awards: Wayde van Niekerk
Steve Tshwete Lifetime Achievement Award: Rev Makhenkesi Arnold Stofile, Mohamed Margiet, Enos Mafokate, Dr Chomane Chomane
Sportsman of the Year: Wayde van Niekerk
Sportswoman of the Year: Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio
Volunteer of the Year: Nkosinathi Ngubane
Coach of the Year: Graham Hill
Sportswoman with a Disability: Ilse Hayes
Sportsman with a Disability: Lucas Sithole
Team of The Year: Springbok Sevens
Newcomer of the Year: Kagiso Rabada
Sport Journalist of the Year: Bareng-Batho Kortjaas
Photographer of the Year: Veli Nhlapo
Recreational Body of the Year: Indigo Skate Cam
Indigenous Games Star of the Year: KZN Dibeke Team
National Federation of the Year: Basketball SA
Administrator of The Year: Virginia Mabaso
School Team of the Year: St John’s College – Junior Men’s Pair
Developing School Team of the Year: Montshiwa Primary School

Cycling in South Africa continues to grow and gain popularity as a sport with more and more cyclists taking to the road and mountain bike trails every day. Some people even refer to cycling as “The new Golf – but for the whole family”. The steady increase in the number of cyclists on and off our roads demands a higher level of awareness and safety amongst cyclists and other road users.

Meet the Road Rangers
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In 2009 the Road Rangers identified the need for an organisation that is dedicated to the promotion of safety amongst cyclists in South Africa. In 2015 the Safety Initiave Road Rangers became a registered non-profitable organisation (Road Rangers) and also applied to be a socio economic contributor. The Road Rangers is a well-established organisation and all the Road Rangers who were registered at the end of 2014 form the core of the Road Rangers as we know it today.

Training, focus and dedication are all contributing factors in the success of the Road Rangers. This group of volunteers dedicate their time, energy, and very often their personal resources to the promotion of safety in sport. The Road Rangers focus specifically on providing a higher degree of safety for cyclists and these dedicated marshals have become beacons of safety on the road and during cycling events.
Road Rangers are required to undergo continuous training and development to meet the highest standards and gain in-depth knowledge of cycling rules, traffic regulations, points-man duty, traffic management and road control. The Road Rangers also play an important role in providing safe passage when motorists want to pass pelotons or face approaching pelotons crossing white lines into the oncoming lanes. Competitive cyclists are also managed in accordance with road rules as required by traffic authorities, ensuring a higher level safety for cyclists and other road users during sport events.

Road Rangers ethos and challenges
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Rain or shine, the Road Rangers are out on the road every weekend of the year where they create safety awareness, train cyclists, manage traffic, and maintain decorum by reducing confusion and aggression between cyclists and other road users.

The Road Rangers are working with a number of traffic authorities to secure more recognition which proves to be a very challenging task. 2016 looks very promising as the Road Rangers continue on their quest to create awareness, also working with Cycle Lab where proper marshalling is provided as part of the Cycle Lab cyclist training programme.
Cyclists are encouraged to join a cycling club, like Cycle Lab, where they are exposed to proper marshalling. This is especially important for non-professional or social riders who do not have regular exposure and don’t understand the process of being marshalled. “Cyclists often get impatient with marshals because they are not use to being marshalled. When faced with the unknown, cyclists tend to be abusive towards marshals – the very people who volunteer their time, energy and resources to ensure the safety of cyclists and other road users”, says Road Rangers vice chairman, Hedley Judd.
Road Rangers work closely with commissaries (CSA) during cycling events to provide quick feedback and control of the competitors, time gaps, convoys, and general public.
Road Rangers are not medics and only some of the Road Rangers are first aid qualified. In the event of an accident the Road Ranger’s first goal is to first secure the scene and then provide other assistance as best possible. Cyclists’ safety on the road is the main objective and it is important that cyclists adhere to warnings.

Get involved and support the Road Rangers
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Like most non-profitable organisations, the Road Rangers rely primarily on sponsors and private funding to accomplish their mission. One of the main challenges faced by the Road Rangers is to keep their members motivated and involved despite a lack of funding.
Income from services rendered by the Road Rangers cover the basic expenses while additional expenses like training, essential equipment and maintenance of motor cycles / quad bikes are often funded by the Road Rangers in their personal capacity.

Road Rangers are clearly visible to athletes and road users. They perform their duties all across central South Africa in high-traffic zones and at prestigious sport events every weekend of the year, regardless of weather conditions. The Road Rangers regalia make provision for sponsored branding opportunities and interested sponsors are invited to contact the Road Rangers for more information and available opportunities.

Become a Road Ranger
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You can also become a member of this élite team. The Road Rangers covers both on and off-road events and, as a motorcycle enthusiast, you will never find a better opportunity to ride in places that would otherwise be off-limits to motorbikes.
In order to become a Road Ranger you will need a road-worthy licensed motorbike, correct and current drivers license and insurance on your motorbike. Applications to become a Road Ranger can be sent directly to Craig Bezuidenhout at the Road Rangers.
All candidates are required to appear for an interview with one of the committee members in order to determine suitability and complete all the required documentation. All approved candidates will be required to undergo training on Saturdays and reach a certain level of competency before being deployed in the field.
The Road Rangers is not a bike-club and they are not out to source or gain new members as you would expect from a bike-club. Being a Road Ranger is not about being a biker, it is all about marshalling and the safety of cyclists.

“It is out of courtesy that cyclists get through safely. We can’t enforce the law, we bring people through safely.” – Craig Bezuidenhout (Road Rangers Chairman) during his interview with Eksportief at Cycle Lab, Fourways.

“Being a Road Ranger is not about being a biker, it is all about marshalling and the safety of cyclists.” – Hedley Judd (Road Rangers vice chairman) during his interview with Eksportief at Cycle Lab, Fourways.

Book the Road Rangers for your cycling event
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In order to book the Road Rangers for your event the following standard process will apply:

1. Initial contact and date reservation.
2. Formal quotation will be issued by the Road Rangers.
3. If the quotation is accepted by the organiser an invoice will be generated.
4. Once payment is received (at least 14 days prior to an event) the booking is secured.
5. Once the quotation is accepted by the organiser it is expected that the Road Rangers chair person be included in the organising team / committee.

Contact the Road Rangers:
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Website: www.roadrangers.co.za
E-mail: committee@roadrangers.co.za
Chairman: Craig Bezuidenhout (Cell: 082-952 9794)
Vice chairman: Hedley Judd
Secretary: Erika Bezuidenhout
Mountain bike coordinator and training captain: Greg Hegland
Website, forum and training captain: Edwin Smith
Event coordinator: Louis Naude