Innholdsfortegnelse for Jan/Feb 2025 i Runner's World South Africa

Mike F, Editor “Short and fast. Perhaps this is the year I can set a new PB in the 5km!” Alana M, Creative Director I’m hoping to do the Transgrancanaria Advanced 82km trail run in February. It’s one from my bucket list! Ryan S, Gear Ed “To return to Patagonia at the southern end of South America, to run the trails under the towering Torres Del Paine.” Dave B, Chief Sub “It’s boring, but my goal for 2025 is consistency. I want running to become a habit again – three times a week, rain or shine, without agonising about it.” Kim W, RW Digital “To work on my speed. And run a fast half marathon!” Paul G, Sales “To run the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon in October, and qualify for…

Roasted Vegetab le Salad Serves 4 Prep time: 35 mins INGREDIENTS 450g brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved3 tbsp olive oil¼ tsp paprika2 medium sweet potatoes, cut lengthways into 2.5cm wedges, then halved horizontally (if the potatoes are long, cut into thirds)1 tbsp maple syrup (or honey)1 tsp sriracha70g tahini, stirred3 tbsp fresh lemon juice150g baby spinach and rocket120g lentils, cooked60g goat’s cheese, crumbled2 tbsp sunflower seeds, toasted2 tbsp pumpkin seeds, toasted How to make it 1/ Heat the oven to 220°C. On a large baking tray, toss the brussels sprouts with 1 tbsp oil, paprika and ¼ tsp each of salt and pepper; arrange cut sides down. On another baking tray, toss the sweet potatoes with 1 tbsp oil and ¼ tsp each salt and pepper; spread in an even…

Boost Your Brain Chemicals Listen to music you love. “The brain responds to music it enjoys with a powerful adrenaline, dopamine and endorphin rush, all of which energise effort and alleviate pain,” says health psychologist Kelly McGonigal. If you don’t like to run with music, listen before you go out. Just Add Water Run by a river, canal, lake or ocean. The Mappiness study found that people were consistently and substantially happier when they were outdoors in natural environments. But aquatic and coastal environments topped the bill. Other research suggests that people tend to exercise for longer in the presence of water. Find Your Tribe Numerous studies have found that exercise adherence (key to getting its myriad mental and physical benefits) is better when people work out together. But research…

After winning the 1968 Boston Marathon, Amby Burfoot became a running journalist and author of multiple running books. Editor of RW in the US from 1985 until the early 2000s and one of the longest-standing and most insightful observers of the running world, he witnessed the first two global running booms up close, and believes we’re now riding the wave of a third. Here, he connects the past to the present… Sixty years ago, when I began running road races, there was a lot I didn’t know. I didn’t know anything about sports drinks, GPS, Strava, backyard ultras, sub-2:00 marathons, and a whole lot more. Super foams with carbon plates inside thick midsoles? I didn’t even know what a midsole was. We all ran in skinny racing flats with a hard rubber…

THE ROUTES Day 1 of the Oxpecker Trail Run takes runners up and around Spioenkop, the scene of the infamous Second Boer War battle between the British and the Boers. The first day’s route includes pristine singletrack trails, views of Spioenkop Dam, and a track through a small nature reserve, where inquisitive giraffes move closer to the trails to inspect the huffing and puffing. Other route highlights include a riverside finish along the aptly named ‘Garden of Eden’ trail, and Day 2’s scenic farmland trails, which combine perfectly with rugged bushveld singletrack descents. A final treat for adventurous runners is crossing the Tugela River on the short floating bridge – when the weather is warm, as it usually is, diving into the cool water is actively encouraged. THE EXPERIENCE Runners are…

THERE’S YET MORE EVIDENCE FOR THE SQUAT as a runner’s number-one injury-preventing exercise. A new study* found that ‘the squat and its variants “can provide numerous benefits including positively affecting performance and injury prevention”. Squats are a classic compound exercise, meaning they challenge multiple muscle groups simultaneously. In the case of squats, you’re working your lower back, glutes, quadriceps, hamstrings and calves. Moreover, the exercise can improve running economy – the amount of oxygen you use at a given pace. An older study found that eight weeks of squat training three times a week led to a 5% improvement in running economy. Here are three types worth trying: HALF SQUAT Why/ A 2008 study found these improved running economy and time to exhaustion. How/ Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.…

Road running in South Africa has a new buzz about it, thanks to the phenomenal 2024 season so resoundingly delivered by Glenrose 'SuperCharge' Xaba. Xaba has bagged an impressive number of records recently – including the fastest women’s marathon ever in SA – and still has at least a couple of future goals in her sights: the 10km track and half-marathon records. But thanks to her humble background, the achievement she’s most proud of is that she was able to return some of the love she was shown by her grandmother, by using some of her winnings to repair her grandmother’s house. For this versatile runner – trained by Caster Semenya and mentored by Violet Semenya, and hungry for distance-running success on the world stage – the future looks like…

5 minutes According to Siebers, endocannabinoids (eCBs) will start to be released after a few minutes of running. The release of eCBs stimulates a dopamine boost. 10 minutes Increases in cortisol occur, providing intensity meets a threshold of 70% to 75% max heart rate. 20 minutes You’ve got feeling better afterwards in the bank: research has shown that the analgesic effect (increased pain tolerance) of exercise lasted for 50 mins after a 20-min workout. 30 minutes Oxytocin levels are elevated after about 10 mins, but research found that within a 60-min run, levels of the feel-good chemical peaked after 30 mins. 35 minutes Levels of feel-good serotonin increase, but research found the increase was significantly greater with exercise at 85% of max heart rate. 2 hours A study of runners…

STAGE 1 ■ Build up to 30 minutes of non-stop walking STAGE 2 ■ Walk 4 minutes/run 1 minute ■ Repeat sequence 4 more times for a total of 5 times ■ End with 4 minutes of walking Total workout time: 29 minutes, 5 of which are running STAGE 3 ■ Walk 4 minutes/run 2 minutes ■ Repeat sequence 4 more times for a total of 5 times ■ End with 3 minutes of walking Total workout time: 33 minutes, 10 of which are running STAGE 4 ■ Walk 3 minutes/run 3 minutes ■ Repeat sequence 4 times for a ■ total of 5 times ■ End with 3 minutes of walking Total workout time: 33 minutes, 15 of which are running STAGE 5 ■ Walk 2:30 minutes/run 5 minutes…

It was at the Mandeville Club time trial in Bez Valley, Johannesburg, that I first realised I was becoming a runner. My running then was coupled to a fascination with triathlon, and my introduction to Joe – the club triathlete, and an Adonis of a man who embodied everything I wanted to be in my early twenties. The weekly 8km time trial was a chance for me and my two younger brothers to pit ourselves against Joe and the rest of the running club. And as time went by, and our times and finishing positions improved, we found ourselves actually training for the time trial. I still loved every minute of the journey. And I began to immerse myself in the culture of the runners around me… My brother Simon…

A BIG NEW REPORT offers some reassurance to plant-based runners worried about their bone health*. It involved more than 70 000 postmenopausal women – a particularly susceptible group. Researchers found that “long-term adherence to a plant-based diet (characterised by higher consumption of plant foods and lower or no intake of animal foods) was not associated with the risk of hip fracture”. The quality of the diet made a difference, however. The healthy plant diet – this was not a strict vegan diet, but included some eggs and dairy – decreased hip fractures by 21% and the unhealthy plant diet increased fractures by 28%. Researchers concluded that a plant-based diet is sufficient to maintain strong bone health, but you’d be well advised to focus on the healthier side of plant-based eating…

This year alone, the hashtag #RunTok has clocked up more than 68 million posts on TikTok, while videos about running have amassed 655 million views on the same platform. On the online dating app Tinder, meanwhile, ‘running’ has become one of the top profile interests. This has led Tinder to partner with the coaching app Runna to create SoleMates Run Clubs to bring young adults together for speed dating in every sense. Strava data also supports the idea that running is becoming increasingly popular with younger people, with women and girls under 25 the fastest-growing demographic on the platform. And the reasons why young people are running are interesting, too. According to Strava’s recent global survey, Gen Z is 31% less likely to work out primarily for physical health, compared…

Presented by available at bash.com ARE STABILITY SHOES STILL A THING? Answer: They are… but long gone are the days of clunky, rigid stability running shoes. Today’s stability shoes have completely new designs and cushioning materials compared to what they were pre-2020. In a way, most shoes now are stability shoes; their goal is to add extra support for overpronators and runners with flat feet or low arches, to help them feel more comfortable as they run, while reducing the chance of an injury. Asics Gel Kayano 31 is a good example. WHAT DOES HEEL-TO-TOE DROP MEAN, AND WHAT’S BEST FOR ME? Heel drop is defined as the difference in stack height (the distance your foot is from the ground) of the midsole between the heel and the toe of…