Ryan Sandes is for South African Trail Running like Siya Kolisi is for South African Rugby: an icon whos name will stand the test of time, not only for the incredible results and personal success that he has achieved but for the lasting and transformative impact that he has had on the sport as a whole. 16 years ago a young Ryan Sandes, who was completing his honours degree at the time, signed up to run the Kysna Marathon. Where he'd usually be in attendance of the Annual Oyster Festival, him...

Every runner who's been at it for a few weeks or more will know the magical feeling of "getting better at it". Running feels like hard work at first, but once you get into a groove, start building fitness and stamina, you soon find yourself reaching for more; more mileage and better times. In this episode of Making HER Runner we're talking to her, who is maybe a little afraid to push the boundaries on what's possible. Our guest today, Andriana Cronje, aka Andy, helps us approach fear and...

Often times as much as we'd like to, "normal runners" just can't relate to the well-meaning advice given by professional and elite athletes. That's why this episode with Carla Molinaro is such a refreshing one. Carla is a highly decorated professional runner, having placed 3rd in both TTOM and Comrades Marathon earlier this year, plus she's been selected to represent Great Britain in the upcoming 50km World Championships - but however decorated, Carla's approach to running is to keep things...

In this finale episode of The Sanlam Cape Town Limited Series, we chat to Durban Adidas Runners Captain, Jody Taylor and it couldn't have been a more fitting way to wrap up the build up to this big day... During our conversation we were reminded of the simple reasons that we love running; the friendships, the community, the coffee and the viiiibes! But this is more than a chin wag and a bit of friendly banter, more importantly, Jodie reminds us that together we can conquer any goal and any...

In this episode we're joined by an exceptionally talented runner, Dom Scott. With her impressive resume that includes: multiple NCAA championships, representing South Africa at two Olympics, and participating in the world major marathons elite field, Dom's journey as a professional athlete is nothing short of inspiring. We take a deep dive into the challenges and sacrifices Dom has faced in her running career, from the "pressure to perform on a single day" to the emotional toll it can take....

Gear up for the ultimate weekend festival of Trail Running at the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon! In this episode we chat to trail legend and defending title holder of the Trail Marathon, Kane Reilly, to provide you with all you need to know to tackle the 46km, 22km, or 11km routes. Kane has conquered some of the most challenging trails around the world. In this episode we take an inside look at some of those adventures from Mt. Blanc to World Trail Champs plus Otter Trail which keeps him coming...

They say that once you retire it's important to find hobbies that will keep you busy, challenge you both mentally and physically and ones that will keep you involved in your community. Now, marathon running may not be the popular choice but it certainly ticks all of those boxes and then some... When Harry Botha joined his local running club at 66, having retired to the coast and eager to get involved in the pass times of his new community, little did he know that he was taking the first...

This episode kicks of our latest limited series covering The Sanlam Cape Town Marathon. We unpack training, preparation and race day strategies from 3 different perspectives: The marathon newbieThe personal best hopefuland the injured athlete... Coming up within the limited series: What's up with all the Abbott's Marathon Majors stuff?A discussion about the trail running festival with some big names in trail...Route profile and your race strategy.Fuelling for a marathon.Mental preparation...

Often when speaking to elite athletes, it's hard for us average Joe's to relate, but here's someone who not only gets it but is leading the race in both her running and professional career too. In this episode of MAR we chat to Kyla Jacobs, an elite athlete specialising in the middle distances (5000m, 10km), who is set to represent SA in the World 5km Road Championships later this year. You'd think that by representing her country she'd be a full-time athlete whose schedule looks like:...

This weeks episode of Making HER Runner is a follow up on last weeks conversation with Julie, where we take a deep dive into training, hormones. and stress for the female runner. In our conversation we cover: major lifetime hormonal changes including: menopause, our perimenopausal years and an overview of running and pregnancy."Oestrogen is where it's at!" says Julie." A look into oestrogen and the vital role it plays in our body composition, quality of life, and ability to train and...

Running injuries are inevitable, that's the unfortunate reality of taking running seriously, setting and working towards goals. There are going to be set-backs and there are going to be periods of dis-ease but they don't have to knock you back to square one. In this conversation with physiotherapist, Julie Rawdon, who has a special interest in biomechanics, we take a look at running injuries from a holistic perspective. We discuss: understanding why injuries happen.how to anticipate and be...

If you have ever struggled to stick to a training plan because of your period, this episode is for you! It's true what they say "women can do anything that men can do; while bleeding too", nothing epitomises that statement more than the viral photograph of Emma Pallant-Browne, captured during the run leg of a Triathlon with period blood visible on her Trisuit. Of course she could've selected another photograph to share or even cropped out the "incriminating" area, but why would she when "its...

Meet Adrian Wildschutt, the name that's redefining the landscape of South African running! At just 25, he's not just the future; he's making his mark RIGHT NOW. 🥇🔥 Adrian grew up in Ceres, Western Cape, SA and set sails for the US soon after completing his schooling. The hard-working, academically focused talent, received a bursary to Coastal Carolina University to train under Zola Budd while pursuing his MBA degree. Since then he has been working his way up the rankings of the competitive...

On this episode of Making HER Runner we chat to Dietician and competitive Triathlete, Mariella Sawyer and explore the basics of fuelling the female runner. It's not atypical for women to have complex relationships with food and when many women's first experience with running is for weight-loss, it can seem impossible to fuel and achieve your goals simultaneously. In this "real-talk" style conversation, we touch on the most common struggles that women encounter. We discuss: female physiology...

On the 11th of June 2023 the annual Comrades Marathon, South Africa's oldest ultra-endurance event, was stunned by a performance for the ages by an unknown Dutch runner - Piet Wiersma. The 25-year-old racing his Novice Comrades, as an unsponsored athlete, completed the 88km race in a staggering time of 5 hours and 14 minutes (over 4 minutes faster than the previous record) in what was an iconic battle for the win between himself, raining 'down-run' champion and race day favourite, Tete...

Welcome to a brand new segment of Making a Runner where we shine the light on the female running experience. For these episodes of Making HER Runner (MHR) we call our producer, Leah Acampora (@hello_leahg), into studio for a Woman’s perspective and together with coaches, athletes, health professionals and subject matter experts, we tackle the unique challenges that women face along their running journeys. From navigating running during pregnancy and postpartum to learning how to train in...

On this episode of Making A Runner, we take a look into the experience of a person LIVING with Diabetes & choosing to run! When Jono Le Roux was (surprisingly) diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at age 27, it prompted him to challenge the stigmas generally associated with this community. Whereas most people may be stricken with fear and choose to go about life more conservatively, Jono was determined that he would not allow Diabetes to dictate his life's decisions. At the time Jono was...

On this episode of MAR we chat to Mike Wardian and take a brief look into his adventure-filled running journey (thus far). As for running, the man is a "Jack-of-all-trades" and even a master of some, holding numerous former records including: US championship titles in the 50km and 100km distance, fastest marathon run on a treadmill, and fastest marathon completed in an Elvis Presley costume. He is also well-known for participating in a vast number of events that may be deemed "crazy" or even...

In this episode of Making A Runner, we dive into the complex world of fatigue & recovery. Our guest, Ant Clark, a Sports Scientist currently completing his PhD studies in fatigue, shares insights into the key principles of training, emphasising the important balance that needs to be maintained between stressing the body and recovering optimally in the pursuit of fitness and performance progression. We discus the various techniques and modalities available to us today taking into...

This episode of Making a Runner is one for the people by the people; we take a special look into the Comrades Marathon Expo and gain insights from the conversations had with various runners ranging from elite-level to every day enthusiasts, from the Green Numbered Comrades Veterans, who describe it as a 'drug' that hooks you for life, to the brave novices who admit to feeling nervous and excited about taking on the Ultimate Human Race for the first time. The voices you'll hear are a...

In this episode, we dive into the extraordinary journey of Michael Baker on the Drakensberg Grand Traverse (DGT). Michael, a runner, adventurer, and coach, shares his background and how he found his purpose in endurance sports. We explore his love for trail running, the allure of pushing boundaries, and the mental and physical challenges he embraces. The DGT, a self-supported and solo endeavor, poses immense obstacles, demanding self-reliance, mental fortitude, and exceptional navigational...

If you're going to be taking Comrades Marathon race-day advice from anyone, Gerda Steyn's advice comes with winning odds! Our guest today requires no introduction, but in case you've missed her epic rise to running stardom, Gerda Steyn is the 2019 Comrades Marathon up-run Ladies Winner - the race where she broke the ladies course record and became the first woman in history to run under 6 hours in a finish time of 5:58:53. She also recently conquered the down run in 2023, breaking the long...

We're all familiar with the old adage "life begins at 40", but no one is a better example of this than Geoffrey Crow, better known on Instagram as @lets_run_faster. Going into his 40's Geoffrey made a promise to himself that he'd enter the next decade of his life as the fittest & best version of himself. Having always had a fondness for running he decided to go "all-in" with his training and started documenting the process on Instagram - he couldn't have predicted that just little more...

It takes more than pure talent to make a Comrades Gold Medalist. Going on almost 30 years now, the Maxed Elite Team (first established as the Mr Price Sport Running Club in 1995) has become synonymous with winning Gold Medals at the Comrades Marathon - a title reserved for the top 10 male & female finishers each year. But how are these athletes afforded the opportunity to train, race and make a living from their passion? In this episode we hear from the Maxed Elite Team Manager, Martin...

If you ever imagined a life travelling the world, then running may be the way to make it happen - or at least that's how it happened for retired Chief Running Officer of RunnersWorld Magazine, Mr Bart Yasso. He is one of few people to have run a marathon on every continent. He has racked up an impressive amount of kilometres, or miles we should say, and played a fundamental role in the running movement that took the world by storm in the 70's, 80's & 90's - the running world that we get...