Cross-country runners train in style!

- Abigail Modra -

Zwartberg Runners’ first term of cross-country training at Hoërskool Zwartberg has gone very well, so we celebrated at the last two sessions by doing something different.

On one session, we ran a mini-relay and at the next, we did different exercises at three stations along our route. For instance, at the first station we did push-ups, then we leopard-crawled (crawled backwards) to the next station where we did Pilates or Yoga exercises. Everyone had a lot of fun.

We are going to have even more fun on Saturday, 27 September, when all of the regular cross-country runners who have been coming faithfully will be rewarded by going to the Oudtshoorn 5km Fun Challenge.

Maybe we will bring back some medals and trophies to encourage us to persevere with our training!

Speaking of Saturdays, our Saturday morning run is still on the go and for many of our runners it is the highlight of our week. It is a lot easier to run a longer run when the countryside is so beautiful and when everyone is cheering you on!

The Meiringspoort 21.1km is coming up in October and if you haven't run that distance yet but would like to try, then this is the run for you! It is easy running along the smooth, flat tar road which is mainly in shade.

There is also a 10km for those not quite ready to tackle a half marathon. Entry forms are available at the Lazy Lizard, go and get yours now and start training!

To all our faithful runners: thank you, we really appreciate your support and hope you have enjoyed your time with us so far.

Zwartberg Runners Spring Relay

-Abigail Modra -

We had the noisiest relay ever on Tuesday the 23 September! We were celebrating the beginning of Spring and the launch of Prince Albert's recycling project and had quite a few fancy dress teams. There were runners swishing by dressed in plastic bags, even one crazy person (me) strung with soft drink cans, so you can imagine the noise we made.

There was a large number of teams: 23 teams of five listed alphabetically i.e. A to W. Thanks to many donations, there were lots of prizes. They went to: the 1st Adult team "Team A", the 1st Senior School team "The Untouchables" (who definitely lived up to their name), the 1st Junior team, "Team K" and then there were prizes for Best Dressed. The "Five Rs" won that and the "All Blacks" were runners-up. The "Red Wrigglers" got a special mention being the youngest team and then there were lots of spot prizes, including one for each child who participated.

We would like to say a big thank you to the following people, who all made the evening so enjoyable:

the Police, who made an excellent job of keeping the whole run safe,
our wonderful club members who yet again were there when we needed them
and lastly everyone who supported us!

Hopefully we can have many more relays just as successful and fun as this one was!

Put Spring in Your Step

- Terry Barnato -

As the mornings get lighter, Zwartberg Runners come out of their winter holes and hit the road again. We have been running during the winter but have kept it low key! But now there is nothing like donning a pair of tekkies and heading out in the mornings again to celebrate spring!

That’s why on 23 September at 18h00 we’re holding a fun Spring Relay. We’ll rejoice in the arrival of spring and at the same time, raise awareness of Prince Albert’s new waste recycling project. Use your imagination and come as an old baked beans tin in a team of four other tins... all ready for recycling! Fancy dress is optional, of course, but we would love to have you join us. There are prizes to be won and lots of fun to be had. We need your support. Please see our ad in this newspaper for more information.

Our cross country training at Hoërskool Zwartberg is a very encouraging. Every Monday and Wednesday afternoon we have an average of eight learners attending in addition to our other young club members. After doing some simple warm up exercises, we head out on a run of 3km, or 5km for the fitter ones!

It has been great to see the same steady group show up every week and what's more, they are really enjoying it! For us, that's the main objective.... to enjoy getting and staying fit! There's nothing like running to get the blood pumping and the result is a healthy feeling of well-being! Thanks to our school runners for their great spirit!

Another recent initiative: every Saturday morning we gather at the Lazy Lizard at 07h00 for a run that accommodates everyone who wants to join in. We all clamber into a kombi and some get dropped off on the Swartberg Pass to run a 15km route back to Prince Albert, while others start at various intervals along the roads towards the town, depending on what they feel up to doing. Whether you want to run a half marathon that morning or walk 5km, there is a place for you! Ask the four-year old who ran from Gay’s Dairy to the Lazy Lizard! Come along and join us!

Thanks to all our loyal club members who keep us going and who are always there with help and support every step of the way. A good spring to you and to all in Prince Albert!

Zwartberg Runners training Hoërskool Zwartberg cross country team

- Terry Barnato -

The local Zwartberg Runners club is helping Hoërskool Zwartberg develop a cross country running team and held their first training session at the school on the afternoon of 23 July.

The running club’s Terry Barnato was delighted at the turnout of ten runners. “Some were very fit, others were sort of fit, and some had a way to go before they attacked the Comrades! But the first hurdle was to arrive and that, these young students did,” said Terry.

The runners did a few laps around the field and then Terry chatted to them about some of the goals that were well within their reach. According to Terry: “We have our eyes on a 5km Fun Challenge in Oudtshoorn in September, as well as the possibility of entering two teams for the Business Relay in October, also in Oudtshoorn. Definitely on the cards is the Meiringspoort 10km run which comes around in October and which students of 15 years and older can enter. We may even have an entrant for the Half Marathon through Meiringspoort if Marius Williams feels ready!”

The cross country team plans to meet every Monday and Wednesday afternoon and will also head out along the streets of Prince Albert. Terry noted: “Running is an easy sport, and yet gives so much in return and we hope that these young folk can make it their own! We have lots of water sachets left over from our own half marathon in May, and these will become our good friends as the weeks go by and the days heat up!”

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Two Zwartberg Runners’ members, Maruschka Erasmus and Juliana van der Westhuizen participated in the Knysna Forest Half Marathon on 12 July. Juliana finished in a time of 2:40:25, while Maruschka completed the race in a time of 2:46:01. Well done and thanks for representing the Zwartberg Runners.