Is ultra-marathoning at an elite level healthy?
Well, that depends. Here in South Africa, at least, there are plenty of athletes (past and present) to talk to when it comes to this topic. And having recently caught up with one past Comrades champion, we certainly did a bit of talking.
Nick Bester (pictured right) doesn't run much anymore. Which is understandable if one considers his Comrades track record. Sixteen starts saw Nick enjoy nine top-ten finishes, including victory in 1991 plus a few close runner-up placings. Interestingly, though, is that he withdrew from the 90km slog between Durban and Pietermaritzburg on only one occasion. With a broken knee. Yes, Nick certainly earned the nickname “Ysterman”.
But there is more to Nick being known as a man of steel than just his impressively consistent Comrades palmares. You see, back then, the man from Pretoria was possibly ahead of his time. Sure, the annual ultra-marathon pilgrimage in Kwa-Zulu was his primary focus, but how he got himself into peak shape each year owed a lot to his unconventional training approach, not to mention nutrition.
Cross training?
As difficult as it might be to envision, the “canoe-bike-run” was actually a big sport in South Africa in the 1980s and early 1990s. It even had Springbok status and it was here that Nick would hone his Comrades form with regular victories and podium finishes before focussing (almost!) exclusively on running.
Carnivore diets and intermittent fasting?
Well, Nick has been quoted that a lion doesn't eat spaghetti. And those national championship events in canoe triathlon were actually sponsored by the Red Meat Board. And his pre-Comrades taper would include the depletion (or Saltin) diet.
Strength and conditioning?
The term “yster” also applies to his devotion to proper weight training, you know, the type that involves heavy weights and low repetitions. Not to build bulk of course, but strong and functional muscles that can withstand the jarring involved in that thing called ultra-marathoning. And life, actually.
But back to the present. Catching up with Nick at a weeklong mountain bike stage recently, it was good to talk and listen to thoughts of matters ultra-marathoning. And he's still in amazing shape, not to mention to competitive. Still invested in the sport of running as manager of one South Africa's leading running clubs, Nick also finds time to advise the Rainbow Nation's latest running sensation in Gerda Steyn. She's on a very low running mileage, he says, before adding (with a glint in his eye) that Gerda also swims, rows, cycles and lifts weights as part of her training regimen. It's all part of the process of getting her to Tokyo 2020, focussing on quality and staying healthy.
Pretty similar to what he used to (and continues to) do.
A sequel on the fellow pictured left to follow sometime.
*Header image courtesy of Nick Bester.
