CN&CO on the run

CN&CO team, friends, clients and associates are lacing up their trainers and hitting the roads and the running trails in full force! Here’s a recap of who’s doing what…

Kurt: Born2Run Booze2Run

The inaugural EasyEquities Born2Run Booze2Run takes place on 7 December 2016, starting at the Higher Ground restaurant at Saint Stithians. It’s a 7 km route through the streets of Bryanston with five drink stops along the way – and a surprise festive stop near the finish line.

Entry is R100. Booking is essential – send an email to b2rmembership@gmail.com. All proceeds go to charity.

This is a first of its kind for our favourite running club Born2Run AC. Hopefully the start of an annual tradition.

Contact me kurt@cnandco.com for more info. Or just pitch. It would be lekker to see you!

Josie … run, baby, run!

I run every morning around Durban with my daughter in the running pram. I run to keep fit and to help her along with her morning snooze. There is something about the movement of the running that puts her straight to sleep.

I have run three half-marathons in the past, and grew up on a farm where as a little girl I would run up to the fire tower every evening with my Dad.

Mostly I run so that I can eat and enjoy some great wine and icy beers without a conscience.

Gianluca’s quest for Paris

I have always been a short-distance runner. I am quick from the get go, but after 100/200 m of full exertion, I’m done. This is changing and now that I have the date – and my number – for the Paris Marathon 2017, along with 15 or so friends and colleagues. My long-distance training is well under way.

My training ground is none other than the beautiful surroundings of the Country Club of Johannesburg in Woodmead. There’s nothing quite like the feeling of nature urging you on to clock the Ks while the latest Nike+ Run playlist amplifies my ear drums and motivation.

My goal at the moment is 30-40 km per week. My longest run so far is 16 km. Watch out Paris, the energiser bunny is coming…

Blake loves trails

I’ve never been a huge fan of road running*, but put me on a trail and I’m in my element! I love being out in nature and breathing fresh air. There is no better place to train, get fit, enjoy alone time or quality time with loved ones, romantic walks or sunsets.

Trail running has grown in popularity over the past few years. As more people use the trails it’s becoming more and more important for us to be conscious of our impact on the environment. A while ago I started a movement called Love Our Trails, which encourages outdoor enthusiasts to pick up litter, clean graffiti and prevent erosion on our trails. We host regular clean-ups to sort the worst of it out, and also spread the word as much as we can.

I’ll be staying in Cape Town over the festive season on a mission to keep our trails clean. The first clean-up takes place on Lion’s Head on Saturday 3 December. Anyone’s welcome to join. Keep an eye on the Love Our Trails Facebook page for further details.

*Having said that he’s not a huge fan of road running, Blake will nonetheless be running the Paris Marathon with the CN&CO Club Med group. Oh, and he’s also signed up to join the Unogwaja team for the 2017 Comrades Ultra Marathon.

Rob runs in the sky

On 20 November 2016 I took part in the Skyrun Marathon 2016 – a convenient excuse to not have to do the 94.7 Cycle Race!

The Skyrun weekend took place in the Witteberg Valley in the Eastern Cape. The 100 km and 65 km races started on the Saturday morning, while the 45-km marathon started at 4 am on Sunday morning. It was a relatively easy route to navigate, with three water points along the way. The race was a decent duration as running of- road is more challenging than normal road running. Having to change your gait constantly to select where to put your feet results in an irregular running rhythm and unusual loading of your muscles if you are only used to road running.

Limited to 100 competitors, the marathon saw runners spend large amounts of time by themselves chipping away at the mileage. Left to your own thoughts for the better part of six hours, combined with the mountain views to distract you from those thoughts made the run tough, but very doable for the normal person.

Having delayed training for the marathon to the point that I realised I didn’t have anymore time to actually train, I decided to see if I could to the event with zero training. Reasons being 1) I had already paid for the race and if nothing else would be a nice weekend road trip and 2) further prove my (own) conviction that most things in life are predominantly a question of mental, rather than physical strength. If you can put your mind to it, no reason why you shouldn’t be able to accomplish it.

Carel’s road to Medoc 2017

10 years ago I weighed well over 100 kg. The only thing I ran was the communications team at Hollard. I used to mock people who spent time in the gym or running/cycling in the great outdoors. And now I am one of those people. I run as often as I can, either on the treadmill at the gym or on the road. I have run countless marathons, including four Comrades, and have signed up for a few more in 2017 – the Paris Marathon being one of them, as part of our CN&CO Club Med trip to France.

The one I’m most excited about at the moment is the Marathon du Medoc, which I’ll be running with Rob Christian in September. This marathon gives me a chance to combine two of my passions – running and drinking wine!

The Medoc has been going for more than 30 thirsty years and is sometimes described as the booziest marathon in the world. It takes place in France and is limited to 8 500 entrants, who run the full marathon distance while stopping at various supply points to taste the region’s fine wines, cheeses and even oysters.

An opportunity to run through a beautiful area of the world while sampling fine food and drink… what could be better?

Gabbi – a lot of running, all round

I love to run! I do so whenever I get the chance. Just the feeling of being out in the fresh air with nothing but your muscles to propel you. It’s very liberating. Plus it keeps me fit.

I’m also running a lot of PR campaigns at the moment, which keeps me on my toes and out of trouble. Plus we have a Boston terrier puppy, Olive #BaddestBitchInAllTheLand, who we are constantly running after. So… a lot of running all round!