Van Jaarsveld targets podium finish at nationals

As Kate van Jaarsveld ponders the strategy she will employ to win gold at the Athletics South Africa (ASA) cross-country championships in Gqeberha on September 16, she might have to go back to the evening of October 12, 2021, at Homestead Dam.

It was a Tuesday and the runner found herself amidst hordes of Benoni Northerns Athletic Club (BNAC) members during the club’s time trial on the shores of the lake.

Dressed in a blue Nike vest, Van Jaarsveld obliterated the women’s 4km course, clocking 14:26 to finish ahead of everyone on the field.

This remains her personal best in the 4km.

Although the course on Wilge Road is nothing compared to what the Nedbank Running Club member will face at the Nelson Mandela University sports fields on Saturday, perhaps a trip down memory lane might serve as motivation to improve from last year’s time of 15:01.

Van Jaarsveld is no stranger to the national cross-country games. This will be her third time representing Central Gauteng Athletics (CGA) and after a silver medal last year in Rustenburg, maybe this could be the year she gets the gold.

Van Jaarsveld’s nationals record:

• In her first cross-country nationals, she finished in seventh place in the open women’s 4km.

• Last year, she won her first national medal after finishing in second place in the sub-veteran women’s 4km event.

“As a runner, one always aims to better themselves. I would really like to place first,” she said.

After the season she had in the provincial cross-country league meetings, things look positive. In all the four events Van Jaarsveld participated in, she never finished outside the top three.

Van Jaarsveld’s 2023 CGA cross-country results:

• In league one at Sam Ntuli Stadium in Thokoza, she clocked 15:11 for first place.

• In league two at Faranani Multipurpose Centre in Tsakane, she was second in a time of16:28.

• In the last league meeting at Delta Park in Randburg, she posted an improved15:17, for third place.

• At the provincial championships in Kagiso, she clocked a season’s best of 14:50 for a silver medal.

Despite this, the Farrarmere resident is aware of what awaits her once the gun goes off in the sub-veteran women’s 4km race at the nationals.

“There are so many factors that can contribute to your overall performance on the day, not to mention your competitors who have been training hard and putting in the many hours of running leading up to this event.”

The runner is at peak fitness and is in a good mental state, thanks to months of training and the weekly parkrun, where her running journey began.

Van Jaarsveld is an established road runner with titles in the half-marathon and the shorter distances, but how has the rough and rugged terrains of off-road racing helped improve her running?

“It has definitely benefitted me. It helps build physical and mental strength. Physically, you are always readjusting your balance and centre of gravity, whether it be by running on grass, gravel, mud and everything in between or by negotiating many sharp turns and twists in the path.

“Mentally, not every distance feels the same, as the terrain changes constantly. You have to have a strong mindset where you will just keep on going,” she said.

Now a member of Nedbank RC’s Green Dream Team after her former club, Murray and Roberts Running Club lost its title sponsor, she’s looking for more success, starting with nationals this weekend.

This will depend on the conditions of the course and how she runs on the day. But a sub-15 minutes finish or a run similar to that record-setting evening in Farrarmere will guarantee her a finish at the top.

“After the nationals, I will enter a couple of local races, including the Benoni Northerns Night Race. The bigger plan is to start training for the Totalsports Two Oceans 21km next year.”

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