So the cry rings out as the distinctive brown and white stripes come into view along the race route. Over the past 40 years, Hillcrest Villagers Athletics Club has made its mark
Story Hayley Dennyson
Established in 1977 by a small group of avid runners, the club has a proud history, listing Comrades gold medallists among its members and forming a social and sports hub for the Upper Highway. The club was officially opened as an affiliate club of the Natal Amateur Athletics Association on July 13, 1977 with an initial membership of 20 people, and the distinctive brown and white vertical stripes on their kit. This was designed and stocked by Alf Burgess of Burgess Sports in the Village Mall.
“Our first club race of 24km was held on February 5, 1978 from the rugby fields down Inanda Road, through Forest Hills and back,” Alf remembers. “Around 500 runners took part.”
The 80s were a golden era for the club, as Hillcrest Villagers became an athletic force to be reckoned with, most notably winning the prestigious Gunga Din trophy three years running, from 1981 to 1983. This is awarded to the team with the four fastest runners to complete the Comrades Marathon, and the feat is yet to be repeated. The Hillcrest Villager’s team included top runners Derek Tivers, Graeme Fraser, Tony Abbott, Roly Wood, Errol Ackerman and Ian Edwards.
Gunga Din was dominated by commercial clubs from the mid-80s, but, as of 2017, KZN Athletics has ruled that the trophy will only be available to amateur clubs. “We are planning a concerted team assault on Comrades 2017, chasing the Gunga Din trophy with a team of nine runners, lead by Warren Kidgell,” explains club chairman Peter Burton.
This takes a major commitment and the club are looking for sponsorship for development runners, many of whom have shown enormous potential, but require the correct kit, training and supplementation to give it their best shot.
Today, the club is a winning mix of young blood and old tradition, which keeps the club ethos alive yet relevant to the modern runner. Current club membership stands at 280, with training, development and assistance programmes catering for first-time walkers and runners up to record-holding “37 medal completion” members. There’s a great vibe at the clubhouse and at events, with many friendships made out on the road.
One example of the assistance programmes is the Couch to 10km, devised by Michelle Donne. “While recovering from an injury, my training group was miles ahead in progress and I had to build up from scratch again,” says Michelle, “so the idea was born for the ‘Couch to 10km’, where myself and three other club members help people who have never run before.
I expected 10 to 15 people to sign up, but we started on May 28, 2016 with a group of 50 and within two weeks had over 70 people joining us. They put in the hard work and, six weeks later, 42 runners completed the Forest Hills 10km. Many of them are still running and three of them entered a 42km in February 2017!”
The first major event of the club’s 40th anniversary year was the annual Hillcrest Marathon, which took place on February 12, with over 2 600 runners lining up at the start. This year, the club hosted the event without a sponsor – relying on the efforts of the committee and members, all of whom volunteered their time. “It was a cracker,” Peter continues. “We must thank Hillcrest and Winston Park residents for their co-operation in making it such a success.” *
Walking and running time trials are held every Thursday at 6pm in summer and 5.45pm in winter. 4km and 8km routes open to all, starting at Hillcrest Sports Club, 5 Crooked Lane, Hillcrest (behind Hillcrest Corner).
www.hillcrestvillagers.co.za