The Coach

 

Alec Riddle has been a runner since High School and represented SA Universities at Cross Country. He was a former Provincial Track Champion and Captain and represented EP at Cross Country, Track and Road and lists his 21st position in the 1988 Comrades Marathon (6h05m) as one of his better achievements. Alec is also an accomplised Triathlete and Ironman competitior, having completed 10 Ironmans including Kona, Hawaii and he won his Age Group at the Ironman 70.3 World Championships in Las Vegas (2011).

 

Alec has an IAAF coaching qualification and has learnt from many coaches and fellow athletes over the years and has been a keen student of training methodologies. Alec has attended coaching seminars with the renowned New Zealander Artur Lydiard and Americans Bobby Mc Gee and Joe Friel and has trained with or been coached by Mike Bosch, Dicky Broberg, Raynard Tissink and Boulder Coaching's Simon Lessing and Darren De Reuck.

​

Alec became a ‘coach’ by accident at age 21, encouraging and guiding Coleen De Reuck (nee Lindeque), the younger sister of his room-mate Colin Lindeque when she was a 1st year Varsity Student and close to giving up running. Something worked as later that year Colleen (19) excelled at the SA Cross Country Championships and together with Zola Budd & Elana Meyer was awarded her SA Colours. He also coached Coleen’s husband to be, Darren De Reuck who went on to become a formidable road runner (4th on debut at Two Oceans).

​

Another who joined his small but select training group in those early days was Terry Thornton, who went on to run 13:26 for 5,000m and 28:40 for 10km while still a junior and Alec learnt a great deal from this coach/athlete relationship, particularly about the power of the mind.

​

One of the best EP road runners & the first African Alec coached was the late Michael Scout, who won an International Marathon in Japan and represented SA at the World Championships in the Marathon (team bronze). Scout improved from a 2h19 marathon and a 65 min 21km to 2h10m47 and a 62 min half within a year. Most people thought Scout was limited, but it just goes to show that with determination and the right guidance,  that anything can be achieved. Other top male runners he coached included George Ntshiliza, Monde Tutani, Soulman Nakedi and Desmond Zibi. He also had the pleasure of coaching top female runners Davera Magason (11th in Comrades twice), Liza Kingston, Margie Saunders, Celeste Swart and Nthombesunthu Mfunzi.

​

Max Africa was a full time running project which Alec ran for 5 years, together with Xolile Yawa (Olympian & winner of the Berlin Marathon) where they helped develop SA runners with a view to competing internationally, one of the highlights of which was taking 4 of the first 5 places at the SA 21km Championships in 2001.

​

Some of the top athletes he coached & assisted included Norman Dlomo (Olympian & Top 10 world half Marathon Champs; 28:30 10km; 2h16 marathon debut); Abner Chipu (4th in Boston 1999 ; 4th @ World Half Marathon Champs 60:47); Daniel Radebe (1st Gold Coast Marathon, Australia in record time) ; Makhasonke Fika (Top 10 Paris & Berlin Marathon 2:10; 28:30 10km); Laban Nkete (Top 10 twice at Boston; 28:29 10km); Simon Mpholo (28:11 10km; 2h13 marathon debut); Motsehi Moeketsana (28:25 10km); Petrus Sithole (SA Steeplechase Champion; 2h15 debut marathon); Michael Mpotoane (Comrades Gold Medallist).

​

At junior level Alec coached at Grey High School for 10 years and many of the athletes excelled, the culmination of which was taking a team on tour to the UK and USA. The highlight of this tour was winning 4 Gold Medals at the British Independent Schools’ Championships at Crystal Palace, London.

​

Alec has coached many club and social runners and his training methodology is ideally suited to runners seeking to run a faster 5km, half marathon or marathon.

​

Alec has worked with and assisted many Triathletes over the years, including the likes of Ironman Pros Raynard Tissink and Freddy Lampret.

​

​

​

​

​

​