On Sunday 5th November, Carla Molinaro was crowned World 50km champion at the IAU event in Hyderabad, India. We caught up with her to talk about her race, her time spent in Scotland and visualising being a baby lion cub to help her through a race, amongst other things.
AS. You seem to have dual British and South African nationality. Can you relate how that came about?
CM. My parents are South African, and I was born in South Africa. I came to study here, and I got a British passport when I was at university. I actually got it so I could join the Army.
AS. So you have the dual nationality and GB qualification through long-term residency? Your early life was spent in South Africa, and then you moved to Britain.
CM. Yes
AS. Were you sporty at school at all?
CM. I ran at school. I did gymnastics, and other sports along with running, and then started running properly at school when I was around 15. Just the last couple of years of school, I guess.
AS. And when was your competitive fire for running ignited?
CM. At that age, I was running for my county and stuff. So I’d started, but not at any amazing level. You could say decent club level. When I went to university in Cardiff, I took up triathlon and then did that for ten years.
AS. So that developed your endurance engine?
CM. Yes
AS. What distances were you doing?
CM. I started at sprint, then Olympic, and then Half Ironman and Ironman. I just built up the distances pretty gradually over the years, similar to running
AS. The first time you came on my radar, I think, was when you lived in Glasgow, Scotland, for a while. I was aware you were doing some races in the West, and your name came to light when you ran the Sri Chinmoy Self Transcendence five-kilometre race in Edinburgh, which incorporated the Scottish 5km road championships.
CM. Wow! Yes, I did. That was a long time ago.
AS. I coordinate that race. It’s a real, 5km, club burn-up. You were running with Bellahouston Road Runners.
CM. Yes, I liked running with them. They were a good little club.
AS. Yes. A great little club through in the West. You came under my radar when you ran the Highland Fling Race. (NB: The Fling race is a popular fifty-three-mile trail race in Scotland.)
CM. Yes, I did, but I didn’t finish it.
AS. No, you didn’t. I think you were still living in Glasgow then. What inspired you to run the Fling?
CM. I’d done it the year before with some friends as a relay and I loved it. It was like really, really fun. So I wanted to go back and do it on my own. But I had plantar fasciitis, which was really irritating. And the section along Loch Lomond, just got a bit too sore when it got a bit more technical and rocky. I eventually had to stop, which irritated me a lot.
AS. It’s still there waiting for you. John is launching the entries this weekend for 2024.
CM. (Laughs) OK!
AS. I’m sure you have many plans for 2024.
AS. Leading on from that, your breakthrough year with ultras is, I think when you placed top 10 at Comrades in 2018.
CM. Yeah, that’s right.
AS. Just briefly describe what it was like running Comrades. You’d run it before and run it fairly well. Then all of a sudden, you’re in the top 10.
CM. That year was kind of like the top 10 by accident. We had just done a run where we tried to run from Cape Town to Comrades. So we tried to do a Comrades a day for 20 days, and on the 20th day, run Comrades. We all got injured along the way. My goal was to just see how much distance I could get in, but I still wanted to do the race. In the three weeks before the race, I did 900 kilometres and then on the last day ran Comrades and came 9th, which was a bit ridiculous because everyone else was saying, “How have you done that” and I still don’t really know.
AS. I’m tempted to say you’ve got multi-day runner written all over you.
CM.Yeah.
AS. But that’s another planet altogether in a truly competitive sense. That performance brought you on the radar of myself and others. You made the GB 100K team in Croatia that year, on the back of that. How did you find the whole GB team experience, suddenly going to a World Championships, as opposed to going to a big race like Comrades?
CM. I think for that one, it was all a bit of a whirlwind. I didn’t expect to do that well at Comrades and getting selected for a GB team, wasn’t really on the radar yet. I did feel slightly out of my depth at the 100k champs. Like I had no idea what I was doing but I really benefitted from the experience of being around a lot of really good runners.
It was a very different experience this time round compared to Croatia. Then, because there was no intention to make the team. Then you find yourself at a world championship, not really knowing what to do. And, at that point, I was like, “I’ll just race as hard as I can and see what happens” which doesn’t end well in the heat and humidity. But I learned a lot from that. It was a challenging course out there in Croatia. It was more challenging than people thought, I think. It was not hilly, like Comrades but it was undulating, and it sort of ground a few people down.
AS. Since then, you seem to lack a little consistency some years, but 2023 has been almost a stellar year for you. Everything seems to have gone right. Three very good races with your Two Oceans, Comrades and now the 50k Championships. Where do you think that consistency has come from that you might not have had in the previous two or three years?
CM. Yeah, I think after 2018, I was still kind of messing around a little bit and trying to do a bit of everything. I was trying to be a trail runner, a road runner and a multi-day runner. I then sat down and had a think and thought, right, I’ve got a really good opportunity here. It was only after I did the run from Lands End to John ‘o Groats in 2020, that, I was still kind of trying to be a trail runner. And then towards the end of 2021, I was like, I’ve got a good opportunity. I’ve got a sponsorship with Hoka, they’re amazing and are helping me to races. Let me get a coach and let me focus on doing one thing well, instead of trying to do everything. So it was at the end of 2021 that I started to work with Martin Cox. He had always said it was going to be a two-year process to see how to coach me and how I adapt to the training. It would have been two years in September. So I think it was that turning point, end of 2021, where I was like, OK, let me see what I can actually do.
WRITERS NOTE In 2020, Carla broke the record for the Lands End to John O’ Groats run, from the south to north of Great Britain. She recorded 12 days 30 hours 14 minutes for the the 874 miles. You can read a report from AW HERE
AS. For probably lots of people reading this, as you say, you’d tried everything and were pretty good at everything, but there comes a point when, maybe Martin asked you this question, or you ask yourself, “What is my best distance? What is my best surface?
CM. Yeah. For me, I think it is road ultras. That’s kind of the best thing for me. And I think, while I like the idea of being a trail runner, you can’t do everything, or you can’t do everything well.
AS. No, exactly. I think there are a lot of people in your position who will do the odd trail race and have fun, but they know their strength is something else and they’ll major in that. Before your link up with Martin? Did you have a coach at all? Or were you self-coached and just sort of drawing ideas from left, right and centre?
CM. When I lived in Glasgow, I trained, for a while, with Andy Young’s group with Laura and Gemma. Then I self-coached for a while. Then I had a guy in South Africa called Nick De Beer who helped me for about a year. Then I self-coached again through 2019, 2020 to 2021, when I went with Martin. So yeah, dabblings of coaches and self-coaching, but with Martin, it feels like it’s a good fit for me. I like what he does, I trust what he does, and it works well.
AS. He certainly gets results.
CM. He does.
AS. In terms of work, are you able to make a living out of running completely, or do you have to get other income from other sources?
CM. I coach runners, and I have a program called Strength, Conditioning, and Yoga for Runners (SCY). It’s a membership programme, and that’s my main job. With that and a little bit of money from sponsors, it gets me by. My contract with HOKA finishes in December. I’m waiting to see if they want to extend or not. But yes, it would be nice to get a little bit more financial help so I could stop coaching and just do the SCY and running. But I can’t quite afford to do that at the moment.
AS .So looking towards the 50k, finally getting onto that, you put your name forward for the 50k, and your performance primarily at Two Oceans got you selection. You prepared well for those two races in the first part of the year. Briefly, talk about how you prepared since Comrades. Did anything change in the build-up of preparing for Comrades as opposed to building up to the 50k?
CM. Yes. I had a month’s break after Comrades. I was still running, but nothing much. I started again, probably at the beginning of August. It was like a marathon training program that we did. My longest runs were 32K. No, I did one longer one, a moderate run. I think it was 35m. I can’t even remember the distances but it was very much like a marathon training approach, which was nice because it was really different to Comrade training with a lot more flatter, faster stuff. It was fun to mix it up and do something a little bit different.
AS. Do you feel that the way the 50K is evolving, it’s gone from being an event no one really cared or knew about, to a place where there are now championships? Obviously in South Africa, you’ve got the Nedbank race, which has really raised the profile of 50K a lot, and the world record has come down and down by huge amounts in the last five years. Do you feel the future of 50K is for fast marathon runners moving up and having a go at 50K?
CM. Yeah, definitely. I think when you look at that start list from India, well I was pretty scared going into it, looking at all the girls’ marathon times. There were a lot of, very low 2:30 marathon runners in there. So yes, it’s cool to see good quality marathon runners jumping up, but also, you still have ultra runners who do well at road ultras like Two Oceans.
AS. You were selected for the 50km in Hyderabad, mainly on the strength of your Two Oceans run.
CM. Yes, that was nice.
AS. And how were the conditions in India?
CM. Horrible! Hot, humid, polluted, but I knew that that was what it was going to be like. So I was under no illusion. We knew the race was in India. I just did what I could to train for it. That’s why I went to Dubai for two weeks before the race to acclimatise, just because it was a good place to go with very similar conditions but without the chaos of India. I guess, I could have gone to Durban, which was very humid, but I thought, my friend Gerda lives in Dubai, she had offered me to stay with her, and it meant that I could have got the really, the big long flight out of the way early. Then I could get to come to India as late as possible. I only got to India on the Thursday night . If I had stayed in South Africa, I probably would have had to come to India on Sunday or Monday as most of the team did flying from Europe.
AS. So, tell us how the race unfolded.
CM. I went in with the intention that I wanted to see what was going to happen, and I was always up for racing. As we started, one Japanese girl flew off the front, but we caught her within a kilometre. Then Rachel and Anna took the lead, and I just sat in behind them with another girl, Andrea, from the US and Dominika from Poland. For me, I knew that we were the front-pack. There was a turn-and-out and back section of the course where we could see where all the other girls were. I could see, that they weren’t really catching us every time we went around a lap. The pace for me felt very easy. I was like, “There’s no point going mental and racing harder than you have to when the conditions are already hard.” So I just sat behind them. Then, at about halfway, Anna dropped off the pace a little bit with Dominika. Then, there was Rachel, myself, and Andrea all running together for a few laps. (NOTE Rachel and Anna are Rachel Hodgkinson and Anna Bracegirdle, two other members of the GB team, who helped secured the team gold medals)
With about seven laps to go, I was like, I wonder if I should make a break now. So I did, and they didn’t come with me. In my head, I was like, well, they’re not coming with me now, I can save and do this on the last lap. I’m going to be sensible and run a bit smarter. So I slowed down. We all got back together again. I can’t remember when Rachel dropped off, maybe like lap eight.
Then, on the final lap coming into the aid station, Andrea had pulled away from me on lap nine. She then stopped to go to the loo. I was like, I’m just going to slow down and wait for her to catch me up. I might as well have this as a little break, jog for a bit. Then when we came in for the final lap, I was like, let me just open it up a little bit, and I did, and she didn’t come with me. It was just a case then of okay, I could see where she was at the turnaround point. She was about 200 meters back. I was thinking I just needed to hold this now, till the finish, which I did. So for once I raced smart, I guess you could call it.
AS. World champion, I think that’s pretty smart. All this time, was Sarah behind the main group? Did Sarah come through very strongly later on? (NOTE. Sarah is GB’s Sarah Webster,who came through strongly to secure the bronze medal)
CM. Yeah, I think what Sarah did was she just stuck at her pace and just ran consistently throughout, whereas the other girls, I think probably went out a bit too hard and suffered. Sarah went out more cautiously, which she said she was going to do, and was able to maintain it, while the others slowed down a bit.
AS. Individually, everyone wants to do well and have their own goals position-wise, if not time-wise, in a race like this when the conditions are a little brutal. The team element is also incredibly important in a championship. How do you balance, individual aspirations with team aspirations?
CM. For me, it was always going to be an individual race with the team prize as a bonus. It’s a world championship, and I think anyone going into these big championships wants to get on medal tables and get as many as they can, and it’s like the cherry on the top if you can achieve that. I knew we had a strong team, but it wasn’t until I got in the race, that I realized how strong everyone was, which is really cool. I was like, “Oh my god, we’re going to get the team prize as long as we can all just keep where we are. For me, that was a really nice bonus.
AS. Obviously, the British guys did well too, although the Spanish team excelled themselves, with a clean sweep of the podium. Were you aware of the guys throughout the race?
CM. Of course, I mean, we were all helping each other. With the out and back sections on the loop, you were able to see each other. We saw them a lot, and that was really nice. I think everyone was helping each other throughout the race. In the beginning, there was a lot of “Go on, Olly, or go on, Andrew!” and lots of smiling. By the end, it was just a thumbs up, or a nod of the head, to acknowledge people as you were tired. That’s always going to happen as you go through a race. It was so good seeing everyone else run the race, and I really liked seeing the emotional roller coaster everyone was on.
AS. I guess you more or less answered this question, but when did you feel that you were actually going to win the race? Was it during that last lap?
CM. Yes. There are times during it when you go between thinking, “I’m not going to win this, to could I win this?” Then I try and get that out of my head. I’m like, no, not yet. Even on the last lap, I was telling myself to wait until that final section. Then I think I saw Olly’s wife or girlfriend, I’m not too sure which she is. She handed me the flag, and I was like, “Where’s the other girl?” And she is saying, “Don’t worry. She is far enough behind you.”
Then I was thinking, ” I can now relax.” So it wasn’t until I got the flag on the run-in, because I just had these visions in my head of getting out sprinted or having someone in front of me. I kept visualizing there was someone in front of me, and I sprinted past her to the finish line. I was thinking, I cannot let that happen.
AS. So this is a bit of a cheesy question, but when you crossed that line, and you are now the world champion. What feeling did you have?
CM. It’s weird. You’re just like, “Oh my god. I’m like 50K world champion.” It’s weird, even now. I don’t know. It doesn’t quite feel like it’s real. I don’t know why.
AS. It’s real. You’ve got the medal.
CM.Yeah. I know.
AS. There are also pictures all over the website.
CM. Maybe when it’s the medal is hanging on the wall in my house, and I see it there, instead of being at the bottom of a suitcase, it will be a bit better.
AS. And a few more interviews with the world and his dog.
CM.Yes, whatever.
You can read my report on the IAU world 50km championship for AW HERE
AS. For those who haven’t been to a championship before, describe how the feed station works in the race and how you fuel. How do you fuel for a competitive 50K in the heat?
CM. The feed stations are amazing. Every country has a table. I think it’s pretty much in alphabetical order, lined up in a row. As you go through, you get your country table. My mum was at our feed station giving me my nutrition for the race, which I had all prepared and ready. I liked the ten-lap course because I knew I’d be coming through roughly every 20 minutes. I didn’t have to think. I could just grab my bottle or gel and carry on going. I aimed to have 120 grams of carbohydrate per hour, which I got between alternating a spring gel and a Maurten gel. Then, in my water bottles, I had an OTE electrolyte drink in one, and a Maurten 160-carb drink in the other. Every hour I took two salt tabs, and there was water out on the course, we could help ourselves to. That is pretty much what I’ve done this whole year in terms of nutrition, and it works well for me, although I was very, very sick once I crossed the finish line in India. I’ve never thrown up so much in my life. I didn’t ever feel like I had a dip in energy throughout the race. I didn’t feel like I needed more of anything. 120 grams of carbohydrates an hour is a lot. It’s at the high end, and it’s taken me a lot of time to practice to get that amount in.
In a race like this, it’s actually amazing having that support because I am so used to having a waist belt on, where you’ve got 20 gels shoved in it, or you’re having to wear a race hydration vest. It’s nice not having to carry anything and because the laps were so short, you could “grab and go” and eat as you came through each station.
AS. Sounds like a perfect 5k loop setup.
CM.Exactly, yes.
AS. Was that a similar strategy that you used at Comrades and Two Oceans? The same hourly intake, but probably having to carry some of it with you between aid stations.
CM. Yes. The same hourly intake. Two Oceans was a little bit easier because there were five elite tables. I knew where those tables were so I could plan what I was going to take at each one. Comrades is a bit more of a logistical nightmare. My parents are seconding me, but it’s just where they can see you on the course. So you have to have enough on you for almost 30 kilometres at a time because you just don’t know when you’re going to see them again. I ended up seeing them about seven times, which was great, but you’ve got to pretty much go on the assumption that you’re not going to see them that often.
AS. There is an obvious follow-up cheesy question to ask. After crossing the finish line and sorting yourself out, you have to get on a podium. Then anthems are played, and medals are hung around your neck. How is that feeling?
CM. Yeah, that’s very cool. Singing your national anthem is a bit weird because you know everyone’s looking at you. But I was just thinking, “I’ll just stare into the sky” because you know why everyone that stands on podiums stares away in the distance. After all, they don’t want everyone to look at them while they’re singing the national anthem. But yeah, that was cool. Yeah, it’s quite a moment.
AS. Looking ahead, what’s next for Carla?
CM. Just some local 10ks and stuff toward the end of this year and the beginning of next year. Then, the build-up starts again for Two Oceans and Comrades next year.
Sometime, I’d like to try and get to run a fast marathon, maybe at the end of next year. Hopefully Valencia. I’ve entered it for the past two years and haven’t done it as other things, like this 50km, then got in the way. Hopefully, next year, I can do it.
AS.G ood course to go to if you want a fast time.
CM. Yeah, that’s right.
AS. You will be based back in South Africa for most of the year then?
CM. Yes. I’ll go back to the UK over the summer when the weather’s warmer.
AS. Lastly, something I often ask people We talked about your outer race. I often talk about the inner runner, and the outer runner, which most runners can relate to. When you’re doing a race like this, how does Carla cope with her inner runner and keep herself motivated and on track? Does that make sense?
CM. What do you mean?
AS. How do you stay focused in a race? How do you stop your mind from being a monkey and distracting you?
CM. That is funny. This time, I was speaking to Gerda about it before the race, and she was saying, “Tell yourself a story.” So for this race, I tried that. I was like, I’m going to be a lion which probably sounds a bit ridiculous. The first couple of laps, you’re just being like a baby cub, and you’ve just been born. You’re just seeing what’s unfolding, just seeing what’s out there. Then the second part you’re like a little bit older and you can almost explore and push the boat out a little bit. See if you can spur yourself on. Then as you get older and wiser towards the end, you’re brave enough to take on the race and finish it strongly. So for me, it was that kind of story.
AS. That’s a good one because it helps you grow into the race.
CM. Yes. Things build through the race, and it’s like, you take your chances. You’re sitting back, you’re watching, you’re getting braver. I quite liked it. It’s the first time I’ve done something like that. Normally I just count up kilometres and count them down again, which is very boring.
AS. Yeah, that can also work for some people as well. You’re relaxing now out in the east. Then you’re going back to South Africa. We are five days post-race. Are you still stiff?
CM. No. I’m fine. I think it’s because I ran slower than I thought I would. I went for a jog this morning, just 30 minutes, and my body’s all right. Everything seems fine. Nothing hurts, so I’ll take that.
AS. Obviously, it was a championship. I’m sure Martin drills it into you that you run the race, and not the occasion, and deal with what’s in front of you.
CM.Basically yes. If you want to get on the podium, you have to go with that.
AS. I don’t know if you saw the New York Marathon from last Sunday or highlights of it. I mean, they were dawdling for the first two hours, and then someone put their foot down, and it just exploded. They were all watching each other for two hours and enjoying each other’s company, I think.
CM. Yes, and that’s what we were doing early on in the 50km. Talking to each other, and we’re all thinking, “OK, this is fun.”
AS. OK Carla. Great to chat with you.
CM. Maybe we’ll have a chance to meet up when I’m back in Britain.
AS. Come and do a trail race in Scotland. There are many of them!
CM.Yeah. That would be nice at the right time of year.
AS. Or if you want a 5km PB, there is always the Sri Chinmoy, 5K Self Transcendence, Scottish Championship.
CM. All right. Thanks Adrian.
Find out more Carla Molinaro’s Coaching and Strength,Conditioning and yoga programmes( SCY) HERE
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