Inspirational Irvette
Twice pregnant, but that did not stop Van Zyl doing what she loves.
Bubbly and energetic, Irvette van Zyl is one of the most entertaining characters in South African athletics. Having entered the sport as a teenage prodigy, with her strong legs and powerful lungs carrying her to victories over esteemed opponents from a young age, she has evolved into far more than an elite distance runner.
The 31-year-old multiple national champion has become a beacon of inspiration for mothers nationwide.
A regular fixture in the popular Spar Women’s Grand Prix Series – a 10km road racing campaign she has won three times in her career – her most impressive effort in the sport has perhaps not been her results, but rather her ability to run while carrying another person.
A former Olympian who holds impressive personal bests of 32:20 (10km), 1:10:56 (21.1km) and 2:31:26 (42.2km), her most memorable performances have been achieved when she hasn’t been at her best.
Elite athletes often run late into their pregnancies, but Van Zyl’s ability to retain her racing form into the third trimester has been nothing short of astounding.
In 2016, seven months into her pregnancy with first son Louis, she clocked 34:56 over the 10km distance in Durban.
Proving that was no fluke, she shone again this season while carrying second son Gideon.
In March, six months into her pregnancy, she completed a 10km race in Cape Town in 35:07.
“Sometimes the baby will kick, and that can make it difficult,” she admits.
“But sometimes he’ll sleep and make it easier for me. I just have to hope it’s one of those days.”
And it’s not only on the road that Van Zyl has remained active in the latter stages of her pregnancy.
On the morning she went into labour with Gideon earlier this year, she was doing renovations on her house in Pretoria when her water broke.
“LJ was just sitting there, passing me things and holding ladders, and there I am doing all the work,” she jokes about her doting husband.
Van Zyl is married to national 400m hurdles record holder LJ van Zyl, who retired from competitive racing earlier this season, and between them they form one of the most entertaining couples in South African sport.
In December last year, in an attempt to prove who was more athletically gifted, they challenged each other to a race which took place at the final leg of the Eden Street Mile Series in Hartenbos.
Irvette won the friendly spousal clash against her husband, who finished about 100 metres off the pace in the 1.6km con-
The number of Spar Women‘s Grand Prix titles she has to her name.
test and lost a hefty bet.
But that was all a bit of fun, and now that she’s had her second child, it’s back to serious racing with a potential spot in the marathon at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics on the cards.
Even more remarkable than her ability to race while pregnant is her ability to recover afterwards.
Having given birth to Gideon in June, Van Zyl is already back on the road, and at the Pietermaritzburg leg of the Spar Grand Prix last month she won a controversial race in which four of her competitors in the lead group went the wrong way.
Preparing to compete at the FNB Joburg CityRun 10km race later this month, as well as the final leg of the Grand Prix campaign next month, she hopes to prove she is back to her best.
“I am back and I’m really hungry,” she says.
“I’m happy with my shape so soon after giving birth, and I’m very keen to race.”