'We have some exciting news to share with you!!

Our new addition is finally open. Come and visit our new bottle store at Rotunda.'

More about Rotunda Farm Stall.

'Thank you to everyone for making this event a success! 152 walkers and runners got more bang for their buck in completing 9k not 6k! I only have a few caps left.' said organiser Gill Bure who is already plotting the next event which will offer two different distances as well as more markers and marshalls. 

 

The inaugural Christmas Informal 6km Walk/Run has set the scene for future activities as the Hilton community bands together for Love Hilton.

 

Pictured above: Mike Tarr and his grand-daughter Sophie Merrick.

 

 

Pieter Coetzé faced a tough mental battle when he had to swim his 50m backstroke final at the World Short Course Championships twice on Friday.

The 18-year-old had to deal with the drama of a false start signal – later discovered to be an error by the starter. Like several others in the pool, Coetzé didn’t hear the signal and swam the full distance before realising the race had been halted. Of the swimmers competing, he finished in third place in a blistering 22.65 but the time didn’t count for anything.

When the final was re-raced around an hour later, the Pretoria teenager still managed to produce a record swim, however, finishing fifth in 22.84 to take a hundredth of a second off the African record set by Gerhard Zandberg 13 years ago. Coetzé also set a new continental mark in the 100m backstroke earlier in the week.

The race was won by American Ryan Murphy in 22.64 (just a hundredth of a second faster than Coetzé’s original time), with Australian Isaac Cooper taking the silver in 22.73 and Poland’s Kacper Stokowski the bronze in 22.74.

“I looked up [after the first race] and saw the time and I was super-happy but I could see something was going on. It’s just bad luck when that happens, I think, you just have to take it and move on,” said Coetzé afterwards.

“But I’m very happy with the record… In the 50 it’s all about executing and I know exactly where I can change and what I did wrong so I’m very happy and I’m excited for what’s to come,” he added.

Coetzé also contested the men’s 50m freestyle earlier in the day but missed out on a spot in semis, finishing 40th overall in the heats in 21.68.

The only other South African to feature in Friday night’s finals was Rebecca Meder. The 20-year-old Durban swimmer had set two African records on her way to the final of the 100m individual medley, eclipsing Zimbabwe’s multiple Olympic medallist Kirsty Coventry’s previous mark.

She went even quicker in the final to set another continental record, finishing sixth in 58.46.

The race was won by Dutchwoman Marrit Steenbergen in 57.53, with France’s Beryl Gastaldello second in 57.63 and Sweden’s Louise Hansson third in 57.68.

“I was actually a bit more nervous for the semi than I was for the final,” admitted Meder. “I just wanted to see what I could do against those top girls. There was nothing to lose and everything to gain. It was another half a second PB from my PB last night… It was a massive swim for me and to be sixth in the world is incredible.”

Meanwhile, fresh from her African record in the opening leg of the 4x50 freestyle relay on Thursday, 18-year-old Caitlin de Lange did well to reach the semifinals of the individual 50m freestyle at her first World Short Course Championship. She won her morning heat in 24.67 to progress and finished eighth in her semifinal in 24.53.

Stephanie Houtman finished 13th overall in the 1500m freestyle in 16:35.55. Kian Keylock was 24th overall in the men’s 200m breaststroke in 2:11.20 and the versatile Meder was 19th in the corresponding women’s event in 2:23.64 – while Emily Visagie was disqualified.

The mixed 4x50m freestyle relay team of Clayton Jimmie, Simon Haddon, De Lange and Milla Drakopoulos finished 11th overall in 1:33.28.

Swimming action continues in Melbourne on Saturday, with the final day of competition on Sunday, 18 December.

Photo credits
Pieter Coetzé: @SouthAfricanSportsImages - Anton Geyser (Below)
Rebecca Meder: World Aquatics (Top)

 

It’s easy to skip your workouts this time of year. Holidays are for resting and relaxing after a long, strenuous year, after all. And slipping into your swimsuit is so much easier than lacing up your running shoes. 

Yet physical activity during the holidays will not only help to prevent weight gain, but also make it so much easier to hit new fitness goals in the new year. Research shows that when regular exercise stops, de-training occurs within a few weeks. So why stop and lose what you’ve worked so hard to gain? Even if you need to reduce the time of each session or cut back one workout a week, maintaining the momentum of your regular exercise routine is much easier than stopping and trying to re-establish it again later. Give yourself the gift of health this festive season! You’ll thank yourself later.

More from The Local Choice Hilton Health

This is your weekly update for Hilton, uMngeni in the beautiful KZN Midlands of KwaZulu-Natal, which means you get more prods to support local businesses. Today we feature; Hilton Health, Christmas Informal 6km Walk/Run, The Fitness Garage and more.

Every month thousands of browsers choose Hilton, subscribe here to join a community that is all about local, Hilton local, loving Hilton real hard!

Read the newsletter online if you have not subscribed.

Each time you #LoveLocalRealHard you spread happiness right here in your very own KZN Midlands neighbourhood.

Your OLARM App which allows you remote access and control over tour home alarm system, can now be linked to your house sitter for time-based access. This ensure that you can monitor the status of your alarm even while you’re away.

Contact Knight Security Solutions to check if your alarm system is compatible with the OLARM App and for any upgrades on your current system.

You can also contact our KSS Management Team for any other information on:
Gary (Owner): This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 082 8947 628
Renee (Business Manager): This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 063 2921 240
Sashen (Manager Technical): This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 082 6736 773
Pat (Manager Operations): This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 082 6132 995
Local 24/7 Control Room: 033 330 5911

Get your free 10 POINT SAFETY CHECK at Mr X-haust and Mr Tyre at 3 Quarry Road, Hilton AND take advantage of the instore XMAS TYRE SPECIALS.

 

Mr X-haust Mr Tyre Hilton offers the following services; Supply and Fitment of New Tyres, Wheel Balancing, Wheel Alignment, Puncture Repairs, Exhaust Repairs and Replacment, Shock Absorbers, Brake Repairs and Replacement and Suspension Repairs.

 

 

Pietermaritzburg Ophthalmologist, Dr Nicholas Davey, is at the leading edge of vision correction.

Dr Davey, owner of Midlands Eye and Laser Surgery will perform the first eye laser surgery in Pietermaritzburg using industry leading laser technology (Schwind Amaris Refractive Laser) that offers the safest and most high precision treatment available worldwide.

After qualifying as an ophthalmologist (Eye Surgeon/Specialist) , Dr Davey worked as a consultant eye surgeon for a year in Durban. It was then that Dr Davey was awarded two subspeciality fellowships in cornea and refractive laser eye surgery. The first fellowship, under the mentorship of European leader in modern laser eye Surgery, Professor Aslanides at Emmetropia Mediterranean Eye institute in Crete, Greece. The second Fellowship was under the mentorship of Professor Simon Holland at The University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada.

Having trained with world leaders in eye surgeries at leading institutions, Dr Davey has also attended multiple international conferences in modern eye surgery.

Dr Davey is a specialist in Laser Eye surgery, which is a modern, cost effective, fast, low risk, vison correction procedure during which a modern laser is used to precisely reshape the cornea within a few minutes, providing clear vision, eliminating a person’s dependence on glasses or contact lenses.

This procedure often corrects common conditions which result in blurry vision such as farsightedness (hyperopia), near-sightedness (myopia), astigmatism (irregular cornea) and presbyopia. ‘The laser will provide our patients and communities with more options to correct vision’ , says Dr Davey.

Laser vision correction, over a lifetime, is nine times safer than wearing contact lenses.

From a cost perspective over 10 to 15 years of wearing spectacles and contact lenses, it is cheaper to have a once off laser procedure. Laser Eye Surgery is a proven way to drastically improve your quality of life, especially for people with an active lifestyle.

Laser Eye surgery candidates receive thorough diagnostic screening using highly specialized equipment.

Dr Davey has a private practice at Pietermaritzburg Mediclinic Hospital in Payn Street and Essen Day Hospital in Ladysmith, KZN.

Pictured here top, left to right: Jackie Swanepoel, Jackie Van De Venter, Shantal Kumar and Dr Nicholas Davey.

SA teenager Matt Sates collected his second medal of the World Short Course Championships in Melbourne on Saturday, claiming bronze in the 400m individual medley.

Swimming in the lane next to Japanese star Daiya Seto – who was gunning for an incredible sixth straight victory in the event at these championships – Sates went out hard as expected in the butterfly leg before dropping back in the backstroke and breaststroke and then holding on in the freestyle for third.

Seto powered to victory in 3:55.75 with American Carson Foster second in 3:57.63 and Sates taking the bronze in a new national record time of 3:59.21. The previous record was set by Chad le Clos nine years ago.

“It was Chad’s record and I got it by 0.02 so it was pretty cool,” said Sates afterwards. “I’m happy with the swim. [Breaking the four-minute mark] was definitely a milestone and a good way to finish off the 400IM races for the year.”

Fellow teenager Lara van Niekerk was also in record-breaking form on Saturday. The 19-year-old had shattered her own African record in the morning heats of the 50m breaststroke, qualifying third fastest for the semifinal in a speedy 29.45.

Despite a slow start, she then went even quicker in the evening semifinal, finishing third in another new continental mark of 29.27 – in a race highlighted by a world record from Ruta Meilutyte. The Lithuanian had been flirting with Alia Atkinson’s short course world record during the World Cup series and finally surpassed the mark on Saturday, storming to victory in 28.37.

“It was quite cool swimming in a world record race, I don’t think a lot of people can say that,” said Van Niekerk afterwards.

Speaking about her own race, the Pretoria swimmer added: “There were a few errors, my start wasn’t the greatest and I was a bit short on the turn so I think if I can fix those things tomorrow night, it will be a very good race.

“I’m looking forward to the 50 [final] – it’s always my most fun race and I’m just happy that I can hopefully end off the gala on a very high note.”

Meanwhile, after his gold medal in the 200m butterfly on Thursday, the resurgent Le Clos ensured he progressed to the final of the 100m event as the fastest qualifier.

The 30-year-old won his semifinal in 48.98 – the only swimmer to dip under the 49-second mark.

Italian Matteo Rivolta and winner of the second semifinal Switzerland’s Noe Ponti were joint second fastest through to Sunday’s final in 49.07.

“I was very happy with the 100 fly – 48.9. I think tomorrow is going to be a great race between me and the defending champ Rivolta and Ponti… Hopefully it’ll be a gold tomorrow but it will be a tight one,” said Le Clos, adding a few words for his young teammate.

“A big shoutout to Matthew [Sates] for breaking my record tonight in the 400IM. I’m very, very proud of him, he’s a superstar.”

Earlier in the day, 18-year-old Dakota Tucker finished 14th overall in the women’s 400m individual medley heats in 4:40.01 while Rebecca Meder was 19th in the 100m butterfly in 58.04 and Simon Haddon was 39th in the men’s 50m breaststroke in 27.67.

The SA women’s 4x50m medley relay team of Milla Drakopoulos, Emily Visagie, Caitlin de Lange and Hannah Pearse were 13th overall in 1:53.76, while the men’s team of Pieter Coetzé, Kian Keylonck, Clayton Jimmie and Haddon finished 14th overall in 1:37.14.

Photo credits: World Aquatics

 

Unfortunately not only food can pose a threat to our furbabies on Christmas day, especially our curious and younger pets.

Toys - anything that looks appealing to puppies and kittens, including children’s toys can pose a risk. Make sure to keep an eye on your pets when opening gifts and keep new toys out of reach

Batteries - Ingestion of batteries is more common at Christmas and can cause chemical burns and heavy metal poisoning. Never leave batteries or small toys that include batteries, lying around

Wrapping or crepe paper - While the risk of toxicity is low, eating a large amount of paper may cause an obstruction in the stomach. Be sure to clean up and dispose of Christmas wrapping paper in a bin

Silica gel - Commonly found in packaging in small sachets, these can cause blockages in the gut if eaten. Be sure to monitor the opening of gifts that may contain these sachets and dispose of carefully.

Call 033 343 4602.

An emotional Chad le Clos claimed a long-awaited gold medal in the 200m butterfly at the World Short Course Championships in Melbourne on Thursday.

The former Olympic champion raced like he did at the start of his international career, hanging back as American Trenton Julian burned himself out swimming at world-record pace and then pouncing in the final 50m to win in a new lifetime best – and African record time of 1:48.27. That was almost a full second ahead of second-placed Daiya Seto of Japan.

Le Clos burst into tears at the realisation that he’d finally got his hands back on the title he last won in 2016.
The 30-year-old has had a tough few years, struggling with depression and a drop in form but showed he is well and truly on the comeback trail after a switch in coaches.

“This is a big win for me. I’ve taken so many losses in the last two years. A lot of people doubted me, the swimming world doubted me, but the king is back,” said an elated Le Clos afterwards.

“I had a change of mindset, I was fighting too much with myself and trying desperate-man swimming… a big thank you to my coach, Dirk Lange, for all the changes he’s made in the last 10 weeks.

“Just like we said in Gladiator – we smelt that dirt, we came out prepared for war,” added Le Clos, who will be back in the pool on Saturday for the 100m butterfly.

Meanwhile, Lara van Niekerk featured in the 100m breaststroke final. The 19-year-old, who is making a return to competition after foot surgery, couldn’t produce the form she had in the heats, however, and finished in fifth place in 1:04.12. Gold went to American Lilly King in 1:02.67.

The time of 1:03.93 that Van Niekerk swam in the heats on Wednesday would have earned her a bronze medal in the final after Ruta Meilutyte (who initially finished second) was disqualified.

Rebecca Meder booked a place in the 100m individual medley final in impressive fashion. The 20-year-old from Durban broke multiple Olympic medallist Kirsty Coventry’s African record in the morning heats – finishing in a time of 59.38. She then went even quicker in the evening semifinal, finishing third in another record time of 58.98 and qualifying fifth fastest for Friday’s final.

“I’m very happy. I think I’ve been chasing that time for a while now… so I’m really, really happy with that time,” said Meder.

Meanwhile, Pieter Coetzé ensured he progressed to the final of the 50m backstroke. The 18-year-old from Pretoria was sixth at the turn in his semifinal but stormed back to finish second in 22.86, to qualify fourth fastest for Friday’s final. Australian Isaac Cooper was the fastest qualifier in a world junior record time of 22.52.

After claiming 200m individual medley gold on Tuesday, Matt Sates was far from his best in the 400m freestyle heats. His time of 3:41.05 saw the 19-year-old finishing 12th overall and missing out on a place in the evening final. It was a performance well off the 3:36.30 he swam during the World Cup series event in Berlin just a couple of months ago.

Earlier in the day, the women’s 4x50m freestyle relay team of Caitlin de Lange, Meder, Emily Visagie and Milla Drakopoulos were in record-breaking form, setting a new continental mark of 1:40.80 to finish 11th overall. De Lange’s opening leg of 24.33 seconds was also a new African record, the 18-year-old beating Egyptian Farida Ousman’s previous mark of 24.37.

In other action, Dakota Tucker finished 17th overall in the 200m butterfly heats in 2:11.34, Drakopoulos was 31st overall in the heats of the 50m backstroke in 28.08 and Simon Haddon was 29th in the 100m individual medley in 54.79.

The men’s 4x50m freestyle relay team of Clayton Jimmie, Haddon, Kian Keylock and Coetzé finished 12th overall in 1:29.27.

Swimming action continues on Friday with the championships coming to an end on Sunday, 18 December.

Photo credit: FINA

Teenage sensation Pieter Coetzé came within just a few splits of a medal in the 100m backstroke at the World Short Course Championships in Melbourne on Wednesday. He nevertheless managed to set another African record on his way to fourth place.

The 18-year-old had lowered the continental mark to 49.85 in the semifinal on Tuesday and went even quicker in the final, setting a new record of 49.60, just eight hundredths of a second behind bronze medallist Isaac Cooper of Australia.

The race was won American Ryan Murphy in a new championship record of 48.50 – Murphy becoming the second fastest swimmer in the history of the event – while Italian Lorenzo Mora took the silver in 49.04.

Later in the evening Chad le Clos finished fifth in the 50m butterfly final. The 30-year-old, who boasts an incredible 18 world short course medals, is not known for the sprint distances, rather focusing on the 100 and 200m butterfly, but still managed to make it to the final.

Le Clos had a problem with his swimsuit just before the start of the race and reached the 25m turn in eighth place. That left too much to do in the second 25m and he finished fifth in 22.11.

The race was won by 42-year-old two-time defending champion Nicholas Santos of Brazil in a championship record time of 21.78. Switzerland’s Noe Ponti took the silver in 21.96 and Hungary’s Szebasztian Szabo the bronze in 21.98.

Earlier in the day, double Commonwealth Games gold medallist Lara van Niekerk, who is making a return to international competition after foot surgery, was the only South African to progress through the morning heats. The 19-year-old powered to victory in her 100m breaststroke heat in a speedy 1:03.93 to qualify second fastest for the semifinals, coming within four hundredths of a second of Tatjana Schoenmaker’s national and continental record.

Van Niekerk was slightly slower in her semifinal, finishing joint second in 1:04.36 to qualify joint fifth fastest for Thursday’s final.

“It was quite cold, but I just tried to stay as warm as possible,” said Van Niekerk from an unseasonably chilly Melbourne. “I think this morning my stroke was a bit more relaxed. I think I rushed a bit tonight [in the semifinal] so tomorrow I’ll just try and have that long, relaxed stroke again… It’s going to take a 1:03 to medal,” she added.

Meanwhile, Stephanie Houtman won the opening heat of the women’s 800m freestyle in 8:39.15 which saw her finishing 15th overall in the event.

Cailtin de Lange was 28th in the 100m freestyle in 54.47 and Clayton Jimmie finished 40th overall in the men’s 100m freestyle in 48.09.

Swimming action resumes on Thursday and continues until Sunday, 18 December.

Photo credit: FINA

Matt Sates kicked off the World Short Course Championships in spectacular fashion, claiming gold in the 200m individual medley and smashing his own world junior record in the process.

The 19-year-old from Pietermaritzburg turned first after the butterfly leg, dropped back to third on the backstroke and then steadily worked his way back with an excellent breaststroke performance to regain the lead by the penultimate turn with 50m to go. There was no catching him on the freestyle, Sates powering to the finish in 1:50.15 for the gold. With that he also became the second fastest short course 200m IM swimmer in history. Only world-record-holder Ryan Lochte has swum faster.

American Carson Foster took silver in 1:50.96 and Canadian Finlay Knox the bronze in 1:51.04.

“I don’t even know what to say…,” a thrilled Sates commented afterwards, thanking everyone from teammates and coaches, to his grandparents, mom and the crowd.

“I feel good, I wasn’t expecting it so I’m very happy.”

Speaking about when he knew he could win the race, Sates added: “It was probably in the freestyle when I turned and looked to the side, and then I just gave it my all.”

Fellow teenager Pieter Coetzé was also in record-breaking from in the 100m backstroke. He claimed fourth place in his heat to progress to the evening semifinal where he finished fifth in a new African record time of 49.85. It was by far the faster of the two semifinals and saw the Pretoria swimmer going through to Wednesday’s final as the sixth fastest qualifier. American Ryan Murphy was quickest in 49.17.

Also in action was veteran Chad le Clos. The 30-year-old is gunning for podium places in the 100 and 200m butterfly but on Tuesday he also booked a spot in the final of the 50m butterfly. He finished third in his semifinal in 22.09 to progress to Wednesday’s final as the fifth fastest swimmer on the night. Hungary’s Szebasztian Szabo was the quickest qualifier in 21.90.

Clayton Jimmie was the other South African representative in the event. He finished 43rd overall in the heats in 23.41.

Earlier in the day, Rebecca Meder set a new national record in the heats of the 200m individual medley, finishing in 2:07.47 to better the mark of 2:07.54 set by Kathryn Meaklim 13 years ago. The 20-year-old from Durban won her heat but just missed out on a place in the final by .22 of a second.

Stephanie Houtman won her 400m freestyle heat but her time of 4:13.16 was the 19th fastest on the day and not quick enough to progress to the evening final. Her 16-year-old teammate, Milla Drakopoulos, finished 36th overall in the 100m backstroke in 1:01.52, while Emily Visagie was 32nd in the 50m butterfly heats in 28.39.

Drakopoulos, Visagie and Meder teamed up with Caitlyn de Lange in the 4x100m freestyle relay where they set a new African record of 3:41.57 but it was still not quick enough to qualify for the final. The previous mark of 3:41.80 set by Trudi Maree, Lehesta Kemp, Megan Stephens and Vanessa Mohr had stood for 10 years.

Swimming action continues on Wednesday in Melbourne, with the championships coming to an end on Sunday, 18 December.

Photo credit: FINA

Exciting Annual event: Hiltonians Unite! This is one for every one who lives here. Visitors welcome.

Hilton Harriers running club invites you to join us at a Christmas Informal 6km Walk/Run on Friday 16 Dec for all who love Hilton! ❤️

 

Dress up Christmassy, go mad, have fun!

 

This is a Fundraiser for Love Hilton who have amazing projects to beautify our precious little village.

 

Registration from 7am in car park at The Avenues Centre.
Start: 8am
Cost: R100 (which includes an awesome red 'I ❤️Hilton' cap!)

Note that 50% of coffees bought at Coffeeberry will be donated to LoveHilton.

 

Route: from Avenues Centre, meanders towards Ground, under the rainbow tunnel, Laddsworth, Build It, up to Quarry centre where Santa will welcome you at a water point, across the road up to Hillary road, back to the tunnel and back to Avenues Centre.

 

Weather: we are used to rain and mizzle. Dress up and come join us anyway!

 

'I was born and bred in KZN. I moved to the Midlands area and have called it 'home' for the past few years.

 

When Dave and I got married, we received a prophetic word about going on an adventure. It said we would only be able to see one step in front of us, but that we needed to trust Jesus.

 

I didn't anticipate that the first step would be to leave our home in KZN, sell my business and step into something completely new. We asked God to clearly open or close the relevant doors and the door to the Western Cape was clearly open. While we didn't fully understand the 'why', God had clearly spoken to us and we decided to be brave and follow His leading.

 

Since saying 'yes', it has been a whirlwind! We sold our house within a week and my business was sold within two weeks. While it's been daunting to walk on water, all the pieces have come together in preparation for our adventure in the Western Cape.

 

Do we know why we going yet? No not yet, but we are excited about what God has in store! God is good and we believe that only amazing things happen when we trust Jesus in the journey.

 

Yes, there has been heartache in this season - it's been a tearing away from what has been comfortable and known. It's leaving a business of 12 years and people who have become dear friends, not just clients. And it's saying 'bye for now' to our dearest friends, who have been incredibly supportive over the last two months, showing us love and support when our hearts were broken. We have been loved so lavishly, it was overwhelming! I can say we have incredible friendships which will last a lifetime - no matter where we are, we are a phone call away!

 

So as this chapter closes in KZN, we celebrate our friends; our families; our successes; our failures; our seasons past and we look forward to the new chapter, embracing the Cape and making it home!' said Kirsten Groenewald owner of KH Fitness Engineering. 

 

We wish Kirsten and David happiness in their adventures ahead.

 

Laura Wolhuter is the new owner of this popular Hilton gym, which she is re-branding to open as The Fitness Garage early in January 2023.