Modern Athlete Magazine 174 November 2024 | Page 4

THE ED ’ S DESK the ed ’ s desk by SEAN FALCONER

Motivational Note

When people ask me what Modern Athlete mag is all about , I answer that this is a motivational magazine , packed with goodread stories about inspirational people in the sport of running , whose stories will motivate others to lace up their running shoes and get out the front door for a run . To fulfil that mandate , I look for stories that inspire , and for each edition of the mag , I set myself a target of putting together a mix as best I can , that covers the various running disciplines , levels and areas .

Sitting down to write my Ed ’ s Letter for this November 2024 edition , I am once again struck by just how many great stories there are out there , which is why I am still doing this job after 15 years with the mag ( I joined in October 2009 ). Take this latest edition of the mag as an example , which is jam-packed with inspiration of various shapes and sizes .

We lead with Henk Moen , who unknowingly set a new Guinness World Record for running an ultra-marathon on each of the seven continents , while mistakenly chasing a ‘ first ’ of doing just that … running seven ultras on seven continents . I know , it sounds a bit confusing , but if you read the story , you ’ ll understand what I mean .

Then we have the story of Coreen Walstra , who underwent a life-changing liver transplant in 2022 , then used running as part of her recovery process , building up to her marathon debut at the recent Sanlam Cape Town Marathon . Also look out for trail elite Simon Tshabalala , who has cemented his status as one of the leading South African ultra-distance trail runners thanks in part to his remarkable achievements in the K-way SkyRun , and this month he will be looking for a fifth consecutive SkyRun win !

We also visit the northernmost point of the planet with Mauritz Jansen van Rensburg , who ran the North Pole Marathon on the Arctic pack ice while keeping a wary eye out for hungry polar bears , and came home with another international podium finish after doing likewise at the Antarctic Ice Marathon five years ago . Another contribution focused on marathons comes from The Running Mann , who tells us all about his trip to the Far North of SA for the new Musina Marathon , while trail columnist Carla Farina entertains with her story of attempting the super-flat but super-gruelling Salt Pans Ultra in Botswana .

On the coaching front , we catch up with Samual Sepeng , who continues to fly the famous Sepeng name high in the sport some 30 years after being inspired by his older brother Hezekiel ’ s 1996 Olympic silver medal success , by guiding his athletes to the Olympics . And these are just some of the inspirational stories you ’ ll find in this mag .

Meanwhile , In My House …

In between putting this magazine together , I also took a momentous step in my own life , getting married to my best friend and life-partner , Nicole . We had a small , intimate wedding in Paternoster , up on the West Coast , because that is what we like to call ‘ our place ’ – where I told her that I loved her for the first time , and where I asked her the biggest question of my life .

I may have interviewed Olympians and World Record-holders in my career as a running journo , but no question I have ever posed to anybody felt as big as that – and she said yes . Well , eventually … after asking me four times if I was joking . I still remember the look on her face when she saw the ring and began to realise what was happening . That day will remain a cherished memory in my heart and soul forever . As will the day by the Paternoster rocks when I said those three words for the first time .

In her younger days , Nicole was awarded Protea national colours for ice-skating , but since we ’ ve been together she has become quite the runner , too . Just a few days before writing this , she completed the four-day Dryland Traverse trail event near Oudtshoorn , and she ’ ll be writing about that for our next mag . But for now , Nicole and I are going to enjoy our ongoing post-wedding celebrations , and I invite you to tuck into this inspirational edition of the mag .

Sean Falconer

Images : Courtesy Sean Falconer

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