C o l u m n
THE RUNNING MANN
Exceptional service and variety at the support tables
I still wonder if my pen is mightier than the Pendale sausage !
Ringmaster Roland with Olympian Cian Oldknow
Horses for Courses
The second half of the race feels like you are in the countryside , rather than a short distance from central Johannesburg , and most of the scenery is wellmaintained smallholdings and farms . The road signs in this region warn one to be on the lookout for horses , although this might actually be a warning sign to be on the lookout for souped-up , ‘ high horsepower ’ cars . I ended up chatting to Peter “ Quadzilla ” Nasser in the first few kilometres , and we ended up running most of the race together . When I found out his company is called Mustang Fencing , I insisted he pose in front of one of those horse road signs ( but I was disappointed to find out that his wife ’ s name is Cindy , not Sally ).
I made Peter Nasser pose in front of this sign as his company is Mustang Fencing
This was a serendipitous photograph , as it helped to get Peter an entry to the Chicago Marathon the following weekend . You see , Peter ’ s wife had got into Chicago through the ballot system , but he didn ’ t make it . However , a local tour operator promised that they would get Chicago Marathon packages with a guaranteed entry , and on this basis , the Nassers booked flights and accommodation with the operator , only to be told at the last minute that they didn ’ t get the Chicago Marathon packages after all .
Norrie Williamson saw my photo and post about Peter ’ s predicament on Facebook , asked for the exact details , and then contacted the Chicago race director ( whom Norrie knows from the international work he does ). Long story short and Peter and his wife Cindy both added the Chicago Marathon to their running CVs a week after this race . It really is great to see how the organiser of a marathon major can make a plan for their runners – some of our local race organisers could learn a thing or two about this kind of customer service .
Enthusiastic Support
On that note , I can ’ t fault the exceptional service we received at the MadMac support tables , which all provided plenty to eat and drink . Most of the stations were organised by local businesses and gave the runners enthusiastic encouragement as the day wore on . Congratulations must go to Elzana Swanepoel ( technical race director ), Nicole Steenkamp ( race organiser ) and the rest of the insane clown posse for pulling off a flawless inaugural marathon .
Roland had told me to look out for a photo op at the Pendale Factory Shop , which as you can see from the photo below , provides hours of entertainment to the Meyerton AC men during club runs . Unfortunately , I was so excited by the sight of the sausage sign that I did not spot ( and eat ) the real sausages at the accompanying support table . However , I did later wonder whether the Pen is abbreviated in ‘ Pendale .’ I am a firm believer in the maxim that the pen is mightier than the sword , but I will have to return next year to assess whether my pen is bigger than the Pendale sausage .
Speaking of items of an impressive size and stature , the TyreMart table brought out the Michelin Man to support the runners . I feel a special affinity to the Michelin Man , not just because we share almost the exact same surname , but also because I bore a strong resemblance to his physique before I started running . In the photo below , I am attempting some two-step ‘ langarm ’ with him , but it looks more like he ’ s about to smack me upside the head . And with my basic ‘ meat and potatoes ’ palate , that ’ s probably the only way I will ever get to see any Michelin stars …
34 ISSUE 175 | www . modernathlete . co . za