Sean Falconer
EDITOR ’ S LETTER
Celebrating our Century
I
clearly remember that warm , sunny Thursday afternoon in late July 2009 when a running friend and fellow writer phoned to tell me about a new running magazine that had just been launched , because he knew I would be interested , both as a reader and potential contributor . I immediately went online and found a downloadable PDF of the first two editions of this new Modern Athlete magazine , and within half a minute I knew I wanted to work on this mag !
At that time I believed that what the South African running community really wanted was a people-focused , locally-produced mag , full of inspirational stories about the great people of the SA running community . That ’ s what I saw in this mag . I also saw a note next to Mike Bray ’ s Publisher ’ s Letter advertising an editorial position , so I mailed him my CV and said I wanted the job . Within hours I was booked on a flight up to Joburg for an interview on the Saturday , and in September 2009 , I officially joined the team .
Meet our team
DIVISIONAL HEAD Richard Laskey richard @ modernathlete . co . za CONTENT MANAGER Roxanne Martin roxanne @ modernathlete . co . za
EDITORIAL TEAM EDITOR Sean Falconer seanf @ modernathlete . co . za DIGITAL EDITOR Keith Kennedy keith @ peaktiming . co . za DESIGNER Caroline Collings caroline . collings @ gmail . com
ADVERTISING SALES Richard Laskey 083 342 8200 / richard @ modernathlete . co . za
SUBSCRIPTIONS & DISTRIBUTION info @ modernathlete . co . za
EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTORS Regulars : Anel Oosthuizen , Christine Peters , Derick Marcisz , Ernest Hobbs , Jeannie Jordaan , Norrie Williamson , PJ Moses , Ray Orchison , Reggie Hufkie , René Kalmer , Roxanne Martin , Sean Falconer , The Gentleman Racer , Tom Cottrell Guest Writers : Annette Hamman , Carla Farina , Conrad Jardine , Colin Steyn , Courtnee Clark , Frankie Hunt , Jacquie Reid , Thomas Hope , Tracey Falconer , Wesley Bell , Zelda van den Berg
6
I can now look back on eight years and 100 editions of this mag , 96 of which I have worked on , and that makes me immensely proud . Whenever I speak to running people , I am blown away by how many tell me they love the content of this mag , that they can ’ t wait for it to come out each month , and how they read it cover to cover . It really does make all the hard work worth it , and I want to say thank you to all our readers , advertisers , partners and suppliers for sharing this amazing journey with us .
CHANGE IS INEVITABLE
Of course , the mag has seen many changes since 2009 . Most noticeably , we changed its size and paper stock twice in that first year as we tried different printing options , then changed size again in January 2012 , and once more in June 2014 . Throughout that process , we were able to call this SA ’ s biggest running magazine , because it was initially bigger in size than other running mags , and has always had a larger print-run and circulation than other running mags . And that readership skyrocketed still more when we added the digital subscription option in mid-2013 .
In terms of the team behind the mag , we ’ ve seen a number of talented and enthusiastic journalists , salespeople and support staff work at Modern Athlete , many of whom are still linked to the mag . I ’ m proud of the fact that nearly all of them are active runners , who brought not only their skills and knowledge to the magazine , but also their passion for all things running . It has been a privilege to work ( and run ) alongside all of you , and I also want to acknowledge our Publishers Mike Bray , Arthur Valasis and Craig van der Westhuizen for their vision , passion and support .
NEW LOOK & FEEL
Getting back to this 100 th edition , we ’ ve been talking about changing things up , and what better time than in our century edition ? We ’ ve not only tweaked the look and feel , but also rearranged the content into sections covering the main running disciplines , which we intend to grow still further in coming months . However , the focus is still on great ‘ people stories ,’ so get reading , get inspired , and get running !
Sean Falconer
Follow me on Twitter : @ sean _ falconer | Follow the mag as well : @ modern _ athlete
WINNERS ’ CORNER
Congratulations to all the winnders of our October edition competitions .
ISSUE 100 NOVEMBER 2017 / www . modernathlete . co . za
HAVE YOUR SAY Win adidas Supernova Glide Boost running shoes for the winning letter Neil Cochran , Boksburg
COVER IMAGE Design by Caroline Collings
IMAGES Photo Agencies & Professional photographers : Ewald Sadie , Fotolia , Jetline Action Photo , Naco Rautenbach , Oakpics , Reg Caldecott , Roger Sedres / ImageSA , Shawn Benjamin / Ark Images , Sven Musica , Tobias Ginsberg Non-professional photographers : Ameen Stemmet , Jeannie Jordaan Courtesy : Anel Oosthuizen , Annette Hamman , Barry Goliath , Bianca Fredericks , Carla Farina , Carol Wallace , Comrades Marathon Association , Conrad Jardine , Craig van der Westhuizen , Derick Marscisz , Frankie Hunt , Herman Cronje , IAAF , Irene Muir , Janeane Watt , Jacquie Reid , Nicholas Quenet , Njabulo Mavundla , PJ Moses , PUMA , René Kalmer , Sam Schoeman , Seitshiro Masilo , Sipho Mqati , Thomas Hope , Thuso Shibambu , Ulrica Stander , Wesley Bell , Will Addison , Zelda van den Berg , and various Race Organisers
FIND US TELEPHONE 011 453 0276 E-MAIL info @ modernathlete . co . za PHYSICAL ADDRESS 27 7 th Avenue , Edenvale , 1609 , Gauteng WEB www . modernathlete . co . za FACEBOOK www . facebook . com / modernathletemag TWITTER @ modern _ athlete
Modern Athlete is accredited by the ABC with an average monthly circulation of 60,093 ( Jan - March 2017 )
ATHLETES IN ACTION Win New Balance Fresh Foam trail running shoes for the winning photo Enrico Davies , Cape Town
Image : Ewald Sadie Photography