Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 102, January 2018 | Page 6

Have Your SAY LETTERS Got something on your mind that you want to share, a burning question you want answered, or a good story to tell? Then send it to [email protected] and add a pic if you can. (Note that these letters may have been shortened due to space limitations.) WINNING LETTER THE LITTERING CONTINUES! I am writing this to say that I am truly disappointed by the fact that in spite of the ongoing anti-litter campaigns being run by your magazine as well as various provinces, races, clubs and more, there are STILL so many runners throwing their plastic sachets and other race waste (like gel sachets) on the roads, or worse, in the bushes alongside the roads, into storm water drains, and everywhere else where the race organisers are unlikely to see the waste and clean it up. I really wish all runners would take responsibility for their waste and use the dustbins, or carry their waste to the finish and dispose of it properly. Do they just throw their waste anywhere they like at home, or in their own gardens? I think not, so why do it during races? Attitudes must change. – Faizel, Pretoria Oh, you’re speaking my language, Faizel. Our #runclean campaign is close to my heart, and I am determined to keep plugging away with the message until we get all the runners using race day products responsibly, and still better, find greener options for the whole running community. – Ed. In 1975 I lost my left arm, 6cm below the elbow, in a train accident. I was very blessed in the way that nine months later, I was playing rugby again. I played for another six years, and then a friend introduced me to road running. I was hooked. I ran my first Comrades Marathon in 1984, in a time of 8:31, and completed 12 of them, all bronze, and I made a wall clock out of sleeper wood with my medals. I was medically boarded in 1997 and that’s why I only ran 12 Comrades. I started running again in 2012, but what a battle. I managed to get to halfway three times, and ran out of time the fourth time. It is not so easy to come back after such a long lay-off. I battle now with my knees, but can’t stop running. I cut my races down to max 21 kilometres, but hope I can run Comrades again. I am also proud of my two sons, who are also running Comrades. I am now 62 years old and love every moment of it. All that I can say is that the support that I received from my family, the Bluff Athletic Club, my fellow runners on the road and all the supporters is 6 ISSUE 102 JANUARY 2018 / www.modernathlete.co.za absolutely magnificent. Thank you to each and every runner out there for your support. PS: Comrades is so easy, I ran it with one hand! – Flippie Nieuwenhuis, Durban I really admire your spirit, Flippie, and hope your running continues for many years to come! – Ed. FIRST TIME SOWETO FINISHER With a hope, a wing and a prayer I took to the start of the Soweto Marathon on 5 November 2017. I was warned not to take part in the race by well-meaning friends and family, and of course I ignored their advice and changed my entry from a 21km to a 42km. I had only started running regularly in April and the furthest I had run was 33km, but I had a strategy that I thought would guarantee me a comfortable finish: I would run 30 minutes and walk three minutes. For the first 33km I was in great form and I couldn’t wait to laugh at everyone who I thought had exaggerated the toughness of the Soweto Marathon. Then at 34km I started to get cramps that stopped me in my tracks, and I seriously started to doubt my ability to finish. Gaopalelwe NO HOLDING HIM BACK