Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 104, March 2018 | Page 7

LETTERS You have to be physically and mentally strong to be a bus driver, and your assistants must be strong, too, so with this story I would like to say thanks to all the bus drivers who bring us safely to the finish line. – Phineas Moerane, Rustenburg Couldn’t agree with you more, those bus drivers deserve heaps of praise for the huge responsibility they take on each year! – Ed. THE LONG ROAD BACK I have always played some form of sport in school and varsity, and once I started working at an ad agency in 2006, I was pleased to find that there was an inter- agency soccer league, so I could try to keep in shape, between the late nights and working on weekends. However, in 2013, during the first game of the season, a cynical and malicious tackle snapped my Achilles tendon. Everyone on the field heard it, as it sounded like a gunshot. I underwent surgery the next day to reconstruct it, then wore a cast for eight weeks and a ‘moon boot’ for six weeks after that. It was hell, not just physically, but also mentally, as I feared that I would never be able to walk properly again. Running Club, where I found a wonderful group of people who shared the same passion for running as me, and started racing on weekends. Running in South Africa is amazing. It is not only the weather, the races and the variety, but most importantly, the people. Everybody is welcome, no matter where we come from or who we are, and there is this openness and genuine camaraderie in the running community that embraces us all. I have grown not only as a runner, but as a person, being more understanding and appreciative, especially of the joys of running in this beautiful country. – Maria Bendana, Johannesburg I believe the running community in this country is one of the best in the world, and that our races are amongst the best as well. Long may that continue. – Ed. THE GOOD ADDICTION I am a Runner, one who finds joy, challenge, contentment, friendship, satisfaction and peace out on the road or trails. Running has also come to be one of my arsenal of weapons to fight another sort of running, into the arms of drug dealers. I am an addict, and addicts are never cured, but are “in recovery.” Unfortunately, we get attacked by relapses, which are unpredictable, uncontrollable and devastating. No one who has not been there can appreciate what powerful forces override all other senses through the desperate desire for drugs. After a long period of being clean, I unfortunately suffered another relapse, and because drugs are expensive, I sold almost everything I possess to satisfy my cravings. This included my well-loved running shoes, even a new pair I had hardly used. I must have been mad… I was mad. Now the relapse has run its course, I am financially broke, back to square one, even lost my job. Once again, I know running is an important part of my recovery, but no running shoes and no money to buy any. I had even entered Comrades this year for the first time, but how can I run it, or even train for it, without shoes? All running stories don’t necessarily have a happy ending, but here’s hoping this one will. – Anonymous, via e-mail After I learnt to walk again, I was wary of putting strain on my injured leg, and that saw me not doing any kind of exercise for two years. However, in September 2015 I started gym, then entered the 2016 FNB Cape Town 12 ONERUN. I was anxious before I ran, but once I was on the road, I felt alive again, so I continued running and watched as my health and my times improved. In 2017 I did the ONERUN again, and this year I am aiming to do at least four races, because running has helped me realign my focus and reset my health habits. And for that, I’ll be eternally grateful. – Jabulani Sigege, Cape Town The power of running is hard to explain to non-runners, but if I was going to do so, I would tell them to read this letter. – Ed. RUNNING IN SOUTH AFRICA I came to South Africa three years ago from Guatemala with no idea of what the country was about. I soon realised that this is a place of diversity and nature, and a love for running. I became a member of the Morningside I really do hope that you stay on this road now once and for all, and that a pair of running shoes somehow makes it way to your feet and allows you to run away from drugs once and for all. – Ed. Write and WIN Each month the writer of our winning letter wins a pair of new running shoes, with various brands supporting this initiative and subject to availability. The Editor will select his favourite letter each month, contact the winner to get sizing and delivery details, and then the shoes or a voucher will be dispatched to the winner. So, get writing that letter today – add a high resolution photo or two if you can – and mail it to [email protected]. 7