Sean Falconer
EDITOR ’ S LETTER
TUCK AND ROLL
One of my favourite personal running stories is about the day I tripped and took a tumble during an early morning group run in Stellenbosch . That may sound a bit strange , but let me explain why . That morning we were running alongside the Eerste River , and at one point I was next to former Olympian Elana Meyer , so we got chatting . I was right in the middle of telling her a story when my toe caught on a small rock sticking out of the ground , and as I began to fall , I made a splitsecond instinctive decision to not put out my hands to break my fall . You see , I type for a living , and didn ’ t want to injure my hands .
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 , Blake Wilkins , Christine Peters , Derick Marcisz , Ernest Hobbs , Jeannie Jordaan , Lauren Smithers , Manfred Seidler , Norrie Williamson , PJ Moses , Ray Orchison , Reggie Hufkie , René Kalmer , Roxanne Martin , Sean Falconer , Stuart Mann , Tom Cottrell Guest Writers : Cath Vaughn , David Leon , Debbie Ivens , Deryl Daniels , Greg Anderson , Marna Grobler , Natalie Coetzee , Neil Massey , Patricia Forbes
4
Instead , I tucked and rolled , taking the blow on my shoulder and allowing my momentum to roll my legs over , and so I came right back up on my feet again , still next to Elana , and just carried on running . It also seemed logical to carry on telling my story , because I had gotten to the good part , but the story had to wait , because Elana was just staring at me with big eyes . “ How did you do that ? I can ’ t believe it , you just rolled back up onto your feet – and you didn ’ t even stop talking !” I couldn ’ t resist … I winked and replied , “ I get knocked down … but I get up again … you are never going to keep me down .”
WORDS TO LIVE BY
Those are the now famous anthem-like lyrics from the chorus of one of the biggest one-hitwonders of the 90s , Tubthumping by British band Chumbawamba . It ’ s a song that regularly features in videos or memes of people falling or tripping , and it was definitely appropriate for my tuck and roll .
So what got me thinking about that story ? Well , this month I interviewed one of my dearest running friends , Marianne Nelson following her inspirational , award-winning run at the AfricanX Trailrun presented by Asics ( see page 27 ). This 74-year-old ‘ Galloping Granny ’ inspires everybody she meets , myself included , thanks to her ever-positive , fun-filled attitude towards running , even though she is quick to admit that at her age she must be extra careful out there .
Nevertheless , she still takes the odd tumble from time to time , and I just happened to be running right behind her in a 15km trail race some months back when she tripped on a tree root . As I watched her falling , my first concerned thought was that she would need medical attention , but before I could even ask if she was OK , she had jumped right back up , dusted off her knees and elbows , and said , “ Right , let ’ s go .”
To this day I still can ’ t believe it , but read her story and I think you too will see that Marianne is a shining example to us all that life sometimes dishes out some hard falls , but you can get back up , and you can keep moving . Because they are never going to keep you down .
Sean Falconer
Follow me on Twitter : @ sean _ falconer | Follow the mag as well : @ modern _ athlete
WINNERS ’ CORNER
Congratulations to all the winners of our May edition competitions .
ISSUE 107 JUNE 2018 / www . modernathlete . co . za
HAVE YOUR SAY Win adidas Supernova Glide Boost running shoes for the winning letter Ben Sinclair , Gordon ’ s Bay
COVER IMAGE Jetline Action Photo
IMAGES Photo Agencies & Professional photographers : Ben Myburgh , Cape Town Sport Photography , Craig Kolesky , David Papenfus , David Tarpey , Fotolia , Getty Images , Jeff Ayeliffe , Jetline Action Photo , Johan Pieters , Luca Barausse Photography , Reg Caldecott , Roger Sedres / ImageSA , Running Ninja Photography , Shaun Roy / ImageSA , Tobias Ginsberg , Volume Photography Non-professional photographers : Cobus Groenewald , Don Rukanda , Emmanuel Tardi , Hendrik van der Westhuizen , Marlene Nel , Moegsien Ebrahim , Neil Du Plessis , Sean Falconer Courtesy : Anel Oosthuizen , Bonèta van Staden , CMA , Derick Marcisz , Elena Meyer , Elsa Meyer , Ernst van Dyk , FuelBelt , Hein Vercuil , Herman Cronje , Hesmarie Fourie , Imperial War Museum , Ironman SA , Kamil Suleiman , Karoline Hanks , Lil Parker , Marianne Nelson , Nick Araujo , Nicki Hill , Oxford University , NBCSN , PJ Moses , Power Plate SA , René Kalmer , Shawn Combrink , Steve Jackson , Stuart Mann , THRESHHold , US Army , Wikimedia , Wildrunner 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 69,425 ( Jan - Mar 2018 )
ATHLETES IN ACTION Win New Balance Fresh Foam trail running shoes for the winning photo Nontuthuko Mashimane , Pmb
Image : Courtesy Marianne Nelson