Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 107, June 2018 | Page 6

LETTERS

Have Your SAY

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 letters @ modernathlete . co . za , and add a pic if you can . Letters should preferably be no more than 300 words long , and pics must be high-resolution to be usable in print . ( Note that letters may be shortened due to space limitations .)

EDITOR ’ S PICK

EQUALITY OF THE SEXES ?…
As a competitive runner , I find it hard to reconcile race rules which take a ‘ one-size-fits-all ’ approach to rewarding runners for their efforts . It has been scientifically proven that the performance of women athletes is different to that of our male counterparts , so it is unsurprising that the fastest humans on the planet are male , and that nearly all overall winners of running races are men .
Thankfully , women are eligible for our own category prizes in races , which rewards our efforts and talent . But why are medal category cutoff times the same for both men and women at many of our top races ? This means that women have to put in inordinately more effort to qualify for the honour of , for example , being a silver medallist .
Otherwise , a different cut-off time should be used for men and women to be fair – and the reasoning by race organisers that this is too complicated , or that a cut-off time is used because it has always been done that way , simply does not “ cut ” it any more . ( No pun intended .) – Patricia Forbes , Irene
You make a good point about traditional standards for men simply being applied to women , and I think organisers can definitely relook some of those , but this will require more officiating and controls , and also raises the question of overall cut-offs . Should women then qualify for a longer permitted running time ? That would really complicate races , and I suspect most organisers would draw the line there . – Ed .
Take the recent Old Mutual Two Oceans Half Marathon as an example . The results show that 234 out of a total of 6250 men who completed the race made the 1:30 silver medal cut-off time , which equates to 3.7 % of the men ’ s field . Only 33 women qualified for a silver out of a total of 7580 female finishers , which is a mere 0.4 %. So men have a 10-times better chance at bagging a silver than women … but can it be said that the effort put in by the top 3.7 % of women was less than that of the top 3.7 % of men ? For 3.7 % of women to have been awarded silver medals , i . e . the top 280 women , a women ’ s silver cut-off time of 1:50 would have been needed .
Some smaller races award silver medals for a certain number of both men and women , e . g . top 100 of each , which seems more equitable .
EDITOR ’ S LETTER
Real Runners
D
uring the Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon Expo , I did a quick filmed interview for a social
media platform and was asked where I would be supporting the runners during the ultra ,
as a vibe point commentator . As I was answering , a colleague piped up in the background ,
“ Ask him when he ’ s finally going to join us in running the Ultra .” That got me thinking about a
debate that I have listened to – or participated in – many times over the years , and it usually starts
with somebody referring to ‘ real runners .’
There are some runners in South Africa that believe you ’ re not a real runner until you join a club
and begin racing regularly , while others say you graduate to ‘ real runnerdom ’ once you ’ ve done a
marathon . Others take it a step further and say you need to run an ultra-marathon , and of course ,
there are many who believe that real runners must do the Comrades . In fact , you have to do an
Up Run and a Down Run to be called a real runner !
This mindset was driven home when I listened to that same interviewer chatting to multiple
SA Champ in road , track and cross country , Nolene Conrad , a few minutes later . She had just
returned from the World Half Marathon Champs in Spain , where she had blitzed a 71-minute time
to take more than a minute off her PB , but more importantly , had run an IAAF Gold Label qualifier .
This means she will now be in line for elite invites ( and expenses-paid trips ) to the top standard
distance races around the world . That is a huge achievement !
In other words , the last thing she is likely thinking about right now is running a 90km ultra … but
here she was being asked when she plans to run the Comrades . Not if , but when , as if it is a
given . Now I know that particular interviewer is a very keen Comrades runner himself , and he has
an infectious enthusiasm for all-things Comrades , but I couldn ’ t help shaking my head .
Don ’ t get me wrong , I love the ultras , even though I have chosen not to run them ( yet ), but I
understand that runners like Nolene are focused on shorter distances , because that is where their
strengths lie , or where they are enjoying success in their careers . They may step up to the ultra in
the future ; then again , they might not … and that decision should not decree whether their running
is real or not . The same goes for every Average Joe runner out there .
What it boils down to is that I believe there is no such thing as a ‘ real runner .’ Because that would
imply that there are false , unreal or half runners , wouldn ’ t it ? No , I say that if you put one foot in
front of the other , be it fast or slow , going long or short , racing or jogging , you are a runner . And
that ’ s a badge of honour that we are all entitled to wear , so lace up your shoes and go run . That ’ s
keeping it real .
Sean Falconer
Follow me on Twitter : @ sean _ falconer | Follow the mag as well : @ modern _ athlete
REAL RUNNERS
I ’ d just like to thank you for writing such an excellent Editor ’ s Letter in May on such a debated topic ! I have also heard the comments of ‘ you ’ re only a runner if ...’, and I totally agree that it is a moot point . Thank you for taking the time to point out that the slower and shorter distance athletes are runners too . The affirmation is really encouraging . In general as well , thank you for such an excellent magazine ! I look forward to reading it every month . – Natalie Coetzee , via e-mail
This is a message I have tried to promote throughout my 19 years as a running journo , that we may run for different reasons or goals , but we are all still runners . – Ed .
RUNNING SHAVED FOR THE YOUTH
Three of us will tackle the 2018 Comrades Marathon to raise money for Just The One Foundation , a non-profit organisation that educates the youth of underprivileged South Africans . It feels great to run the Ultimate Human Race in aid of a cause that gives back to our country , and we have run the Comrades Marathon for this charity over the past two years . In 2016 we raised R35,000 and last year R55,000 . This year we are hoping to set a record to give these children the best education we possibly can . We also decided to think of something crazy that would get the attention from donors , friends , family and businesses . Therefore , we have made a promise that we will shave our heads ‘ number 0 ’ for the race !
The foundation started as a collection of friends that got together every Thursday evening for a catch-up session . After a few months , we decided to make our meetings more proactive and discussed ideas how to give back in some way to the great country we grew up in . We decided to focus on supporting the education of others that are less fortunate than we are .
As a group of 10 young working people , we decided to each put away R100 per month , based on the core principle of sacrificing one small treat a week , be it a draft beer or a dessert – a small sacrifice to create change
Images : Ben Myburgh , Fotolia , Oxford University , Shaun Roy / ImageSA & Courtesy Neil Massey
6 ISSUE 107 JUNE 2018 / www . modernathlete . co . za