Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 117, April 2019 | Page 10

KALMER’S
CORNER
Our Modern Athlete Brand Ambassador’s Blog
By Rene Kalmer
ULTRA happy
Having taken a run into uncharted territory, I am ultra-happy with my first ultra experience in the recent Om die Dam 50km.
back of my mind, I had a target time of 3:45 in mind.
I was very relieved to spot Altus Badenhorst at the start line, and discovered that
we pretty much had the same goal in mind for the 50km. Altus is always great
company on a run, and during my previous two marathons in Cape Town and
Soweto, he and I ended up running parts of the race together.
Pleasant Surprises
Rene in action in the
Om die Dam 50km
Before the Crack of Dawn
On the morning of the race, we got up at 2am to avoid the 3am road closures in
Harties. Luckily, my daughter Karli has prepared us to function on very little sleep
over the last two years! We arrived at the parking lot at the start area just before
3am, where Andre was lucky enough to squeeze in some extra sleep in the car for
some extra energy. I literally had to wake him 30 minutes before the start.
On the other hand, I was just too nervous to sleep as I visualised the long day
ahead of me, and what could possibly go wrong, but also thinking of my running
journey over the last two years in getting here to starting my first ultra. Luckily,
coach Lindsey was at the start to calm my nerves. Earlier in the week, we had
a telephonic conversation about my pacing at Om die Dam. I thought he was
absolutely crazy when he suggested that I go out at 4:25min/km. In the end we
settled on 4:40min/km with the goal just to finish my 50km loooooong run. In the
Running with regular racing mate
Altus Badenhorst
Smooth Running
The rest of the race went pretty much according to plan, with no major hiccups or
surprises. With 9km to go, I made a pit-stop and decided that this was also a good
time to mix a drink for myself, and then it hit me as I passed the 42km mark: This
was new territory for me. However, I just focused on keeping to my pace.
I was thrilled to hear that my Murray & Roberts teammate Charne Bosman won
the race in 3:30, whilst I was ecstatic as I finished in fifth position in 3:40 – and
could now call myself an ultra runner. I was also glad to share the podium with my
teammates as the #BlackAndYellow took four of the top five women’s positions.
Apart from the normal aches and pains after a race, it was a great experience! I feel
positive about Two Oceans coming up in late April, and I’m really looking forward to
my ultra journey ahead. Two Oceans, Loskop, Comrades… Guess I will have to tick
them all off the bucket list in the near future!
Enjoying a long
50km training run
Ecstasy and tiredness
combined at the finish
10
I was hoping for the best, but expecting the worst as the kilometres rolled by. I was
very relieved to meet the famous “Saartjie,” from Saartjies Nek, in the early stages
of the race, while my legs were still fresh. I must say that I had pictured Saartjie a
bit differently in my mind... she was quite a scary mob doll, but I truly enjoyed her
chirps, “Saartjie sê goeie more,” “Saartjie daag JOU!!!” and “Saartjie is proud of
you.” I was proud of myself for conquering Saartjies Nek, as I have heard a lot of
war stories from my husband and his running buddies about this hill.
ISSUE 117 APRIL 2019 / www.modernathlete.co.za
O
n Saturday 16 March, I toed the line at Hartbeespoort Dam for my first
ultra-marathon experience. Even though I was just using the Om die Dam
50km event as a training run in preparation for the Two Oceans Ultra, I was
as nervous as a cat, as I had never run further than the marathon distance before.
My husband, Andre, made it even worse the night before when he handed me
R150 for ‘taxi-money,’ as he usually runs with some cash just in case he needs it
during a race for a taxi ride after bailing…
Once we started running, a pleasant surprise was how relaxed everybody was in
the early stages of the race, chit-chatting and sharing race goals in the first couple
of kilometres. This is something that I have never experienced in any race before,
because at the front of the pack it is usually flat-out racing right from the start. I
quickly discovered that one tackles an ultra like driving down to the coast: You
need to make yourself comfortable, and be patient while you tick the kilometres off
one by one, while enjoying the ride!