Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 117, April 2019 | Page 4

EDITOR’S LETTER
PUBLISHERS
Richard Laskey
Roxanne Martin
Sean Falconer
ADVERTISING SALES
Richard Laskey 083 342 8200 /
[e-mail]
the world’s most
of the
hon
beautiful marat
1970 to 2019
F
or the past few months I have spent much of my
time working on my first book project, writing a 50th
anniversary Two Oceans Marathon coffee table book.
(If you’ll forgive a quick sales pitch, the book will be on
sale at the Two Oceans Expo at the end of this month,
selling at the incredible Expo special price of just R150,
so look out for it!) OK, now back to what I really want to
talk about today: History.
I have always loved history. It was my favourite subject at school, and I still regret not taking it as a
subject at varsity. I have row and rows of historical books in my bookcases at home, and I love historical
fiction as well. There are also a number of historical films in my DVD collection. So, ja, I dig history.
Unsurprisingly, I also take great interest in the historical side of running. Towards the end of my
degree in journalism, I had to do a three-part series of in-depth feature articles, and I chose to
write about the Running Boom that swept the world in the 70s and 80s. I spent days and days
going through old running mags for research, and was enthralled by the history. Shortly after that,
I did an internship at a running mag to finish my degree, and one of the first assignments I was
given was to write a four-part fun piece on the ‘Lore of Comrades,’ featuring all the incredible
stories from the rich history of the event. Right up my alley!
In my work for Modern Athlete, one of my favourite assignments has been the writing the
historical ‘Living Legend’ pieces for this mag. I have interviewed some incredible people, such
as runners with 40 or more Comrades and Two Oceans medals, or athletes who competed in the
heyday of SA track and field, when our athletes were regularly posting world-class times in spite
of being excluded from global competition. The stories I have heard...
In 2011 I was honoured to be asked by the late John Cameron-Dow to come on board as one
of the technical editors of his book on the history of the Comrades Marathon. He was also the
author of the previous historical book on the Two Oceans Marathon, and I am really sorry that he
passed away suddenly, just a few months before the new book is due out.
So I feel like I’ve come full circle by working on my own book project, and I have discovered so
many fascinating stories to tell. Given that it is a picture-based coffee table book, we couldn’t fit in
all the stories, but I now have so many leads for articles in the mag. That’s how I found out about
Mark Pikker’s adventure in the 2013 Two Oceans, which I have made the lead feature in this edition,
so check it out on page 6. Then enjoy the rest of the mag, get inspired, and get running.
Sean Falconer
Follow me on Twitter: @sean_falconer | Follow the mag as well: @modern_athlete
EDITORIAL TEAM
EDITOR
Sean Falconer [e-mail]
DESIGNER
Caroline Collings [e-mail]
DIGITAL CONTENT MANAGER
Roxanne Martin [e-mail]
EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTORS
Regulars: Anel Oosthuizen, Christine Peters,
Derick Marcisz, Ernest Hobbes, Manfred Seidler,
Norrie Williamson, PJ Moses, Ray Orchison, René
Kalmer, Roxanne Martin, Sean Falconer, Stuart
Mann, Tom Cottrell
Guest Writers: Deirdre Hewitson, Hein Wandrag,
Karoline Hanks, Kim Stephens, Kim van Kets, Lisa
MacKenzie, Muntonezwi Khanyile, Paul Kelly,
Salome Scholtz, Splash PR, Tanya Timms, Vaugh
& Nicola Venter
COVER IMAGE Jetline Action Photo
IMAGES
Photo Agencies & Professional photographers:
BackTrack Sports, Craig Muller, Fotolia, iStock,
Jetline Action Photo, Kevin Sawyer/Gameplan
Media, Kyle Cestari, Melinda Crafford, Mike
Scott, Nicki Sutherland, Rick Timms, Roger
Sedres/ImageSA, Shawn Benjamin/Ark Images,
SMacPix
Non-professional photographers: Bridget
Linderoth, Hanno Langenhoven, Heidi-Anne
Smidt, Hein Wandrag, Jill Lategan, Moegsien
Ebrahim, Morgan Weeks, Stuart Mann
Courtesy: Amy Abrahams, Anel Oosthuizen,
Beloved Long Runs, Cape Leopard Trust,
Francois Grobler, Janeane Watt, Juan van
Deventer, Kabelo Melamu, Karoline Hanks, Kim
van Kets, Lans Pepler, Mamre AC, Murray &
Roberts, Nedbank Running Club, Nicola Venter,
Om Die Dam Marathon, PJ Moses, PUMA, René
Kalmer, Sean Falconer, Seeturtles.org, Seromo
Mofokeng, Suzanne Twentyman-Jones, Tanya
Timms, Two Oceans Marathon, Warick Bekker,
Wiets Se Run, Worcester AC, and various Race
Organisers
FIND US
GENERAL E-MAIL [e-mail]
EDITORIAL E-MAIL [e-mail]
WEB www.modernathlete.co.za
FACEBOOK www.facebook.com/modernathletemag
TWITTER @modern_athlete
INSTAGRAM @modernathletemag
4
ISSUE 117 APRIL 2019 / www.modernathlete.co.za
Modern Athlete is accredited by the
ABC with an average monthly
circulation of 79,344 (Apr - Jun 2018)
50 years
NS
TWO OCEA ON
MARATH
Celebrating
HISTORY
LESSONS
DIGITAL SALES & CAMPAIGNS
Roxanne Martin 072 368 7390 /
[e-mail]