Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 120, July 2019

LETTERS had a ‘done on the cheap’ vibe. I do understand that races are under huge pressure, but OMTOM should do better. – Eve, Cape Town I seem to have this same conversation over and over... that the Western Cape running community is doing so much better than other parts of the country in terms of running clean. There’s the challenge to the rest of the country’s runners to clean up their act. – Ed SALUTING MARK PIKKER I saw the story about Mark Pikker in a recent edition of the mag and I thought I would share this picture of him running the Peninsula Marathon. He had already covered +/-35km and had this sachet in his hand, but couldn’t find a bin, and eventually asked us if we had one, so we disposed of it. – Randall Crisp, Cape Town Awesome that a runner we put on our front cover because he has an interesting story, is then shown to be a dedicated #runclean supporter. Well done, Mark! – Ed FACEBOOK CHATS Many a conversation is had on Facebook these days that we want to share with the Modern Athlete readership. These are a few highlighted comments from recent weeks. COMRADES START HAZARDS is so quiet, as if y’all are being transported to a maximum prison. You arrive at the stadium and they guard you and make sure that you don’t mix with other kids, as if you have Ebola... – Anonymous Comrades Runner Hai maaan, I was cut off, but this didn’t happen to me! They didn’t rip our numbers off, they didn’t isolate us from anyone, the bus was not quiet... We were all happy we made it that far! – Bongi Madlala I know this horrible feeling, experienced it last year. And I vowed to make sure I’ll never experience that again. – Brian Moyo Contrary to popular belief there are top runners who experience this. – Mkhululi Mojanaga Blankets and plastic bags to my knowledge aren’t permitted. Only wearable clothing is. We usually tend to buy something cheap to wear and give it to people next to the road after we warm up. The discomfort at the start is just part of the day. – Armandt Van Den Berg In G-batch there was an official instructing runners who had plastic bags to remove them, but I understand that H-batch was not that well monitored. – Anja Kreiner I would hazard a guess that any construction in the middle of the road is to prevent runners tripping over paving, and is thus required by health and safety rules, but in terms of plastic bags or blankets that create hazards in the starting pens, I think this is something that could be addressed. H-batch is not completely fenced off, though, so officials will always have a challenge in policing that batch. – Ed DREADED BAILER BUSES Top runners won’t know the pain of being picked up by these busses... First your race number is ripped off from the back, and when you turn around to ask what’s happening, they rip off the front one. You then get told that you won’t be needing the number. You get inside, everybody 8 ISSUE 120 JULY 2019 / www.modernathlete.co.za This was my Comrades nightmare, every night for the two weeks prior to the race! Last year on the Down Run, they drove right next to us backmarkers for the last 15km with their doors open. I just put my head down and ran. Came in at 11:57. While there weren’t as many this year, their presence just makes you even more anxious than what you already are. I might have counted six or so, but again I put my head down and reminded myself of my task. Came in at 11:55 for my Back-to-Back. I know they have a job to do... but they are scary for runners, like the Grim Reaper. – Claudia Cieverts Ai, shame, that is awful. What matters is that you had the honour of starting and being at Comrades. That in itself is a huge achievement. Next year you come back stronger and faster. – Therena Bartmann I would think that the officials on these buses would do their best to make the runners comfortable and treat them with dignity, so this story doesn’t sound great. That said, I saw comments about some buses dropping bailers right at the stadium, while others were dropped a few blocks away and had to find their way to the finish. Given the massive traffic jam around Maritzburg, I’m sure the bus officials did the best they could. I also think that runners can be inconsolable when exhausted and severely disappointed after bailing or being cut off, so any actions by officials could easily be taken out of context. – Ed As an H-batch starter I would like to suggest a more strict approach should be adopted as to what runners are allowed to bring into starting pens. Blankets, cushions and plastic bags should not be allowed. Then that huge wire bin type of construction in the middle just after the start line, creating a funnel, is it really necessary? It leads to further congestion, and further disadvantages us at the back. We lose about eight minutes to get over the start line, and another eight minutes to get going. – Eugene Lekay

Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 120, July 2019 | Page 8