Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 128, March 2020 | Page 6

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 [email protected], 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. (Note that letters may be shortened due to space limitations.) SUPER MOTIVATOR STEPMOM Some people are just born to inspire and motivate others. My stepmom, Jacqui Mienie, is 71-years-young and has been running since 2011. She has completed several 21km races and started training for her first full marathon at the end of 2019. Unfortunately, she was diagnosed with Lymphoma Cancer in July 2019, but since then she has been fighting like a tiger. She has not received any chemotherapy, but has rather opted for alternative healing. During this process she has not stopped running, because she believes her running is keeping her healthy and in good spirits. I know she has days where she is exhausted, but I have not seen her give up. She has been so positive, and has even inspired her friends at the club to run personal bests, instead of staying behind with her. Just to add to her journey, she walked her dogs in January 2020 and was bitten by the neighbour’s husky. Her arm was torn to pieces and she had to CHEATING SPOTTED IN RACES I came across something disturbing at the Edenvale Marathon, a cheat taking a short-cut, and this seems to be very common at double-lap races. The incident I uncovered is probably one of many, and there are too many cheats getting away with this. Sadly, this race was a Comrades and Two Oceans qualifier. What’s the best way to address this? Who do we contact? Hope to hear your thoughts. – Mr G, Johannesburg It is always disturbing to see blatant cheating in any sport, even if done by back-of-pack runners who do not stand to win podium position medals or prize money, and I believe that all cheating should be reported for proper investigation, and cheats should be punished appropriately, if proven guilty. There is no place in sport for cheating, of any kind, be it doping, illegal gear, or taking shortcuts. That said, one thing that I am not in favour of is athletes ‘playing policeman’ over fellow athletes. It can all too easily be taken too far, can lead to unpleasant exchanges mid-race, can become abusive, or can be interpreted as discriminatory. (On a related note with our #runclean campaign, this is the reason I have always said that I am against athletes being confronted mid-race for littering, or publicly named and shamed after the race, by fellow athletes, versus being reported and then taken to task afterwards.) 6 ISSUE 128 MARCH 2020 / www.modernathlete.co.za be rushed to hospital. During her recovery, including a skin graft, the only question she kept asking the doctor was when she could get back on the road! He had to take skin from her upper leg and transplant it to her arm. Skin grafts can be problematic for older patients, as the skin is thinner and the donor site sometimes fails to heal. The doctor has said that he is surprised at how quickly she has healed and has given her the go ahead to get back on the road. He said she has been an inspiration to him, too. This is only the beginning of her story, and how she continues to inspire so many other runners. She is still fighting the ‘Big C,’ but she remains positive and driven, especially with her running. I am so proud of her. We don’t always understand why things happen to people, but I believe this happened to her, to remind all of us of how grateful we must be. We are healthy, we can run, and we should not be complaining about anything if we have that. – Lylanie Berg, Randburg They say you’re never too old to learn, or start, and I love hearing that somebody took up running at the age of 63. Even better if they love it so much that they want to run through whatever life throws at them, be it cancer or being attacked by a dog! I fully agree that Jacquie is an inspiration to us all, and especially in these challenging, uncertain times, it is stories like hers that I turn to for inspiration. – Ed. Therefore, I think the names, race/licence numbers and clubs of these alleged cheats should be quietly but officially reported to the organising team and provincial officials, who should, in turn, investigate the matter further. I also think the clubs these runners belong to should be informed, as they will no doubt want to investigate the matter, since it brings their club’s name into disrepute. – Ed. EDITOR’S PICK