Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 129, April 2020 | Page 4

T he last four weeks are a bit of a blur, to be honest. I think I have forgotten what a normal week feels like, and weekends, which used to be reserved for races, don’t seem to exist anymore. Now our reality is staying at home, counting down the days till ‘parole,’ and running round and round our gardens and houses. As somebody who works from home, I think I am fortunate in that lockdown in general doesn’t actually feel all that different from normal life, but I still miss being able to go for a run whenever I feel like it. And I really miss hanging out with all my running friends at the races. Inspiring Lockdown Reads Just as we were finishing this edition, we heard from the President that exercise will be allowed in Level 4 of lockdown, but we were still waiting to hear the exact details. So for now, we continue going round and round our houses and gardens… doing what I have now dubbed Lockdown Loops. Many of you have been doing this type of running – the evidence is on Strava and social media – and I have seen plenty of running activity being logged or talked about, including some truly incredible backyard runs. We have picked just a few of them for the Lockdown Loops lead feature in this edition. Can you believe that some people did 100 miles around their houses? That’s 161km! Also look out for Stuart Mann’s epic Home Ironman Experience a bit further back in the mag. He may have well over one hundred marathons under his belt, but he had never done an entry-level triathlon before, let alone a full-distance Ironman. With his typical humorous outlook on all things athletic, he describes his multisport debut, including trying to braai mid-run during an unforeseen power outage, so that his family could still have supper. It’s a great read! We NEED You! While we wait to hear if we can resume a semblance of normal running in May, Modern Athlete needs your help on two fronts. Firstly, we want to sign up for our Modern Athlete Flatten the Curve Challenge, where you can log any lockdown activity, and thus make a contribution to the feeding scheme run by FoodForward SA, getting food to multiple communities in need of help. It doesn’t matter what activity you do, from running or riding to vacuuming or playing with the kids, it’s about staying active while helping others. Secondly, for over 10 years we have brought you a FREE running publication. Now we are asking if you can please ‘repay the favour’ by supporting your favourite running publication with a cash donation. You see, this magazine’s income is very much reliant on advertising around races, so even if running is allowed again in May, the fact that races will not be taking place for months to come impacts us greatly. But we want to keep bringing you a great read every month… No matter how much you can spare, it will help us keep the mag running until things go back to normal. Sean Falconer 4 Follow on Twitter: | Follow the mag as well: @modern_athlete ISSUE 129 me APRIL 2020 / @sean_falconer www.modernathlete.co.za PUBLISHERS Richard Laskey Roxanne Martin Sean Falconer ADVERTISING SALES Richard Laskey 083 342 8200 / [email protected] DIGITAL SALES & CAMPAIGNS Roxanne Martin 072 368 7390 / [email protected] EDITORIAL TEAM EDITOR Sean Falconer [email protected] DESIGNER Caroline Collings [email protected] DIGITAL CONTENT MANAGER Roxanne Martin [email protected] EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTORS Regulars: Anel Oosthuizen, Carla Lea Farina, Coach Parry, Leanne Hall, Manfred Seidler, Norrie Williamson, PJ Moses, René Kalmer, Roxanne Martin, Sean Falconer, Stuart Mann, Tom Cottrell Guest Writers: Brian John Records, Lisa Mackenzie, Nick Cowley, Sean Luzmore, Shona Hendricks COVER IMAGE Shutterstock & Pexels IMAGES Photo Agencies & Professional photographers: Bob Martin for INEOS 1:59 Challenge, Franz- Erich Streicher, InstaPix, Jetline Action Photo, Mark Sampson, Marzelle van der Merwe, Nicki Sutherland, Pexels, Reg Caldecott, Roger Sedres/ImageSA, SMacPix, Tobias Ginsberg Non-professional photographers: Mel Eichert, Renata Bossi, Sean Luzmore, Stuart Mann, Vanessa Sandes Courtesy: 86 Public, Adidas, Anel Oosthuizen, Bennie Roux, Brian John Records, Carla Lea Farina, Charlotte Raubenheimer, Dean White, DumbRunner.com, Fran Gandy, Groote Post Country Run, UIHere, HACT, IOC, Karen Roscoe, Kerry Hoar, Lisa Mackenzie, Maryke Dreyer, Nicky Booyens, Nike, Paul Buxton, Paul Wiggens, PJ Moses, René Kalmer, Rene Vollgraaf, Sean Luzmore, Team Nevarest, Thomas Marais, Thumbs Up for Graeme and MND Facebook group, Tom Barlow, Ultra AC, Waleed Donough FIND US GENERAL E-MAIL [email protected] EDITORIAL E-MAIL [email protected] WEB www.modernathlete.co.za FACEBOOK www.facebook.com/ modernathletemag TWITTER @modern_athlete INSTAGRAM @modernathletemag EDITOR’S LETTER