Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 130, May 2020 | Page 4

EDITOR’S LETTER PUBLISHERS Richard Laskey Roxanne Martin Sean Falconer ADVERTISING SALES Richard Laskey 083 342 8200 / [email protected] 4 Sean Falconer My Kind of Chat! Since my last Ed’s Letter, we were ‘let out’ of Lockdown Level 5 and given three hours in the mornings to get out for some exercise, and the President has promised a further relaxation of Level 4 restrictions on exercising. Even better, Level 3 is supposed to be coming soon, and hopefully that will mean being allowed to go for a run any time of the day. Whatever the new rules are, I strongly urge you to follow them and do everything you can to stay safe. The COVID-19 pandemic is far from over, and we need to be extra careful as the country begins to emerge from the hard lockdown. In the meantime, here’s another edition of the mag to keep you entertained and motivated, and while we’re on the topic of lockdown, I’d like to highlight one of the features in this edition, Two Oceans on the 13 th Floor. It’s All About the Music I am a big fan of 80s music. In 1985 My folks gave me a small radio as a tenth birthday present and I began listening to all the contemporary music. I also remember a family friend came to stay with us one December holiday, and he had a mini suitcase full of cassette tapes for use in the car. Oh man, my sister and I spent hours putting together mixes of all our favourites! I discovered many great bands in those years, and more than 30 years later, I still listen to a lot of 80s music. The reason I bring this up is because my business partner Richard Laskey sent me a WhatsApp voice note in early April to say, “Dude, just sent you the contact for Jarrod Aston. He used to be the lead singer for Cinema – don’t know if you remember them. He lives in Cape Town and runs for Atlantic. He started running three years ago and has a cool story about turning his life around. Also, he and his mates are running Oceans this weekend from their home, so I think it will make a really cool story for the mag.” Well, of course I remembered Cinema! They had a massive hit here in SA in 1987 with My Kind of Girl, and I remember watching the band perform on television several times. I also remember the band members appearing on a local mystery date television show, where one of them was picked by the female contestant to go on a date-trip to Mauritius. I know… strange what one remembers! I made contact with Jarrod for the interview, and before we even got around to chatting about his 58km run on his 25m balcony – let that sink in for a second – we first had a wonderful chat about music. Then we chatted about his journey from heavy drinking and smoking to becoming an ultra-runner, and of course, his epic lockdown run to raise funds for people in the performing industries struggling due to the lockdown. This was a truly memorable interview, and one of my highlights of putting this edition together. Hope you enjoy the rest of the mag just as much. ISSUE Follow 130 me MAY on Twitter: 2020 / @sean_falconer www.modernathlete.co.za | Follow the mag as well: @modern_athlete 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: Alec Riddle, Caroline Lee, Chrissie Wellington, Donna Crossan, Ernest Hobbs, Esmé Maré, Johan Grassman, Kim Stephens, Ray Orchison, Wilhelm De Swardt COVER IMAGE Jetline Action Photo IMAGES Photo Agencies & Professional photographers: Anthony Grote, Ewald Sadie, iStock, Jetline Action Photo, Pexels, Reg Caldecott, Richard Pearce, Roger Sedres/ImageSA, Paul Hamberger, Tobias Ginsberg Non-professional photographers: Stuart Mann Courtesy: Alec Riddle, Anel Oosthuizen, Carla Lea Farina, Caroline Lee, Comrades Marathon Association, Donna Crossan, ITV, Jarrod Aston- Assenheim, Kim Stephens, Murray & Roberts Running Club, Parkrun Southern Africa, Peter Moses, René Kalmer, Sanlam Cape Town Marathon, SCC Events, Sue Ullyett, Tom Moore, Virgin Money London Marathon,Wikipedia Commons, Zoe Papadakis 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 Image: Ewald Sadie