Our Modern Athlete Brand Ambassador ’ s Blog
KALMER ’ S
CORNER kalmer ’ s corner by RENÉ KALMER
Marathoning Memories
I have been very blessed with a running career of more than two decades , and one of the things that I will treasure forever is the opportunity to travel the world as an athlete , and making friends globally . I have competed in more than 38 countries over the past 24 years , and what I loved the most was sharing this special opportunity with friends and loved ones , as I often recall with fondness when looking back through photographs . So please join me for a little jog down memory lane from my marathoning career .
As a track athlete , I often spent most of our winter months in the
Northern Hemisphere to compete in the European Track and Field season . Then in 2011 , I made my transition from a track athlete , specialising in the 1500m , to a marathon runner . My first international marathon was the Prague Marathon in the Czech Republic , where I clocked 2:34 and qualified for the 2011 IAAF World Championships in Deagu , South Korea . It was a rude awakening running the World Championship marathon in extreme humid conditions .
Later that year , I ran my first ever sub-2:30 marathon , clocking 2:29:59 in Yokohama , Japan . Thus far , I have been fortunate to compete in three of the Major Marathons , in Boston , London and Berlin , and I have also paced a few marathons , which is a completely different ballgame .
I always try to spoil myself with a post-marathon holiday , clocking some extra mileage with plenty of sightseeing and zero running , so please sit back and enjoy some of my running memories of the past couple of years .
After competing in that marathon at the World Championships , I went on a local Korean sightseeing trip . I was pleasantly surprised that my fellow tourists were the parents of Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt , Wellesley and Jennifer Bolt , and in this photo , the Bolts and I are dressed up for a traditional Korean Wedding .
In 2012 I paced the Nagoya Women ’ s Marathon in Japan . It was quite stressful , as it was the final marathon in which the Japanese women could qualify for the 2012 Olympic Games . The required pace was very hot , and I had to go through 21km in 71:30 . I was very relieved and happy that I could stop at 25km !
Here I am competing in the 2011 IAAF World Championships in Daegu .
Irvette van Zyl and I playing tourist and having some pre-race fun to calm the nerves before the 2012 London Marathon . In case you are wondering , we are “ Doing the Locomotion ” with Kylie Minogue at Madame Tussauds . Kylie was my childhood favourite , and the first ever cassette tape I owned .
Images : Courtesy René Kalmer
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ISSUE 133 SEPTEMBER 2020 / www . modernathlete . co . za