CONTENTS
In the Mag this Month
Welcome to the October edition . You can click on the page numbers below to go straight to the article of your choice .
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WARMING UP
ISSUE 134 OCTOBER 2020 / www . modernathlete . co . za We launched the digital version of Modern Athlete in mid-2013 on the Joomag platform , where
you can read it for free any time you wish , including back issues that you may have missed .
ROAD RUNNING
4 The Ed ’ s Desk : And We ’ re Back !
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I am finding it hard to contain my excitement , because soon I will be doing race commentary for the first time since the weekend that lockdown began , and I am thrilled that the races are slowly coming
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back . – BY SEAN FALCONER
mag .
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Show Your Support
Even though these are tough times for the media , Modern Athlete is still being published every month , but we need your help to keep the mag running as SA ’ s only remaining monthly running
Have Your Say
In this month ’ s letters from readers , we look at maintaining sanity through virtual challenges , concerns about safety while out running , feedback on our new-look design , the appeal of parkrun , and more .
On the cover
Gerda Steyn on her way to winning the 2019 Comrades Marathon . Photograph by Jetline Action Photo
OCTOBER 2020 ISSUE 134
Gerda Steyn
Within Reach of SA 42K Record
Lucky Miya
Chasing a Third Win at SkyRun
Dean Wight
Top Comrades Fundraiser Third Year Running
Akani Simbine
Best Season Yet , In Spite of COVID
Live Well Section : Health , Training , Nutrition Covered p49 1
TRAINING PARTNERS
Remember Rio
Wayde van Niekerk ’ s Inspiring Lane 8 Story
Ready to Race
New Approach Needed to Get
Sport Reopened
Landie Greyling
Tackling Otter at 6 Months Pregnant
Richard Wright
Inspirational Ironman ’ s Amazing Cancer Fight
SA ’ s Biggest Running Publication www . modernathlete . co . za
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Kalmer ’ s Corner : Spreading Some Sunshine
This past month I had the pleasure of being part of the SPAR Women ’ s Virtual Challenge , and once again I saw that when you can ’ t find the sunshine , you can be the sunshine ! ( Even when you are 32 weeks pregnant and your running has gone pear-shaped .) – BY RENE KALMER
Oh So Close !
So what do you do when you ’ ve shattered the Comrades Marathon women ’ s record , won the Two Oceans Marathon in near-record time , and posted the fastest marathon by a South African in years ? You go after the SA Marathon record … and you don ’ t let a global pandemic get in the way . That ’ s what Gerda Steyn did in the recent London Marathon . – BY SEAN FALCONER
The Running Mann : A Little ‘ Lost ’ in the USA
Due to the COVID-19 lockdown , I have not been able to get my usual marathoning and travel fix in for a while , but I do have great memories of races from years gone by . This month I decided to go way back to 2008 , when I ran the Little Rock Marathon in the USA . To be honest , I was lucky to even get there ! – BY STUART MANN
Top of the Fundraisers
When he ’ s not travelling for work or leading the popular Beloved Long Runs and Comrades Route Tester training runs back home in KZN , Dean Wight is one heck of fundraiser . For the last three years in a row , he has been the top individual fundraiser on behalf of the Comrades Marathon Race for Charity campaign , having raised more than R1 million ! – BY SEAN FALCONER
Out the Box : Ready to Play Your Part ?
The challenges of COVID-19 impact across many spheres of our sport in various ways . A new approach is very much needed to reopen the sport , because many people , even in high places , unfortunately seem to be thinking in silos rather than looking at the impact on the bigger more holistic picture . – BY NORRIE WILLIAMSON
MULTISPORT & CYCLING SECTION
36 Lessons in Survival Skills
Sales guru , entrepreneur and now motivational speaker , Richard Wright is a survivor of stage-four brain cancer , having overcome all the odds in beating the disease while still competing in some of the world ’ s toughest endurance events , Ironman triathlons . Now he ’ s sharing his positivity and purpose through his speaking and his new book . – BY SEAN FALCONER
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