THE ED ’ S DESK by SEAN FALCONER the ed ’ s desk
Proud to be a Greenie
The Ed with Lennox Mathebula in Kruger National Park
In a previous lifetime ( and century ), my first job after varsity was working as a journalist and media liaison for the South African branch of the World Wide Fund For Nature , or WWF-SA . Back then , World Wrestling Entertainment ( WWE ) was still known as the World Wrestling Federation – the wrestling people were eventually ordered to change their name after the conservation people took them to court in a copyright case – so while some people knew instantly I was working in conservation , others thought I was working in wrestling . That allowed me to have some fun , telling them I wrestled in the featherweight division , and my ‘ stage name ’ was Shorty MacGregor ! Anyway , back to reality …
Those two years with WWF exposed me to many important projects to conserve endangered species and eco-systems , and when I left to pursue my dream to become a sport journalist , I took with me a new passion for the environment . That , in turn , was a big contributing factor several years later when the Modern Athlete team decided to tackle the plastic litter problem in SA road running by launching our # runclean campaign .
As part of that campaign , I began working alongside and liaising with various leading players in the recycling , anti-waste field related to running , and as the years have gone on , I have met , worked alongside , run with or interviewed several other people from the running world that are contributing to the protection and promotion of the environment . And this month we pay tribute to these ecorunners with the first part of a feature on Green Runners . ( Part two will appear in the February edition .)
Some work in the corporate or conservation sectors , others in the veterinary and research fields . One works with captive and injured animals , and another is making a contribution to conservation projects and management through organising running events . I ’ ve even managed to get WWF-SA ’ s project manager for circular plastic economy into the running mix ! The two things that tie them all together are their concern for the environment and their love of running … both of which I share with them .
But Wait , There ’ s More …
On a related note , another inspirational runner featured in this edition is Lennox Mathebula . I met him in November during a trip to the Kruger National Park , courtesy of Cape Union Mart , and thoroughly enjoyed his sense of humour as he shared his wealth of knowledge of the bushveld with us . When I found out by chance that he is a runner , and was about to undertake a 450km run with his brother to raise money to buy school shoes and sanitary products for kids in his hometown area in Mpumalanga , I set up an interview with him right there and then .
Another inspiring story in this edition comes from Lee Schoombie , who tackled a unique Cape Town multisport challenge in December , consisting of a Robben Island Freedom Swim , the Cape Town Cycle Tour and the Two Oceans Marathon … in one day ! That ’ s already incredible enough , but when you read why he did it , you ’ ll be still more blown away . We also feature Siviwe Nkombi , who tells how hard it has been for pro athletes to make a living during the COVID lockdown , but his positive attitude is keeping him going .
As always , enjoy the read , folks , and stay safe in these still uncertain pandemic times . Wear your mask , wash your hands regularly , avoid crowds , but get out there and run , because as Norrie Williamson explains , exercise and fitness are more important than ever ! So I ’ ll see you out there .
Sean Falconer aka Shorty MacGregor
Images : Nicole Hayes & Courtesy Sean Falconer
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4 ISSUE 137 JANUARY 2021 / www . modernathlete . co . za