ADVERTORIAL
The ‘
Black & Yellow ’
DNA
The Murray & Roberts Running Club turned two in January ! As chairman , it has been an absolute privilege to see this club take root and grow into the class act it has become today .
Ed Jardim
You can find more info on the Murray & Roberts Running Club via our Facebook page .
If you are not familiar with who we are , allow me some indulgence … We are road , track , cross country and trail runners . We are a small team , which makes us agile and fast . We are a running family !
We are similar to the bar ‘ Cheers ’ – giving away my age there – “… where everybody knows your name .” Even though we are national club , we ’ ve ( mostly ) met each other , and we train with and support each other all the way .
We are a club of ( incredibly ) talented runners : Olympians ; gold medallists , record holders , and ultra , marathon and middle-distance runners . We are ‘ ordinary ’ runners , we are back-of-the-pack runners , and we are supporters .
We are individuals and we are a team . We are friends , brothers and sisters , husbands and wives , fathers and mothers … and one or two ( very fast ) grandfathers and grandmothers , too .
We are values-based , performance-focused and # EngineeredExcellence .
To don the ‘ Black & Yellow ,’ you have to aspire to all of the above , to be a better version of yourself – and as a perk , you get to hang out with a bunch of really cool , like-minded people . If this seems like a tall order , you ’ re probably not for us , but to the person who started itching to join us for a run while reading this , I ’ m sure we ’ ll see each other soon .
Happy two-year anniversary to our proud running club . Here ’ s to many more titles and years !
Ed Jardim , Chairman
Images : Action Photo SA & Courtesy Murray & Roberts Running Club
Running Export
South African Jackie Kellerman won the Australian 100km title in January and now has a string of titles ‘ down under .’ We interrupted her steadfast training just long enough to for a quick Q & A .
Tell us about your background ? I was born in Chester , England , to Scottish parents . Like many Brits , we moved to South Africa in the 80 ’ s for work in the mining sector . My parents only planned on staying for a few years , but fell in love with South Africa , and have made it their home for over 40 years now . I am a qualified ‘ bean counter ’ and hold a B . Compt ( Hons ) CPA .
How did you start running ? I only started running after my son was born , in my late thirties , to lose some postpregnancy weight , but also for some ‘ me ’ time . At a braai , my friend Dave dared me to enter a race with him , the Nike Run Jozi 10km night race . I downloaded the Nike + app and the race scared me enough to train more consistently . I still have access to my first training logs , which averaged 6:51 pace per kilometre !
How did you end up in Australia ? My husband was offered a job opportunity in Perth by one of his friends . I was hesitant , but agreed to have a look at what Australia had to offer when we were invited to a wedding in Noosa . I was surprised at how similar it was to South Africa . Living in Joburg all our lives , we had always dreamed of moving to the coast , so we decided to just go for it !
Your personal bests ? 5km – 18:05 ( 2020 ) 10km – 37:47 ( 2020 )
Jackie finishes the 2019 Comrades in a PB 7:34
42.2km – 2:56 ( 2020 ) 50km – 3:36 ( 2020 )
Comrades ( Up ) – 7:34 ( 2019 ) 100km – 8:14 ( 2021 )
Your favourite and least favourite workouts ? Least … I find it hard to get out of bed for short recovery and taper runs . Favs … Long tempo runs to music , or social long runs that end at a bakery / café .
Best races ? Two Oceans 56km – My first ultra-marathon and the most beautiful ! Comrades Marathon – The toughest , most addictive , and most ‘ gees .’ City to Surf in Perth is a scenic run that starts in the city and ends at the iconic City Beach , and was my first marathon win .
Tell us about being helped by Comrades runner-up Mark Page . I was introduced to Mark shortly after moving to Perth . As we lived fairly close and are evenly paced , we started to train together a few days a week ( his slow was my fast !). He has a very quick cadence and it was hard work keeping up with him at first , especially whilst chatting away with hilarious stories from his running days in South Africa . We are now good family friends . I ’ m also lucky enough to be in touch with another legendary Comrades runner , Bob de la Motte , who also lives in Perth and keeps in regular contact with our Perth-based Comrades group , called the ‘ C-Team .’
How does racing in Aus compare to SA ? The races are very expensive , around $ 100 on average , and the T-shirt costs extra ! The season only starts in May , which is always too close for Comrades , and ends in October , due to the heat . There are normally only a handful of marathons during August through to October , so you need to plan your qualifiers carefully , and the majority of ultra-marathons are on trail .
Goals for 2021 ? This year I have my sights on : Comrades ( sub-7 hours ), 100km ( sub-8h ), and running well at the World 100km Champs .
What motivates you ? To be a good role model for my son , Maximilian . I also hope to motivate other parents to start running later in life . Never think that you are too old to try something new . Running is a very rewarding sport , with an awesome community to become a part of , and it will also take you places !
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