Our Modern Athlete Brand Ambassador ’ s Blog
KALMER ’ S CORNER kalmer ’ s corner by RENÉ KALMER
Memorable Firsts
The other day , my almost four-year-old daughter , Karli , said , “ Mom , why do you run every day ?” I answered , “ Karli , do you know that before you were born , running was my job ?” She responded , “ Whaaaaaaat ?” Well , this response made me reflect on my amazing relationship with running over the past three decades .
Another Race Tee for the collection
Collecting another medal with hubby Andre
Karli doesn ’ t quite believe Mommy ran for a living
Much better at interviews these days !
Like any relationship , you have your good times
and bad times , your ups and downs , and bumps in the road . A relationship also offers a lot of firsts along the way , and here are some of the “ firsts ” that I got from my running career .
First Prize Money
I won my first prize money ( or rather R5 tuck shop money ) at the age of 10 , winning a 2km fun run at the local church . A year or two later I won a pineapple at a cross-country race in East London . My response would probably also have been “ Whaaaaaaat ?” if someone had told me that one day I would make a living from running .
First Medal
The following year I won my first medal for finishing third in the under-11 1200m at Inter Schools Championships . I was so proud of my bronze medal that I carried it in my pocket for more than two weeks . Never in my wildest dreams could I imagine that I would go on to win 40 SA titles in my running career , but that first medal , despite not being the prettiest over the years , holds a very special place in my collection .
First TV Interview
It was a total disaster ! The presenter asked me a question about my race preparation , plans for the year , how the race went , etc . The only words I could get out was : “ It was hot !”
First Race T-shirt
Since running my first Spar Women ’ s Race back in 1994 , I have been a proud collector of race day shirts . After all these years and T-shirts , I still enjoy the feeling of opening a goodie bag to see which colour or design the race organisers have come up with for the year .
First Flight
At the age of 15 , I boarded my first ever flight , to Cape Town , to take part in the SA Cross Country Trials in Stellenbosch . This is also where I fell in love with Stellenbosch . I finished second and was selected to represent South Africa for the first time at the World Cross Country Championships . At first , I was a bit disappointed that the World Champs took place in Stellenbosch that year , as I was looking forward to my first overseas trip , but looking back , after representing SA at the World Cross in Italy , Morocco , Ireland , Belgium , France , Japan and Spain in the following years , it was definitely special to take part in such a prestigious event in my home country . # ProudlySouthAfrican me hours to ‘ perform ’ and deliver a urine sample . This resulted in both the doping officials and I missing our flight back to Joburg from PE !
First Heartbreak
The same year I also experienced my first heartbreak after not being selected to represent SA at the World Junior Championships in Sydney . I qualified in the 1500m after clocking 4:21 , but was later told I was too young to go . However , a couple of months later I was invited to travel ‘ down under ’ along with former Olympian , John Morapedi , to take part in the City to Surf race in Sydney . It is a 14km race where you run from downtown to the famous Bondi Beach . More than 45,000 runners took part . John won the men ’ s race and I finished ninth in the women ’ s race . The following year I went back and finished second . This certainly was a great consolation prize after missing out on my first World Juniors .
First International Pen-pals
Before the days of emails and Facebook , you had to write actual letters and post them to people . It was quite a mission , but a great way to stay in contact with fellow competitors from other countries . Over the years , I have made amazing friends with runners from all over the world . It is also great to be friends with some of my childhood heroes , such as Elana Meyer and Zola Budd .
Nothing beats making a living from running
12
ISSUE 138 FEBRUARY 2021 / www . modernathlete . co . za
First Doping Test
Due to ‘ stage-fright ,’ as the doping officials stare at you in a very uncomfortable position , it literally took
Through all of these firsts , I have learnt that running definitely has a lot more to offer than just crossing the finish line first !
About the Author
René Kalmer is a two-time Olympian , having represented SA in the 1500m at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and in the marathon at the 2012 London Games . She has also won more than 40 SA titles in track , road and cross country at youth , junior and senior level , in distances from 800m to the half marathon .
Images : Courtesy René Kalmer