THE ED ’ S DESK by SEAN FALCONER the ed ’ s desk
In the past few weeks I was actually on the mic at two running events . Both were trail events , which could work within the confines of lockdown restrictions , which obviously affected what we could or could not do , but nonetheless , it was brilliant to be back ! And the runners obviously felt the same way , judging by their comments , and even more so by their actions . More about that below .
Mid-race Rave
The second of these two events was the Thirsti AFRICANX Trailrun , which has always been a special event for me . When I first started doing commentary work , one of the first ‘ gigs ’ I landed was the 2011 AFRICANX , where I was part of a team of four commentators that would be on the mic across the three-day event .
As the ‘ new kid on the commentary block ’ back then , I did very little work at the start and finish of each day ’ s running , or up on stage in the evenings for briefings and prize-givings . Instead , I was tasked with creating some vibe at one of the refreshment stations around the midway mark of each day ’ s stage . In a three-day event with challenging , hilly stages of 20 to 35km , runners quite enjoy a bit of music and banter out on the route , to briefly take their minds off their tired legs , so these vibe points are popular with the runners , and I have always greatly enjoyed doing them through the years .
For me , it is actually more fun than work , as I get to chat , sing , crack jokes and just hang out with running friends . Also , being ‘ out there ’ with them allows me to connect
far more with the runners than just seeing them off at the start and welcoming them back to the finish . I see them when they ’ re gritting their teeth to ‘ stay in the race ,’ or when they ’ re taking strain and just trying to keep going . I get to make them smile , even though they ’ re tired .
In the Mood to Dance
Still , what happened during this 2021 AFRICANX was something I had never seen before in this event . Due to
the organisers staggering the runners in starting batches from slowest to fastest , to promote social distancing at the start , it led , by chance , to a much larger number of teams reaching my vibe point at the same time than normally happens … and that ’ s where the party started !
On day three , at the final water table , with just an 8km downhill run left to the finish , I suddenly had around 50 runners arrive at roughly the same time . They ’ d been keeping each other company on the trails , plus it was ‘ Dress-up Day ’ at AFRICANX , so spirits were soaring for many reasons . We had some good music pumping out at the vibe station as well , and next thing I knew , an impromptu rave had started . Even a couple of passing mountain bikers stopped to join in !
The party went on for quite a while , and I attribute it largely to the fact that the runners were just so grateful to be allowed to run an event again . It was like somebody had pulled out a plug to release the built-up pressure of the past year , and I think many of them went out with an attitude to have as much fun as possible . It rubbed off on me , too , because I came home from the event determined not to simply slip back into lockdown mode , but to embrace each day and make the most of it . I think that ’ s a great message to share this month , as it will help us all keep running until things go back to normal .
Sean Falconer
Image : Courtesy Zaheer Jacobs ; Video : Brett Martin
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4 ISSUE 140 APRIL 2021 / www . modernathlete . co . za