Our Modern Athlete Brand Ambassador ’ s Blog
KALMER ’ S
CORNER kalmer ’ s corner by RENÉ KALMER
Thank You , Mom !
In May we celebrate our mothers on the second Sunday of the month . May is also the start of cross-country season , and I ’ m going to use this opportunity to celebrate my mother and the huge role she is still playing in my life and running career .
how we could improve with the next race . My mom is still the first person I call after a race , whether it was a good or bad race . Even now , she always helps to put everything into perspective .
My mom also believes that you don ’ t love your children by doing everything for them . Instead , you have to teach them to be independent and to take care of themselves . My mom never minded a dirty kitchen , and baking waffles for the whole neighbourhood ’ s kids was one of my specialities . Cleaning up afterwards … not so much . So it is priceless to witness Ouma and my daughter Karli in the kitchen these days , as Karli was even allowed to “ help ” bake her own cake for her first birthday .
Elouise Kalmer and her Olympian running daughters , René and Christine
It ’ s true what they say , that you only truly appreciate your mother once you become a parent yourself . I now see my mom with new respect , love , and appreciation . She drove my brother , Herman , and I to our first local cross-country race . That was after the cross-country teacher basically forced the whole school to run cross-country the following day to accumulate points for the school . My mom was so proud that my brother and I survived our 2km cross-country race , and on our way home she bought us a litre of Coke each !
I wasn ’ t a natural talent , as I finished 42nd in the girl ’ s U / 10 race , but the following week I was back for more cross-country running . ( Maybe it was just the Coke ). I only started to train the following year , and that ’ s also when we were introduced to running cross country at club level . You had to run five league races to be eligible to get your provincial colours , which back then was still the red and white colours of Transvaal . the siblings to follow . My piano lessons were a huge frustration for me – and I ’ m sure for my teacher , too – so I wanted to quit . I told my mom that I ’ m going to tell the teacher that someone stole our piano , but she decided that it was better just to buy the teacher two slabs of chocolate and to quit with immediate effect . It was a win-win for all three parties involved !
Motherly Advice
Back to cross-country running , and my mom used to cheer on our competitors just as hard as she cheered for us . Long after Christine and I finished our races , my mom would still be running up and down supporting our training partners . My parents also never got upset when a race didn ’ t go according to plan , but instead we would talk about what we thought went wrong , and
One of the many other character traits Ouma is instilling in Karli , is the meaning of vasbyt , and her love for nature , especially birdwatching . Just after the initial hard lockdown ended , I took Ouma and Karli ( then three years old ) to Cradle Moon Lakeside Lodge for a hike and a nice day out . I miscalculated my shortcut of the 3km hiking route and we all ended up doing close to 10km that day . “ What does vasbyt mean , Ouma ?” asked Karli . “ We must just keep going Karli ,” replied Ouma . On this 10km hike , Karli also learnt about all the different birds and their calls , and how many fly to warmer places during the winter months . Somehow Karli relates Spain to warmer places , and she can even point it out on a world map .
I realise how privileged I am to have a mother , and Karli to have an Ouma , who truly sets an example of how to live a life where winning is not the end goal , but to rather enjoy the journey ... Even though it might take some “ vasbyt ”, we should never forget to appreciate the little things in life , like a little bird singing nearby .
Images : Courtesy René Kalmer
The main driving force behind our club cross country running , though , was a MBA degree . My dad was doing his Master of Business Administration at the time , and to assist with his studies ( and to get us out of the house ), my mom took us to run cross country league meets every Saturday . However , my brother ’ s running career came to a complete halt when our baby sister Christine started to challenge him in training …
My mom also taught us that once you start something , that you have to finish it . But there was also the exception ... like my piano lessons . As the eldest child , I had to try out everything and pave the way for
Elouise doing her first parkrun with Rene in 2014
Elouise then stepped up to do her first 10km in 2016
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 .
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