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Remy Kloos trekking to Everest , marvelling at the sheer beauty of Ama Dablam peak ( 6812m )
ISSUE 143 JULY 2021 / www . modernathlete . co . za
THANK YOU FOR THE INSPIRATION …
TRAIL RUNNING
Call of the
Mountains
Hi Sean , it ’ s always lovely to receive an e-copy of the Modern Athlete magazine , and after many years , you guys are still going strong and still have a winning formula . Imagine my excitement , when I saw that the July edition has features on two sports that capture my imagination : Mountaineering and open water swimming ! Great features on both Remy Kloos and Carina Bruwer . Amazing to read their respective stories , and both features are captivatingly written !
Years ago , I remember reading another report of yours for another running magazine : I think you took part in a running event in Nepal on the Everest Base Camp Trek route . I remember wistfully thinking , “ One day I hope I can trek in the Himalayas .” Well , that “ one day ” was supposed to be last year , and by some miracle , although 2020 was out of the question , Nepal did eventually open for tourism briefly this year ( before the Delta Coronavirus variant starting sweeping through India and Nepal ). We managed to travel to Nepal , and completed our twoweek trek successfully before Nepal went back into lockdown !
world ). We ran up to 3600m above sea level , and we could see Everest , Lhotse , Nuptse , Makalu and a few other peaks on the horizon . One of the amazing views that will always stay with me was waking up early and watching as the rising sun lit up the summits of the 8000m peaks . Just stunning , and those mountains change you ! – Ed .
PICTURE PERFECT …
Walk like a beauty , Run like a beast … # WomensMonth – Leigh De Necker , Cape Town
Knowing Leigh ’ s story , which we have published here in Modern Athlete , including her work with shark research and conservation as well as overcoming injury and health issues to get back to running , this pic ‘ speaks ’ to me even more . Thanks for sharing , Leigh . – Ed .
MARVELLOUS MEDALS …
We mere mortals rubbed shoulders with some of the climbers on the route – socially distanced , of course – and it was fascinating and nail-biting to follow the Everest 2021 climbing season when we got back home to SA at the end of April . I really hope Remy gets to complete her Everest and Lhotse summits safely in time to come . I can only stand in awe of those who brave the death-zone , as it requires extreme mental and physical toughness to function in such a forbidding highaltitude , icy , windswept and remote place .
Images : Ismael Isaacs & courtesy Comrades Marathon , Leigh De Necker , Nina Bodisch & Spartan Harriers
PS : To even think of running at high altitude is exhausting for me . During one of our “ acclimatising rest days ,” we had to hike up a hillside at around 3,600m or so , and a trail runner ( French guy ) came whizzing past on the uphill . He was training for a marathon that was to take place end of April , but probably was cancelled due to Nepal going into hard lockdown again . Not to mention the local Sherpa men and women , who porter massive loads of equipment and stuff on their backs all the way to Base Camp . Super-humans !
Thanks again for a great publication . – Nina Bodisch , Gqeberha
Thank you so much for a wonderful letter , Nina . I thoroughly enjoyed interviewing Remy and Carina , and then writing the articles , and I appreciate your kind words . Also , I did indeed travel to the Himalaya , in 2004 and again in 2011 , to participate in the Himalayan 100-Miler stage race , but it was in India ( although right on the Nepalese border ), near Mount Kanchenjunga ( third-highest in the
The wait is finally over , got my Comrades Centenary Hope Challenge medal and T-shirt . The Comrades Marathon medals are the smallest and most precious of all my medals , but I must admit that my Comrades Centenary Hope Challenge medal is the most beautiful of them all . If I could have a say on all future Comrades medals , I would actually suggest to keep the design of the Hope Challenge medal , because I just love it . – Ismael Isaacs , Cape Town
Those small round Comrades medals are an institution in their own right , a prized and coveted badge of achievement , so I think many will say “ don ’ t mess with our medals ,” but I do agree with you that the latest Comrades virtual event medal is eye-catching ! – Ed .
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