Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 146, Nov 2021 November 2021 | Page 4

THE ED ’ S DESK by SEAN FALCONER the ed ’ s desk
Sean Falconer

THE ED ’ S DESK by SEAN FALCONER the ed ’ s desk

Still Running for now

With the President ’ s latest Family Gathering not having delivered the expected increased level of lockdown , we can all breath a temporary sigh of relief , but now it ’ s more important than ever to be careful , and to get vaccinated if not already done .

I

held off writing this Ed ’ s Letter until after President Cyril Ramaphosa had addressed the nation on Sunday evening , 28 November , as I think I speak for all of us in saying that we expected to hear him say the country was going back to a higher level of lockdown . Everybody is talking about the new Omicron mutation of the COVID virus , and the fact that nobody is yet sure just how contagious or serious it will be , but infection numbers in Gauteng have been spiking , and many expected the President to at least take us to level 2 , if not level 3 , as a result . Thankfully , he has not done so yet , but it may still come .
We ’ ve been in what is known as “ adjusted level 1 ” for a few months now , which effectively means that the country is largely open for business , but with masks still mandatory , social distancing recommended , and gatherings still limited . This means we have seen road races come back at last after more than a year and a half of no races , albeit with mandatory COVID tests , limited numbers and staggered batch starts , but what a pleasure to race again ! And none of us want to see events get shut down again due to a higher level of lockdown .
As somebody that had COVID and was laid low by the virus for pretty much most of September , I am very much in favour of vaccinations . I respect people ’ s rights to decide for themselves whether to vaccinate or not , but in my opinion , it ’ s the right thing to do , because I believe that the vaccine will not only keep us safer from the virus , including future mutations , but will also help to slow down or hopefully prevent further mutations of the virus .
I am not a doctor , nor am I a virologist or epidemiologist , so I will not sit here and tell people they must get the vaccine , but I will use my voice and this public forum to say that I urge people to get vaccinated . I will be going for my second ( delayed ) shot this coming week , now that I have fully recovered from my own COVID infection and the lingering side-effects . I do not fear any potential side-effects , as the first shot didn ’ t affect me at all , and even if there are some minor effects , it won ’ t be as bad as actually having COVID . Been there , done that , don ’ t want to go back there !
Highlights of this Edition
In recent weeks I have been on the mic at a number of events , notably the Rhodes Dryland Traverse near Oudtshoorn . I had heard about this event many times through the years , but had never entered or worked at it , and it proved to be all that people said it would be : Fantastic . I was actually meant to run it this year , but my complimentary media entry had to be passed on when I tested positive for COVID . I have yet to run 5km since being ill , let alone tackling 71km of challenging trails over four days , but I ’ ve put this one on my bucket list for someday .
Unable to run , the organisers invited me to still drive down to Oudtshoorn and handle the commentary and MC duties , and since I seldom get to that part of the country , it was fantastic to meet a whole bunch of runners form that area . The good people of Oudtshoorn , George , Knysna , Mossel Bay , Hartenbos and other Southern Cape towns made me feel part of the family , and I look forward to spending more time down in that part of the country .
The event was tinged with some sadness , as we remembered the late Carel Bezuidenhoud aka RaasBekkie , the regular commentator at this event , and it was great that we could raise some funds for his daughters with an impromptu auction on the Saturday night . Rest in peace , jou lekker , lekker , lekkerrrrr ding , you will be sorely missed . But in spite of this sadness , the weekend proved hugely enjoyable , and in this edition we are privileged to have a race report by our correspondent , Sue Ullyett , accompanied by terrific pics taken by the team from ZCMC .
Also look out for great features on Wellington Mpofu ’ s successful trip to the Paris Marathon , and the evergreen Deirdre Larkin , who recently turned 90 , but shows no signs of slowing down as she continues to record podium finishes in local races , and inspire all around her . Amongst the columns , Norrie Williamson makes some compelling predictions about change coming to the whole South African running scene thanks to the Comrades Marathon moving to August , and Manfred Seidler explains why less is more when it comes to racing strategy and success , using newly crowned SA 10km women ’ s champion Tayla Kavanagh as a great example .
As always , hope you enjoy the read , and then feel inspired to lace up your running shoes and hit the road or trails .
Sean Falconer
Image : Justin Reinecke / ZCMC
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