Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 150 May 2022 | Page 2

CONTENTS

In the Mag this Month

Welcome to our 150 th edition . You can click on the page numbers below to go straight to the article of your choice .
WARMING UP
ISSUE 150

4 8

GERDA

12

16 18

The Ed ’ s Desk : Achieving Milestones
As we celebrate the mag ’ s 150th edition , Gerda Steyn rewrote the Two Oceans history books , and I passed a few milestones of my own as a commentator . – BY SEAN FALCONER
Have Your Say : High Race Fees
Columnist Manfred Seidler wrote last month that our races are not over-priced , but his opinion was not shared by all in the running community , as can be seen from the comments we received in response .
Stats & Facts : May the Stats be With You
Taking a look back through the annals of the history of SA athletics and road running , these are a few of the standout performances in the month of May . – BY RIËL HAUMAN
Runner ’ s High1 : Heading for the Hills
Emotions were high throughout the long weekend in March as trail running enthusiasts took to the trails around Grabouw for the THIRSTI AFRICANX TRAILRUN .
Runner ’ s High2 : Conquering the Current
The return of the Two Oceans in 2022 brought not only a new women ’ s course record in the Ultra , but also exciting sprint finishes in both the men ’ s Ultra and Half Marathon races .

On the cover

Gerda Steyn crosses the line to win the 2022 Totalsports Two Oceans Marathon Photograph by Action Photo SA
SA ’ s Biggest Running Publication www . modernathlete . co . za
Viwe
Pg 22
Pg 62

STEYN

Full Q & A After
Her Remarkable
Two Oceans Run
Jingqi
Old Records
Shattered by
Young Sprinter
150 TH EDITION
C o
C o
C o
ROAD RUNNING l u m n l u m n l u m n

22

32

38

40

43

47

TRIED & TESTED
One for the Record Books !
The big story to come out of this year ’ s Totalsports Two Oceans Ultra was Gerda Steyn finally breaking Frith van der Merwe ’ s 33-year-old course record , but as she told us , it almost didn ’ t happen ! – BY SEAN FALCONER
The Running Mann : Naval-gazing in the Cape
I love running marathons and ultras , so in February I was in Cape Town for the 54th edition of the Peninsula Marathon , and I had a great run , in spite of not knowing quite where the start was . – BY STUART MANN
Catching Up with Kipchoge
During a recent visit to Cape Town , the world ’ s fastest ever marathon runner , Eliud Kipchoge , spoke with journalists from all over the world about his third nomination in four years for the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year award .
Another Runified World Record !
The Nedbank Runified Breaking Barriers 50km in Gqeberha once again delivered on its record promise in March as Stephen Mokoka turned his ultra-marathoning debut into a World Record celebration , PLUS the last male runner across the finish line was para-athlete Tim Stones , chasing two new SA Records . – BY SEAN FALCONER with RIËL HAUMAN
Out of the Box : Performance vs Backstage
It ’ s the Performance that is the star of racing , but the Backstage is just as key , and should still take a bow . – BY NORRIE WILLIAMSON
Kalmer ’ s Corner : A Privilege to Race
With races coming back and my racing legs coming back into form , it has been great to get back into racing mode in recent weeks . – BY RENÉ KALMER
Pg 48
2
Pg 8
Awesome AFRICANX
Elite Results &
Jéan Payne
Running Back
Dress-up Fun
From Heartbreak ISSUE 150 | www . modernathlete . co . za
Cover Image : Action Photo SA
EXPENSIVE RACE FEES : You Have Your Say , pg81
Pg 56

45 Even Better Than Before

The lightweight , neutral PUMA Velocity Nitro 2 is a slight upgrade on what was already a really good shoe , offering a cushioned , responsive and comfortably smooth ride . – BY SEAN FALCONER