Our Modern Athlete Brand Ambassador ’ s Blog
KALMER ’ S
CORNER kalmer ’ s corner by RENÉ KALMER
Till Breath Do Us Part
For the first time ever , my husband and I ran a half marathon together , and it proved to be a true relationship-tester !
There ’ s a famous saying that goes : “ Every morning in Africa , a gazelle wakes up and knows it must outrun the fastest lion , or it will be killed . Every morning in Africa , a lion wakes up and knows it must run faster than the slowest gazelle , or it will starve . It doesn ’ t matter whether you ’ re a lion or a gazelle , when the sun comes up , you ’ d better be running .” Well , on Sunday 6 November , the lion and the gazelle decided to run together , and what better place to do it than at the Soweto Marathon ? “ It will be fun ” he said , and “ fun ” it certainly was …
Since I have been a bit sick for the past few weeks and not training properly , I thought it would be great to experience the event from a waaaaay different angle , running with my dear husband , who is the ultimate social runner . And to be quite honest , I quickly realised that it was going to be a memorable occasion when he suggested that we run with wigs , me in a Murray & Roberts bright yellow one , and Andre in the bluest of blues . ( I eventually donated my wig to a supporter at 7km .)
Soaking up the Vibe
The start itself was a whole new experience for me , being used to standing with the elites at the front of the pack . This time we were right at the back , in batch E , where Andre was super happy to meet up with his ‘ Hardloop is Alles ’ buddies who joined for a fun day out on the road . The highlight for Andre was when I recognised the 2022 Comrades winner , Tete Dijana , in the batch with us . Out came the phone to take one of many pictures and videos on the day . ( Andre was also very chuffed to stay in front of the Comrades winner for the first 200 metres or so …)
With Comrades champion Tete Dijana
The atmosphere was amazing , and it was great seeing all the runners back on the road again . Even though I lost Andre in the crowd at least four times during the first kilometre , we managed to find each other again between the masses of runners , and I quickly realised that it was going to be a long day on the road . We linked up with friends from school and university , colleagues from Andre ’ s work , City of Johannesburg EMS ( Emergency Management Services ) workers running in full uniform , and others . A further highlight for Andre was when we ran a section with the 3:10 ‘ Happiness Bus ,’ with a whole lot of singing and dancing , and even a tambourine to keep the beat .
The first 10km was a combination of running , walking , talking , stopping , chatting , waiting , socialising and singing . We took pictures at all the famous landmarks , such as the Soweto Towers , whilst the proudly South African billboards such as NikNaks , and Lucky Star – The Taste of the Nation , were the perfect backdrop for colourful memories .
Enjoying a taste for life with friends
René and Andre , ready to ‘ wiggle ’ 21km
Picking up the Pace
After almost 90 minutes , we reached the halfway mark , where Andre mentioned to me that we could speed up a little during the second half . I quickly grabbed the opportunity to stretch the legs a bit , just looking over my shoulder every now and then to see Andre following me and trying to keep up . At the top of one of the hills , he was breathing quite heavily , asking me if I had realised that we were the only ones running that hill , whilst everyone else was walking . Oops …
We completed the second 11 kilometres in under 60 minutes , finishing the race at the FNB Stadium in around 2:24 – by far my slowest , but most enjoyable half marathon ever . Andre was quick to ask when the lion and gazelle will be running our next race together , so I guess I also passed the ‘ back-of-the-pack test !’
Since running ( and winning in 2:44:06 ) my first marathon at Soweto in 2009 , the event has remained one of my favourites . It is more than a road race ! Thank you to all the residents , organisers , sponsors , little kids , supporters and fellow runners for a memorable occasion . Running unites people , no matter your age , race , pace , gender or religion , and the Soweto Marathon truly is The People ’ s Race !
All smiles after The People ’ s Race
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 .
Images : Courtesy René Kalmer
34 ISSUE 154 | www . modernathlete . co . za