C o l u m n
THE RUNNING MANN
A couple of the signs caught my specific attention , like the ‘ toenails are for losers ’ one . This poses an interesting paradox : If you lose all your toenails , does this make you a winner ? Sidenote : Funnily enough , my eldest daughter posted a no context photo of her new nails on our family WhatsApp group the previous day . I replied with a beautiful no context troll shot of my right foot . My toenails are actually in pretty good shape for this time of the year – nothing black or missing . I clearly need to run more in 2024 !
What a race finish line should look like in the last minute before cut-off
However , the sign that got the most reaction during the race ( as well as afterwards , on social media ) was , “ Run like someone called you a jogger .” I think this joke requires some local context , but I understand it has something to do with Comrades . One thing is for sure , though , there were a lot more runners crossing the finish line of the Westville Illovo Christmas Challenge in the last minute before cut-off than there were at Comrades this year !
Motivational signs leading up to the BDE Attorneys table
Afterword : Thanks !
I would like to express gratitude for the wonderful hospitality shown to me by the members of Westville Athletic Club , especially Catherine Dixon and club chair Carlos de Oliveira . On top of having a race to organise , they made sure that I was incredibly well looked after . They both met me at the airport – I found it is a lot easier to make conversation with fellow runners than a random Uber driver – and then Carlos also made sure that I was returned safely to King Shaka Airport on the Sunday afternoon .
Sidenote : Carlos looked a lot more exhausted on Sunday afternoon , after this 15km race , than he did after finishing Comrades , based on a photo that appeared in an article that Catherine wrote for the August edition of Modern Athlete .
I ’ d also highly recommend that anyone travelling to Durban for a race or holiday take a look at Sanet and Jannie Beukes ’ Loeriebos B & B . The views are simply stunning , and I experienced a wonderful weekend of food , friendliness and running stories .
A room with a view at the Loeriebos B & B
Early Start to Festivities
I had promised Catherine that I would do my usual ‘ humorous post a day ’ on social media the week after the race . For some marathons , there is just enough material to cover a week ’ s worth of posts , so before this race I was a little worried whether I ’ d get enough material from a ‘ mere 15km .’ Instead , I ended up with so many race highlights that I ended up having to do two posts a day to cover the race adequately .
I had an absolute blast at the Westville Illovo Christmas Challenge , and can safely say that this is the most fun December run I ’ ve ever done . The event is a great advertisement for the club system , and the benefits of joining a ‘ real ’ running club . Next year ’ s event promises to be even bigger as it is both the 30th running as well as 50th anniversary of Westville Athletic Club . There is , however , one downside to this event ... I still had a week of work ahead of me before going on official leave , but this race is so full of Christmas spirit and festive cheer , that my brain felt like it was already on its Christmas holiday break before I boarded my flight back to Joburg . It was hard work dragging myself to work that Monday morning – and for once , this was not because my legs were stiff after a marathon !
About the Author
The Running Mann has run over 250 marathons and ultras around the world , and his mission is to run every marathon in South Africa , while his dream is to get a sponsorship from a beer company , so he can toast all his marathon finishes in style . If you ’ d like him to run your race , or talk at your event or club , email therunningmann @ gmail . com . You can follow all his adventures on his popular Running Mann blog .
Images : Stuart Mann , Instapix , Catherine Dixon & courtesy AOT Running Club
54 ISSUE 164 | www . modernathlete . co . za