WHAT ’ S THAT
What ’ s That You Say ?
YOU SAY ?
Compiled by SEAN FALCONER
The running community has interesting , informative , thought-provoking , humorous and entertaining opinions and conversations about many things , so each month we pick a few that caught our eye .
Images : Pexels & courtesy Alan Robb , Colleen McNally , Greg King , Marlize Visser , Nicole September
MEMORIES OF ROBBEN ISLAND RUN
It was with great nostalgia that I read your article in your Dec / Jan edition that mentioned the original Robben Island race . I don ’ t think that you mention the date in your article , but the year was 1992 . What also made this inaugural race unique was that the organisers declared that the winner would not be first person across the line – we all had to hand in our watches and time pieces , and forecast what our finishing time would be , and the closest to his / her forecasted time would be the winner .
Of course , no one had any idea about the course , so forecasts were generally way off . I forget who won , but it was indeed a highly memorable day . I ’ m attaching a photo taken on the day , running with my buddy David Golding . As the caption says , “ My all-time favourite running pic , Robben Island 1992 .” It simply can ’ t get better than that . It ’ s now 32 years later and that day is still fresh in my mind , and at 71 years young , I am still running ! – Greg King
I have equally fond memories of that race , which I was very fortunate to do three times . The first was in 1996 , when I was allocated one of the five entries my club was given to sell or raffle , and then I went twice in the early 2000s as a media invite . The first run was a fantastic experience , with my clubmate Coenie Slabber and I taking our time while exploring everything on the island , including the limestone quarry . In one of my later races , I was fortunate to run with friends from up-country , and enjoyed giving them a guided tour of the island . They still talk about it 20 years later , saying it , too , is one of their all-time favourite running memories . – Ed .
ELIUD ’ S EPERT ADVICE
This is exactly the advise Izak du Plessis use to give me when I wanted a better marathon time . So helpful ! – Marlize Visser
WAYDE ’ S WORLD
The heat on the track was worth it when I got to meet @ waydedreamer after our training sesion . – Nicole September
WATCH FOR SCAMMERS !
Beware , those looking for TOM entries , the scammers are busy ! Concerts , events , race entries , getaways , etc , they try anything and everything that is popular and currently in demand . Their MO is to post on groups / pages offering entries , and when you react or reply , they react on your message and delete theirs and private message you on Facebook messenger to get the ball rolling .
I managed to string this one along for a little while , and he even sent me a voice note suffixed with a message that he ’ s not a Nigerian scammer . I asked why R600 for a TOM 21K entry , and he said it was R420 + R210 for the sub , so I was getting a discount of R30 . Lucky me !
You just have to search for one of the many aliases , or even easier , the mobile number they use , and you ’ ll see tons of posts , including other people warning of the scammer . Same thing on Truecaller – lots of warnings . But , as has been proven countless times , people just don ’ t read , and because of that , they will continue to catch victims . Please people , don ’ t fall for their scams , and follow the correct subs process for an event . – Demitri Baroutsos
Seleste Cindy : The sad reality is if a scammer is doing this again this year , it means last year was successful for him , or he would have changed to a different scam . Hope no one falls for him again . Thank you for raising it !
Victoria Lacey : I was asked who I banked with , and for my email address . When I questioned why that was relevant , I didn ’ t get any further responses . Was pretty sure it was a scam . Glad I went with my gut .
Demitri Baroutsos : Yeah , they know what the process is for cash sending on each bank , and give you the appropriate method . The cash sending is usually not reversible .
GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY RUN
So today I ran my first road race in 18 months , to commemorate my first road race 50 years ago today . I ’ ve enjoyed all the thousands of kilo ’ s , and meeting so many runners . Looking forward to a few more years of jogging . – Alan Robb , four-time winner of the Comrades Marathon
9