Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 60, July 2014 | Page 10

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Born in the RSA...in the USA
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It was once again a proud honour to fly the SA flag in the
USA, even if some of the locals did think we came from
colder climates. – BY RENE KALMER

The Bolder Boulder 10km is America’s
greatest 10km, with 50 000 runners
taking part in the race in celebration
of Memorial Day. The race started in
batches from 7am, and at 11:30am it
was the start of the International Team
Challenge. I’m not sure if it was the
combination of jet-lag, altitude or the
uncommon experience of running at
midday, but none of us had a great race.
The experience though... Priceless!
The energy along the route was
amazing, with fans and bands around
every corner. I’m just concerned about
the general geographic knowledge of
the average American, though, as only
three supporters along the route got
“RSA” right. The thousands of other
supporters thought we were from
Russia! A while later, it was amazing
to finish in a jam-packed stadium of
50 000 people, where a colourful wave
of passionate supporters cheered us
across the finish line, making Colorado
University’s Folsom Field the setting for
one of my career highlights.

ROUND TWO
Next stop was Albany, the state
capital of New York, roughly 200km
from New York City. Here Nolene got
her first proper taste of the American
Dream (and within 72 hours she also
had a very unique American accent.)
Albany was also the setting for our
second race, the 36th Freihofer’s
5km run for women. Freihofer is the
leading baker of wholesome products
and it was very hard to stay away
from the tempting choc chip cookies
and donuts till after the race!
Lucy Kabuu from Kenya won the
race in 15:21, one second ahead of
Ethiopian, Mamitu Daska (who won
the Bolder Boulder 10km in 32:21).
I finished ninth and was happy with
my time of 16:12, a new personal
best on the road. Christine finished
13th in 16:38, followed by Nolene in
15th in 16:53, and I’m also proud to
report that the Kalmer sisters won the
Sister-Sister prize, with a combined
time of 32:50min, winning by almost
eight minutes.
After the race Christine jetted off
to Washington DC to attend the
wedding of one of her friends from
the University of Arkansas, where
she graduated in Civil Engineering
in 2009. Nolene and I took a yellow
cab to JFK Airport and were thrilled
to spot the Statue of Liberty from
a distance before we boarded our
plane back to South Africa. A special
trip with special memories, but still
proudly South African!

P edit n E
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Images: Courtesy Rene Kalmer

Recently Nolene Conrad, my sister,
Christine and I had the privilege to
compete in two races in the USA. Our
first race was the Bolder Boulder 10km
in Colorado, the hometown of legendary
former SA marathoner Mark Plaatjies.
Boulder is the dream destination for
endurance junkies, and athletes from
around the world use this town, 1600m
above sea level, as their altitude training
playground. Every training session is
set against the perfect background of
the Flatirons or snow-covered Rocky
Mountains.

ISSUE 60 JULY 2014 / www.modernathlete.co.za

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