Ma EDITOR’ S LETTER
Gone but not Forgotten …
PUBLISHERS Mike Bray & Craig Van der Westhuizen DIVISIONAL HEAD Richard Laskey richard @ modernathlete. co. za CONTENT MANAGER Roxanne Martin roxanne @ modernathlete. co. za
EDITORIAL TEAM EDITOR Sean Falconer seanf @ modernathlete. co. za DIGITAL EDITOR Keith Kennedy keith @ peaktiming. co. za DESIGNER Caroline Collings caroline. collings @ gmail. com
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EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTORS Regulars: Christine Peters, Derick Marcisz, Ernest Hobbs, Jeannie Jordaan, Norrie Williamson, PJ Moses, Ray Orchison, Reggie Hufkie, René Kalmer, Roxanne Martin, Sean Falconer, The Gentleman Racer, Tom Cottrell Guest Writers: Bruce Meyerson, Carl( via e-mail), Christelle van Rooyen, Dina Do Couto, Eric McLaren, Erika Korte, Francois Du Plessis, Grace Pereira, Jacqui Reid, Jana Schoeman, Lynn Yazbek, Maria Paschalides, Morne Heystek, Neal Stacey, Nicole Korte, Slome Scholtz, Su-Yen Thornhill, Teresa Coetzee
I found myself feeling sad after writing the article about the recent deaths of several runners on our roads( page 14), because it brought back memories of one of the darkest days I can recall in my years as a runner. It happened in November 2000, in the early hours of the morning as my running club, Helderberg Harriers, was getting ready to host the Winelands Marathon in Stellenbosch.
Our club chairman Johan Augustyn and his 17-yearold son Charl headed out on the route around 3am to place the kay markers on the marathon and half marathon routes, while the rest of us got ready for registration, start, parking and other duties. I lived about two kays from the sports grounds and was just leaving home to go manage the start and finish teams, when my phone rang and my clubmate Christiaan Pieters told me to get there as quickly as possible, as something had happened to Johan.
A few minutes later I found out the tragic news. Johan and Charl had both been killed when a drunk driver hit them on the shoulder of the road. I will never forget the stunned silence as the club committee stood in a sombre circle, not knowing what to say to each other, while all around us some four thousand excited runners and supporters milled about, unaware of the intense sadness that we felt.
Eventually somebody asked,“ Do we continue with the race or should we cancel?” Somebody else replied,“ I think Johan would have wanted the race to go on, and we have all these people here now, ready to run.” It was an incredibly hard decision, as I don’ t think any of us wanted to carry on with the race, but somehow we got through the day, with most of the runners not even knowing what had happened.
Probably my most poignant memory of the day was when author and statistician Riël Hauman, then still a member of our club, ran into the finish. He had just heard the news and had tears streaming down his cheeks, totally shattered over the loss of his friend Johan, and we just stood and hugged on the finishline. No words were spoken; we just stood there for a few minutes, trying to make sense of it all. Even now, the thought of it brings tears to my eyes.
We found out later that Johan had missed one of the pre-marked spots in the dark, turned his bakkie around and back-tracked a short distance. He was now parked on the shoulder, headlights facing into traffic, and the speeding drunk driver saw headlights on his left and panicked, thinking he was on the wrong side of the road. He wrenched his steering wheel over and went down the left side of Johan’ s bakkie, killing Johan and Charl when he hit them at speed.
That day really taught me that life is precious, and can be short, and that we all need to be extra careful when we’ re out on the roads, whether we’ re running or working at a race. Be safe out there, my friends.
Sean Falconer
Follow me on Twitter: @ sean _ falconer Follow the mag as well: @ modern _ athlete
COVER IMAGE Courtesy K-Way
IMAGES Photo Agencies & Professional photographers: Dean Leslie, Ewald Sadie, Fotolia, Jetline Action Photo, Oakpics, Reg Caldecott, Red Bull Pool Content / Corinna Halloran, Shutterstock, Tobias Ginsberg Non-professional photographers: Rory Manning, Santie Hattingh, Zulaikha Khota, Zunaid Ismael Courtesy: Andre Olivier, Bruce Meyerson, Charl Du Toit, Central Gauteng Athletics, Comrades Marathon Association, Dewald Steyn, Dominique Scott-Efurd, Eric McLaren, Francois Du Plessis, Gary Arendse, Hendrik De Villiers, Jacqui Reid, Jana Schoeman, John Kagona, K-Way, Leigh De Necker, Maria Paschalides, Mbonengi Shezi, Midrand Striders, Morne Heystek, Neal Stacey, Nike, PJ Moses, René Kalmer, Salma Bhayat, Su- Yen Thornhill, Two Oceans Marathon, YouTube, and various Race Organisers, Athletes & PR companies
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WINNERS’ CORNER
Congratulations to all the winners of our July edition competitions.
HAVE YOUR SAY Win adidas Supernova Glide Boost running shoes for the winning letter Trad Cruikshank, Johannesburg
ATHLETES IN ACTION Win New Balance Fresh Foam trail running shoes for the winning photo Thobile Ndzube, Cape Town
Image: Zunaid Ismael
4 ISSUE 97 AUGUST 2017 / www. modernathlete. co. za