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