TALKING POINT
Battle of the Commentators
One of the more interesting elements of the inaugural Run Your City ( RYC ) Series Heritage Day Virtual Run last September was the muchvaunted Battle of the Commentators . This challenge saw regular RYC Series event commentators Sipho Mona , Sean Falconer , Thabo Molete and Altus Schreuder exchange their mics for running shoes , and the friendly rivalry soon turned into fun banter and verbal sparring of the best kind !
Images : Nicole Hayes , Tobias Ginsberg & courtesy Altus Schreuder
Proving to be extremely competitive by nature , the commentators ’ training got off to a great start , with the guys completing all the Friday 5K Solo Runs powered by PUMA , as well doing weekly 20km runs , weight training that included tractor tyre lifts , and even a 129km road bike ride .
Besides actual training , the commentators also made a few pre-event videos for social media , in which they challenged each other as they showed off their latest training sessions . Sipho ’ s midday runs in hot conditions ‘ somewhere in Africa ’ seemed to point to him being in supreme shape , while former rugby player Thabo was doing shuttle runs that had the other commentators struggling for breath just from watching his video ! Meanwhile , Sean even managed a few pull-ups , which he openly admitted he hadn ’ t done for years , but Altus was a lot more cagey about his prospects , making his videos behind his desk , not giving anything away .
Unfortunately , Altus was forced to withdraw from the challenge the week prior to the Virtual Run after being diagnosed with mumps , leaving Sipho and Thabo ready to battle for line honours , as Sean diplomatically stated he was chasing the title of ‘ most talkative commentator ’ on route ( because of a recent knee injury suffered while playing soccer ).
May the Best Man Win
Come ‘ race day ’ and Sipho proved to be in a league of his own , giving it everything in Kraaifontein with his finishing time of 46 minutes 25 seconds firmly securing the top spot on the ‘ Battle of the Commentators Challenge ’ podium . “ I am very happy
Thabo Molete
Sean Falconer
with my time , as my goal was 47 minutes . I run four times a week and cycle twice a week , so I must admit that I was fit coming into this challenge , but I am truly honored to take the title ,” he said .
Running in Potchefstroom , Thabo took second place after finishing his 10km in 52:45 . “ It was an absolute privilege being part of the Battle of the Commentators Challenge ,” says the big man from Potch . “ Sipho is a gentleman , but wow , the ‘ lion-hearted man ’ took me by surprise . I had a gut feel that he was going for 47 minutes when I watched a video that he shared to social media the day before the race . I am not disappointed in my performance , though . I trained hard , but I also had a lot of fun doing so with really good friends .”
Meanwhile , Sean took his time on the Sea Point Promenade , and forgot to stop his watch when he eventually finished . Or so he claims … “ One of the highlights was having some fun in the build-up to the event , and I think Thabo and I were unofficially competing to make the quirkiest video . Hats off to Sipho , though , that was awesome running . I happily concede victory to him in the ‘ speed category ’ of the Battle of the Commentators Challenge , but I am convinced that I won the ‘ commentary category ’ hands down ! After all , I stopped along the way to do video updates and interview fellow RYC Series virtual runners , so I actually did commentary on the run . That must count for something !”
It seems all of the guys were a bit surprised by the fact that their fellow commentators proved so competitive in the
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