28-08-2012, 11:26 AM
Monday, 27 August 2012 - Shortly after her great marathon performance at the Olympic Games in London, René Kalmer not only won the Spar womenââ¬â¢s race in Pretoria on Saturday (25 August), but successfully defended her title at the SA Half Marathon Championships the very next day.
ââ¬ÅI am very strong three weeks after a marathon, therefore I am very happy with my achievements this weekend,ââ¬Â tells Kalmer. ââ¬ÅAfter the Olympic high, I did not really know what to expect.ââ¬Â According to Kalmer the conditions in Pretoria (at the Spar race) were tough due to a combination of heat and wind, but Cape Town offered perfect conditions on the race day.
Kalmer ran most of the race with younger sister, Christine, by her side and tells that her goal was just to defend her title successfully. ââ¬ÅI was not worried about the time at all. At the halfway mark we were a group of 8 athletes running together, but just after the 11km mark, we (the two sisters as well as Nolene Conrad) broke away from the group.ââ¬Â
After a very tactical race, with just 6km to go, the Olympian surged ahead of Conrad and her younger sister to finish the race. ââ¬ÅI tried helping Christine to run a good race as she helped me a lot during my Olympic preparations. I am therefore glad that her hard work paid off in the end,ââ¬Â said Kalmer.
Christine Kalmer finished second in personal best time of 75:23 while Nolene Conrad finished third in 76:13. Conrad also finished third in the Spar womenââ¬â¢s race on the Saturday.
Kalmerââ¬â¢s next big target is the World Half Marathon Championships in Bulgaria, where she aims to dip under the 70min mark.
Kalmer completed the marathon at the Olympic Games on 4 August, in difficult conditions. She finished 35th overall in 2:30:51, a mere 50 seconds slower than her personal best.
ââ¬ÅI am very strong three weeks after a marathon, therefore I am very happy with my achievements this weekend,ââ¬Â tells Kalmer. ââ¬ÅAfter the Olympic high, I did not really know what to expect.ââ¬Â According to Kalmer the conditions in Pretoria (at the Spar race) were tough due to a combination of heat and wind, but Cape Town offered perfect conditions on the race day.
Kalmer ran most of the race with younger sister, Christine, by her side and tells that her goal was just to defend her title successfully. ââ¬ÅI was not worried about the time at all. At the halfway mark we were a group of 8 athletes running together, but just after the 11km mark, we (the two sisters as well as Nolene Conrad) broke away from the group.ââ¬Â
After a very tactical race, with just 6km to go, the Olympian surged ahead of Conrad and her younger sister to finish the race. ââ¬ÅI tried helping Christine to run a good race as she helped me a lot during my Olympic preparations. I am therefore glad that her hard work paid off in the end,ââ¬Â said Kalmer.
Christine Kalmer finished second in personal best time of 75:23 while Nolene Conrad finished third in 76:13. Conrad also finished third in the Spar womenââ¬â¢s race on the Saturday.
Kalmerââ¬â¢s next big target is the World Half Marathon Championships in Bulgaria, where she aims to dip under the 70min mark.
Kalmer completed the marathon at the Olympic Games on 4 August, in difficult conditions. She finished 35th overall in 2:30:51, a mere 50 seconds slower than her personal best.