Dream come true as runner heads to Rio
HONEYDEW – Christine Kalmer gears herself up to go to her first Olympics.
Following in her sister’s footsteps local athlete Christine Kalmer will head to Rio where she will compete against the best runners from all over the world.
From Honeydew to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Kalmer will represent South Africa at her first Olympics in the 42km marathon. Since the age of six, Kalmer has dreamed of going to the Olympics. After watching her older sister, Rene Kalmer, compete twice in the Olympics (2008 and 2012) it is now her turn to try her hand at the gold. “I have always thought that if my sister could go to the Olympics so can I. She has been my motivator with my running and sometimes we train together,” Kalmer said.
Kalmer will not put extra pressure on herself as she aims to enjoy the race and concentrate on doing her best. “I enjoy running and mostly run for fun, and I do not want to get side-tracked. I am aiming to do my best and not necessarily bring back a medal,”Kalmer added.
With a BSC in Civil Engineering under her belt, Kalmer is kept busy with a full work schedule but still manages to find the time to train twice a day.
“I started running at an early age mostly because my siblings were running. I started dreaming of going to the Olympics and finally all the years of hard work will pay off,” she exclaimed.
After high school, Kalmer attended the University of Arkansas in the USA where she trained and honed her skill as a runner. “What I enjoyed the most about attending varsity there is that athletes are well looked after, even the attendance from spectators is much better than here,” she said.
The Honeydew resident follows her coach’s training programme to the tee. She trains at the Ruimsig Athletics stadium three times a week, and trains at home or on the road twice a day.
“My coach, Ernie Gruhn, sends me my training programme and I just follow it. I prefer to train on my own as it helps me to be more focussed,” she explained
Kalmer is engaged to be married and explained that she is ready for Rio, and not too worried about the Zika virus outbreak that has gripped Brazil.
“We have been given tips on how to avoid the illness and have been given the necessary shots, so I am not worried,” Kalmer said.
Kalmer’s race is on 14 August.
Details: Ruimsig Athletics Stadium, 011 958 1811.
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