Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 94, May 2017 | Page 35

the support of your club,
which takes it to the
provincial body, which
in turn discusses it at
national level, and it can
then be adopted by ASA.
Anger
Management
inconvenient rule, but one that again relates not
only to marketing, finance, database accuracy,
and communication, but also safety in medical
terms.
The point is, many runners do not have a full
appreciation for why the rules are there, but they
exist for one of the five reasons above, and they
protect us. So when a rule does not relate to one
of these five aspects, it needs to be reviewed,
and there is a formal process anyone can initiate
to have a rule changed or replaced. First, get
However, perhaps the
saddest action by some
runners is their abuse of
the Technical Officials at
events. These officials
are only implementing
the rules so that we
runners can enjoy our
sport in a way that has
been democratically
determined by the
clubs and the provinces
who have adopted
these rules. Therefore,
runners need to take a deep breath when they
are warned or disqualified, instead of verbally
abusing the officials, or threatening physical
abuse.
Runners need to acknowledge that the only
person responsible for breaking a rule, is the
person who broke it, so shouting at, or worse,
manhandling an official does not correct the
offence. And they should ask themselves this:
Would you travel to and spend up to eight hours
in the early morning at a marathon to adjudicate
and provide results, and take threats and abuse,
for the princely sum of just R200 to R400? No,
time rather for runners to respect the rules,
and the officials, than to bring the sport into
disrepute with their actions. Rather save the
action for processing change where change is
required.
About the Author
Norrie represented Scotland and Great Britain
in numerous ultra-distance events, then
emigrated and represented South Africa in
triathlon. He is an IAAF-accredited coach and
course measurer and is the official Old Mutual
Virtual Coach. He has authored two books
( Everyman’s Guide to Distance Running and
Every Beginner’s Guide to Walking & Running),
and counts 21 Comrades medals amongst his
more than 150 ultra-marathon medals. More
info at www.coachnorrie.co.za.
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