Olympian sisters, René and Christine Kalmer run together ahead of SPAR race
JOBURG – Local Olympians and sisters, René and Christine Kalmer say running is a shared passion.
Two sisters who have each represented South Africa at the Olympic Games say running together has only strengthened the bond between them.
René and Christine Kalmer have trained together for close to 30 years, since René, who is six years older, started running in the school holidays and Christine did not want to be left at home.
Growing up in Roodepoort, the girls got their parents to drive them to Ontdekkers Road every morning, where they would run on the flat service road before school.
Things then became serious for the runners as they started to win road races ranging from 10km to marathon distance. Eventually, the sisters each got the call-up to the Olympic Games – René in 2008 and 2012 and Christine in 2016.
Even after finding husbands, and René moving to Fairland and Christine to Linden, the pair still does most of their training together.
“Running is a passion we share and it is our thing we do together,” said Christine. “We do not compete with each other. When one of us does well we share the joy and when one gets injured we are both devastated.”
The sisters are running in the SPAR Grand Prix series. There are two races left in the series, one in Pietermaritzburg on 19 August and one in Johannesburg on 7 October.
René is still finding form after giving birth to a beautiful daughter, Karli van Wyk, 18 months ago. The proud mom aims to finish in the top 15 by the end of the series.
Christine finds herself six on the log halfway through the series and wants maximum points from the remaining races so she can move a spot or two up.
When Christine was asked what made René a great runner, she alluded to her dedication and love for running. René joked that Christine was a good runner because she listened to her sister’s advice.
“But seriously, Christine is also dedicated and loves running,” René said. “She gets more than just achievements out of running. Running is about exploring and experiencing life. That is why we are in it together.”
ALSO READ: SPAR Women’s Race: See if you can spot yourself!
Will you run the Spar Women’s Race Joburg? Tell us what you are looking forward to about the race in the comments.
