Thursday, 9 June 2011

Throwback Thursday…Inspired by a Legend

This is me finishing the 1982 Wally Hayward Half Marathon.



See the red socks? They were inspired by 4 times Comrades winner Alan Robb, who always runs in red socks.




Alan is one of South Africa’s running legends. He has the most Comrades gold medals of all runners (12) which means he finished in the top ten 12 times, including 4 wins. Just as famous as Alan are his legendary red socks. I ran with red socks for many years in the 1980’s, inspired by Alan Robb.

Now for the best part…!!!

If you’ve been reading my blog for a while you will know all about Staci (Sandal Girl).



Guess who is Staci’s dad…? Yes, none other than Alan Robb! How cool is that! Read her post here to see some photos of Staci with Alan at this year’s Comrades Marathon expo.

Awesome!
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22 comments:

  1. Mark9 June 2011 at 13:26

    It's a small world after all! Wow...'82! Looking good!!

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  2. Anne9 June 2011 at 13:29

    That is really cool! I love it :)

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  3. HappyTrails9 June 2011 at 13:59

    That is too cool Johann - it is indeed a small world!!

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  4. Christi9 June 2011 at 14:58

    That is fate right there!

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  5. Jennifer9 June 2011 at 15:11

    Very cool! Stacy is cool too and now I know why!

    Hey I'm a red socker, but still waiting for my socks to come in from Red Sock Friday, the Atlantic passage is taking longer that usual! Cheers!

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  6. Laura9 June 2011 at 15:22

    Very very cool.
    Red socks....awesome....

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  7. Big Daddy Diesel9 June 2011 at 15:27

    Now that is cool

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  8. Ewa9 June 2011 at 15:29

    Doesn't Staci wear red sandals in this picture?

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  9. tahoegirl9 June 2011 at 17:17

    Awesome! Love your old photos.

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  10. Amy9 June 2011 at 17:18

    How cool is that? It is a small world after all!

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  11. Chris K9 June 2011 at 17:50

    Amazing. What a trip. That is so funny, but really cool.

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  12. Char9 June 2011 at 22:53

    The red socks were a real fashion statement - even if you were just following your idol's lead. Staci has a great running pedigree.

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  13. Kate Geisen9 June 2011 at 23:47

    Oh, my goodness. How cool is that?

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  14. Lauren10 June 2011 at 01:16

    Great pictures. So, you've been a runner all along! That is awesome. Seriously, I used to think was just about the worst hell anyone could put themselves through. I didn't begin running until my late 30's.

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  15. Andrew Opala10 June 2011 at 04:36

    Isn't that awesome!

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  16. The Green Girl10 June 2011 at 07:46

    I love this red sock story, Johann!

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  17. Liz10 June 2011 at 08:56

    I like the red socks. Did you wear them for Comrades? How's the toe?

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  18. Anonymous11 June 2011 at 14:14

    Great story...and beautiful "old" pic.
    Well, I wear black socks.... if I change color, will I be faster?

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  19. SteveQ12 June 2011 at 19:31

    That's so cool! Dave Bedford (WR in 10K in 1960's) also always wore red socks. When I saw the movies that came out about Steve prefontaine, I looked for Bedford's socks during a key race - but they must've been working off of black and white photos.

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  20. Raina13 June 2011 at 04:33

    I am not too concerned about color these days- just as long as they match and fit!
    Very stylish!!!

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  21. Jen14 June 2011 at 01:05

    Love the red socks! And sorry to hear about your broken toe!
    Thanks for your kind comments and the advice on the road camber. We do have some really bad roads and I need to be more careful. I used to be and then got lazy. Thanks for the reminder.
    Plus I love all your photos!

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  22. Christina16 June 2011 at 06:29

    She's the daughter? That's pretty amazing. I wonder why she doesn't wear red socks?

    I just finished tonight the movie The Long Run about Christine, the 1999 winner of Comarades. It was a great movie and I may do a post about it.

    Good news starting to do your train runs and about figuring out the culprit and thanks for passing on the advice.

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