Elena’s Story: The Journalist With a Taste for Adventure | Cancha

Elena’s Story: The Journalist With a Taste for Adventure

Aug 02, 2021Mohid Noman
Voice recorder, microphone, camera, tripod, chargers, and lots of rolled cables. Laptop, personal agenda and notebook are indispensable too. This is usually everything I carry in my Cancha Bag on a normal Friday morning. I leave home early, hoping for a revealing interview and the chance to take some good photographs, with an ‘almost-weekend’ smile on my lips.

I’m the youngest journalist in Barcelona Marathon’s press room. I look at my colleagues’ cameras: super long lenses, built-in Bluetooth and tripods that look like Christmas trees. And there I am, with my outdated material borrowed from the uni, standing in front of almost a hundred professional journalists. Maybe I’m a novice at reporting marathons, but I feel confident. “You’ve spent the last five years covering news and events every week, and you’ve always loved sports and running. Nothing can go wrong!”, my inner self reminds me. So, I do the same as usual – look at everything with journalistic eyes, keep my phone on me at all times, talk with other journalists, and start developing the article as the facts come through.

Almost two hours after the 42-kilometre race started, everyone is nervous. The first runner is about to arrive at the final stretch. Then, a tiny body in motion appears over the horizon, the speaker’s announcement resonates all over the streets of Barcelona. After some pushing and shoving, I finally get a good spot after crawling through a few journalists’ legs. I must confess this ground-level technique is my usual modus operandi in statements and press conferences.

I get out my camera, which was stored in my Day-Bag attachment of my Cancha Bag, and I take down my little tripod, which is carefully held by the Compression Straps underneath the bag.

I’m shooting at a thousand shots a second when the first runner crosses the finish line. Once male and female podium winners have arrived and rested, journalists have the opportunity to take their statements. Oh, no! I can’t find my voice recorder… Did I forget it in the press room? Or maybe I lost it? Very stressed and expecting the worst, I finally find it in the Quick-Stash side pocket of my Cancha Bag, and I begin interviewing all the top runners, even the director of the event and the top coaches.

I already have the entire article in my mind, and all the content I need is in my laptop, which always accompanies me in my Cancha Bag during long journeys. I never have any back problems thanks to the comfort and breathability of the back panel. Now, it’s time to go home.

From my studio desk, I’m making the final touches to Barcelona Marathon’s post. Finally, I click ‘Publish’ and the latest article from Races.Bcn can be seen. It’s my freelance blog, which focuses on covering the races that take place in the city.

Now, I can call it a day. It’s time to relax, so I decide to go for a walk on a quiet hill that has panoramic views of the city. There are a few tourists, some dogs with their owners, lots of free-flying birds and, a precious sunset.  “How calm my city is now!” I remark to myself while enjoying the view.

This evening, I’m preparing my Cancha Bag for an early workout at the gym tomorrow before sunrise. I place my workout shoes, spare clothes, and towel in the dry compartment of my Wet-Dry Bag attachment – I’m ready to give it my all tomorrow!



More articles

Comments (0)

There are no comments for this article. Be the first one to leave a message!

Leave a comment

Please note: comments must be approved before they are published