Tsepo Ramonene – Not your average Olympia 2012 Marathon runner

Watch this Lesotho Olympic Runner Tsepo Ramonene’s Commercial

Tsepo Ramonene possesses the usual marathon runner’s physique, a modest height with a slight frame and no body fat to be seen. It’s no wonder he has to wear multiple layers of t-shirts and jackets to keep warm, winter in Lesotho can be bitterly cold. When you first meet Tsepo you soon get the sense that he will not be asking many questions. He is a very quiet and humble young man and after learning more about his situation and where he is coming from, you can see the reason for his timid persona.

When you asked Tsepo what he does, he simply replies, “I run”. Running is Tsepo’s life. Both his parents are unemployed. His dad receives a very small pension from working in the mines, but not enough to support the family. Tsepo is the sole breadwinner he feeds his family with the small winnings he earns from his races. His parents are proud of his achievements so far and they know when he goes to a race he will return with something.

The current marathon world record is 2h:03min. Tsepo’s personal best is 2h 16min, within Olympic qualification standard. This shows great talent and potential considering his age. At the age of 20 he has plenty years ahead of him to develop his talent. With the right support, coaching and nutrition Tsepo could be a world champion. Before a race he eats white bread with tea. His gradmother sometimes gives him R50 from her monthly pension which he uses to buy energy drink sachetts.

Tsepo’s wish is to finnish his schooling. He has only completed primary school. As his parents couldn’t afford to send him to high school which is about R1500 a year in Lesotho.

His dreams are to have a proper home and one day build a house for his family.

Tsepo will be competing in the London Olympic marathon.

Thanks to the Filmmaker Christian Denslow for emailing me about this inspiring video and all the best to

Deadline for Cape Town Marathon Entries approaching

The deadline for online entries for the Cape Town Marathon 2011 is fast approaching with Monday September 12 the cut-off date for pre-entries to the 42.2km and 10km races.

The Marathon, which takes place on Sunday 25 September, has a flat and fast 42.2km route which starts in Adderley Street at 06h30 and takes runners out to Rondebosch before looping back to the new Green Point Urban Park via Salt River, the Foreshore and the Sea Point promenade – showcasing Table Mountain, the ocean and many of the major attractions Cape Town has to offer.

The race has an extended 8-hour cut off time to give novice runners the opportunity to complete their first 42.2km race. There is also a 10km race which starts in Adderley Street at 06h30 and has a two hour cut-off, so walkers will have ample time to earn their medal.

The marathon is expected to attract quality runners as it is the only South African Olympic qualifier for London 2012. It is also a qualifier for the 2012 Comrades and Two Oceans marathons.

The prize money for the marathon winner is R25 000 followed by R15 000 for second and R12 500 for third place. In the 10km race the winner will receive R12 500 with the second runner winning R7 500 and third place R6250.

Besides the Marathon and 10km races on Sunday 25 September, the public can enter a 5 x 4.2km relay race aimed at clubs, companies and schools. The relay starts at the Green Point Urban Park at 14h30 on Heritage Day 24 September 2011. There is also a 5km fun run from 16h30 at the Urban Park on Heritage Day.

 “An event such as the Cape Town Marathon truly highlights the diversity and beauty of our city and its surrounds. We are looking forward to seeing this race go from strength to strength, not only as a race which attracts the world’s best, but also as an event that involves the people of Cape Town,” says Bulelwa Makalima-Ngewana, the managing director of the Cape Town Partnership.

“As Cape Town becomes increasingly pedestrianised and more accessible, the Cape Town Marathon reminds us that the best experience of our city can often be had on foot. We urge our citizens to show their support and encouragement for this year’s race.”

Runners can get registration details at the Green Point Urban Park tea room on Friday 23 September until 6pm for the Marathon and on Saturday 24 September for the 10km.

Runners should visit www.wpa.org.za for online entries, which close on Monday September 12.

Go for your Run! Two Oceans Marathon 2011 is on!

Hopefully you’ve done all your training and are ready to do your best – Two Oceans Marathon in on! The excitement is there and the weather forecast for Cape Town looks like we’ll have perfect running weather with sunny and mild temperatures between 13-24 °C.

The expo hall where you went for registration was busy the last two days:

Have you picked up your Goodie bag? Did you find the same stuff as I did?

I wish all runners all the best!

Peninsula Marathon 2011

Update: the 2011 race finished and we got all Peninsula Marathon 2011 results online – you can also read my personal race review from my first Peninsula Half-Marathon 2011! Read everything about the Cape Peninsula Marathon 2012 here!

The Peninsula Marathon will return to the faster traditional route in 2011 that runners have grown accustomed to over the years. Race organisers were forced to introduce a new route for 2009 and 2010 to avoid the construction around the stadium, where the race has started for the past 41 years.

The marathon will start on February 20th in Green Point, near the World Cup stadium, while the half marathon will start in Bergvliet.  Both routes take runners along the Main Road through to the finish at the Naval Sports Grounds in Simonstown.

The Peninsula is always a popular event with local runners, as it is an official qualifier for the Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon and many use it both to qualify and as their long training run.

Start Times and Start Venues:

1: 42.2km    05h15 Main Road, Green Point (Opp Cape Town Soccer Stadium)

2: 21.1km    07h00 Bergvliet Sports Club, Childrens Way, Bergvliet (Off Lower Ladies Mile)

Cut Off Times:

1: 42.2km     11h15 (6 hours)

2: 21.1km     11h00 (4 hours)

Route Profile:

Course Records:
1: Men Ernest Tjela 2:11:47 (1987)
2: Women Monica Drogemoller 2:37:19 (1990)

Enter the Peninsula Marathon on topevents.co.za.

Two Oceans Marathon 2011 route and facts!

With the Two Oceans Marathon Entry date approaching soon, we want to give you an overview for the highlight of the 2011 Marathon season in Africa. We already wrote about the Two Oceans Marathon Entry requirements and limitations in a previous post.

The Two Oceans Marathon Route:

The World’s Most Beautiful Marathon: This year’s route (the PURPLE line on the map) will be the same as the one used since 2004. Runners will veer off left onto Noordhoek Road (Chapman’s Peak Drive) at the foot of Ou Kaapse Weg after passing through Sun Valley, and then head through Noordhoek and Hout Bay to Constantia Nek.

Two Oceans Marathon Route Map

• Start point : Main Road in Newlands.
• Quarter way mark (14 km): In Lakeside, just past the Sandvlei turnoff.
• Halfway mark (28 km): On Noordhoek Road before Chapman’s Peak
• Marathon mark (42.195 km): Near the cemetery on Constantia Nek.

It is the responsibility of each runner to know the route of their race. Traffic Police and race marshals will take all reasonable steps to ensure runners safety, however runners are responsible for their well being at all times.

56 km: The route remains the same as last year. From the start in Newlands along the Main Road to Fish Hoek, Chapman’s Peak Drive, Hout Bay, Constantia Nek, Rhodes Drive, and Union Avenue to the finish at UCT. An IAAF graded course measurer has certified the route. A sign will mark every kilometer of the route. The course is 56 km (35 miles).

Route Profile

The Ultra Marathon Route is actually quite flat for the first 28 kilometers, and then starts to climb quickly as one approaches the start of Chapman’s Peak. From Hout Bay, the route climbs again to the highest point at Constantia Nek. Thereafter the route is undulating until the finish at UCT.

Two Oceans Marathon route profile (click on image to enlarge)

Interactive Map

Click here for our interactive map (by MapIT) indicating the route, kilometre markers, refreshment stations and medical points.

Virtual Map

Click here to view the virtual route map as was set up by Bertus van Elburg. One can zoom in and out and see the route in comparison with other landmarks.

Entries for Two Oceans Marathon 2011 open on November 1st!

Update: Entry totals on Friday 19 November 2010:
Ultra Marathon 496
Half Marathon 3732

The race is on. The Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon, which takes place on Saturday 23 April 2011 is opening it’s registration soon!

Entries open on Monday 1 November and runners can enter online at twooceansmarathon.co.za.  Those interested in running the ultra are encouraged to get their qualifying marathon done as soon as they can and to submit their entry.  The qualifying window is 1 September 2010 to 16 March 2011 for the ultra event.

Entries close on 16 March 2011 or when the 11 000 entry cut off for each distance is reached.  Last year over 3 000 participants in the half marathon were turned away and the ultra had just over 9 000 runners.  A limited number of entry forms will be printed and available from the end of November at leading sports shops or on request from the race office.

In 2010 over 27 000 participants took part in the various distances including the fun runs, making it the biggest running event in Africa. The flagship race, the ultra marathon, attracted 9000 competitors, while the half marathon saw 11700 runners take part – a limited field in the interests of runner safety as per advice from Cape Town City’s Disaster Management team, but it still remained the biggest half marathon in Africa. Entries had to close off four weeks prior to the scheduled closing date, which meant that Two Oceans Marathon turned away about 3 000 disappointed runners. Remember to enter early, particularly for the half marathon, to avoid missing out.

The 2011 event will also be introducing a new timing system, the RaceTec System (previously known as Winning Time), which will be used for the next five years.  This is the same timing system used by the Cape Argus Pick n Pay Cycle Tour and offers state of the art technology that will make the processing of results and times far easier and more user-friendly.

Those runners who already have one of these chips can use it for Two Oceans, while those that do not have chips will need to purchase one at a cost of R80.  The chips are usually R110 but the race office will subsidise them by R30.  This system is used extensively at various other races around the country, including the 94.7 Cycle Challenge in Johannesburg.

Two Oceans Marathon increases prize money by 47%

The Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon, which takes place on Saturday 23 April 2011, has increased its prize money for next year’s event by 47% and will see the top male and female runners in the 56km ultra event each take home R250 000 for their efforts.

The new prize money schedule makes it one of the highest paying ultra events in the country and offers top runners an incentive to focus on winning the event in 2011.  General manager Rowyn James said, “We want to offer the top athletes an added incentive to focus on running and winning the ultra next year, as well as encouraging them to have a serious attempt at the respective course records, which were set over 20 years ago.”

James added that while the prize money has always been considered generous, they wanted to take it to the next level in order to attract some of road running’s top names.  The second and third place male and female runners will each receive R125 000 and R65 000 respectively.  Total prize money on offer for the event is just under R1.5-million.  Last year’s first prizewinners received R150 000, second place R75 000 and third R50 000.

Another exciting change for the event is the new marketing campaign “This is your moMEnt”, with the focus being on the ‘ME’ in ‘moment’.  The campaign centres solely on the runners, as they are responsible for the event’s growth and success since it started 42 years ago.

“Without the runners’ hard work and dedication this event would not have got to where it is today and this campaign is a tribute to this commitment and effort,” said marketing manager Stefanie Schultzen.

The campaign represents the significance of this prestigious race, which is an impressive, professional event that attracts over 27 000 participants from all over the world, as well as a running institution and real pacesetter on the road running calendar.  It focuses on the runners themselves and the amazing stories they have to tell.

Said Joy Khaole, head of Group Sponsorship for title sponsor Old Mutual, “We are thrilled with the new marketing campaign that celebrates the runners as it complements our brand message ‘do great things’.  Through this special event we provide runners with the platform to push beyond their boundaries.”

Comrades Marathon 2010 – all the facts!

The qualifying period for 2010 Comrades Marathon ended April 26th. For all other applicants it’s too late to sign up for the 85th comrades – the ultimate human race race in 2010.

The route distance for this years event is 89km. The 2010 Comrades Marathon is a “down run’, starting at the City Hall in Pietermaritzburg and finishing at the Sahara Stadium Kingsmead in Durban.

• Date: Sunday, 30 May 2010
• Start: 05h30 at the City Hall in Pietermaritzburg
• Finish: 17h30 at Sahara Stadium, Kingsmead in Durban
• Distance: 89km – 56 miles
• 23.656 people entered the race
• The number of international participants is higher than ever: 1084 runners from 76 countries
• Official Homepage

Comrades Route map

General rules and information on the CMA homepage

2010 Peninsula Marathon results are in!

Finally we got the official results from last Sundays 2010 BDO Peninsula Marathon for the 42 km distance:

To look for your result, just start typing your name into the search box of the respective distance you went for:

Full Marathon results (42.195 km)

[table id=7 /]

Half Marathon results (21.0975 km)

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This is the complete awards list for the Marathon runners:

Peninsula Marathon 2011 results

How to ensure a great Comrades Marathon result – Training tips

There are only two important races if you are doing a Comrades Marathon:

1. Your qualifier

2. Comrades Marathon

Every time I hear runners saying sentences like this I shake my head: “I ran a personal best almost every race in my training for Comrades and then on the day I crashed – I can’t understand it?”

Deciding to run the Comrades Marathon is a huge commitment. A person joins a club and gets caught into the notion that one must run every race possible before Comrades

Please take note of the following and if you don’t believe me, ask Bruce Fordyce, Norrie Williamson, Johnny Halberstadt, Alan Rob, Andrew Kelehe and so on.

Races are an important part of training for Comrades. Not to see how fast you can run, but to see how slow you can run.

Let me explain further:

In training you must do speed work, hill training, gym work, recovery runs and slow runs plus your “normal pace” run.

You do not get fast by attempting a PB (personal best) on every race. You get fast by doing specific speed work training over a short distance. FACT!!

The only thing you will get from running flat out every race is burn-out and an injury. Races are there to get your long run in for the week, test various supplements, test new socks, test new drinking patterns, getting used to waking up early, getting used to the crowds at the start and more testing and then some more. When you finish a race, you must finish “fresh” enough to run a further 5km’s with ease. In fact, a good tip is after you finish the race, run back against the “traffic” of runners for a km and then back-at a very slow pace.

With a variation in your weekly training, your times will come down by themselves.

Another tip – do a time trial at your club without your watch. Set yourself a medium pace time and see if you can come in at that time. This will teach you a very important lesson about how you feel at what pace and the ability to judge what pace you are running at during a race. You won’t have to watch the marker boards every km to see your pace, you can judge for yourself and just check with the boards every 5km’s. This is very important for Comrades to be able to pace yourself through the day, and like some of us, into the late afternoon.

In summary: Use the weekend race as a training run and stay fresh for the qualifier and the big day.

Source: 2003 Webarchive of runner.co.za – a timeless piece of writing!

Peninsula Marathon 2010 route description

We are now happy to provide with you an exact route profile and description, kilometer by kilometer for the 2010 BDO Peninsula Marathon:

2010 BDO Peninsula Marathon registration closing soon

Only a few days left to register for the 2010 BDO Peninsula Marathon and Half Marathon. Closing date for Entries is midnight on 14th February 2010 – to enter for the BDO Peninsula Marathon and Half Marathon click here and register online.

Due to restrictions in the vicinity of the Cape Town Stadium and road works in Muizenberg, the routes for the 42km and 21km will remain similar to those used for 2009, starting and finishing in Simonstown. Both races start at 6am. Although challenging with several hills, they offer ideal training for Two Oceans and Comrades.

A Helpers’ Run will again be held the week before the actual race to allow Celtics members to assist with marshalling or helping at a refreshment station. Times will be recorded and can be used to qualify for Two Oceans and Comrades.

BDO Peninsula Marathon

Useful Information and distances:

Martello Road to start of 21.1km                   1500 meters

Martello Road to Jubilee Square                  900 meters

Jubilee Square to start 21.1 km                  600 meters

42.2 km start from 21.1 km start                  2100 meters

Martello Road to start of 42.2 km                  3600 meters

Ryan Sandes reports from his Jungle Marathon 2009 victory

Ryan Sandes aka. the ‘desert runner‘, is currently not running in the hot dry deserts around the world, but has traded the deserts for the Amazon Jungle Stage Race. Ryan will be running the 2010 Comrades Marathon as a Celebrity entrant.

Here is a personal report by desert runner Ryan Sandes, how he’s doing in the Amazon! We will keep you informed as to his progress on this grueling race Jungle Update – Ryan’s Diary entries, in preparation for the start of the race.

I have been in Brazil (Alter do Chao) for a week now and I am slowly getting used to the heat and humidity. No one speaks English here and my Portuguese is non-existent. So I have had some interesting times, especially when it comes to eating out in restaurants. Basically I choose anything on the menu that is not too expensive and I hope for the best… Luckily I have not had to eat anything too dodgy yet! I took a bit of strain on my first few runs and I started to wonder if I had lost all my fitness on the two day journey to Brazil. It felt like running at high altitude and I could not get enough oxygen into my lungs. I seem to have adapted a bit better to the conditions now and I went on a run in the jungle two days ago which was awesome except for seeing one HUGE snake and getting bitten by a few hornets, Flip the hornet bites are sore…I thought I had been shot in the groin and butt! I very quickly thought to myself I would rather be running through the Amazon jungle counting hornet bites on my butt than sitting down at a desk counting how many toilets need to be ordered i.e. being a Quantity Surveyor. After my jungle run I did realize one thing and that is the Jungle Marathon is going to be probably the toughest race I have ever done. The accents are brutally steep with some really technical descents and you are continuously jumping and climbing over fallen trees. It is very humid under the jungle canopy and at times I felt claustrophobic. But I am really starting to get excited and apart from a bit of a glute / hamstring issue I am ampt to start the race now.

Jungle Marathon Day 1: WOW what an awesome run but probably the slowest and hardest 15km of my life. We started off and after 200m we already had a river crossing and straight after that it was into the jungle. I felt good and pushed the first leg and paid for it on the second and third legs… I bonked on the third leg and felt like I had no energy from the intense heat, but I pushed through to finish feeling good. The terrain consisted of hills, more hills and rivers and swamps. At one stage I was up to my chest in a swamp and the next minute I tripped and found myself fully submerged in black mud! I got over my fear of snakes very quickly and there were times when I would have been quite happy to be bitten and put out my misery :)! Otherwise all is good apart from a bit of a twisted ankle. Now for day 2 and more punishment but also more beauty. Our camps are in some of the most insane places I have ever seen in my life and the whole experience feels like a dream at times. The boat trip up the Amazon to the start of the race was awesome and waking up this morning was surreal except of course that I was about to start the hardest multi stage race of my life.

Jungle Marathon Day 2: The start this morning was delayed by two hours as the medic evacuation boats were not back from Santarem yet… Four people had to be evacuated yesterday from the heat and the harsh conditions took it toll on most competitors. Yesterday afternoon was like a scene out of a horror movie and people were dropping like flies…but the Jungle Marathon medics did a great job making sure everyone was looked after. We started off along the beach and then after a few hundred meters it was up into the jungle for the ‘swamp’ stage. It was not long before I was chest high in black mud, fending off ticks and human eating ants! I took it a lot easier today to start off with and felt good and then pushed the last stage a bit to open up a few minute gap on the second athlete. So all in all it was a good day at the office apart from two swollen ankles. Keeping it short and sweet so I can get back in my hammock.

Ryan completed the 24.5km stage in a record time of 2hours and 41 minutes. Ryan Won stages 1 and 2, and currently has a 10 minute lead over the second placed runner.

The third day (14th October 2009) was the longest stage so far: almost 38 km. The course combined the concentrated elevations of stage one with the swamp crossings of stage two. Although overcast early in the morning the sun soon came out and the humidity was so high that there some light rain in the afternoon. Before the competitors set off there was a reminder of the signs of dehydration and how to manage salt levels from the medical team. They then set off straight into the jungle The magic sandman has done it again – Ryan Sandes has won stage 3 of the 2009 Jungle Marathon. Ryan has built up his lead over 2nd place runner, Fredson de Silva Sousa Raimundo, of more than 24 minutes and has just under an hour lead over his arch rival Salvador Calvo Redondo. Ryan completed the 37km stage in 4hours and 57minutes. The Race Director’s assistant says that Ryan is in incredible spirits and feeling great

Jungle Marathon Day 3: I woke up this morning with sore ankles and thought OH NO, but today was the opposite of that. I started off today quite easy and then at the second check point I decided to push on a bit… it was a risky move as it is so hot and humid here that if you bomb out in the jungle you do so in style. It is really hard to pick yourself up again and it feels as if all your energy has been sucked out by a vacuum cleaner. The risk paid off and I finished the stage strong (37min ahead of second athlete) but a little tired and shaken from seeing three snakes. I remember climbing up a hill on all fours and seeing a set of eyes looking at me from a large hole in the ground. I would like to think it was a large lizard but I did not hang around to get a closer look. Thanks to everyone for the messages of support, they help me keep going when everything says stop! Off to the hammock…

On Day 4 (15th October 2009) is Ryan Sandes still in the lead after stage 4 of the 2009 Jungle Marathon with his arch nemesis Salvador Calvo Redondo still in 3rd place. He is getting mentally prepared for the long stage of 89km tomorrow.

Jungle Marathon Day 4 We started off today with a 200m swim across a river… faaak swimming with a pack is not so easy!! My heart-rate went through the roof from the swim and only 20min into the run did it get back to normal – respect to the ironmen. Today was quite a flat course and it was nice to be able to run at a constant pace the whole way. I ran most of the way with Mike Wolf of the North Face and we crossed the line together. It was a relief to get the stage out the way with no set backs and now for the long stage tomorrow – its going to be brutal! I am hoping to run the long stage with someone, maybe Mike as he has been ripping up the 50 and 100 milers in the States. It going to be a long slog but I will be taking it slow and steady and taking no chances… We start of the stage with another 250m swim and then 49km of jungle and 43km of trails! 49 competitors have dropped out of the race so far mainly to heat issues… so the rumble in the jungle has been hectic. My feet do not have any blisters (must be my shoes – Salomon S Labs!) except for a bust toe nail from kicking a few roots. My ankles have had a break the last two days and my legs feel good so I am ampt for one last big push tomorrow! Thanks to everyone for the messages – they are a huge boost! FINISHED THE JUNGLE MARATHON

Ryan Sandes has done the super impossible YET again and has won the 2009 Jungle Marathon – proving he has what it takes in the deserts and the jungles. Ryan’s overall time was 26 hrs 33 min with second place going to his nemesis Salvador Calvo Redondo – who was almost 2 hours behind Ryan in a total time of 28 hrs 49 min.

I have just crossed the finish line of the Jungle Marathon. I survived the Jungle!! It is an awesome feeling to win again and I am super stoked. The 2nd competitor (Salvador of Spain) was just under two and a half hours behind me and Mike from the States behind him. I ran the whole stage today with Mike and we took it quite easy, not that I could have gone any faster. My legs felt TIRED!!… and had no gas in them. Salvador passed us about half way and stormed on to finish about two minutes ahead of us. Running into Alter Do Chao was and insane and the town square was packed with people, journalists etc. I was handed an SA Flag a few hundred meters from the finish line and got instant goose bumps. I had trained really hard for this race and bust my balls in a few training session but I could finally see the rewards as the finish line was approaching. Crossing the finish line I felt my dream come true of winning the Jungle Marathon! So proud to be South African!!! I am off to drink some beer now – its been a month since I last had a beer:) Thanks to all for the message of support – I could have not done it without you! Thanks to my dream givers Salomon and ProNutro! And thanks to Hammer Nutrition and Oakley for their awesome product.

Day 6 Update – Rest Day I woke up this morning with competitors still crossing the finish line and felt really relived to have finished the long stage. The number of hammock’s in the camp are less than half from the start of the race and the number of casualties has reached more than 50%. Competitor’s feet are starting to look really sore and manky covered in a mass of blisters and most of the athletes in camp are hobbling around. Looking back it has been an awesome week, one of the hardest and most exciting of my life. I am super stoked with the way it has gone and my more focused training sessions since Namibia seem to have paid off. The bitter taste of Namibia is slowly starting to leave my mouth and my smash and a stock cube this morning tasted like ice cream and chocolate sauce. It is one last push tomorrow along the beach for 32km and then real food and lots of beer. I do not want to count my chickens before they hatch but it looks like I have this one in the bag. I have more than a 2 hour lead on my category (international) and a 45 min plus lead on the local guys from the Para region in a separate category. The Para guys are some great athletes but I think they may be a bit pissed off that an international guy is leading going into the last stage. My legs have felt great the whole race thanks to the help of Chris (Physio), Sally (Biokineticists) and Ian (Coach). A huge thanks to Salomon and ProNutro for making the race possible. My feet have not got one blister thanks to my Salomon S LABS!! Thanks to Hammer Nutrition for the fuel and Oakley for the eye wear. I lost my eye wear in a swamp on the second day so there must be a super cool anaconda floating around the jungle with a pair of Radars on! Thanks to Kelly for doing an awesome job at getting my results out there and updating my blog – I hope the spelling was not too bad. To everyone a huge thank you for all your support and messages, I have said it before but they kept me going for 7km with no water and feeling totally out of it. Back to the hammock now to rest up for tomorrow.

Thanks to Ryan Sandes for this awesome report from Brazil!

Leonid Shvetsov retires from running

Current Comrades Marathon record holder for the “Up” and “Down” runs, Leonid Shvetsov, confirmed in a statement to the Comrades Marathon Association that he has decided to retire from all competitive running with immediate effect.

“I made a considerate decision to stop my competitive running career. This is because when I resumed serious training a month after this year’s Comrades Marathon I again started to feel painful ‘clicking’ in my knee. I had same thing during the race this year, which forced me to slow down on the downhills and in the end resulted in severe (near) cramping and weakness in my quads in the last 18-20km during the race. What was worse – I couldn’t get rid of the feeling that my knee may ‘lock’ at any moment, and the race would have been over for me. I was lucky to come home 2nd on the day, and I don’t want to get in the situation when I devote half a year of my life preparing to 2010 run and end up stopping or slowing down like it happened to me in 2002. I think I was lucky enough to break both Comrades records.”

Leonid also stated that through running the Comrades Marathon that he has been privileged to meet many great South Africans, and that he has forged excellent relationships with South Africans. Leonid intends to continue running in order to maintain a healthy and fit lifestyle, as well as continue with coaching runners.

“This was not and easy decision as running took the biggest part of my life for over 30 years. In fact, September 23rd this year was 30 years. I have completed 44 marathons (and 5 Comrades), ran in 2 Olympic Games and held the Russian National Marathon record for over 10 years, (broken by a runner that I trained 2 years ago). I think I left my small ‘footstep’ in the history of running” “I am a family man and now a business man to, and recently expanded my business, which is keeping me very busy.”

The Comrades Marathon Association wished Leonid all the best for his future, and he will be missed come 30 May 2010, as he is a fierce competitor, and has definitely left his mark on the Comrades Marathon. After all he is the current record holder for the “Up” and “Down” runs respectfully.

Bennie Badenhorst wins Mont-aux-Sources Ultra Marathon Challenge in 5:37 hours

SA’s Foremost Ultra-Marathon Swells Conservation Coffers
First Lady Places Third Overall In Full Field, Ideal Conditions

The seventeenth annual running of South Africa’s foremost ultra-marathon, the Mont-aux-Sources Challenge, took place in ideal conditions at Royal Natal National Park in the northern Drakensberg on September 12, 2009. Bennie Badenhorst of Hartebeespoort Marathon Club emerged as the victor in a time of 05hrs 37min 57sec. Filippo Faralla from Savages Athletic Club in Durban placed second in a time of 05hrs 37min 11sec while the first lady, Kerry Koen of Collegians Harriers in Pietermaritzburg, managed a very impressive third overall in a time of 05hrs 40min 39sec.

The race is organised through the Wild Series a partnership between the Wildlands Conservation Trust and Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife. Wildlands CEO, Andrew Venter, said that the 2009 event was possibly one of the most successful in its history. “We had a full field of runners, and once again managed to raise several hundred thousand Rand towards conservation, adding to the more than R3 million that the race has raised in its history.”

While the Challenge is certainly not South Africa’s longest run, it is possibly its toughest, with runners having to climb, and then descend, some 1500m during the 50km course. Venter said the race is also arguably South Africa’s most picturesque, set in the backdrop of the spectacular Drakensberg Amphitheatre, part of the Ukhahlamba Drakensberg Park World Heritage Site.

According to Race Chairman Eduard Goosen of Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, the race’s success was due, once again, to main sponsors Bonitas Medical Aid and Powerade, a large contingent of volunteers and an enthusiastic field of athletes. “The race doesn’t offer the richest purse, but year after year we experience demand from a higher number of runners than we can accommodate in an environmentally protected area.” Interested parties can email montauxsources@yahoo.com for entry details.

How to enter Comrades Marathon 2010

The overwhelming response for entries for the 2009 Comrades Marathon is hopefully a sign of the excellent interest in the Comrades Marathon. The 17% increase in race entries this year must be attributed to the extensive marketing campaign undertaken by the CMA, both locally and abroad.

The 2010 Comrades Marathon also coincides with the 85th anniversary of The Ultimate Human Race. 2010 will see the race run from Pietermaritzburg to Durban, a down run. The CMA announced that there will be a commemorative “double-down” medal for  all novice runners that complete this years and next years race. The CMA will enter into an extensive marketing campaign, through various mediums, as well as road shows across South Africa. The CMA has also put in place a comprehensive international marketing campaign, the first step of which has been achieved with the appointment of International Ambassadors across Europe, South and North America, and Australia.

Entry numbers for the 2010 and 85th anniversary of the Comrades Marathon will be cut off at 20,000 runners, and no extensions will be entered into, thus making the 2010 run a special event as the CMA has never had a cut off number in the past. We are confident that this number will be achieved very quickly as in 2000 we received 24,000 entries. Therefore we urge all runners and potential runners that wish to run in 2010 to take careful note of the entry process and the cut off dates. We therefore request that you enter early to avoid disappointment. Entries will be done in 2 phases.

Phase 1:
1 September 2009: Entries open to all previous Comrades Runners and will close 31 October 2009. The total will be capped at 15,000 entrants.

Phase 2:
1 November 2009: Entries open to all Novices and will close on 30 November 2009. Total number of entries will be capped at 20,000. Thus should there only be 12,000 entries from previous runners, there would be 8,000 entries accepted for Novices.

Qualifying period for 2010 will be as follows: 24 May 2009 to 26 April 2010. Runners who finish the 2009 Comrades Marathon can use their finishing time for 2010.

As in 2009, runners will be able to enter before they qualify. This means while all entries will have to meet the entry criteria above, runners will still be allowed to qualify in official qualifying races up until the month of April, with the 26th April as the final cut-off date. Upon qualification, runners simply need to give the time and details of the qualifying race through to the CMA office. Upon receiving the qualifying information the runner’s entry will be confirmed.

Race Day is Sunday 30 May 2010.

Comrades finisher report by Onne de Boer

This is a race-day report from 2009 Comrades Marathon finisher Onne de Boer whom we met on Twitter where he is one of our loyal followers. We thank you for this piece and ask our readers to submit more wonderful articles like this:

Hi, my name is Onne de Boer.  I live in Canada, in the Maritime province of New Brunswick. I’m 45 years old, have been running most of my life. Not competitively, I have been competing in triathlon. My greatest athletic feat to date is the 25th Anniversary of Ironman Canada. Finishing in 11:56 (Pictured on the right)

Qualifying and Training for Comrades
The event I used for qualifying was called “Not the Honolulu” Marathon in November of last year. This event is a self sufficient event, meaning I have to carry everything for the distance there is no support. A good friend accompanied me on the second half of the marathon, which was the  official half for the day. I finished sub 4 hours for a D grouping at Comrades.

I followed the sub nine hour training program from the Comrades site. Training started in January – a little bit of running prior to that, but nothing formal. Please know that training was very difficult, I was usually in temperatures that ranged from -5 to -20 Celsius. On more then one occasion my water froze next to my body under my layers of cloths. Weather improved by April and there were a few days I could run in shorts and a jacket.

Once in PMB my family hooked me up with Christopher Zondi (15566) 14 time, now 15 time finisher of Comrades. We ran together a few days and the benefit of having someone local is that I didn’t have to pay attention to where I was. Thank you Chris! A true Comrade!

Race day
I had a restful sleep in PMB. I was awake at 3am, rested until 3.30 and then got up for a bowl of oatmeal and some hydration. Read the rest of this entry »

Comrades Marathon 2009 results

33 year-old Stephen Muzhingi from Zimbabwe won the 2009 Comrades Marathon in time of 5:23:27. Second place Leonid Shvetsov of Russia in 5:33:10 and third place Charles Tjiane in 5:34:21. Stephen Muzhingi reached 3rd place in last years 2008 Comrades.

Muzhingi said he realised he could tell he was in stronger shape when he passed defending champion and record holder, Leonid Shvetsov, and knew then that he could win.

“Coming into the race, my only aim was to run sub 5:30. When I was about 100 metres behind Leonid, I started to relax but when I caught him, I knew I had the race.”

Muzhingi said he hadn’t thought about the 5:20:41 record, set by Shvetsov in 2007, but about three kilometres from the finish, spectators told him he had a chance to go for it, so he ran faster. However, by then it was too late but his time of 5:23:27 is the second best time ever for a Comrades Marathon!

Olesya Nurgalieva won the 2009 women’s Comrades Marathon in 6:12.12. Her twin sister, Elena Nurgalieva, who finished first in 2008, came second in 6:13.14 followed by another Russian, Tatyana Zhirkova in 6:15:03.

Congratulations to all finishers from runner.co.za!

Stephen Muzhingi wins Comrades Marathon 2009 in 5:23:27!

33 year-old Zimbabwean Stephen Muzhingi won this years Comrades Marathon from Pietermaritzburg to Durban, in 5:23:27, the second fastest time in history today.

Second place goes to last years Comrades Winner Leonid Shvetsov of Russia in 5:33:10 and third place Charles Tjiane in 5:34:21.

The team from Runner.co.za congratulates Stephen Muzhingi for breaking Russian domination of the men’s race!

More coverage and a 2009 Comrades result overview will follow later today.

How to calculate your Comrades finishing time

No matter how good your training has been, when it comes to Sunday 24 May 2009, you better have a strategy on how you are going to run to reach your goal.

By following the steps below you will be able to:

• A prediction of your realistic finish time
• The information you require to determine which Comrades Wrist Bands you require for pacing
• Instructions on how to use the pacing band
• Note: Pacing Bands are ONLY available at the Comrades Expo Stand for R30 with the money going towards the Comrades Charities.

What is your Realistic Potential Finish Time?

• Look back at all your race times of the past 12 months and select the best three performances
• All three times should be flat out races / time trials
• Ideally have a 5km or 10km race time from late April or early May
• Include your best 42km or 56km time in the last 12 months
• Play with the choice of your third time, which may be a repeat of one of the others or a distance between them, but use the one that gives the best Comrades finish time – This will be your best realistic starting time!

How much have you trained?

• Find your predicted finish time on table 1.
• Under the finish time find the marathon time closest to your PB
• Determine the corresponding required training distance.
• How does that compare to your total training distance between December and May?
• If you are over 15% higher or lower ADD (in both cases) 15-20 minutes to your predicted Potential finish time.
  [Note: this confirms that if you do too much you get slower NOT faster finishing times]
• Now go to this new finishing time and see which pacing band you require. (7 Hour to 12 Hour)
• Go to the Coach stand at Comrades Expo and buy your pacing band for R20
• The Pacing points are shown on photographs here and will be marked on race day with yellow tape across the road.

Visualise and Run the Comrades Route by Podcast:
Norrie Williamson will take you over the whole 89.17km Down-Run describing exactly where each of the hills and downhill sections are, and providing advice on where to hold back. This in-depth podcast allows you to be sure of exactly where the different pacing points are and to relax and visualize yourself running the route. Together with the pacing point photos it’s the ideal way for those who have not seen or experienced the route to get a better understanding of what they will face on Sunday 24 May. For previous Comrades Runners it’s a reminder of those tricky hills you have forgotten about – but lie in wait to trip you on Comrades day.
For pod cast of the full route description click here
(Note: The podcasts are quite long so do take time to download and are best heard on ADSL / 3G platforms)

The Pacing Bands

Each pacing band has 14 pacing points with corresponding times that you should run to and through these points.
To see pictures of these points Click HERE Each point has a photo, together with a indication and short description of where they can be found on the route. These points will be marked with distinctive yellow tape on the road on race day.

Average Pace

Although each band has an average pace, it would be impossible to run the Comrades route constantly at that pace. The pacing on the Comrades Wrist band takes into account the grueling and highly diverse nature of the Down Comrades in timing your run through to Durban. This means that in some sections you will be considerably slower than average pace, where these slower times are bought back by running slightly faster over the longer downs.

Run and Walk to success

Any runner with a finish over 7 hours should incorporate a run and walk schedule into the pacing. As a guide 9:00 and under should run 9km with 2-3minute walks, 9:00 to 11:00 should run 6 km with 2-3 min walks, 11-12 hour finishers can work on 3km with 2-3 min walks. Some runners are so sold on the run and walk schedule that they simply mix 9 minutes of running with 1 minute of walking the whole way through, and are then able to blast the last sixth of the race to the finish. The important principle in any run and walk regime is to start this regime right from the gun and continue it throughout the race, DO NOT wait until you are tired: by then it’s too late!

Silver, Bill Rowan, and Bronze Cut offs:

If your predicted time indicates that your potential is such that you would miss this medal by less than 10 minutes, buy the pacing band for the medal category above. (e.g. a 9:05 predicted time buys the 9:00 pacing band). However remember this is a stretch for you and will only happen if everything goes well on the day. You must then add 2/3rds of the difference between your predicted time and the medal cut-off time to the time at the BP Garage in Winston Park. From there gradually close in back onto the scheduled time at 45th cutting. If it’s your day this is your best chance!

Delays at the Start:

Runner’s further back in the field will take a few minutes to cross the start line and generally in Comrades this is a Good Thing as it prevents you from getting caught up in the adrenaline boosted rush of the start – More Comrades are lost in starting too fast than any other failing. However these minutes become more valuable for runners who are borderline to any of the cut-off times (Silver, Bill Rowan, Bronze or the final cut-off).
It is important that you do not try to make up this time in the first few kilometres but rather stretch it over a long period – particularly on the down run as the first 24km are predominately uphill and increasing pace by even 5 seconds on many of these climbs will rocket your effort levels and use up more of your glycogen stores, leaving you without energy for the final section of the race.
There’s only about 10km of down in the first section to Camperdown and then rolling road through to the bottom of Inchanga. If the time taken to cross the line is important to you getting under one of the cut off’s, the advice is to divide half of this time by 30 and increase you pace by that on each kilometre of downhill and the section from Camperdown to half way. The remainder you will easily make up from Hillcrest to the finish. For example if it takes five minutes to cross the line, you would increase your pace by 5 seconds per km on the downhill from the start to Camperdown, and on each kilometre from Camperdown to Half way, (except the climb up Inchanga), and then make up the remaining two and a half minutes between the top of Botha’s Hill down to the finish. In running ultra’s always keep in mind – “slowly slowly catch a monkey’ and you won’t go far wrong.

Comrades Calculator © by Norrie Williamson

Comrades Marathon on May 24th 2009

The world’s greatest ultra-marathon, 90 kilometres long, the Comrades is a South African institution, internationally recognised for the body-sapping challenge it poses and the camaraderie it fosters among its thousands of participants. This year the world’s greatest ultramarathon and KwaZulu-Natal showpiece will be run from Pietermaritzburg to Durban on Sunday 24 May 2009.”

“Comrades Marathon is an iconic event with a special place in the hearts and minds of South Africans, but they have come to expect it to be run in mid-June. “

This is the first time the race has been staged as early as May since 1995 when it was brought forward to avoid clashing with the Rugby World Cup hosted by South Africa in June 1995. Similarly the 2009 and 2010 Comrades Marathons have been brought forward to avoid clashing with the FIFA Confederations Cup (14 – 29 June 2009) and the FIFA World Cup (11 June – 11 July 2010) respectively.

With the race being staged three weeks earlier than usual, the Closing Date for Entries also had to be brought forward to 31 March 2009, thus falling ahead of several popular and traditional qualifying races. To accommodate this CMA implemented a special dispensation whereby prospective entrants must submit their entries by 31 March, but may still qualify in official qualifying races up until a final cut-off for qualifying on 28 April.

Race Director Renee Jordaan expressed cautious optimism regarding the field of entries for 2009 as there is potentially more at stake than just this year’s race. “Looking ahead to 2010 which coincides with the 85th running of the Comrades Marathon, CMA decided to cap the number of entries at 20,000 for 2010 and made a commitment to reserve the first 15,000 entries for previous Comrades finishers.” She urged runners to avoid possible double disappointment by meeting this year’s entry deadline.

“So far indications from attendance at our Comrades Marathon Worshops, as well as the increased fields participating in shorter races throughout South Africa, are that we should attract a large field this year. However, it’s always a bit of a waiting game with the majority of runners entering during the final few days before closing, after which we have six weeks to process entries and finalise logistical requirements for the race”, said Jordaan.

“In the meantime, groundwork for the staging of a memorable event is proceeding well according to schedule with an experienced and dedicated organising committee working to slightly tighter deadlines than usual,” said Boshoff.

On a historical note, 24 May is a significant date in the annals of Comrades Marathon history in that the first 26 races from 1921 – 1951 were run on what was then a public holiday (Empire Day) on 24 May. No races were run during the war years 1941 – 1945.