Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon 2010

On the Saturday of the Easter Weekend, which this year is 3rd April 2010, it’s time for Cape Town’s biggest marathon – the Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon 2010.

The ultra marathon and half marathon registration takes place in Cape Town’s Good Hope Centre at the the Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon Expo.

The expo focuses on everything there is to know about running (or road running specifically) from shoes, clothes heart rate monitors, vitamins, nutrients, fitness aids and energy boosters to name but a few.

It is essential for runners to go to the expo to collect their race numbers and goody bags. They must also remember to bring their race acknowledgement card, ID and champion chip (if they have one) to the registration to avoid long lines.

SA’s second ultra-popular ultra-marathon is the 56-kilometre Two Oceans Marathon. Its greatest drawcard is an extremely picturesque route that winds along the coastline surrounding Cape Town. The Two Oceans, like the Comrades, also manages to pull top professionals from overseas.

Zimbabwean men have enjoyed good success in recent years, being the dominant runners in the event since 2001, including a Marco Mambo being crowned champion in 2004, 2005, and 2008.

The women’s race has succeeded in drawing many of the top female athletes preparing for the Comrades Marathon, which takes place just over a month after the Two Oceans, and as a result has produced winners who have gone on to Comrades’ victory. They include Elena Nurgalieva and Tatyana Zhirkova.

For more information on the main marathons, read the event listing for the 2009 Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon at our partner site capetownmagazine.com.

Champion Leonid Shvetsov confirms Comrades Marathon 2009

Leonid Shvetsov, defending champion and current record holder, of the last two Comrades Marathons, confirmed today that he will be lining up at the start of this year’s Comrades Marathon down run in Pietermaritzburg on 24 May in Nedbank Running Club colours.

Shvetsov will be competing for the Nedbank Running Club with team mate Herman’s Mokgadi, the first South African runner home in 2008. Other elite Athletes that are competing for the Nedbank Running Club include:

White Modisenyane, Gift Kelehe, Joseph Marman, Lucas Nonyana, Frans Kutu to mention a few of the top men and Lindsay Van Aswegan is one of the Nedbank Elite ladies athletes.

“To have a runner of Shvetsov’s pedigree choosing to run in Nedbank colours is an honour and shows how far Nedbank has come in establishing itself as a major sponsor and supporter of South African road running,” says Patrick Baransky, sponsorship portfolio manager, Road Running.

In an email addressed to Nick Bester, the National Manager for the Nedbank Running Club, Shvetsov expressed his desire to win at least one more Comrades Marathon before turning his attention to a career as a medical practitioner.

“In the mail I could sense that he won’t be satisfied with anything less than another Comrades win. I also spoke to his manager, Sergey Krasnochekov, who told me that Leonid is as ready as can be for this year’s race,” says Bester.

National Youth Run

The Comrades Marathon Association today confirmed that following on the overwhelming success of last year’s inaugural event, CMA in conjunction with KwaZulu-Natal Athletics, will again be staging the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Sport & Recreation National Youth Run as a prelude to the 2009 Comrades Marathon.

The event, which is sponsored by the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Sport & Recreation and the Umsobomvu Youth Fund, will be staged on Saturday, 23 May 2009. It consists of a 10km Road Race/Walk and a 5km Fun Run/Walk, aimed primarily at exposing young people to the joys and benefits of running, while also providing them with a tangible opportunity to participate in the “Comrades Marathon experience”.

However, while the main focus of the event is on youth, both the 10km and 5km components are open to participants of all ages and present Comrades Marathon runners, their families, friends and supporters, walkers, joggers and exercise enthusiasts with an ideal opportunity to get into the “Comrades spirit” with a relaxing and festive run the day before the “big race”.

Last year’s inaugural National Youth Run was staged on the Durban beachfront, an enormously popular and successful venue, which attracted 3000 participants. Owing to extensive renovations currently underway in the build-up to 2010, the beachfront area is out of the question this year and the entire event has been moved to Durban North.

The organisers have however managed to secure an extremely pleasant venue with a glorious sea-view at Riverside Sports and have put together an attractive and enjoyable route through Durban North suburbs, which is very gently undulating and takes in occasional glimpses of the sea.

Entry fees for the event are nominal at R10 for the 10km (minimum age 15) and R5 for the 5km (minimum age 9), making it affordable entertainment for the whole family. And thanks to the generosity of sponsors, KZN Deptartment of Sport and Recreation and Umsobomvu Youth Fund, there are prizes to the value of over R80,000 prizes to be won, including over R20,000 worth of fabulous lucky draw prizes which will be awarded at random to participants of both the 5km and 10km.

With the emphasis of the event on youth positional prizes will be awarded for the 10km Race in the 15-19 age category only – from R1000 1st prizes (male & female) down to R100 10th prizes (male & female). Arguably the most fiercely contested prizes however will once again be prizes offered for schools participation, with R15,000, R12,000, R10,000, R8000 and R5000 up for grabs to the Top Five Schools with the Most Finishers.

The 10km Race/Walk starts at 09h00 on Saturday 23 May and the 5km starts at 09h15, with an official cut-off time of 10h30 for both races. In keeping with the traditions of the Comrades Marathon, official finishers of the National Youth Run will be awarded medals as follows:

• Gold medals to the 1st 10 men and 1st 10 women in the 10km
• Silver medals to all other finishers of the 10km under 60 minutes
• Bronze medals to finishers between 60 – 90 minutes in the 10km
• Copper medals to all finishers of the 5km.

T-shirts will be awarded to the first 3000 finishers of the 10km.

Entries are open now with entry forms available through schools, sports shops and at the offices of KwaZulu-Natal Athletics and Comrades Marathon Association, or download the entry form off our website.

For further information on the National Youth Run phone KZNA (031) 312 9374 or CMA (033)897 8650.

Herman’s Mokgadi in top shape for Comrades 2009

Herman’s Mokgadi, the first South African athlete home in last years Comrades Marathon is in top shape and he is currently doing his final preparations at a Comrades training camp that is managed by experienced Comrades couch, John Hamlet and Comrades champion Andrew Kelehe, as Nick Bester, National Manager of the Nedbank Running Clubs released in a statement.

“We have decided to have our Comrades training camp this year in the south West of Johannesburg because the altitude is high enough, the facilities like gymnasiums and physiotherapists is close on hand as well as the weather is not as bad and cold as when the camp is at higher altitudes like Dullstroom or Lesotho, especially now with the winter approaching.

Herman’s is in a training group with fellow Nedbank athletes like Andrew Kelehe`s younger brother, Gift Kelehe, White Modinsinyane and Peter Molapo.

The fact that Herman’s only raced one road race of 42km. this year when he won the Ottosdal night race in February this year, makes him a main contender for top honors at the 2009 Comrades Marathon. Allthough he is covering mean distances of up to 200km. per week in training at the moment his legs will be rested because of the fact that he is not over raced.”

Amabeadibeadi charity campaign to raise R2 million in 2009

Brief History
In 1999 the CMA decided to increase its “reach out” and giving back to local communities that were impoverished and in dire need of assistance. The CMA joined forces with the woman of a local KZN community and launched a Charity initiative in the form of “Beads for Charity.” The woman would manufacture beaded necklaces and these were then purchased by the CMA and sold to sponsors and runners. It was decided to do it in this way as this would alleviate the woman from distribution costs of their products, thus maximizing their profits, and allowing the CMA to sell the beaded necklaces with a slight mark up, and this percentage mark up is the finances that are raised and distributed to the 4 Charities.

It was decided in 2000 to give the Charity drive a more South African feel and name, hence Amabeadibeadi was created and continues to grow from strength to strength each year. A couple of years ago it was decided to try out alternative products and there was a major outcry form the Comrades runners and Comrades supporters that there were no beads. Thus the CMA brought back the Beads. This is the 10^th anniversary of the Amabeadibeadi charity campaign, which has seen in excess of R10 Million rand raised for the various charities that have been supported during the years.

One must acknowledge that since the introduction of a top quality vehicle as a prize for the charity drive competition has seen a massive increase in revenue distributed to the Charities. The first year saw an increase of over R700 000 raised from previous years. To this we have to thank General Motors for their generous sponsorship of the Captiva, and their continued unwavering support of the Comrades Marathon.

Peter Proctor, CMA Vice Chairman “The 2008, Amabeadibeadi Charity drive raised over R1 million, through the sale of the Amabeadibeadi products and the Chevrolet win-a-car SMS competition. This year we hope to surpass the R2 million mark, and this will only be possible with the support from our generous sponsors, the public, and our Comrades Runners.”

“The best way to try and reach this mark is by having a top of the range prize on offer and link the Amabeadibeadi campaign to a sms competition. Chevrolet has come to the party once again and sponsored a Chevrolet Captiva, which will be awarded to the winner of the SMS competition at the end of Race Day on the 24 May.”

SMS the words “CAPTIVA” to 38275 and stand a chance of winning a Chevrolet Captiva.

The Charities that benefit from the Amabeadibeadi campaign are:

• Community Chest of Durban & Pietermaritzburg
• Sports Trust
• Starfish Greathearts Foundation
• Wildlands Conservation Trust

South African Ernst van Dyk wins Boston Marathon in his wheelchair

South African wheelchair athlete Ernst van Dyk won the Boston Marathon last Monday, 20 April, to continue a remarkable record of success in the prestigious race. It was his eighth win in nine years.

The Boston Herald, in its report on the race, appropriately headlined its story “Van Dyk an eighth wonder”. He won his first Boston Marathon in 2001 and since then has taken victory every year except for 2007, when he finished in third place.

His time of one hour, 33 minutes and 29 seconds was his slowest winning time yet – a long way off his amazing world record time of one hour, 18 minutes and 27 seconds in 2004 – but a strong headwind put paid to any thoughts of a fast race.

Equalled record

Van Dyk’s victory, nonetheless, pulled him level with Irishwoman Jean Driscoll’s record of eight victories in the Boston Marathon. Driscoll won the race from 1990 to 1996 and again in 2000.

He moved clear of his challengers after about five kilometres, but the ever increasing strength of the wind concerned the South African star, whose preparations for the race had been hampered by injuries, as well as by the birth of a daughter.

Van Dyk remained strong, however, and went on to claim victory by over three minutes over 2007 champion, Masazumi Soejima of Japan, who finished in one hour, 36 minutes and 57 seconds.

The Japanese star said after the race that he had been troubled by the wind, and vowed to put on weight so that he could challenge the heavier Van Dyk.

Schabort fourth

Spain’s Roger Paigbo Verdaguer finished 50 seconds later in 1:37:47, while former South African Krige Schabort, now an American citizen, was the top local racer, ending in fourth place in 1:38:06.

The 36-year-old Van Dyk, who won gold in the road race at the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games, says he will contest the Boston Marathon at least one more time; he wants to be the sole owner of the most victories in the history of the event.

Colleen De Reuck

Colleen de Reuck, who competed in three Olympic Games for South Africa, including the marathon in 1992 and 2000, before becoming an American citizen, excelled in the Masters division of the women’s marathon.

Now 45 years of age, De Reuck led the race until eight kilometres from the end. She eventually settled for eighth place in a time of 2:35:37, a minute and 13 seconds ahead of the second Masters’ finisher Alina Ivanova of Russia, who finished in tenth place.

Victory in the women’s race went to Kenya’s Salina Kosgei in 2:32:16. Ethiopia’s Dire Tune finished just a second behind her, while third place went to the USA’s Kara Goucher a further eight seconds back.

Deriba Merga of Ethiopia, fourth in the Beijing Olympics, captured the men’s title in 2:08:42. Kenya’s Daniel Rono finished in second place 50 seconds later, while Ryan Hall of the USA took third place eight seconds later.

Race history

The Boston Marathon is the world’s oldest annual marathon, having first been held in 1897, and it is also one of the world’s most famous races. It regularly attracts fields of about 20 000 competitors, but the record is almost double that at 38 000 in the centenary year of the race.

Wheelchair competition in the Boston Marathon began in 1975, when one entrant entered and completed the race.

Two Oceans Marathon 2009 results

Foreigners once again dominated the Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon in Cape Town on Saturday, with John Wachira of Kenya and Elena Nurgalieva of Russia claiming the men’s and women’s wins respectively in the 56-kilometre ultra-marathon.

Zimbabwe’s Marco Mambo, after wins in 2004, 2005, and 2008, was the man to watch, with his previous record of success. His win in 2008 was the fourth in five years for Zimbabweans; Moses Njodzi won in 2006, while Bethuel Netshifhefhe won for South Africa in 2007.

Like a wise veteran

Wachira, meanwhile, was contesting the Two Oceans Marathon for the first time, but the man from the famed Rift Valley, ran the race like a wise veteran, timing his run perfectly to catch Mambo near the end and pass him with the finish in sight.

He crossed the finishing line in three hours, 10 minutes and six seconds, with Mambo in second place 46 seconds behind him. Third place went to Mpesela Ntlotsoeu. Butiki Jantjies, in sixth, led the South African challenge.

The Nurgalieva twins were the hot favourites to win the women’s race. Elena had previously won it twice, in 2004 and 2005, while Olesya’s win in 2008 was in the second fastest time ever recorded in the race, 3:34:53, trailing only the record set by Frith van der Merwe in 1989 of 3:30:36.

Comfortable and enjoyable

Running together, the sisters ran what they described as their most comfortable and enjoyable Two Oceans ever.

They finished in 3:40:43, their slowest time yet in the event, but enough for a huge margin of 18 minutes over third placed Samukeliso Moyo of Zimbabwe.

Maybe they were saving something for the Comrades Marathon, which has been moved forward this year so as not to clash with the Fifa Confederations Cup. It takes place on 24 May.

While the Nurgalieva twins opted to contest the Two Oceans Marathons, a number of other leading runners chose to skip it because of the limited five-week break between the country’s two leading ultra-marathons.

SA’s best

South Africa’s best performer was Farwa Mentoor, who claimed fourth place in 15 seconds less than four hours, while Adinda Kruger ended fifth in 4:03:36.

Mentoor has been South Africa’s most consistent ultra-marathon performer for many years now. Before Riana van Niekerk finished sixth in the 2008 Comrades Marathon, two places ahead of her, Mentoor had been South Africa’s leading runner for six consecutive years.

Stephen Mokoka was the sole South African to be crowned champion. He captured line honours in the men’s half-marathon, finishing eight seconds ahead of runner-up Wirimai Juwawo in 63:42. Lusapho April was third in 63:55.

Namibia’s Helaria Johannes won the women’s half-marathon in 73:34. Over two minutes behind her, Mamarolla Tjoka claimed second place, with Tabitha Tsatsa in third. Annerien van Schalkwyk, in fourth, was the leading South African.

RESULTS

MEN 56-KILOMETRE ULTRA

1. John Wachira 3:10:06, 2. Marco Mambo 3:10:52, 3. Mpesela Ntlotsoeu 3:11:56, 4. Stephen Muzhingi 3:12:05, 5. Henry Moyo 3:12:23, 6. Butiki Jantjies 3:13:53, 7. Modibe Mamabolo 3:14:43, 8. Lephetesang Adora 3:15:48, 9. Melikhaya Sithuba 3:16:40, 10. Sipho Ncube 3:17:11

WOMEN 56-KILOMETRE ULTRA

1. Elena Nurgalieva 3:40:43, 2. Olesya Nurgalieva 3:40:43, 3. Samukeliso Moyo 3:58:47, 4. Farwa Mentoor 3:59:45, 5. Adinda Kruger 4:03:36, 6. Suzette Botha 4:05:28, 7. Joanna Thomas 4:08:41, 8. Jane Madau 4:10:06, 9. Ursula Frans 4:10:35, 10. Maya Lawrie 4:13:12

MEN HALF-MARATHON

1. Stephen Mokoka 63:42, 2. Wirimai Juwawo 63:50, 3. Lusapho April 63:55, 4. Enos Matalane 64:14, 5. Elmore Sibanda 65:02, 6. Tshamano Setone 65:08, 7. Lindikhaya Mthangayi 65:15, 8. Boy Soke 65:18, 9. Samuel Pazanga 65:24, 10. Zolani Ntongana 65:27

WOMEN HALF-MARATHON

1. Helaria Johannes 73:34, 2. Mamarolla Tjoka 75:43, 3. Tabitha Tsatsa 77:10, 4. Annerien van Schalkwyk 77:23, 5. Kim Laxton 78:43, 6. Jenna Chellenor 79:22, 7. Ronel Thomas 80:08, 8. Ntombesintu Ntshiliza 80:24, 9. Alae Brand 80:24, 10. Janene Carey 80:41

CMA vindicated in Shvetsov case

After the 2007 Comrades Marathon, Leonid Shvetsov, the reigning Comrades Marathon Champion and holder of both the Up and Down run records respectively for the race, instituted a legal claim against the CMA for allegedly reneging on the incentive offered for setting a new record.

20 Facts about the Comrades Marathon you might not know

There are some important and not-so-important facts about the Comrades Marathon that you should know:

1. Gold medals are awarded to the first 10 men and women finishers.
2. Silver medals are awarded to athletes who finish from position 11 to those finishing in under 7 hours 30 minutes.
3. The Bill Rowan medal of silver and bronze is awarded to thoses athletes who complete the race between 7 hours 30 minutes and 9 hours.
4. Bronze medals are awarded to athletes who finish the race in a time of between 9 hours and 11 hours.
5. Copper medals – known as the Vic Clapham medal – go to those athletes who finish the race between 11 and 12 hours.
6. Entrants who have completed 25 Comrades Marathons run for free.
7. To prevent cheating, runners must use a digital technology called Championchips, which they lace into their running shoes. The Championchips have a unique code that is recorded at reading mats placed regularly along the route.
8. The minimum age requirement is that competitors must turn 20 in the year of the race.
9. All runners must pre-qualify for the Comrades by running in an officially recognised race.
10. Entry forms for the Comrades Marathon are sent to every runner who competed in the most recent event. They are also available in sports stores and at running clubs in South Africa, while online entries can be obtained from the Comrades website.
11. South African competitors must be licensed members of clubs affiliated to Athletics South Africa.
12. The men’s “down run” record was set by Leonid Shvetsov in 2007 in a time of 5:20.49.
13. The women’s “down run” record was set by Frith van der Merwe in 1989 in a time of 5:54.07.
14. The men’s “up run” record also belongs to Leonid Shvetsov with a time of 5:24.48, run in 2008.
15. The women’s “up run” record belongs to Elena Nurgalieva with a time of 6:09.23, run in 2006.
16. A figurine of Hermes weighing 100 ounces of gold is on offer to the athlete who manages to better the record.
17. The first South African man and woman to finish each receive a gold statue of Hermes weighing 25 ounces.
18. In 2008, Dave Rogers completed his 43rd Comrades Marathon. He was met at the finish line by Clive Crawley, with whom he had shared the previous record for the most completed Comrades Marathons.
19. The Comrades website allows people to check the history of any runner in the race simply by entering that person’s surname.
20. Comrades Marathon House at 18 Connaught Street, Scottsville, Pietermaritzburg, houses the Comrades Marathon Museum that includes photographs of former winners and an accurate scale model of the Comrades Marathon route.

Two Oceans Marathon Auctions Entries for charity

As part of their fundraising efforts, the Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon will be auctioning half marathon entries and ultra entries, complete with A seedings, to participants with the highest bids.

There are 10 half marathon and 5 ultra marathon entries up for grabs and bidding will open at R750 on Friday, March 6 at 10h00, two days after entries close, providing those participants who missed the entry deadline with a chance to get an entry. Winning bids will also get a PUMA hamper consisting of running shoes and T-shirt. All funds raised will go towards helping the event’s official charity NOAH (Nurturing Orphans of AIDS for Humanity).

According to Frank Brooks, sponsorship manager for Old Mutual: “We were looking for a novel way to raise money for the event’s official charity NOAH. The auction provides a select few people with a chance to start up front with the top runners and support a worthy cause at the same time.”

A section 21 company, NOAH started in 2000 in response to the realisation that South Africa faced a future filled with a staggering number of orphaned children from the impact of AIDS.  It is estimated that there are more than 1.7 million orphaned and vulnerable children and this is expected to reach 2.5 million by 2015 because of HIV/AIDS.

Last year the event raised R212 596 for NOAH and these funds were used to establish and support the many Arks that the charity has developed to meet the needs of those orphaned by the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

This auction is open to all those participants who have already entered and those who missed the entry deadline and are looking for an entry. Those participants who have already entered will have their current seeding upgraded to an A seeding. The bidding opens at R750 at www.oldmutual.co.za/twooceansmarathon and will close on Monday, March 9 at 17h00. Winners will be announced on a daily basis following the previous day’s auction. Winners will be announced on the website.

Two Oceans Marathon will go over Chapman’s Peak!

The Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon race office has received confirmation from the Western Cape Provincial Government that Chapman’s Peak will be open for the race on Saturday, April 11. 2009. The decision was made late last week following a meeting between race organisers and provincial government.

Said race director Rowyn James:  “This certainly is welcome news for us and the City of Cape Town as the traditional route over the scenic drive is a major attraction for upcountry and international visitors, as well as the locals and means that the event has potential to attract record fields across all the distances.”

Entries are already up, particularly for the half marathon, which has 65 more entrants compared to last year at the same time and the race office is expecting to reach the maximum 11 000 entry mark before the closing date of March 4.  Ultra entries traditionally come in at a slower rate as many of the runners still need to run their qualifying events during February and early March.

This year sees the event celebrate its 40th birthday as well as 10 years with Old Mutual as the title sponsor.  Over the years, this truly Capetonian event has earned the reputation as the world’s most beautiful marathon.  The 26 runners who lined up to face the challenge back in 1970 probably had no idea they were starting something that has become a national institution and a favourite with local, upcountry, and international athletes.

The event attracts in the region of 26 000 participants across the ultra, half marathon and the fun runs, with 60 of the field coming from outside the Western Cape or overseas. It provides participants with a mixture of breathtaking scenery, a gruelling test of fitness for both the elite and recreational runner, and an unrivalled race organisation and atmosphere.

Fun Run Challenge at Two Oceans Marathon

Over 600 children took part in the first of the Old Mutual Two Oceans Fun Run Challenges on Saturday, February 7, at Downville Primary in Manenberg.  This was the second year the event was held in Manenberg and the schools with the most participants were Downville, Red River and Rio Grande Primary.

The 4 km fun run, organised by Farnese and Top Form Athletic Clubs, was won by Redah Abrahams in the boys event and Rowena Wilson in the girls event – both pupils at Downville Primary.  The top fifteen boys and girls win free entry to the main fun runs on Good Friday, April 10, as well as transport to and from the event.

The fun run challenges are a collaboration between Western Province Athletics, local running clubs and the Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon to promote the main fun runs on Good Friday, to develop race organising skills and to encourage and increase participation.  These events will also be used to identify and develop the talent that exists in the local schools.  The remaining challenges are scheduled for February 21 in Mitchells Plain, March 7 in Blue Downs and March 14 in Khayelitsha.

Entries for the Old Mutual Two Oceans fun runs will be handed out at the challenges.  The main fun runs on Easter Friday are open to everyone and runners’ friends, family members and supporters, especially the children, are all welcome to join in the fun and experience the event spirit.  There is loads of fun for the whole family and participants can choose from a 56 m Nappy Dash for kids under 3 years, a 300 m Toddlers’ Trot for kids aged 4 to 6 years, a 2.5 km and a 5 km.  Entry forms for the main fun runs will be available at the Expo at the Good Hope Centre and on the UCT rugby fields on Friday, April 10

For more information contact 021-699 0615, email funrun@twooceansmarathon.org.za or visit www.twooceansmarathon.org.za or www.wpa.org.za

Comrades Marathon prepares 89.3km route for runners

The Comrades Marathon Association has confirmed that there will be no changes to the route for the Comrades Marathon “down run” which will be run on Sunday 24 May 2009.

It will be run on precisely the same route as the most recent “down run” in 2007 in which Leonid Shvetsov set a new best time of 5:20:41 for the “down run” having shattered Bruce Fordyce’s 21-year old previous best time of 5:24:07 set in 1986,

The distance for 2009 is confirmed as 89.3km.

Comrades Marathon has seen the implementation of numerous route changes since the race was first run on Thursday 24 May 1921, with the distance of the race having varied by as much as 5km from shortest to longest during the course of its history.

The earliest Comrades Marathons were run alternately between the City Halls of Pietermaritzburg and Durban, a distance estimated to have been approximately 56 miles.  The race was run largely on dirt roads, with the route passing through several gates and crossing at least one stream, while refreshments for the 30 – 100 competitors were provided by the few hotels situated on the route and supplemented by local farmers.

As population growth and development of the two cities and the rural areas between them progressed over a period of decades, the character and landscape of the province of KwaZulu-Natal obviously also changed dramatically.

Over the years, major and minor changes to the Comrades Marathon route consequently ensued – whether implemented as a natural outcome of infrastructural development, to alleviate traffic congestion, avoid temporary road construction or to accommodate the ever-increasing popularity of an event which grew to attract thousands of participants and hundreds of thousands of spectators.  Some changes were necessitated simply owing to the change of finishing venues.

From year to year, the exact route is subject to the outcome of negotiations conducted between CMA and traffic authorities.  In recent years there have been no changes implemented, with the route for the “down run” having stabilised at approximately 89km and the route for the “up run” at 87km.  The course is recognised as being extremely challenging in either direction, undulating with infamous hill climbs on both the “up” and “down runs”.

Comrades Marathon Race Director Renee Jordaan has confirmed that the organisers will be providing 48 refreshment stations for this year’s “down run” to cater for an anticipated 12,000 – 13,000 participants.  They will also provide extensive medical and emergency services, as well as a runners rescue service for those runners unable to complete the distance.

A reminder that the Closing Date for Entries is 31 March 2009.  Runners MUST submit their entries by Closing Date, but may still qualify up until 28 April.

On a historical note, according to Comrades Marathon “records”, the shortest Comrades Marathon run in recent years was an “up run” in 2002 measured at 86.5km and won by Vladimir Kotov in a time of 5:30:59.   The longest was a “down run” in 1982 measured at 91.4km and won by Bruce Fordyce in a time of 5:34:22.

Comrades Marathon 2010 Announcement

2010 is going to be an incredibly important year for the South African nation and it comes with no surprise that the Comrades Marathon Association prepared themselfes in time with extra organisational announcements:

The Comrades Marathon Association, like all other South African sports organization, are looking forward with much anticipation to the 2010 FIFA World Cup, which promises to be the biggest sporting extravaganza ever staged in this country. Given that the Comrades Marathon will be presented just a matter of days before the start of the World Cup, the CMA has positioned its 2010 race as an ideal opportunity for runners and others involved in the race to become part of the wave of excitement that will be sweeping the country at that time.

Much like the 2000 race, which saw over 24 000 people joining in the millennium celebrations and taking to the road between Durban and Pietermaritzburg, organisers expect the 2010 Comrades to have a similar impact.

For this reason, plus the fact that it will be the 85th running of the race, the CMA is gearing up for the biggest, most spectacular and most exciting Comrades since 2000.

Looking back at 2000, the CMA has decided to cap the overall entry level at 20 000 runners. This has been done in order to avoid logistical problems and congestion of the route.

Also learning from the 2000 experience, when numerous previous Comrades runners returned to the race, it has been decided to encourage previous finishers, including 2009 runners, to come back to the race as part of the 2010 celebration. To underline this objective, the first 15 000 entry slots have been reserved for these specific runners.

Furthermore, entries for the 2010 race will open far earlier than normal to accommodate this large field, and it has also been decided that the period September to November 2009, will be set aside for previous runners only, with novice entries only opening up after that. Thus the CMA encourages anyone who plans to run in 2010 – novices and previous finishers alike – to run in 2009 in order to secure their qualification and entry the following year.

2010 novices without a previous Comrades finish will be able to qualify during the period immediately after the 2009 race, up to the closing date for the 2010 race, but will have to enter early to secure one of the remaining 5 000 places on offer.

Given the significance of 2010, everyone finishing that year will be presented with a special 85th Comrades/World Cup 2010 commemorative race medal.

In another break with tradition, it has been decided that 2010 will be another “down run”, meaning that there will be two such runs in succession. As a result, the CMA is offering 2009 novices the opportunity to come back in 2010 and collect a once-off “Back-to-Back Double-Down” medal, never before offered in the race.

In years to come, South Africans will look back on 2010 as a major landmark in the history of South Africa. The Comrades Marathon offers runners – both past finishers and novices alike – the opportunity to take an active part in this historical occasion.

The 38th Laingsburg Karoo Ultra-Marathon

The Karoo Ultra Marathon took place on Saturday 27 September 2008 and started and finished in Laingsburg.

The athletes participating in the 38th Karoo Ultra-Marathon came from all over South Africa to run what all of them say, is the best “Small Town Marathon” in South Africa. A total of 11 runners travelled by train from Roodepoort in Gauteng, while Irene Running Club had 6 representatives and Mitchell’s Plain 7. There were also participants from the Northern Cape, North West, Western Cape and the Boland.

Although there were only ninety-five entries for this year’s event it was a sixty percent increase on the fifty-eight runners of 2007. The Organisers’ objective is to increase the number of entries to 150 in 2009. This is the dream of the Race Director and Municipal Manager of Laingsburg, Mr. Pietie Williams, who after the demise of the local running club decided to take over the organisation of the event and make it a municipal responsibility. He then requested the assistance of the Comrades Marathon Association to advise and assist him with the marketing and strategic planning for the event.

With the help of the CMA Bruce Fordyce was flown to Cape Town to be the guest speaker at the official launch of the 2008 Karoo Ultra-Marathon on 23 August. The CMA has also facilitated the first ever television coverage for the event – highlights of the event will feature on Tseleng, SABC2’s running programme, shortly. It is hoped that the increased exposure of this fantastic event will contribute to the growth in entries over the next few years.

The mix bag of runners is also indicative of the wide appeal of the race. The eventual winner, Mxolisi (Principal) Fana (Nedbank Club George) has done two Comrades Marathons and won in a time of 6:08 a full 13 minutes ahead of the second placed Hylton Dunn from the Springs Athletic Club, Gauteng. The women’s race was won by 38 year old Martha Pretorius in a time of 7:14 followed by Maretha de Kock twenty one minutes later.

Being an 80km Ultra race it was no surprise to find that almost every runner that ran the event had run the Comrades Marathon. Third placed Kleintjie Van Schalkwyk in the women’s race, has completed 24 Comrades Marathons while Hercu Hofmeyr, placed third in the men’s race, did 27 Comrades Marathons. Shirley Middlemost from Rand Athletic Club, now based in Cape Town, spoke at length about the race and its appeal and how it has always been a race that she wanted to do. She was full of compliments for the organisers who despite a lack of sponsorship still managed to have 45 water points along the race route – remarkable since the water points were allocated to a few businesses in town, local councillors and the political parties represented in the town council. The town’s hard working mayor also had a water point and rushed off immediately after she started the race at 06H00.

Barrie Botha from the Fit 2000 club in Randburg raved about the hospitality dished up by the local community and the special atmosphere and crowd that line the streets when runners enter the town. This was also the view of Julian Karp (Mt. Edgecombe KZN), a veteran of 16 Comrades Marathons and a runner who has already completed ten Ultra- Marathons this year. He confesses that since his first visit two years ago he was hooked and will continue to come back for more.

The record for the most Laingsburg Karoo ultra- marathons is presently jointly held by Richard Butcher (Swartland) and Daniel Van Eck (Bellville) who has both completed 24 marathons and both of them shows no signs of stopping soon. Elias Klein is the local runner with the most Karoo Marathons namely, 12.

It is evident from the 38th Laingsburg Karoo Ultra-Marathon that the event has received a new lease of life and that it is indeed here to stay. Talk is that next year will see the introduction of a 5km Fun Run for kids and a 21.1km or even an alternative relay-event over the 80km route. Whatever happens, there is a core of loyal Karoo Ultra- Marathon runners who has a standing commitment to this unique event and town and who will be back to help it grow.

2008 Comrades Marathon results

Leonid Shvetsov raced into the Comrades Marathon record books this morning after a second successive victory in the world’s most important ultramarathon road race. The tall Russian smashed Vladimir Kotov’s eight-year-old ”up” run record by 47 seconds, coming home in 5:24:46 and beating second-placed Jaroslav Janicki by an incredible 13:41, one of the largest victory margins in recent Comrades history. This means that Shvetsov becomes the first man since Bruce Fordyce to win in both directions and to own both records.

Top 10 Men

After the race, Shvetsov said that his race plan had gone perfectly, but that the record had never been certain. ”Last year I knew from a long way out that the record was in the bag, but this time it was touch and go.” He takes home R220 000 for the win and R250 000 for the new record.

Janicki continued with his fine Comrades record after his second place finish. The quiet Pole now has 5 gold medals in his cupboard, including a single win, back in 1999.

Zimbabwean Stephen Muzhuingi was third, with the prize for the first South African going to Harmans Mokgadi of Nedbank, winner of the Forever Resorts Loskop Marathon earlier this year. Mokgadi was 6th. Two sentimental favourites scored gold medals as well. 50-year-old Vladimir Kotov, who saw his course record evaporate while he was still out on the road, received some consolation with his 8th place, while Willie Mtolo, who finished 2nd way back in 1989, grabbed the final gold medal, much to the delight of the local Comrades fans.

Top 10 Women

The Russian juggernaul continued in the women’s race. Once again the Nurgalieva twins dominated, with Elena collecting her third straight ”up” run victory. But this time it was not a record, with the finishing time of 6:14:36 being some 5 minutes outside the mark she herself set up two years ago. Twin sister Olesya came home 1:15 behind, while Tatyana Zhirkova grabbed 3rd spot in 6:17:44.

Marina Myshlyanova (6:30:48) and Marina Bychkova (6:38:00) compled the Russian domination of the women’s competition. This was Bychkova’s 8th gold medal in the race.

Top South African home was Pretoria’s Riana van Niekerk (6:43:30), who ended Farwa Mentoor’s long domination of this category. Mentoor was 8th in 6:59:39, while the ageless Maria Bak once again collected gold in 6:53:31 (7th).

11,192: total number of entries; 8,613: total number of finishers

South African team gearing up for Red Bull Giants of Rio de Janeiro 2004

South African team gearing up for world’s first urban extreme relay race

Red Bull Giants of Rio – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – 5 December 2004

Four top athletes, including Olympic gold medallist Ryk Neethling, have just been announced as the South African team who will compete in the Red Bull Giants of Rio in Brazil, on Sunday 5 December 2004.

The Red Bull Giants of Rio is an urban extreme relay race and first of its kind in the world. Bringing together four very different disciplines – swimming, mountain biking, hang-gliding and beach running – top athletes will combine their skill and strength to battle it out in this extraordinary race. The course encompasses ocean, beach and mountain in the steamy city of Rio de Janeiro .

The South African team boasts:

* Swimming – Ryk Neethling – one of SA’s most successful swimmers and gold medal winner at the 2004 Athens Olympics. Born and bred in Bloemfontein , Ryk has just returned to live in SA, having lived in the USA for the past eight years.
* Mountain Biking – Johann Potgieter – up and coming mountain biking champion and 2004 winner of the Urban Assault Downhill race. At just 17 years old Johann attends Bellville High School , Cape Town but originally flew in from East London.
* Hang Gliding – Anton Brown – extreme sports fanatic and one of SA’s top hang gliders. Capetonian Anton’s ability and speed freak tendencies made him a natural choice for the SA team.
* Running – Leeds Mthangayi – current Western Province 10km and cross-country champion Leeds is one of the stronger runners in the country. Originally from Umtata , Leeds is now based in Cape Town where he runs for Mr Price Athletics Club.

The SA team will compete with 80 teams from more than 30 countries at the Red Bull Giants of Rio. With Olympic gold medallists and several world champions taking part the competition will be tough.

“Our team is strong and we’ve got as good a chance as any,” says hang glider Anton Brown. “Some teams have one or two really top athletes but no one has four of the best, so it really is anyone’s race. We are going there to make South African Airlines proud,” he adds.

Ryk Neethling will be first off at Copacabana Beach for a 4km open water Atlantic Ocean swim with a cliff jump thrown in for fun. Next up Johann Potgieter will tackle the 45 km mountain bike route, racing through the narrow streets of inner city Rio, up Corcovado to the world-famous Christ statue, down through the rainforest jungle of Tijuca National Park and up Pedra Bonita. Then Anton Brown will take over, speed flying from Pedra da Gavea to Ipanema Beach , or first catching a thermal around the Christ Statue (depending on weather conditions). Last, but definitely not least, Leeds Mthangayi will run the 15 km sand and city route for a spectacular finish on Copacabana.

The South African team is currently training and will leave Cape Town for Rio on 1 December.

An Unofficial Comrades Training Program

Training tips: How to ensure a great Comrades
My opinion on the cut-off extension at Comrades Marathon 2004

A Unofficial TRAINING PROGRAM
DATE 16 June 2004
TIME 05:30
DISTANCE 87.3 km’s
START – Durban
FINISH – Pietermaritzburg

There are many different ideas on training for a ultra marathon such as Comrades and there are always people who argue that they have the best training program. I submit, mine isn’t the best but then again, I don’t know who’s is or what the “best” is for that matter. This training program is based on my planning logbook for the 2000 Comrades Marathon. Use it as a guide as that was a training program is all about. If you miss a day, forget it – it’s gone. It cannot be made up.

The reason for placing this training program here is the fact that, to my knowledge, nobody has made their training program available on the net. This is a disgrace as the spirit of Comrades is to help each-other through one of the toughest ultra’s. On the forum when a runner in the USA asked for training tips, the reference was not to a South African site, but one in the States based on running an ultra. I hope that this changes in the future and all recognised coaches have their programs available for all – for free.

The program is for a 10:00 – 12:00 hour cut-off.

Again, I stress, this is a guideline. Go to time trials at the club and chat to experienced Comrades runners but leave the silver medallists alone for now, subscribe to Runners World, attend the panel talks. The program worked will for me and guided me to an “easy” Comrades and what a party throughout and after. The Paulshof Plodders have a saying, “if someone says they enjoyed Comrades, they lie about everything else as well”. There is one thing for sure, it’s a life changing experience and you will cry when you finish your first.

Comrades marathon 2004 Up-Run Pacing Chart

Comrades Marathon cut-off extended to 12 hours

COMRADES MARATHON 2003

The Comrades Marathon Association have decided to extend the cut-off for the 2003 and future Comrades Marathon to 12 hours. In Speaking to many runners, the decision has received both positive and negative responses.

The majority of runners who have completed previous Comrades under the 11 hour rule are negative towards the change. They are of the opinion that it takes away the spirit and knowledge that Comrades is one of the toughest races in the World.

The majority of runners who had not yet run a Comrades or who have failed to finish under the 11 hour rule are positive in that they now have the opportunity to complete and finish the race.

The organisor’s reason for the extension is pure economic. Comrades has had a ”negative growth” factor over the past few years. This with the exception of the 24,500 starters in the 75th anniversary / Millennium run. They need to have growth to get continued support from the sponsors. With many sponsors directing their funding towards cycling, the organisors cannot afford to have sponsors leaving Comrades. This will truly be the end of the Marathon.

My personal comments are easy – GREAT. Whatever we can do to encourage more participants into running, the better. But beware, if you couldn’t finish Comrades in the 11 hours, the chances of finishing in 12 are not much greater. At the end of Comrades, the average runner will be running / walking at around 10min per kilometer. This equates to giving the runner a grace of 6 km’s. Over a Marathon of 89km’s, 6 km’s is not material to a good Comrades.

Runners must be warned that the training to finish under 11 hours will not change should you wish to finish under 12 hours. The qualifying time for Comrades has been extended to a 5 hour standard marathon.

IF YOU CAN’T FINISH A STANDARD MARATHON IN UNDER 4hr30min – DO NOT ATTEMPT COMRADES.

This is my opinion based on my experience and the experience of other runners.

Do your training, finish a standard marathon under 4hr30min (still strong), listen to the experts at panel talks, follow Don Oliver’s column in Runners World.

After 60 km’s at Comrades, it’s your mind that takes you to the end, not your body. I further suggest reading The Lore of Running by Prof. Tim Noakes.

Anybody can run Comrades & anybody can fail at Comrades – it’s up to the individual.

The Wanderer’s Joe Stutzen Half Marathon 2002

Organiser: Wanderers Athletic Club
Date: Sun 10th November 2002

Dischem half – watch out.

Here is a race that I feel could become one of the highlights of the running calender. It’s a great pity that the race was almost without a sponsor and the club had to fund most of the costs of the race.

The route has been changed to a fast, slightly challenging at parts, course. The registration was a pleasure, parking and traffic also no problem. It does help to get to a race a little earlier. I arrived at 06:20am and found parking inside the Wanderers grounds close to the start.

The weather changed drastically before the start. It became windy and cold and looked as though there may have been rain on the way. The cold and wind soon disappeared and the rain stayed away. It made to a cool race for the first hour.

The start went off without the problems of Soweto. The route takes you to Killarney Mall and then along the golf course. The large jacaranda trees lining roads made for a picturesque morning run. There is a danger of slipping on the jacaranda but with a little concentration, you can enjoy the beauty of the trees. It was a change to run through old suburbs so well maintained and lush with tress and flowers.

After the split for the 10km, the route does a detour through the Melrose Bird Sanctuary. A true little oasis and a nice change from the tar. The route goes back on itself and ends off with a mild long climb to the stadium. The last kilometer is very fast.

The race for me was a test to see if I could run a half marathon in OVER 6 minutes per kilometer. My training doesn’t allow me to race until March 2003. So it was a great test to run a race as a training run. I finished on time in 2hrs08min.

A tribute must go to the RAC Grand Master (GG) who ran the second half always ahead of me. He would not permit me to go ahead which I didn’t want to do anyway. I pushed him in the closing kilometer to a sprint to the finish. We ran the final kilometer in well under under 4 minutes.