Bonitas Member Magazine Issue 3. 2019 | Page 28

Supporting runners from start to finish On Sunday, 9 June, over 20 000 runners gathered in the early hours of the morning in Durban for the 2019 Comrades Marathon. One of the world’s greatest ultramarathons, the Comrades Marathon saw runners from all over the world put their best foot forward to conquer the race. Major sponsor, Bonitas Medical Fund, was again part of the supporting team during pre-race, race day and after the approximately 86km up-run from Durban to Pietermaritzburg through its various initiatives. Page 27 Race preparations These initiatives included Bonitas Comrades Seminars, where a panel of professionals in the fields of medicine and dietetics and the official Comrades coach, Lindsey Parry, provided expert advice to the attendees on a number of relevant topics and there was guidance from motivational speakers. 2019 Comrades facts • • • • • Winners received R500 000 each There were 17 268 men and 4 357 women runners Distributed 32 640 sachets of mageu 1.5 tons of cooked potatoes Oldest runner was 80 years and the youngest 20 years