began chasing entries , and tried to grow their events as much as possible , by offering extras to incentivise runners to enter , which eventually spiralled out of control , with what was being offered becoming more important than the technical correctness of the race . seven marathons in the province in one month , and 19 marathons in the 20 hottest and most humid weeks of the year , yet in the 18 coolest weeks , there is not one single marathon in the province !
This logic appears baffling . Imagine Berlin , New York , London and other big city marathons all cramming their marathons into the summer months of late May to August ? Instead , most take place in the cooler Autumn ( September to November ) or Spring ( March to May ) months . Similarly , the Middle East , Far East and deep Southern Hemisphere have a season from November to March , and there is a logic as to why the Middle East countries are exploding top paying marathons into the November to March period .
Our window of opportunity in South Africa to present major international marathons at the very limited number of suitable ( sea-level ) venues that can offer and meet expected standards of road closure , safety , views and fast times exists from May to September , but this can ’ t be leveraged because of a fixture list evolved in the era of isolation , where we put Comrades and then Two Oceans on a pedestal , and built everything around them . We have now been back on the international athletics stage for just short of three decades , but we are still living in our cocoon . I therefore believe that the quick , simple and gamechanging solution is to remove the limited qualification period for the big ultras , and make qualification year to year ( again ).
Rethinking Qualification
The concept of running a marathon qualifier was introduced in 1975 as part of a two-step system to limit the number of Comrades entries to a number that Collegians Harriers Chair Mick Winn felt would be acceptable to the traffic authorities on Comrades Day ( 31 May ). The race had grown rapidly in just a few years , and the traffic jams being caused on the roads were becoming impossible . In the new system , previous Comrades finishers were accepted first , and then a maximum of 1500 novices were accepted , provided they had run a sub-4:30 marathon any time in the year . It was only much later that the qualification period was ( mistakenly ) restricted , which compelled marathons and shorter ultras into a frenzy fight for calendar positions .
I know some people think that marathon qualification has something to do with medical fitness for a 56km or 90km , but that had nothing to do with the reason qualification was introduced . Besides , if someone has a medical exercise concern , they go to specialists , who put them on a treadmill and start from a walk ,
A bright future lies ahead for SA road running , if new ideas can be embraced
gradually increasing speed and incline until they either have sufficient information , or the person shouts stop . Typically , this is 15 to 20 minutes of gradually increasing exercise , and similarly , a 3000m to 5000m high-intensity run will give you the answer . The last thing a specialist would do is to put you on the treadmill and tell you to run for 42km at low intensity ! So , let ’ s be blunt about it : Qualification was never about medical health .
Returning to a full year for qualification will mean that those 19 KZN marathons can now be shared around the four sub-regions of the province over 48 weeks ! That would give each event a chance to gain a decent number of entrants , and sponsors , and would result in a totally new fixture list for next years ’ 66 KZN races . Even if some 50 % are in the Durban Metro , that ’ s still around 30 races over 48 weeks , giving runners time for recovery between races , and giving events the opportunity to garner bigger fields , which would mean greater sponsorship potential , more media coverage , and up we go again …
Sidenote : This answers the question , who or what killed the JSE ( City to City ) 50km ? The answer is simple : Comrades and Two Oceans are culpable in the death of one of SA ’ s oldest races , because it fell outside their qualification period , along with other traffic and organisational issues that also caused numbers and sponsorship to dwindle . Before the qualification period was introduced , the JSE was to Gauteng what Comrades and Oceans are to KZN and WP !
Event Inequality and Heritage
Of course , not all clubs or organisers want to put on marathons , or massive events . Some clubs simply want to provide their community with an opportunity to test themselves over a known distance , perhaps as a building block towards a bigger goal in a bigger / longer event . This is how many of our SA races began in the 1960s . For example , a club like Savages would host five races in a year to create opportunities for the Durban running community , while nearby Pinetown would have three events annually , and so the calendar was shared . Meanwhile , club time trials were the informal testers of training progress , and it was not unusual for 200 runners to tackle the Savages 8km time trial around what is now Moses Mabhida .
However , then clubs began to give more focus to earning a bit extra from their races , in order to buy a club gazebo for socialising at the finish of other races , and T-shirts or other rewards for those club members going to run Comrades or Two Oceans . This meant that clubs
Some clubs were simply not sufficiently resourced , which initiated the introduction of a two-tiered A and B permit race system in the late 1980s . This system showed itself to be a key building block in achieving development in the sport to suit both elite and recreational running requirements , but was unfortunately lost in the unification process a few years later , so along with the change to the qualification process , I would like to see the introduction of a new , five-star rating system for races in South Africa .
I think that without the bonds of a restricted qualification period , this country could have a limited amount of top tier . five-star marathon events each year , organised to the highest standards , with significant community involvement , and with significant prize-money to attract both international and local elites , and also a level of value for the more social runners . These , and other five-star events at shorter distances , would be able to secure total city and community involvement with special routes and coverage that would make them drawcards . Meanwhile , four-star events would focus on performance and mass value , while three-star and two-star events would begin the change towards provincial and local reward , with one star being about the local community and club runners . The principle is a pyramid of events structured to meet the diverse ambitions and economic ability of clubs , runners and sponsors , to the benefit and growth of the sport .
I was therefore very happy to see that KZN Athletics recently hosted a race organisers ’ symposium in Pietermaritzburg , which not only dealt with event procedures , but also a future vision for the sport , with an open mic session that recognised the need for innovative thinking . Everything indicates a need for change , including limits on the number and location of events , and redefining different event standards ... because the current models appear scarily flawed . As I see it , two simple decisions , to make qualification year-round and create a grading system , can be the foundation for a massive change in the future of South African road running . All that is required is an openminded approach that appreciates that continuing the ‘ status quo ’ could be a killer blow for the sport .
About the Author
Norrie represented Scotland and Great Britain in numerous ultra-distance events , then represented South Africa in triathlon . He is a World Athleticsaccredited coach and course measurer , and travels all over the world to work on events , including the Olympics . He has been appointed by World Athletics as Technical Delegate to a number of the world ’ s leading Label events in Africa , Asia and the Middle East . He has authored two books ( Everyman ’ s Guide to Distance Running and Every Beginner ’ s Guide to Walking & Running ), and counts 20 Comrades medals amongst his more than 150 ultra-marathon medals , as well as multiple wins at distances from 100km to 1000km . You can read more from him at www . coachnorrie . co . za .
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