ADVERTORIAL
Wonderful Winelands
On 30 November , the Sportsmans Warehouse Winelands Marathon in Stellenbosch will celebrate its 45th edition , and the organisers think that deserves a look back through the annals of this historic Western Cape event before you get your entry in . – COMPILED BY GRANT JOHNSON & SEAN FALCONER
FULL PROGRAMME The first Winelands Marathon was run in 1978 , and only two years have been missed since then , due to the COVID pandemic , amounting to 44 editions run this far . The Winelands Half Marathon was added in 1997 and celebrated its 25th edition in 2023 , the same year that the Winelands 10km was officially added ( having been run once before , several years earlier ), while a 5km fun run has been part of the event programme for many years .
PLEASANT WEATHER The Winelands is traditionally hosted in November , meaning the runners enjoy warm , sunny conditions , but not as hot or windy as the summer months of January to March . The 2023 race saw just over 1200 entries in the marathon , around 2900 in the half marathon , and just over 1100 in the new 10km , bringing the total number of entries to around the 5200 mark . Entries for the 2024 edition will be capped at a combined total of 6000 , and only pre-entries will be accepted .
HOME OF THE RACE The original venue of the race was the Drie Gewels Hotel on the R310 in Lynedoch , a few kilometres outside Stellenbosch , but since the mid-1990s the race has started and finished in the town itself . The Markotter Sport Grounds and Coetzenburg Sport Grounds have hosted to the race , but the current base is Eikestad Laerskool . These venue moves have made some route changes necessary over the years , but it remains an incredibly scenic route through the Stellenbosch vineyards , with the Stellenbosch and Helderberg Mountains as backdrop .
HILLY BUT SCENIC In its current format , the Winelands Marathon route starts at Eikestad Laerskool and does a couple of kilometres in Stellenbosch before running out on the R310 to Lynedoch , turning left onto the Annandale Road , right onto the R44 and running to the Steynsrust Bridge as you reach Somerset West . Crossing over the bridge , runners then head back to Stellies on the rolling hills of the R44 , turn right onto the Stellenrust Road , which becomes the Blaauwklippen Road , before turning right onto the R44 for the final stretch downhill to the finish back at the school . It ’ s an undulating route with a number of challenging climbs , but the scenery is worth it !
NO MORE GRAVEL For many years the gravel Stellenrust Road , which is part of both the marathon and half marathon routes , proved challenging to runners due to its bumpy , rutted and dusty surface , but this road has now been tarred . Thankfully , the terrific views of vineyards and mountains on this road remain unchanged , and a special vibe point with a local pipe band provides runners with a welcome distraction in the later kays of the race .
FASTEST OF THE FAST The fastest men ’ s time in 44 editions of the marathon remains Mluleki Nobande ’ s 2:18:47 of 1996 , and the women ’ s record is even older – you have to go back to 1981 , when the late Isavel Roche-Kelly clocked 2:42:27 . The men ’ s half marathon record was also set some years ago , in 2000 , by Reinhold Iiata ( 1:05:16 ), whereas the women ’ s record is much younger – Annie Bothma clocked 1:15:13 in 2018 . With the 10km only being officially added to the race in 2023 , the course records stand behind the names of the first winners , Edward Jack ( 29:20 ) and Betha Sitariko ( 40:23 ).
Images : Shuyb Hendricks / ABPhotoZA , Jacques Marais , Sean Falconer & courtesy UCT Athletics Club , Helderberg Harriers
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