Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 102, January 2018 | Page 21

OUT OF
THE By BOX
Norrie Williamson
TIMELY DECISION
A recent announcement by the Comrades Marathon Association (CMA) that mat-to-mat timing would not be accepted for
qualifying times for the 2018 Comrades caused a bit of controversy. Thankfully, that decision was then changed.
A
lthough used internationally for at least two
decades, mat-to-mat timing was only recently
introduced in South Africa, as race sizes
increased. This requires that each runner’s chip
registers on the timing mats as they cross the start
line, and again at the finish, and means that each
person has two times: From the starting gun to the
finish line (gross time), and a (usually) shorter time
from mat to mat (net time).
Thankfully, one month after the initial announcement,
the CMA did an about face, saying that net qualifying
times would be accepted, provided the event where
the time was run complied with ASA technical rules.
The reaction from the running community has been
positive, especially those runners on the borderline of
the five-hour qualifying standard, but also from race
organisers of events where runners look to qualify
for the Comrades, like Old Mutual Om Die Dam race
director Jaco Venter. With around 11,000 runners at
his event, he says the additional cost of mat timing
is not just necessary due to the high numbers, but is
also justified by the benefits to the runners. “It allows
our event to contribute more qualifiers to Comrades,
since more borderline runners have a chance of
qualifying with net times.”
SAFETY FIRST
Of course, safety at the start is the highest priority,
and (ironically) first became a concern in South Africa
at Comrades in the 80’s. With over 7000 runners
randomly lining up, the starts were becoming chaotic
as runners fought for prime position to minimise the
time lost at the start. Some runners literally camped
overnight at the start to ‘book’ the best position, and
many other ‘tricks’ were used to avoid the 20 minutes
it took for the last runner to cross the line.
A runners’ protest saw Comrades introduce seeding,
firstly for the top contenders, and then on a voluntary
basis, which quickly transformed into defined
batches based on qualifying times. At that stage,
most qualifying races were small, with at most 3000
runners, which allowed runners to clear the start
with minimal delay. However, for the past few years,
several qualifying events have attracted in excess of
6000 runners, often crammed into narrow residential
roads, making them potential high-risk events in terms
of the Safety in Sport Act 2010.
TIME FOR CHANGE
Innovatively, the 2015 Old Mutual Soweto Marathon
saw the introduction of qualifying seeding times for all
the top contenders in the open and age categories.
Of the 5000-plus marathoners, only around 100 met
the time requirements and they occupied a small
seeding section at the front of start. It was then
announced that mat-to-mat times would be recorded,
so everyone else could take their time to get over the
line in a relaxed, safe and friendly fashion.
This format was then introduced at other big events
such as the Johnson Crane Marathon, Old Mutual
Om Die Dam 50km, Sarens Edenvale Marathon,
Cape Gate Vaal Marathon and many others, and the
approach is gaining popularity while changing the
whole atmosphere at the start of events. As Vaal
Marathon race organiser Steve Jackson explains, he
is a major supporter of mat-to-mat timing because of
the growth in race sizes in recent years.
“The biggest problem is the start. In the last few years
at Comrades, I have seen a very dangerous practice
creeping in, and that is the amount of people who
arrive late and jump over the fences to get nearer to
the start. I see this is a direct result of the gun-to-gun
tradition, and you are now pushing that attitude back
to the qualifying races,” he says. “I have used mat-to-
mat timing since running in Europe and experiencing
the lack of stress at the start amongst the rank and
file runners. There is just not the press to get to the
front and push and shove to go as soon as the gun
goes off. Also, the aggression before the start extends
to the traffic before the race, and at the stadium with
number collection, and this has eased significantly
since we started mat-to-mat.”
Another organiser in favour of the system is Johnson
Crane race director Ashvin Jivan: “To be honest, I
am delighted that common sense has prevailed and
that the runners and race organisers are winners,
now that Comrades has gone back to the mat-to-mat
times for qualifying. The gun-to-mat would have been
disastrous for the Johnson Crane event… imagine
7000 marathon runners trying to get to the front of the
start area. This would definitely be a concern for all,
and safety of the runners is paramount.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Norrie has represented Scotland, Great Britain and later his adopted South Africa in
ultra-distance running and triathlon. He is an IAAF-accredited coach and course measurer, has authored two
books on running, and counts 21 Comrades medals amongst his more than 150 ultra-marathon medals. You
can read more from him at www.coachnorrie.co.za.
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