Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 116, March 2019 | Page 21

the familiar streets until he realised that the first 40 runners had been sent the
wrong way by a marshal. Being one of the race organisers, Louis set the marshal
straight and all the runners behind Louis ran the correct route. No one wants to run
any extra kilometres in a marathon so, too scared to overtake Louis and get lost,
everyone else followed his lead back to the finish. Although Louis was reluctantly
declared the official winner he declined any prize money – and would like to make it
clear that the marshal concerned was not a family member!
The mielie harvest is much later in the year, so you don’t actually get to see any
real-life mielies during your run, but the odd cornfield does provide a change in
scenery from the goldmines. I understand that it is even later in Welkom where
they time the planting to harvest in the middle of winter – this avoids the problem
of having their prized crop ‘popping off’ the kernel. Speaking of which, I’m glad
none of the tables were handing out popcorn – that stuff has serious roughage and
would have given new meaning to the phrase to ‘gooi mielies.’
However, if you were a little peckish, most of the support tables had their braais
going and the Star - Super Maize Meal table would happily share some of their
‘pap and wors’ with you. All the tables were well stocked, and I had a good chuckle
at the fire-fighting equipment company’s table: I have no idea whether it was
intentional, but for those who remember the 80s Bar One adverts, the ‘firemen’
were handing out Bar One chocolates. I guess they work for a 25-hour day and a
26-mile run!
This part of the world seems to have the right ingredients for producing talented
long-distance athletes. 1991 Comrades winner and nine-time gold medallist Nick
Bester was born and bred in Odendaalsrus, and many great runners have based
themselves in Welkom during their running careers. These include Xolile Yawa
(1993 Berlin Marathon winner and nine-time South African 10,000m champion),
Vincent Rakabaele (the first black man to win the Two Oceans Marathon and a
Comrades gold medal), and Jan Olyn (the Kalahari Express). Another runner who
was schooled in Welkom was Isavel Roche-Kelly, the first women to dip under the
7:30 silver cut-off at Comrades in 1980, and then followed this up with a 6:44 win
the following year. (In 2019 the Isavel Roche-Kelly medal will replace the silver for
women at Comrades.)
Essential Vegetables
At the 34km mark you are welcomed back into Welkom, and runners with their
wits still about them hug the pavement to grab the few bits of shade on offer. Here
your push to the finish line is aided by the friendly faces, and the delicious, juicy,
chilled watermelon on offer at the AEL Mining Services table. This company has
sponsored the Mielie Marathon for the last 12 years.
Beware the Locals
Once your short tour of Odendaalsrus is over, the shaded streets disappear and
you head back out into the goldfields – this time along the R70. This is perhaps
the toughest part of an easy course, a very gradual 50m pull over 8km – certainly
not a hill or anything to make a mielie meal about. (Sorry, but in a race report about
mielies, a few corny jokes are a prerequisite!)
For my money (and my legs), the Mielie Marathon is the gold standard of January
qualifiers. There are prettier races out there, but this fast, uncongested single-lap
route on wide open roads should let you reap the rewards of your end of year
training. As for me, I expect I’ll continue to eat my vegetables first in future years.
This is the only marathon in the Free State that awards permanent numbers, and so
far just 93 runners have completed 10 races to join the ‘Mielie High’ Club, so I only
have another eight to go…
Signing out from Welkom
A few years ago, Modern Athlete Magazine launched the #RunClean campaign to
encourage runners to refrain from littering, and tidy up after themselves. This has
grown momentum and an increasing number of races are disqualifying runners who
don’t throw their water sachets into the bins provided. In the Free State, however,
they have taken the #RunClean campaign to the next level, as you can see from
the signs next to the road. At the risk of losing the beauty of the Afrikaans language
in translation, this sign roughly translates as, “If you throw litter on my farm, I will
make you dead with a lightning-bolt bitchslap!”
They take the #RunClean campaign seriously in the Free State!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: This is a slightly reworked version of one of Stuart’s
regular running blogs, which focus on his adventures (and sometimes
misadventures) running marathons and ultra-marathons all over South Africa,
and occasionally in other countries. He says his lifetime goal is to attract a travel
sponsor through his running blogs, so that he can run more races and share
their stories. You can read the original blogs at http://runningmann.co.za, and
follow him on social media @runningmann100.
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