Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 124, November 2019 | Page 15

ADVERTORIAL
People’s Race
Now Biggest
in SA
Having grown from 30,000 in 2018 to some 40,000 in 2019, the Soweto Marathon has taken over the mantle of biggest
running event in South Africa, and on Sunday 3 November, the 26th edition of The People’s Race put its best foot forward as
runners from all over the world went on another historic tour of the township.
T
he increase in numbers in South Africa’s
newly crowned biggest road running event
soon became apparent as the three separate
starts took place outside the FNB Stadium. Thirty
minutes all together... That’s how long it took for all
the runners across the three starts to clear the line
at the 2019 Soweto Marathon!
With the marathon setting off at 5:30am, followed
by the half marathon at 6:30am and the 10km at
7am, spectators were treated to the unforgettable
sight of three massive line-ups, complete with an
awesome vibe pumped up by the patriotic joy of
South African having won the Rugby World Cup
the previous day. No surprise that the National
Anthem was sung with a little extra pride before
the marathon start! The good news for the runners
was that the race was timed mat-to-mat, so
backmarkers did not lose any time while waiting to
cross the line.
The increase in numbers was also seen in the
finishing numbers. In spite of the day turning into a
scorcher, the number of finishers in the marathon
was up by 20%, the half marathon by 40%, and
the 10km by nearly 45%!
Amongst the elites, the Nedbank Running Club
dominated in the marathon, taking first and second
in the men’s race and first through to sixth in the
women’s race! The women’s title went to Irvette
van Zyl in 2:34:01, giving her a hattrick of three
consecutive wins, and she came close to beating
the course record she set last year, too, finishing
just 18 seconds adrift, while winning by a big
margin of almost 12 minutes from 2016 champion
Selam Abere Alebachew of Ethiopia. Fourth-
placed Sanelisiwe Mbanjwa, who clocked a
personal best of 2:53:28, was the only other South
African woman in the top 10. Another special finish
saw 2009 winner René Kalmer cross the line 16th
in 3:13:03 on her 39th birthday.
In the men’s race, the winner was Ethiopia’s
Debeko Dakamo Dasa in 2:18:35, winning by a
13-second margin over Kenya’s David Maru, while
the only South African in the top 10 was Ntsindiso
Mphakathi, who came home eighth in 2:19:45.
After a highly successful day, Soweto Marathon
Trust Chairman Sello Khunou said he was
delighted with the growth and spirit of the 2019
edition of the race. “Once again the Soweto
Marathon team came together to deliver a fantastic
day, celebrating all that is great about South Africa.
Spirits were certainly high post the Springboks’
Rugby World Cup victory, and I trust that this race
did not disappoint. A huge thank you to all the
runners who ‘laced up and conquered their hard’
as well as those who supported!”
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