Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 124, November 2019 | Page 35

ADVERTORIAL Bucket List Marathon Puts It’s Best Voet Forward The 41 st edition of the iconic Voet van Afrika Marathon was run on Saturday 12 October, and participants described it as the “perfect day,” due to the weather being great for running. Overcast, cloudy and hardly a breath of wind... totally the opposite to last year, and the perfect conditions for a wonderful run in the Overberg! I t was still dark when the trucks were loaded with athletes on their way to the start of the marathon and half marathon, just outside Bredasdorp. The vibe on the trucks was cheerful, and for some, this was a whole new experience on its own! By the time the marathon was due to start at 6am, the sun was just starting to rise over the horizon. With thirty seconds left to the gun, a tradition stretching back more than forty years was continued as the call of the fish eagle rang out, and then Mayor of the Overberg District Municipality, Sakkie Franken, set the runners off. It was just after 7:15 when we got the news that the King of the Mountain had passed the FM tower at the top of the mountain on the full marathon route. We were stunned… a new course record was on the cards. In fact, it looked like the old record of 2:42:25 could be shattered, and so it proved, with Bernard Tarisai Rukadza crossing the finish line in a stunning 2:38:24! Second was Moses Njodzi in 2:44:56, with Admire Rushika third in 2:48:58. We truly believe that the toughest women take part in this marathon, and Elmé Middlemost showed us just that, winning the marathon in 3:39:55, with Candyce Hall second in 3:40:55 and Kerryn Armstrong third in 3:45:45. Our Queen of the Mountain, Obertina Kanyongo finished the half marathon in 1:42:56, with Nkosinathi Madyo winning the men’s division with a time of 1:14:35. The 10km titles went to Unathi Nteto in 36:31 and Annmarie Steyn in 48:29. The morning went by quickly as finishers crossed the line with smiles and laughter, in awe of the amazing routes and scenery they had just experienced, but also mentioning that this was indeed the toughest race they have competed in. As we pointed out, this race is supposed to be hard. That’s what makes it great! At 12pm, as Marie Hill prepared to pull the trigger for the six-hour cut-off time – she had just completed her 40th Voet half marathon, hence being given this honour – our Voet van Afrika Marathon Ambassador, Xolani Luvuno, was giving his all on his crutches to get to the finish in time for the cut-off, with his father and mentor Hein Venter faithfully by his side, as always. Xolani missed the cut-off last year with three minutes, due to extreme winds, and completed his second Voet van Afrika Marathon this year with an improved time of 6:01:03, which he was very happy about. It was an emotional and happy ending to a spectacular day! Thank you to each and every runner or supporter who made this race possible for the 41 st time, and we would like to challenge all runners to add The Toughest Race with the Warmest Heart to your bucket list! 35 SA's Biggest Running Publication