Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 126, January 2020 | Page 31

Stephen Mokoka
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Furthermore, in the 90’s the country benefitted from
the ‘feel-good factor’ of being able to compete
internationally again, and from 1995 to 2000 in
particular, South Africa’s middle distance running was
incredibly strong, with Hendrick, Shadrack Hoff, Enoch
Skosana, Richard Mavuso, Aaron Gabonewe, Tsunaki
Kalamori and Makhosonke Fika all burning up the track
from 1500m to 10,000m. Yet Hendrick was the only
one, other than Makhosonke, to successfully kick on to
the marathon. That is possibly because the rest were
really track specialists in the 1500m to 5000m range,
but as an example, Shadrack Hoff’s former SA 5000m
record of 13:14.16 should equate to much better times
for the half marathon and marathon than the 1:01:11
and 2:11:51 respectively that he achieved.
marathon, and if you are running 2:17 to 2:20, you must
fancy your chances, so I think that Two Oceans may be
more of a factor here than Comrades.”
Hendrick Ramaala
2:06:55 PB and former SA Record holder in the half
marathon. He ran the Two Oceans Marathon twice,
finishing second on debut in 2015 and then deciding in
2016 to chase Thompson Magawana’s course record.
He paid the price for going out too hard, finishing 17th,
and said after that 2016 race, “These ultra guys are a
different breed... I am done with Two Oceans.”
Interestingly, a glance at the fastest marathoners to
do well at Comrades will show you they all came to
run the race at the end of their competitive marathon
careers. For example, 1994 winner Alberto Salazar had
a marathon best of 2:08:51, but he ran that way back
in 1982. Leonard Shvetsov, who for many years held
the ‘Down Run’ best time, was a 2:09 marathoner in his
prime, but when he won his first Comrades in 2008, he
was running 2:16’s for the marathon, and was way past
his prime. (Three-time Comrades Marathon champion
Bongmusa Mthembu, who is arguably one of the best
ultra athletes in the world right now, boasts a marathon
best of ‘only’ 2:23 from 2011.)
So the Comrades is definitely not the reason why South
African marathon running is struggling. If anything,
Lindsey thinks that the Two Oceans Marathon may be
a bigger contributor. “It is ‘only’ 14km further than the
Bongmusa Mthembu
Local Opportunity Lacking
If you take a deeper look at the 15 SA men who have
broken 2:10 in the marathon, only five did so on South
African soil. Port Elizabeth boasts four of these times,
with Zet, Willie, Mark and Ernest Seleke all running
their sub-2:09 times (never mind sub-2:10) in PE in
the mid-80s. The other sub-2:10 came when Lesego
Stephen Mokoka ran 2:08:31 in Cape Town in 2018.
(His best time of 2:07:40 was run in Shanghai in 2015).
The same applies to the women, with only one of the
five runners with sub-2:30 times having run her PB
in South Africa. That was when Frith van der Merwe
clocked 2:27:35 in PE in 1990.
The rest of the top men’s times were all run in Europe
or the Far East, where courses and conditions tend
to be near perfect. “South Africa does not have a
true fast marathon course,” says Lindsey. “Not even
Cape Town can rank with a Berlin or Hannover, and
we need to relook our courses, and when we run our
Marathons.” His point is well made, as can be seen
in the deeper performances of most of the top 15 SA
men. Gert, Hendrick and Stephen have all run under
2:10 on eight occasions, but all eight for Gert and
Hendrick were run outside SA borders, and just one of
Stephen’s was on SA soil.
So weather and course are vital factors – and from
a weather point of view, possibly the best times for
fast marathons in SA would be May to September –
but this is only part of the problem in South Africa.
During that period of the mid-80’s to the turn of the
century, the depth in our running largely came from
the infrastructure outside the sport, which has largely
fallen away since then.
Back then, most of our great middle and long distance
athletes were employed by the mines, police services,
armed forces, technical colleges, etc. In other words,
these athletes did not need to worry about winning
every race one weekend after another to earn a living,
they could pick and choose their races. And there
were some really top paying races. The Triple Crown,
Nashua 10K Challenge, Ohlsons Lager SA 10k, Half
Marathon and Marathon Championships, as well
as the Ford Marathon series paid really good prize
money. So in a sense it was “easier” to earn good
money while racing, and this promoted faster times in
more competitive races.
By contrast, the period from 2011 to 2015 delivered
the poorest results for South Africa in the marathon
(and the 5000m/10 000m range), with not one athlete
breaking 2:10. Since then, there have been signs of
a rejuvenation, led by Stephen. The 34-year-old has
a total 30 national titles since 2005 on all surfaces,
but he has raced wisely throughout his career, using
the track and cross country to help him become the
best road athlete in the country, challenging on the
international stage.
Desmond Mokgubo and Lusapho April are the other
two who have broken 2:10 since 2016. Ironically,
neither had actually excelled on the track – Lusapho
was better known as a formidable cross country
athlete. Since then, another former track specialist,
SA 5000m Record holder Elroy Gelant, ran 2:10:31
in Cape Town last year, in just his second marathon.
Given that he had to contend with a headwind at
one stage of the race, one could safely say that on
a different course, he would also have joined the
sub-2:10 club, and he looks set to achieve this sooner
rather than later. However, all of these athletes are
nearing the end of their competitive careers.
Better Times Ahead
The proverbial light at the end of the tunnel is that
the next generation of marathoners will benefit from
a better structured racing season in SA, with more
top level opportunities. At present there are five World
Athletics Label races in South Africa, and this is vital.
Label races are mostly on fast and flat courses, and
crucially, bring international competition to SA. The
higher the label, the better the prize money on offer,
and the higher the calibre of athletes coming to race
in South Africa – and competition breeds success.
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