I was expecting a small field , but was hoping it would be bigger than the previous marathon I ran in Ventersdorp , where only six other runners turned up . A quick round up was done and suddenly I was surprised to be surrounded by over 100 runners . However , when the race official clarified that the 6am start was just for the full marathon , the field was quickly culled down to 15 athletes .
The race starts in “ Totpak Park ,” next to the Therapeutic Horse Riding Centre .
This made me suspect that therapy is big business in Ventersdorp … but I did not get a chance to clarify whether the horse riding is therapeutic in itself , or whether this is a physio practice for people who have fallen off their horses , as Ventersdorp ’ s most infamous son , Eugène Terre ’ Blanche , did back in 1992 .
Local Sights and Smells
The race is out and back , and you start with a few kilometres through the town , but the majority of the route is past cattle and mielie ( corn ) fields , on quiet roads with few cars ( and even fewer runners ). The only animals I saw ( and smelt ) were cows , but the bird life is prolific , if you ’ re into that kind of thing – and even if you aren ’ t , the frequent sightings of the male Whydah birds in full plumage is something special .
You run past the Schoonspruit Distillery just outside of town . Schoonspruit trades as Totpak , and its notable contribution to South African society is the production and popularisation of plastic liquor sachets . This , in turn , has led to many a budget-constrained student getting their first exposure to the noble art of smuggling , and speaking from experience , inter-varsity rugby games would not have been the same without Totpak ’ s products ! Totpak also seemed to own pretty much everything on the side of town where we were staying , so I guess you could say that the company gives the people of Ventersdorp their Venters-dop .
With such a small field , I was expecting to run most of the race experiencing the famous loneliness of the long-distance runner , but early in the race I got chatting to Thino , the Rustenburg dentist , and we ended up running the whole race together . Dentists are well known for inflicting pain on their patients , so it was good see a dentist inflicting pain on himself by running a marathon . Thino had some cool reggae music playing , a band called Culture that I had not heard before , so in addition to a good run , I also got four hours of culture !
Second Half Challenges
One thing I enjoy about and out-and-back routes is that you get to see and greet your fellow competitors . One thing I did not enjoy about this particular out-and-back route was seeing that there were only three runners behind us at the halfway point ! However , Thino and I did manage to overhaul a few runners on the road home to secure a top 10 finish . As I ’ m an optimist , I can tell you we finished 7th and 8th out of 15 marathoners ( whereas , if I was a pessimist , we would have finished 7th and 8th-last ). Overall this was a really nice race .
I only realised afterwards , when looking at the route profile , that the turnaround point is the lowest point in the race , so it was uphill all the way back . Also , the wind was light and breezy , and at our backs , during the ‘ out half ,’ but suddenly reached gale-force strength ( or so it felt ) on the way back . Aside from the headwind making running conditions difficult , it also meant that we got strong smells of cow much of the way back . ( Well , actually the by-product of their digestive systems , to be exact .) The only upside to this is that you can break wind with impunity , because nothing can compete with the smell emanating from large herds of well-fed cows !
Who was JB Marks ?
The six-metre bronze statue of John Beaver Marks on the outskirts of town – literally the biggest tourist attraction in Ventersdorp
John Beaver ( JB ) Marks ( 1903-1972 ) has earned naming rights to both the marathon and the local municipality . In addition , he has a massive sixmetre erection venerating him on the outskirts of town . Therefore , I just had to ask one of the race organisers , “ Who was JB Marks ?” To this I received raised eyebrows and a slightly incredulous response : “ He was one of the guys who died in Russia during apartheid , and his body was recently brought back to South Africa .”
Not wishing to further expose my ignorance , I responded by nodding my head knowingly and made a mental note to do some research after the race . I found out that he was a former Treasurer-General of the ANC and Chairman of the SA Communist Party , but having scoured the internet , I am still confused as to why JB Marks warrants having a significant chunk of the North West province named after him . He unfortunately has the least impressive Wikipedia resume I ’ ve ever seen – the way it ’ s written makes it look like every time he made it to a senior leadership position , he was replaced quickly thereafter by somebody more competent !
There are a few news reports about the exhuming , reburial and statue unveiling , but these articles only mention the “ sacrifice of the struggle hero ,” not what he actually did to earn hero credentials . Maybe it ’ s just that he ’ s the most famous person to ( admit to ) be born in Ventersdorp ? Perhaps I am being unfair , having also run in Mthatha , which boasts the birthing of a long list of major political figures , including Nelson Mandela and Walter Sisulu . However , if I am missing something about the significance of JB Marks , I am happy to be educated .
About the Author
The Running Mann has run over 240 marathons and ultras , and his current mission is to run every marathon in South Africa . He recently fulfilled a lifetime goal of securing a shoe sponsorship from The Sweatshop Broadacres and Asics South Africa ( and a running kit sponsorship from Runderwear ), thus allowing him to run more races and share their stories . You can follow his adventures on Twitter , Facebook or Instagram , and on his popular blog .
Images : Courtesy Stuart Mann & Google Images
42
ISSUE 136 DECEMBER 2020 / www . modernathlete . co . za