THE RUNNING
MANN the running mann by STUART MANN
Where the Hills Have No Names
Due to the COVID-19 lockdown , I have not been able to get my usual marathoning and travel fix in for a while , but I do have some great memories of races in years gone by . So , until we can race again , you ’ ll have to make do with me taking running trips down memory lane , and this month , I ’ m taking another look at the Jackie Gibson Marathon of 2018 . This is the Texas Chainsaw Massacre of marathons … connoisseurs of pain , horror and gore will love it , whilst the weak and squeamish will hate every minute !
[ Marathon # 185 / 3rd Jackie Gibson / 15 April 2018 ] did before that was Soweto , over 6 months previously ), I decided it was time to make my first early morning foray south of the CBD since 2011 for my third Jackie Gibson marathon .
Back in the Day …
This is a race that is steeped in history . At 74 ( up to and including 2019 ), It is officially the oldest race in Johannesburg , and the oldest standard marathon in the country . The organising club , Johannesburg Harriers , is also the oldest club in Johannesburg : The story goes that in January 1904 , a bunch of guys got together in the Carlton Hotel lounge on the pretence of discussing recreational activities to alleviate big city boredom . Twenty of them made it to the end of a very long evening and proudly emerged onto the street , loudly proclaiming the foundation of the “ Johannesburg Harriers and Athletics Club ,” proving that some drunken ramblings can indeed have far-reaching and long-lasting consequences !
People are quite liberal dishing out advice
when you ’ re 21 . Well , when I was 21 , I migrated upcountry from a small cliquey , seaside village called Cape Town to the metropolis of Johannesburg , and I received plenty of unsolicited advice . Most of it I either completely ignored or quickly forgot , but the one piece of advice I took to heart – and still apply 20 years later , probably because of the gravity with which it was delivered – was to “ Stick to the north of Johannesburg . You can ’ t go wrong in the north , but whatever you do , stay clear of the south !”
Two decades is a long time to survive in Johannesburg . Overall I have come through relatively unscathed – I ’ ve only had one car stolen , and have avoided most of the pitfalls one associates with life on the highveld , like being hijacked , or becoming a Lions supporter . I attribute much of the success of this survival strategy to heeding the above advice , and other than for weddings and marathons , I have avoided the south of Johannesburg . Just like in Game of Thrones , people of the north need to limit the amount of time they spend in the south if they want to survive !
However , people with addictions sometimes do stupid things … In April 2018 , to feed my marathon running addiction , and give Gauteng an opportunity to see my race face at least once that year ( the last Gauteng race I
When I had last run the Jackie Gibson , it was a tough one-lapper , but in 2014 , the combination of sponsorship struggles and logistical challenges meant the race was converted into an even tougher double-lapper . I am not a big fan of double-lappers ( and there are now very few single-lap marathons left in Gauteng ), but I would rather run two-laps than see another historic marathon disappear from the calendar . On that note , it was reassuring to see that finisher numbers were significantly up in this 2018 marathon ( from 1200 in 2017 to 1650 in 2018 ), and there were increases in the accompanying half marathon and 10km numbers as well .
Running a marathon is always a tough mental challenge , and double-lappers add to the cerebral workout as one approaches the half / full marathon split . This is further exacerbated by the psychological damage done to one ’ s ego when half marathoners fly past you as they surge to their finish . Those doing just the one lap complete the Allan Ferguson Half , while two laps equals the Jackie Gibson Marathon . Both are South African running legends , but I must admit to knowing little about either of these gentlemen before writing this article . I suspect that most of the running community is in the same boat , so I thought I ’ d share what I learnt .
Images : Martyn Mulder , Stuart Mann , Johann Du Plessis & Courtesy Ferguson family , Jackie Gibson Facebook page
30
ISSUE 137 JANUARY 2021 / www . modernathlete . co . za