The race entry fee is just R160 , which I think makes this the cheapest marathon in Gauteng , and in spite of the race not having a title sponsor , they still manage to donate an average of R10,000 each year to local charities . This is an old-school race , and it ’ s nice to see that they still apply old-school rules , with free entry to grandmasters and blind athletes . ( Nearly every race used to do this , but these days it seems that a 50 % discount is the norm for the old and the blind .)
The route map : One AFH after another
The race starts at the Kibler Park Recreation Centre , where there ’ s ample parking , and the guys herding the cars in could teach most other races how to get their runners parked quickly and efficiently , without causing a pre-dawn traffic jam . Having parked , we got going on a bitterly cold Joburg morning , but the warm tops were quickly removed as we hit the first hill . I asked local runners and support table personnel what some of the many hills were called , but they all seemed to be nameless . When I checked with race director Cathy Munn after the race whether any of the hills have official names , she responded to my question with , “ Nothing official for the hills .” This is a race and a place with so many hills , no one has bothered to name them yet !
Although there is a lot of ‘ gritty ’ running , there are also some very pleasant stretches on the outskirts of the Klipriviersberg Nature Reserve . It should be noted that in most game reserves , special fencing is used to protect humans from getting hurt by wild animals . However , in Joburg South , rumour has it the fencing around Klipriviersberg Nature Reserve is there to protect the wildlife from the locals ! There is quite a bit of traffic on the roads , but the route is exceptionally well marshalled , so other than noise pollution from three-litre car engines and souped-up exhausts , you have nothing to worry about .
The bottom line , however , is that this is a race that you need a good reason to run … and for most , that reason is the Comrades Marathon . If you try to run a PB at Jackie Gibson , you are either exceptionally talented , or an idiot . But if you just stick to flat East Rand marathons ahead of Comrades , you ’ ll definitely find out that you ’ re an idiot in June , somewhere between Durban and Pietermaritzburg . As a result , this is not a race that is likely to make it onto anyone ’ s top 10 marathon list , but it would definitely make the shortlist for the top 10 toughest marathons in SA ( and therefore , by association , the top 10 Comrades training marathons shortlist ).
In the absence of official titles , most runners seemed to resort to the very simple hill-naming convention of AFH – where A is for ‘ Another ,’ H is for ‘ Hill ,’ and ‘ F ’ can be filled with the adjective of your choice . Unfortunately , marathon runners are not particularly imaginative , and there seemed to be a lot of duplication with the choice of ‘ F-word ’ used to describe each hill . And strangely , words like Fun , Fabulous and Fantastic didn ’ t feature at all .
Time to Grit Your Teeth
The simple way to describe this route is that you start about a mile above sea-level , on a hill , and then you run 12km of one AFH after another . If you haven ’ t yet ‘ burst a takkie ,’ you can cash in on your investment with an easy 8km of downhill , with just one more AFH thrown in over this section – just to make sure you don ’ t get complacent . Of course , you can ’ t finish on a downhill , so they fit one final AFH into the last kilometre , and you ’ re back where you started . Then it ’ s rinse and repeat for a second lap , and you have completed the Jackie Gibson .
The route map
Give Credit Where it ’ s Due
For many years Allan Ferguson ran in CGA license # 1 . These days , it is very rare to see a single digit CGA license number on the road , and I assume that they have all been snapped-up by nonrunning administrators – I have contacted Central Gauteng Athletics for confirmation , but have not yet received a response . Instead , I would propose that the CGA license numbers 1 to 10 are given to the active Central Gauteng runners who have completed the Jackie Gibson Marathon the most times . This would give the province ’ s oldest race and club the honour and prestige that they each deserve , as well as give the next generation of running legends a great reason to go run Joburg ’ s toughest marathon .
Author ’ s Note : Thanks to Riël Hauman , Cathy Munn , Derek Ferguson and Christopher Ferguson for their contributions to the content of this article .
Probably not enough arrows in the quiver of South Africa ’ s version of cupid to fall in love with Jackie Gibson ’ s hills
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 : Stuart Mann , Johann Du Plessis & Courtesy Ferguson family , Jackie Gibson Facebook page
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ISSUE 137 JANUARY 2021 / www . modernathlete . co . za