Cape Town Marathon
all together indoors , in place busier than even the promenade at peak exercise time . The point is that participation events are about people getting ‘ ahead ’ of each other , not gathering to get together . That is why over 3.7 million people have participated in running events in 33 countries since the pandemic began , with only five reported post-event infections !
It is the above analysis , undertaken by health specialists , universities and world sporting bodies , that assisted Vienna to kick off the current season of road running events across Europe and the USA , Meanwhile , China has been hosting events with 20,000-plus runners for months without any spikes in infections . ( The Chinese traditionally hold over 1800 marathons in a normal year , with 7.1 million marathoners participating .) Hopefully the ‘ brain trusts ’ in our national and local events departments , sports federations , and NICD can appreciate the logic and get the participation sport rolling here , too .
Politics , not Participation in SA
Unfortunately , most of the rhetoric after the last ‘ Family Meeting ’ has focused on how the 500 limit will affect political campaigning in the upcoming municipal elections ! Surely this is nothing more than confirmation that the regulation of events is being done based mainly on the self-interest of political parties , and there is thus a conflict of interest in the decision-making process ? What these powermongering decision-makers have overlooked is the billions of Rands the participation sport industry brings in for provinces , communities , tourism and industry , and hence creating employment . One simple example of this is the estimated R700 million boost
London Marathon said to be gained annually by KZN thanks to the Comrades Marathon .
However , the running industry also needs to look inwards here , comparing the can-do proactive approach of the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon to the conservative , seemingly wait and see , let others take the lead approach of the previously major events , the Comrades and Two Oceans ultra-marathon . Make no mistake , this is the thin end of the wedge that will see the Cape Town Marathon ’ s approach be rewarded with larger sponsors , major broadcast audiences and greater international recognition , while the other two events , which had major international potential , but appear to have slept their way through the past five to 10 years , particularly during COVID .
Meanwhile , Berlin city has just won the bid to host the 2022 World 100km Champs race , and come 1 January 2022 , the 50km distance will be recognised as a World Athletics World Record distance . The Nedbank Runification 50km in Gqeberha was both innovative and well-timed , offering athletes a major incentive to set an IAU World Record , the highest possible recognition at the time . Not only are these records set to be the inaugural Men ’ s Open and Women-only World Records , but they set the scene for more elite and mass events that could quickly gain greater international recognition than Two Oceans . It ’ s expected that South Africa will be awarded the 2023 World 50km Championships .
So , expect more from those who understand that the ‘ wait and see ’ approach is a fatal strategy , particularly to events those previously major events that have been forewarned for years , but refused to listen . The world has changed , and resting on past laurels can be the kiss of death . The events will never die , but they have to become more worldly , starting with a restructuring , if they even wish to keep pace .
Mother Body Support
A major positive is that the new ASA leadership has been a major supporter of the Cape Town Marathon , as well as other event organisers working to get events up and running again . This is a major turnaround from the previous administration , which insisted that events could only be 10km , with a maximum of 500 people and just one water point , because longer events were apparently more dangerous ! This spoke volumes about the then leadership in South African athletics , when the exact opposite was true : The longer the event , the fewer the runners and the greater the spacing between them , and more refreshment stations , the easier the challenge to socially distance and safely refresh the runners !
Now the world of Marathon Majors is poised to prove the value of sport in everything , from economics and employment to health and welfare . Our own Cape Town Marathon has become the leader in local road running , as other events continue to lose credibility with runners due to their financial focus and contortions to maintain viability . Let ’ s hope the SA powers that be , in both the sport and local authorities , start to appreciate that participation is a turn-around strategy that can substantially counter many of the country ’ s woes !
About the Author
Norrie represented Scotland and Great Britain in numerous ultra-distance events , then represented South Africa in triathlon . He is a World Athleticsaccredited coach and course measurer , and travels all over the world to work on events , including the Olympics , where he has been part of four Olympic Marathon measurement teams . He has been appointed by World Athletics as Technical Delegate to a number of the world ’ s leading Label events in Africa , Asia and the Middle East . He has authored two books ( Everyman ’ s Guide to Distance Running and Every Beginner ’ s Guide to Walking & Running ), and counts 20 Comrades medals amongst his more than 150 ultra-marathon medals , as well as multiple wins at distances from 100km to 1000km . You can read more from him at www . coachnorrie . co . za .
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