A new date in August has sparked renewed interest in the Comrades Marathon
Negesa ( 2:42:07 ) and Irvette van Zyl ( 3:04:24 ) announced as the inaugural World Record-holders . ( The women ’ s mixed-race record , which therefore has potential for male pacing , is the 2:59:54 run by Des Linden last April . In the USA .) But as they say in adverts , ‘ Wait , that ’ s not all …’
The World Label for the Nedbank 50km was awarded in December , and now in January it has been upgraded to Elite Label status . That ’ s a world first for any ultra-marathon , and achieved in just one year ! This is a feather in the cap for Eastern Province Athletics and the Nelson Mandela Bay team , whose reputation has been steadily growing over the past four years through successfully hosting the ASA 21km Championships , which achieved Elite Label status in 2020 . This event will again have ASA Championship status on 4 June .
That all said , it is my suspicion that in future years , the Two Oceans event could well find its home on the five-day non-religious holiday period from 27 April to 1 May , providing even greater potential for races and commercial impact , and opening the Easter weekend as another bonanza for the mother city . ( Then again , the 21 March public holiday is also an option .) This is based on the fact that the ever-changing date of the Easter Weekend , ranging from late March to late April , poses a logistical challenge for the event .
Comrades Fever Growing
Similarly , many runners eagerly await the 1 st of February for the launch of the 95 th ( real ) Comrades Marathon . Unfortunately , as is the case with KZN Athletics and other provincial offices , the Comrades Marathon Association commences the year with depleted office staff and major challenges on the horizon , and with only around five months for qualification , do not be surprised to find new protocols introduced to allow flexibility of viral assessment .
However , it would be disappointing for this to include ‘ virtual results ,’ as has been allowed by Two Oceans , as there are 20 marathon or longer events spots on the KZNA calendar before the Mandela Marathon in early August , which potentially could be the final qualification date . To varying degrees , other provinces have also had a race calendar shakeup to work towards the new 28 August Comrades date , and the benefit of this will only truly be seen in 2023 and beyond , once sponsors , clubs and ASA have had time to plan a year in advance .
World First in SA
Overall , there ’ s been an increase in recreational running activity all over the world in the past two years , as well as a growth in numbers of viewers of athletics events . Consequently , people are now talking about another running boom taking place , and as part of this , World Athletics has seen an increase from 170 road races world-wide applying for Label status in 2020 , to over 200 road races applying for 2022 .
Of these , 10 are in Africa , including the world ’ s first 50km Label event , the Nedbank Runified 50km in Gqeberha in March . In 2021 , this event not only had an IAU Bronze Label and world streaming broadcast , it also delivered inaugural World Records in both the men ’ s-only and women ’ s-only categories ( also Continental Records ) as well as four World Age Group Bests .
As from 1 January , World Athletics recognises the 50km distance for World Records – until recently it only counted for lower status World Bests – and a thorough , detailed presentation from the Nedbank EPA team to World Athletics saw Ketema Bekele
Richly deserved Elite Label status for the Nedbank Runified 50km in 2022
The other Label status events in South Africa are the three Absa RUN YOUR CITY events , which continue to attract both world class elite athletes as well as recreational masses . The ABSA Cape Town 12K and Durban 10K are listed for 15 May and 10 July respectively , while the Joburg 10K will return in the flesh , so to say , on its traditional date of 24 September .
COVID Compliancy
Of course , the COVID pandemic is still with us , but 2022 is certainly looking much brighter , with countries such as Sweden and Switzerland allowing events to continue despite the tightening of other regulations . South Africa ’ s current regulations allowing a maximum of 2000 people at outdoor gatherings makes most club races around the country possible . In other words , there is no reason why road running , like cycling , canoeing , triathlon , etc , should not soon return to a modified regular situation , which will assist the provincial bodies to return to a level of sustainability .
Any organisation that adopts the simple basics should be able to host a safe event . Risks primarily relate to race pack collection , the gathering and start of the event , and the finish , but all have easy solutions based around the concept of Mask-Sanitise-Distance . It ’ s all in the planning and adherence to intent of the
The CMA made a promise in 2020 that around 3000 international runners will have first option on the entries when the race returns , but if all goes well , and based on international experience , an overall field of 15,000 to 20,000 runners could be possible , leaving plenty of entries for local runners . Of course , that is a moving target , but hopefully advanced thinking and flexibility has been built into the current planning .
On a related note , the later Comrades date means the ASA Marathon Championships can move forward , from piggy-backing the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon in October , to being run in conjunction with the new Durban International Marathon on 5 May . The latter event will take place in the cooler Durban morning hours , and is expected to feature a very fast , flat course .
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