the 500ml bottle in one gulp . However , that supply was short-lived , because on the second lap that table was completely devoid of all liquid substances other than three bottles of Illovo golden syrup – and I was not thirsty enough to try drinking that .
This is what the Phantane Running Club table was given to support 3,500 runners !
The early bird gets the worm , but the slow runner gets some water at the Durban City Marathon
Often the second lap of a marathon can be challenging , but in this case it was slightly easier , as some of tables , like those of the Phantane and Hollywood Bets Athletic Clubs , went and bought water out of their own pockets for the runners . I had a quick chat with the Phantane crew whilst I savoured some much-needed H2O , and empathised with them for giving up their Sunday morning only to get sucker-punched with three crates of Coke , a handful of cardboard cups , no trestle table to serve anything on and no bins to dispose of rubbish in . It ’ s a tough morning when you ’ ve got to deal with 3500 disgruntled full , half and 10km * runners . On top of this , many runners don ’ t realise that the table volunteers are not to blame for the water situation , so the Phantane crew had to bear the brunt of verbal abuse from frustrated runners . (* Amongst the other issues raised by runners was that the 10km race started 15 minutes earlier than advertised , without any notification .)
Never a Truer Word …
It can be difficult to summarise a marathon in a few paragraphs but this photo does a good job of capturing the Durban City Marathon . I only spotted this graffiti on the second lap , so I ’ m not sure if this was done by a thirsty frontrunner , or was after a previous edition of the race ( the weather is a variable , the lack of water at this race is not ). I ’ d be interested to see the post-race financials and , in particular , the amount spent on refreshments . If the line item is more than I spent on drinks at my daughter ’ s birthday party last year then I ’ d alert the SIU .
After the race , I managed to speak to KZN Athletics chairperson Steve Mkasi , and he referred me to the race organiser , Celi Makhoba , an ASA Level 3 technical official and Comrades Marathon Association Board member . Mkasi , who is an active runner himself , said that he “ cannot understand how he [ Makhoba ] can start a race with no water .”
Mkasi was prompt in issuing an official statement from his office about the poor organisation . When I asked him what the next steps would be he replied that there would be an official investigation and , based on the outcome , next year ’ s race would be run by a KZNA appointed organiser , and organised under the supervision of KZNA or a joint team appointed to organise the event . On the apology that was circulated on social media from the water supplier ( Splash Distributors ), Mkasi said , “ It seems to me it ’ s a staged response . I can ’ t fathom as to how you make such a mistake .”
How to summarise this race in one photo
Images : Stuart Mann
26 ISSUE 151 | www . modernathlete . co . za