RACE CALENDAR
Winter is for Racing !
South African athletes are blessed with an incredible number of running events , including not only road and trail running , but also many other running-related disciplines , so check out SA ’ s most complete running calendar – now featuring two months of upcoming fixtures – and then get your entries in , all right here ! – COMPILED BY NICOLE HAYES
From the Ed ’ s Desk … From the Ed ’ s Desk … by SEAN FALCONER
A Few Thoughts on Races
In the previous edition of the mag , we unveiled the new-look calendar featuring two months of fixtures ( instead of one ) and our new clickable icons for mail addies , website URLs and online entry portals , where available . We received some really positive feedback on this from a number of readers , but we also received feedback that some fixtures were incorrect , or included some out of date information . Of course , we apologise unreservedly for any errors , and have already made some changes to try avoid a repeat of that .
We always knew it would take some time to get the calendar up and running again , and to the same standards of pre-pandemic editions , but with events still in the process of coming back after a two-year hiatus , and organising clubs and companies still finding their feet again , there will inevitably be a lot of last-minute changes , and some incorrect info doing the rounds . This is why we urge readers to check all details before driving to a race venue .
Expanding Still Further
This month we have added a few more sections for Namibian , Multisport , Orienteering and Obstacle Racing fixtures . Again , it ’ s a work in progress , and we ’ re constantly adding more sources and more organisers to our database , so we ’ ll keep expanding from edition to edition .
The driving force behind this project is that there is no centralised calendar available to South
African runners that contains all road , trail and other running-related fixtures for the entire country , which means that you need to check various platforms when choosing your next event . So , we ’ re trying to create that centralised one-stop shop here , and as you can imagine , it ’ s one hell of a big job ! Still , we have a massive 217 events listed here for July and August , and in coming months we hope to add still more sections , more sources , and more options for you .
Entries are Down …
Based on chats with several organisers as well as a look through results , it is clear that most races are attracting less entries at the moment , compared to pre-pandemic years . The Comrades Marathon appears to be an exception , with the CMA announcing in late April that it will increase its entry cap from 15,000 to 20,000 , but most races thus far in 2022 have been smaller than expected ( or hoped for ) by the organisers and sponsors .
Granted , at the beginning of the year , most races were still forced by national and local authorities to limit entries , but even since these restrictions were lifted or reduced , many races have not sold out or filled up . The confusing element of all this is that during the lockdown , the running community was very outspoken about wanting races to come back , which contributed to there being so many virtual races , but now that races are back , some runners are just not showing up .
Of course , there are several possible reasons for this . Higher entry fees , strict pre-entry requirements , higher costs of petrol for travelling to races , less disposable income after two years of the pandemic , ongoing fear of COVID infections , restrictive COVID regulations requiring vaccination or testing , and of course , the fact that there are once again so many races on the calendar again … these could all be playing a role in reduced entries .
The consensus appears to be that with time , things will settle back into some form of normalcy , entry fees will come down again , and the ‘ survival of the fittest ’ principle will see some races fall by the wayside . In the meantime , I think the flooding of the market with new events , especially in the shorter , entry-level trail running market , is potentially good for the sport . These trail runs are often hosted by wine estates , farms or golf courses , and are making off-road running a lot more accessible to beginners . I also know of some organisers that are being quite innovative with medals , series incentives and membership schemes to bring runners back for more , and this , again , is good for the sport .
End of the day , we runners said we wanted our races back , and in the next two months alone we have over 200 to choose from , so now it ’ s up to you to go through the calendar , find the races in your province or area that you want to enter , and then start making your racing plans !
The Modern Athlete Race Calendar is compiled by pulling info from various websites and resources , including provincial calendars , online entry portals and event companies ’ sites . Thank you to all the organisers , administrators and volunteers that make this sport tick .
84 ISSUE 151 | www . modernathlete . co . za