2023 PREVIEW
So Much to Look Forward To !
Nedbank Runified 50km
2022 was arguably the busiest ever year on the international athletics scene , because thanks to COVID-19 having disrupted the global calendar for two years , there was a lot of catching up to do ! This year , things are starting to go back to the way they were . – BY MANFRED SEIDLER
In 2022 , we had the African Championships in Mauritius from 8-12 June , the World Championships in Eugene , USA ( 15-24 July ), World U20 Championships in Cali , Columbia ( 1-6 August ) and the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham , England ( 2-8 August ). Add all the Diamond League and Continental Tour meetings , and 2022 was an incredibly busy year , and that took its toll . Athletes had to make difficult choices as to which competition they would compete in , if they were invited to do so or met the qualification criteria , and some faced tremendous pressure from Athletics South Africa ( ASA ) and the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee ( SASCOC ) to make themselves available for all competitions .
On the road , the World 100km Championships took place on the same weekend as the Comrades Marathon ( 27-28 August ), with the result that a depleted SA team was sent to the World 100km , with the big guns in local ultra-running opting to run in the Comrades Marathon . On the other hand , the longer timespan between the Two Oceans Marathon ( 16-17 April ) and Comrades meant that our ultra-athletes could be in the best possible shape for both races , leading to some incredible racing in both events .
Now in 2023 , it is all back to normal . We have the World Cross Country Championships in Bathurst , Australia in February , the World Championships in Budapest , Hungary in August , and the World Road Running Championships in Riga , Latvia at the end of September . The Continental Tour runs from January to September , and the Diamond League runs from May to September , meaning athletes have the ability to plan more strategically this year .
On the local front , while there are many races each weekend throughout the country , the top tier racing season kicks off with the Nedbank Runified 50km in February , the track season runs from from March to April , with the Two Oceans also in April and Comrades back in June , while the shorter road season proper gets underway in April with the first of the RUN YOUR CITY and SPAR events .
• It ’ s going to be another bumper year of athletics action and racing , so let ’ s take a closer look at some of the highlights to look forward to in 2023 . •
On The Road
Images : Tobias Ginsberg , Action Photo SA , Chris Hitchcock , Josh Reid & courtesy Nedbank Running
Club , Tokyo Olympics
The international road running season will once again focus on the World Marathon Majors . Eliud Kipchoge , who is chasing wins in all six World Marathon Majors , will line up in Boston in April , and while it is not a fast , flat course like those he usually races on , the event boasts a stellar field , and the pundits are watching this one with interest . However , also keep an eye on the Valencia Marathon , as it is now rivalling the Majors in terms of offering the fastest route and attracting the deepest field .
Expect World Record Attempts in the women ’ s 10km ( Yalemzerf Yehualew has already come within five seconds of her own World Record in the Valencia 10km ), and the women ’ s marathon ( Letsesenbet Gidey ran the fastest debut with her 2:16:49 in Valencia ). Already three women have gone sub 2:15 , and we are not that far off the women going sub-2:14 .
World Athletics has introduced the World Running Championships , with a street mile and 5km added to the half marathon . This festival takes place in Riga , Latvia on 30 September and 1 October , and will be a highlight of the year , as you can expect the likes of Joshua Cheptegei , Kibiwot Kandie , Rhonex Kipruto , Stella Chesang , Letesenbet Gidey and Helen Obiri to be there . What will be interesting to see is whether the addition of the mile and 5km races takes anything away from the 21km field .
ASA is taking this new development seriously , and has introduced an SA 5km Championships on 17 June at Nasrec , in Gauteng . The idea is to have a squad for the World Road Running Championships 5km in October , but the timing of the race and the altitude just do not make sense . It will be the dead of winter , when it is really cold , and it is at around 1700m altitude , so it is anyone ’ s guess why this venue and date were chosen .
There are a record 238 road races included on the 2023 World Athletics Label Road Race Calendar .
South Africa has four of these Label races : The Nedbank Runified 50km ( 26 February ), Durban International Marathon ( incorporating the SA Marathon Championships – 12 March ), Nelson Mandela Bay Half Marathon ( incorporating the SA Championships – 3 June ) and the Cape Town Marathon ( 15 October ).
Bumper SA Calendar
The SA road running calendar is packed , and the big focus is as always on Comrades and Two Oceans , due to their legacy , but there is a whole lot more to look
12 ISSUE 156 | www . modernathlete . co . za