Younger runners tend to focus on shorter distances , such as the Absa RUN YOUR CITY Series 10km
We may soon even find ourselves lagging in Africa , as the continent ’ s running has grown in leaps and bounds in the last few years . While the Lagos Access Bank Marathon in Nigeria , with a first prize of US $ 50,000 , has been the richest event in Africa , the Rwanda Peace Marathon will be awarding US $ 155,000 across the 42km and 21km this year . Next year will also see the first ever African Road Running Conference , open to 54 countries , which will look at and plan forward in this road running revolution .
Attempts in SA to have a few select , high-paying marathons are being tempered by the growing realisation that we don ’ t have the weather , environment , population , funding or geographical layouts to sustain so many long distance races , but we do have increasing health and fitness awareness , desire and momentum for a true 10km African series , with occasional high-profile 21km distances . French-speaking Africa already has the basis of a 10km series for 2023 , and the newly elected leadership in Southern , Western and other African regions have innovative and practical goals for the next few years . I believe we should be thinking along those lines as well .
Meanwhile , some of our longer events state that they want to become the ‘ New York Marathon of Africa ,’ or something along those lines , but they can ’ t escape the paradigms that stand in the way of such desires . Apart from the lack of population , our events are often held in hot months , requiring early starts , which not only result in poor times , but also limit the opportunity or appeal for entry-level recreational runners to attempt the marathon challenge .
If you review the results of the world ’ s major marathon events , only around 55 % to 60 % of finishers manage to complete the course within five hours , and many take closer to seven hours . None start at 5am , but rather around 9am , and in cooler Spring and Autumn months . Expecting a recreational runner , who is not interested in Comrades or Oceans , to get up at 3am to try their hand at a marathon while forcing them to finish under five or even six hours , is counter-productive . Starting at 7am or 8am in the cool months and having a realistic cut-off for slower runners and walkers could attract more participants and grow the sport .
That said , obtaining municipal support for such a change in practice would require a change in approach to road closures , community involvement and benefits . This is exactly the reason organisers must ask themselves why they are hosting the event , and then tailor their plans , and recruit the partners , to achieve the stated objectives .
It Starts at Club Level
Hopefully the above paints the picture of how our events have evolved , and why our numbers are dropping , why many of our races are no longer viable , and why our sport will continue to battle unless we review our purpose . But how many clubs are asking that question : Why are we holding this event ?
I mean , how many clubs apply for the same date on the calendar each year , then simply call up the previous year ’ s entry form , change the date , and roll out the same ( or very similar ) event as the previous year ? For some committees , it ’ s a tradition or heritage handed down from the previous committees , but is that a good enough reason ? Would you simply continue a business unchanged from generation to generation , even if it was stagnating or making a loss ?
Why is an essential question that our sport should be asking at all levels , and when we get stumped , we need to look for innovative alternatives … because as Thomas Edison stated , “ Insanity is doing the same thing in the same way and expecting different results .”
Finding a Solution
If we look at the current situation in my home province , we see that KZN Athletics is trying to host 20 marathons in 20 weeks , with around 10,000 licensed runners . In fact , across February and March there are nine marathons in four weeks , and this begs the question , what was the reason that the presenting clubs hosted these events , and how many broke even , let alone made a profit ?
Did the club , sponsor , athletics , the community , or anyone truly benefit ? Would the events have been more successful if there had been fewer events attracting more runners each ? Could entry fees be lower ? Could prize money be higher ? Could the community have gained from more spend ? And did anyone ask why they wanted the event ?
I believe that the solution for ASA and the provinces to demand the return of a year-round qualification period for Two Oceans , Comrades and other such events . It is , after all , the federations , not individual events , that should be dictating the sport . And if this change was instigated now , then from mid-2023 , marathons and ultras could be spread throughout the year , which would not only mean more participants per event , but also better racing conditions , potentially resulting in more media coverage and gains in all the positive potentials addressed above . In contrast , I believe that keeping the October to May qualification window could see the demise of many marathons and club events .
Being Left Behind
As I have written before in this column , South Africa ’ s focus on road running during isolation led it to become one of the best-structured , if not the best , distance running countries in the world . Unfortunately , I think we have rested on those laurels , beginning a decade after our international return . The South African passion for and focus on Comrades and Two Oceans has blinded many to the fact that both races are , to be blunt , largely irrelevant outside our borders – the marathon and shorter distances are the focus in other countries – and these blinkers have stopped our sport from advancing in step with the rest of the world .
The much sought-after Comrades medal has spurred on many to present more marathons in SA
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 . 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 .
Images : Chales Ndou & Tobias Ginsberg
44 ISSUE 159 | www . modernathlete . co . za