sponsor , Skechers . Thankfully , stunning weather meant that the runners arrived on the island in good health , ready to run !

The race was founded to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the incarceration of Robert Sobukwe and Nelson Mandela , two of the most famous inmates

of the island during its use as a maximum security prison for Apartheid-era political prisoners . Madiba was imprisoned on the island for 18 of his 27 years in captivity , from 1964 to 1982 , while Sobukwe was kept in solitary confinement on the island for six years from 1963 to 1969 . The small building that he was incarcerated in is now known as Sobukwe House .

Robben Island has been declared a World Heritage Site , and today the island is an international tourist attraction . The prison itself is the main attraction , specifically Madiba ’ s cell , but other sites on the island also garner great interest . These include the limestone quarry that was first worked during Dutch colonial times , but was still being used in the 20th century for hard labour by political prisoners , as were the Blue Stone and Van Riebeek stone quarries on either end of the island .

Other attractions include the battery of 9.2-inch cannon and lighthouse emplacements built during the early years of the Second World War , the lighthouse ( built in 1964 ), the island graveyard , and the Moturu Kramat , a Muslim shrine built in 1969 to commemorate the Prince of Madura , Sayed Abdurahman Moturu , who died on the Island in 1754 after being exiled to the island by Dutch authorities for his anti-Dutch activities on the island of Madura , adjacent to Java ( in present-day Indonesia ).

What an Experience For many of the participants in the race , this was a first visit to the famous island . As a result , the chatter on social media in the build-up to the race clearly

Images : Keith Linderoth , Adnaan Mohamed , Tim Cubett , Faraida Samaai & courtesy South African Tourism