Creative but rather macabre vandals have now removed most of the letters of Nelson Mandela Drive
THE RUNNING MANN
C o l u m n
With a 5pm flight home and a post-marathon shower secured , I was in no rush to finish and spotted one last photo opportunity with a prominent stone structure to commemorate the naming of Nelson Mandela Drive . However , some creative but rather macabre vandals have now removed most of the letters , so the sign now reads , “ son dead .” Having played around with the wording for a bit , some other options would have been “ son and lad , loan dead or man lie ”. You can only work with what you ’ re given , but taking the “ M ” out of “ Hermanus ” produces far more amusing results , which a group of schoolboys allegedly did back in 1993 in the Western Cape town .
I had spotted Dean Venish & Son snapping away along the route , as well as their buzzing drone at the turn-off to Coffee Bay . Dean uses the drone to produce a lovely race video . ( Check out the half hour mark of the video , where I spotted the drone and the drone spotted me .) I also managed to capture the man himself at the finish line . If you want the Venish ’ s watermark to vanish from your race pics , then it ’ s just R25 a photo . ( Click this link to check out the race photo album .)
A Bit of Mthatha Magic
Based on the most recent census results , Mthatha is one of the least diverse cities in South Africa , with 95 % of the residents classified as “ Black African .” However , marathon running in Mthatha probably has the most body-type diversity in the country . Mthatha marathons prove that people of all shapes and sizes can run a marathon . As someone who is steadily becoming a more well-rounded individual , I draw inspiration from this .
Transkei is one of the hardest places to get to for a marathon but it should be on everyone ’ s bucket list . You are always guaranteed fantastic hospitality and a unique running experience . If I do find myself with some surplus flight discounts and a marathon deficit to deal with in future years , the Cheetahs Marathon will be high on my list .
Pretty Fly in the Transkei ... Dean Venish and his drone captured the running action
Signing out from the Cheetahs Marathon
About the Author
The Running Mann has run over 250 marathons and ultras around the world , and his mission is to run every marathon in South Africa , while his dream is to get a sponsorship from a beer company , so he can toast all his marathon finishes in style . If you ’ d like him to run your race , or talk at your event or club , email therunningmann @ gmail . com . You can follow all his adventures on his popular Running Mann blog .
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