CONTENTS

Welcome to our 169 th edition . You can click on the page numbers below to go straight to the article of your choice .

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WARMING UP ROAD RUNNING ( continued )

ROAD RUNNING

The Ed ’ s Desk : A Momentous Month

In the several weeks since I wrote my last Ed ’ s Letter , two standout events happened in south Africa . ( At least , in my opinion .) The first was the General Election on 29 May , and the second was the Comrades Marathon on 9 June . – BY SEAN FALCONER

Stats & Facts : That 70s Show

SA running has produced many scintillating times through the years , including these incredible performances of the 1970s , when South African athletes were denied the opportunity to compete at the highest level . – BY RIËL HAUMAN

From reunions in the loo queue , to hallucinating about forgetting to pull her pants back up after another loo stop at 65 kays , this is the entertaining story of René Kalmer ’ s successful Comrades Marathon debut . – BY SEAN FALCONER

Sport Man Says : A Job Done Well

The organising team behind the 2024 Comrades Marathon may not have put on a perfect event , but they deserve praise for a really good effort that included innovative and exciting initiatives . – BY MANFRED SEIDLER

Rene Kalmer finishing her first Comrades Marathon . Photograph by Marathon Photos

ISSUE 169

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TRAIL RUNNING

Dreaming of a Sub-28

After shifting his focus from running marathons and ultras down to 10km , Bongelani Mkhwanazi has become one of the country ’ s fastest and most consistent performers . – BY TATHE MSIMANGO with SEAN FALCONER

The Running Mann : Up in the Dumps

This year saw the sad demise of an old Joburg favourite , the Jackie Gibson Marathon , but it has been replaced by the new Johannesburg City Marathon , which meant that I had another unique marathon to add to my collection . – BY STUART MANN

The Running Mann : What ’ s in a Name ?

While I enjoyed the inaugural Johannesburg City Marathon , I cannot help feeling that the demise of its predecessor could have been handled differently . This is my eulogy to the Jackie Gibson Marathon . – BY STUART MANN

Badass Babies !

The third edition of the Spartan Baby Badass Ultra ( SBBU ) took place in Johannesburg in April , with runners taking on this incredible challenge to earn the right to call themselves Spartan Babies ! – BY ROB RICCARDI

Asking the Question : Is Comrades Moving in the Right Direction ?

I really enjoyed the 2024 Comrades Marathon , because it showed that the people working behind the scenes finally appear to be embracing feedback , advice , innovation , and change . – BY NORRIE WILLIAMSON