C o l u m n
THE RUNNING MANN
Derick Marcisz receives a trophy and leather travelling suitcase from Jackie Gibson ’ s sister after winning the Jackie Gibson Marathon
club , and the race is entirely organised by volunteers who sacrifice their free time for the good of the running community .
If the event can draw on the success of other ‘ city marathons ’ around South Africa – the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon is the most notable example , although the Durban International Marathon is also on the rise – a massive boost in finisher numbers can be expected . The most finishers I have on record for the Jackie Gibson Marathon is around the 1650 mark , although the race has not managed to break 650 since COVID . This places the event as the 15th-largest ( out of 17 ) marathons and ultras in Gauteng . As a comparison , the MiWay Wally Hayward Marathon had close to 3,000 finishers in 2023 . And with 45 % of Comrades entrants coming from Gauteng , there is tremendous potential for a well-organised marathon to capture a large share of this market .
Personal Point of View
I can empathise with both sides of the argument . It ’ s really does seem a travesty for eight decades of marathon history to disappear so unceremoniously , but from Johannesburg Harriers ’ point of view , I can understand their need to host a race that can attract sponsors and a larger number of runners . It ’ s just a shame that a suitable compromise solution was not found . As an obsessive marathon runner , my preferred solution would be for the club to host two marathons a year – both the Johannesburg City and the Jackie Gibson . However , this is unlikely to happen on an already congested fixture list .
Hoped for Compromise
The Johannesburg City name has already proven to be more marketable than Jackie Gibson , and it ’ s likely that the Jackie Gibson name would have ‘ died ’ in the near future – Cause of death : Lack of sponsorship . The new name gives Johannesburg Harriers a much higher probability of a longer lifespan for their marathon . However , I still feel that a rebrand rather than a reboot makes much more sense , because whatever the future holds and however many editions the Johannesburg City Marathon has in store for the running community , who wouldn ’ t want to run SA ’ s oldest marathon at least once ?
Afterword : Losing your Marbles
What happens these days at the final Rondebosch Matric assembly ? I am pleased to report that the crusty old teachers I had to endure have been replaced by a new generation of more enlightened educators , and the boys get to roll their marbles without the teachers losing theirs . The marbles are collected afterwards and donated to charity , which seems like a sensible “ win-win ” solution . Hopefully , a similar solution can be found for the Jackie Gibson-Johannesburg City issue .
Allan Ferguson crosses the Jackie Gibson finish line a 50th time !
An easier compromise solution would have been to treat the exercise as a rebranding rather than a replacement . After all , the Jackie Gibson route has changed many times over the years – the original start was in Rissik Street in the CBD , which is miles away from any of the roads used on the Jackie Gibsons that I ’ ve run . Renaming would retain the deep history with the bonus of maintaining a claim to having the oldest standard marathon in the country , which I imagine would make the race more attractive to prospective sponsors . Running the “ oldest marathon in South Africa ” would also be an effective marketing drawcard to South African marathon runners : “ Call yourself a real runner ? Not until you ’ ve run the Johannesburg City Marathon – the oldest standard marathon in the country ” would be a great marketing tagline .
There is also precedent for a race changing its name , but keeping its history intact . The most prominent example , which ironically also honours an icon of road running who actually won the first Jackie Gibson Marathon in 1946 ) is the Wally Hayward Marathon , which was originally called the Verwoedburg Marathon ( hopefully no one is going to argue with that name change ).
There should also be a way to incorporate the Jackie Gibson name into the race . As Derick Marcisz noted , his wining time in 1977 was faster than the 2024 winner of the Johannesburg City Marathon . Jackie Gibson ’ s crowning achievement was winning the South African Championships at altitude in Bloemfontein in 1937 in 2:30:45 ( just a few minutes outside the World Record ). Perhaps there should be a special Jackie Gibson gold medal incentive if the winner completes the race under 2:30 ( or maybe even the first three runners ).
Another loser with the demise of the Jackie Gibson is the late Allan ‘ Fergie ’ Ferguson , after whom the companion half marathon was named . Fergie was another Johannesburg Harriers life member who earned several Comrades gold medals and ran the Jackie Gibson Marathon 50 times ( which is a South African record ). He actually ran his debut marathon at the inaugural Jackie Gibson Marathon in 1946 , in a time of 2:59 , which seems like the perfect set-up for a sub- 3-hour ‘ Fergie ’ medal .
Images : Action Photo SA , Stuart Mann , courtesy Johannesburg Harriers , Derick Marcisz
26 ISSUE 169 | www . modernathlete . co . za