Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 59, June 2014

At the end of April, thousands of runners and walkers took to the streets of Benoni at the 22nd annual Slow-Mag Marathon, and the scenic routes once again provided an energetic, fun-ﬁlled day out for all participants. G iven the time of the year, for many aspiring Comrades athletes this was the ideal last-chance qualiﬁer and a great training run ahead of the Big C on 1 June. Passing through two golf courses and featuring a beautiful 12km stretch through the Ebotse Golf Estate, the Slow-Mag really highlights the best features of Benoni, and the relatively ﬂat courses with just a few gentle climbs ensure good times while being gentle on those pre-Comrades legs. Nedbank’s Elias Mabane had a great day on the road in the main event, claiming the men’s 50km title in a new course record 2:59:01. His teammate Reuben Maapola crossed the line four minutes later, with Thulani Magagula from Germiston Callies home third a further ﬁve minutes back. In the women’s race, Born 2 Run’s Avril Halstead grabbed a 4:07:23 win, with Kathlehong’s Thuli Mbataha second and Lindsey van Aswegen taking the last podium spot. Participants were also treated to a race shirt and medal after their ﬁnish, a taste of the delicious Slow-Mag Fizzy, and could enjoy a complimentary sports massage, while the kids’ play area was a huge success with jumping castles and stilt walkers keeping the youngsters entertained. of Wally onder he W T The Rockets CANSA Active Wally Hayward Marathon, Half Marathon, 10km & 5km, Gauteng North, 1 May With a brand new sponsor on board, a traditionally unique set-up and growing numbers, this year’s Wally Hayward Marathon deﬁnitely had a winning recipe! – BY JORRIE JORDAAN T he 2014 edition of ‘The Wally’ brought nearly 9000 athletes out onto the roads of Centurion on Worker’s Day, for what is one of the largest races in South Africa. The marathon had 2360 ﬁnishers, slightly down on last year’s 2460, but the half was up from 2550 to 2680 and the 10km climbed substantially from 2170 to 2500, and there were another 1300 ﬁnishers in the 5km fun run, so the event was a massive success for the formidable team from Alpha Centurion Runners and Walkers and their new sponsor, Rockets (compression sportswear by MEDAC), and returning sponsor CANSA Active. THE MAN, THE LEGEND Being run for the 38th time, the marathon once again gave competitors an opportunity to celebrate a true legend of the sport, ﬁve-time Comrades winner Wally Hayward. In 1930, as a 21-year-old, ISSUE 59 JUNE 2014 / www.modernathlete.co.za 46 he won his ﬁrst Comrades Marathon in a time of 7:27:26. His second win came 20 years later in 1950. Over the next four years he won another three titles, with the only exception being in 1952, when he represented SA at the Helsinki Olympic Games Marathon, ﬁnishing 10th. Wally returned to the Comrades in 1988 – when he was 79 – and beat half the ﬁeld home in a time of 9:44! In 1989 he completed his last Comrades in just under 11 hours. What a privilege to honour such a remarkable legend each year on 1 May! This year’s marathon went to Zimbabwean Brighton Chipere (Maxed Elite) in 2:27:02, with Julanie Basson (Toyota) claiming the women’s title in 3:05:10. Derocious Makhobalo (Bonitas, 1:07:55) and Annerie Kruger (Magnolia, 1:27:01) took line honours in the half marathon, while Lucky Mohale (Maxed Elite) and Cornelia Joubert (Nedbank) won the 10km titles in 31:06 and 35:46 respectively. Image: Courtesy Jorrie Jordaan Slow, Long Slow-Mag Marathon & 50km, Half Marathon, 10km & 5km, Central Gauteng, 27 April Images: Courtesy Kendel Falkson Race Report

Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 59, June 2014 | Page 48