GET TO THE COMRADES ROADSHOWS
The CMA will be bringing its 2017 Bonitas Comrades Marathon Roadshows to a city near you in the first three months of the year. Hosted by various running clubs, these Roadshows will take off from the 24 th of January to the 1 st of March, and runners will be afforded the opportunity to mingle with the official Comrades Coach and other experts from the running fraternity, to help shed light on how they can best take on the Comrades Marathon, physically as well as mentally.
The Comrades Coach’ s discussions will be based around his training programmes, which are available on the Comrades website, and he will elaborate on how you can prepare for the race mentally. There will also be educational talks about nutrition and how runners can prevent injury during training as well as on race day. The runners will then have an opportunity to engage with all of our experts after the discussion.
This is just another initiative by the CMA to cater for runners’ needs in line with the Runners First Initiative, which is striving to improve runners’ overall experience of the Comrades Marathon. The CMA is grateful to all of the running clubs hosting these sessions and going out of their way to make these Roadshows a success, all in the name of supporting the Comrades Marathon. Entrance is free, no booking necessary – for more info go to www. comrades. com / events / road-shows or mail Nonkululeko Mdlalose at nonkululeko @ comrades. com.
DATE TIME PROVINCE HOST CLUB PHYSICAL ADDRESS Tues 24 Jan 7pm Central Gauteng Easy Equities Born2Run Higher Ground, St Stithians College, 40 Peter Place, Lyme Park, Sandton Wed 25 Jan 7pm Central Gauteng Golden Reef Road Runners 8 Andrew Street, Horison, Roodepoort
Thurs 26 Jan 7pm Vaal Triangle Arcelor Mittal Athletics Club Behind Quest Conference Centre in Currie Boulevard, Vanderbijlpark Sat 28 Jan 9am Central Gauteng Soweto Athletics Club Old Soweto College of Education, Cnr Chris Hani and Morola Road, Pimville, Soweto Tues 31 Jan 7pm Gauteng North Phobians Running Club 378 Queen ' s Crescent, Lynnwood, Pretoria Wed 1 Feb 7pm Gauteng North Atteridgeville Athletics Club Mbolekwa Sports Complex, Cnr Sehloho and Sithole Streets, Atteridgeville, Pretoria Wed 15 Feb 7pm Eastern Province Charlo Athletics Club The Italian Club, 17 Harold Road, Charlo, Port Elizabeth Thurs 16 Feb 7pm Western Province Atlantic Athletics Club Hamiltons Rugby Club, 1 Stephen Way, Green Point, Cape Town Fri 17 Feb 7pm Western Province Gugulethu RCS Club Ikwezi Sport & Recreation Centre, NY2, Gugulethu, 7750 Wed 22 Feb 7pm KwaZulu-Natal Collegians Harriers 381 Boshoff Street, Pietermaritzburg Thurs 23 Feb 7pm KwaZulu-Natal Stella Athletics Club Stella Sports Club, 175 Helen Joseph Road, Glenwood, Durban Wed 1 Mar 7pm Northern Cape Vodacom Kimberley Road Runners 2 Powell Lane, Kimberley
COMRADES ONLINE SHOP – BUY NOW!
With the recent launch of the Comrades Marathon Online Shop, Comrades runners and supporters have been taking advantage of the special range of memorabilia on offer, especially over the Festive Season. The online shop offers convenience and accessibility, as you can shop online at any time, from anywhere in the world. Furthermore, the items will be delivered directly to you at your convenience.
The Comrades Shop stocks an amazing collection of items, including a variety of headgear, accessories, leather wallets, gadgets and a host of utility items. CMA General Manager, Chris Fisher says,“ These are exciting times, and this initiative is the start of a whole new venture into branded merchandise, so watch this space.”
Check out the Comrades Online Shop by visiting www. comrades. com and clicking on the Online Shop tab.
GROWING ECONOMIC IMPACT
This will be the 92 nd edition of the iconic ultramarathon – and the 47 th‘ Up Run’ from Durban to Pietermaritzburg – and is expected to once again boost the KwaZulu-Natal economy by a whopping 600-million rand. CMA General Manager, Chris Fisher says,“ The Comrades Marathon contributes to the economic impact of the entire KwaZulu-Natal region due to the ever-increasing number of runners from all over the country, as well as the rest of Africa and internationally. This year we will be hosting athletes from 69 countries around the world!” CMA Race Director, Rowyn James adds,“ Our plans are that the 92 nd Comrades Marathon is an amazing experience for our athletes as well as our supporters and spectators.”
VISIT THE COMRADES MARATHON MUSEUM
Why not plan a day out in the KZN Midlands and include the popular Comrades Museum in Pietermaritzburg on your must-see list? The museum has undergone a major revamp and now includes some novel attractions and unique Comrades keepsakes to view and admire.
The rich Comrades history, dating back to 1921, is beautifully depicted with never-before-seen images and artefacts. Also make a stop in the Race Room, which boasts a scale route model that tracks all the major hills, landmarks and points of interest along the iconic Comrades route, while an interactive treadmill will allow you to experience the level of competency needed to earn the spectrum of medals that the CMA awards its finishers. Meanwhile, Green Number Club members will get to enjoy the new social space dedicated to them, and the general public will now be able to enter the boardroom space, giving them insight into the scope of volunteerism at the Comrades Marathon Association.
The Comrades Museum now also houses a Comrades Shop, stocking Comrades products and memorabilia, Green Number clothing, books, Amabeadibeadi products and the popular CMA membership badge. For more details, contact CMA Museum Curator, Roxanne Thomas at roxanne @ comrades. com.
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