Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 96, July 2017 | Page 16

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Comrad
Ma Feature
With more pacesetting buses than ever
before at the Comrades Marathon, the 2017
Modern Athlete Comrades Marathon Pacesetters
seemed to be everywhere on race day, and while there
are some issues to iron out ahead of the 2018 race, the
buses once again helped thousands of runners achieve
their Comrades goals. – BY SEAN FALCONER
P
acesetting buses have become an integral part of the Comrades Marathon,
with the sub-9:00 (Bill Rowan cut-off), sub-11:00 (Bronze cut-off) and sub-
12:00 (Vic Clapham cut-off) buses having been run for many years, but the
2017 Comrades will long be remembered for the fact that for the first time there
were buses every half hour from 8:30 all the way to 12 hours.
Taking Criticism on Board
Judging not only by the size of the buses, but also by the amount of positive
feedback on social media after the race, the buses were once again hugely popular,
but new initiatives and rapid growth can sometimes lead to problems. That was the
case in the early stages of the race due to there being so many buses, being driven
by runners with differing strategies. This saw some of the buses getting mixed up,
which is why some runners reported seeing a sub-10:30 bus in front of two sub-
10 buses, and just a few minutes behind the sub-9:30 bus as they went through
Pinetown.
Johan van Tonder
Arnold Nkosi &
Jeff Ramakoka
One has to keep in mind that it was the first time we had so many buses on
the road at Comrades, running for target times just 30 minutes apart, and the
difference in overall average pace between each of the buses was just 20 seconds
per kay: 6:10/km for an 8:55 finish, 6:31 for 9:25, 6:52 for 9:55, and 7:12 for
10:25. Factor in different run/walk or negative/positive split strategies, and one can
understand why the buses were still close together earlier in the race, but this was
confusing for runners. Therefore, we have taken this criticism on board and will look
to make sure the same thing does not happen again next year.
Another point of criticism was that the buses were often so large that ‘non-
passengers’ were unable to overtake the buses or get through them when the bus
slowed for a walk break, especially on narrower sections of the route, such as on
Inchanga. This led to a few runners actually sating that buses should not be allowed
in the race, but these comments were in the minority, with far more runners coming
out in support of the buses. Nevertheless, the criticism has been noted and in future
drivers will be tasked with trying to keep their buses to one side of the road.
Thabile Mathe
Shahieda Thungo
2017 Pacing Results
Sub-8:30
Sameul Corneluis
Koot Steenkamp
Sub-9:00
Johan Van Tonder
Sbusiso Mlangeni
Sub-9:30
Claus Kempen
Sub-10:00
Linda ‘Coach’ Hlophe
Maropeng George Mojela
Sub-11:00
Jackie Campher
Madoko Ndhlovu
Jeff Ramokoka
Arnold Nkosi
16
11:30:55 *
8:38:23 *
8:53:50
10:34:13 **
9:22:25
9:56:07
9:56:07
10:57:27
10:57:54
10:57:57
10:58:29
Sub-11:30
Charl Whitaker
Gerald Pavel
Lucas Seleka
Sub-12:00
Thabile Madube Mathe
Shahieda Thungo
Buks Van Heerden
Carolien van Heerden
Derrick Rondganger
Vlam Pieterse
11:19:53
11:23:40
11:30:59
11:42:29
11:51:11
11:53:47
11:53:47
11:54:28
DNF ***
Modern Athlete would
like to thank all of our
Comrades Pacesette
rs for your incredible
spirit
and camaraderie. It
was an amazing sig
ht to see
you leading your bus
es in! A special thank
you
also to Buks and Car
olien van Heerden for
doing
much of the co-ordina
ting work to organi
se the
2017 Pacesetters.
* Sameul handed his Sub-8:30 flag over to one of his passengers, Koot, when an old injury flared up, and then cruised home in his
own time.
** Sbusiso discarded his Sub-9:00 flag when an injury flared up, and ran conservatively to still finish.
*** Legendary Sub-12:00 Pacesetter Vlam only recovered from injury shortly before the race, but was still included in the 2017
Pacesetting roster due to his vast experience, which greatly motivated many runners in the first half.
ISSUE 96 JULY 2017 / www.modernathlete.co.za
Out of 19 official Modern Athlete Pacesetters, 16 successfully brought home their buses on time. Two of the others finished in slower times after dropping out due to a flare-
up of an old injury, while just one did not complete the race.