THE CONTENDERS
Top Female Contenders
Bashanke Bilo ( Ethiopia )
Club : Nedbank Running Club Ethiopia Age : 23 Marathon PB : 2:31:26 ( Geneva , 2019 ) Last Marathon : 2:34:33 ( Castellon , 2019 )
Other than the two official pacesetters in the Nedbank Runified : Breaking Barriers 50km , Bashanke Bilo is the fastest woman in the field thanks to her 2:31 marathon PB , and she ’ ll need to run that kind of pace if she wants to break the World Best and qualify for the record incentive on offer . If she can replicate the form she showed in 2019 and hold it for another 8km past the marathon mark , a new World Best just may be on the cards .
Zeyituna Mude ( Ethiopia )
Club : Nedbank Running Club Ethiopia Age : 38 Marathon PB : 2:35:05 ( Brescia , 2014 ) Last Marathon : Ran 2:44:31 in 2018 , 2:40:00 in 2017
Another who may have a say in the charge to beat the existing World Best is Zeituna Mude , but she will need to go faster than she ’ s ever run to do so , as her marathon PB is a few minutes outside the required pace . Then again , a huge prize purse and record incentive on offer , plus a flat course at sea level , may spur her on to new heights . Having raced in such diverse countries as India , Croatia , Italy and Israel , she should have no problems adjusting to South African conditions .
Images : Action Photo SA & Dreamstime
30 NEDBANK RUNIFIED 50KM | 23 May 2021