CLUB RIVALRY
New Era of Club Colours Set to Dazzle at Two Oceans 2023
Josh Groban sings powerfully about Changing Colours . It ’ s unlikely he was thinking about the Totalsports Two Oceans Marathon at the time , but it would not be inappropriate were he to welcome the thousands of mid-April running visitors to the Mother City with his 2015 classic . BY STEPHEN GRANGER
The phalanx of runners jockeying for positions at the sharp end of the Two Oceans Ultra in the 70s and 80s typically resembled an artist ’ s palette , with a range of club colours representing clubs that were traditionally strong in Ultra marathoning . The reds , blues , greens , yellows and greys of clubs such as organisers Celtic Harriers , Varsity Old Boys , Durban Athletics , Savages , Rand Athletics Club and Rocky Road Runners and a few mining clubs , such as Kinross and Bracken towards the latter part of that era , provided a visual feast for spectators along the route .
Maxed Elite ’ s Endale Belachew put the spotlight on his club ’ s red colours when he won the 2022 Ultra Marathon
A new millennium signalled changes , however . One was the colour of the lead runners ’ kit in high profile marathons and Ultra marathons on South African roads , and Two Oceans in particular . Viewers watching the big races live on television would have noticed the former diversity of colour increasingly replaced by a ‘ green screen ,’ as the Nedbank Running Club began to dominate .
At a time when professional athletes were struggling to find a supportive home , 1991 Comrades champion Nick Bester and his Nedbank team stepped into the breach and became the most dominant and successful professional running club on the continent . The substantial benefits to athletes afforded by running in the bright green singlet of the South African bank , persuaded many elites and semi-elites to join the club , but it also transformed the aesthetics of the country ’ s highest-profile races .
Return to the Artist ’ s Palette
In recent years , paralleling the resurgence in distance running in South Africa , there has been a slow return to the artist ’ s palette , as the growth in the number of clubs offering a home for elite athletes has translated into more colourful lead packs in top distance races . The deep red of Maxed Elite , the bright red of Boxer Athletics Club , the yellow of Murray & Roberts , the grey and white of Entsika , the green and gold of Phantane , and the ecclesiastical purple of Hollywood have brought back some of the diversity of earlier years .
Some , like Maxed Elite ( formerly Mr Price ) and Boxer , have been around for many years , while others , such as Phantane and Hollywood are more recent arrivals . These diverse sponsors coming to the Southern African distance running party in greater numbers than ever before is good for competition , and good for the sport .
Not that the Nedbank Running Club has gone backwards . Bester and co . have redoubled their efforts in the face of stronger competition – again , good for racing , good for the sport – and Nedbank ’ s bagging the first three past the post in last year ’ s Comrades Marathon is a clear indication that Green still rules . At least , in the longer ultra marathons .
Nedbank ’ s past dominance in the Two Oceans , however , has dimmed in recent years . In 2018 , the Green Wave swept six runners into the men ’ s top 10 in the Ultra Marathon , with one each from Entsika , Arthur Ford , Maxed Elite and Rocky Road Runners . Last year , there were just two Nedbank runners in the men ’ s top 10 , with Nedbank missing out on the podium altogether . But two was still double the next best , with Hollywood , Maxed Elite , Phantane , Arthur Ford and Save Orion each celebrating just a single athlete taking home gold . ( The other three positions were claimed by international athletes .)
The Green Wave in the 2017 Two Oceans Marathon
Images : Stephen Granger / SPNAfrica
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Four-time winner Monica Drögemöller proudly flew the colours of organising club Celtic Harriers