ELITES confident coming into the 2024 race . Likewise , van Zyl is back too . She missed the first half of 2023 due to injury , including her favourite race , the Totalsports Two Oceans Marathon . The forced layoff may have seen her miss out on the duel the running community was looking forward to , that between her and Steyn . Every cloud though has a silver lining . The forced layoff that was needed for her injury to heal also meant her body had time to recover from years and years of hard training . And the results were clear . Van Zyl won her fourth consecutive Soweto Marathon in November 2023 in emphatic fashion and was a mere 15 seconds off her own record . She now owns the three fastestever times for the Soweto Marathon . Injury-free , healthy and with only one goal in mind , to win that elusive crown of the Totalsports Two Oceans Marathon , van Zyl is ready for April 13 .
Could the chasing pack spoil the party ?
While the expected race upfront between van Zyl and Steyn could well result in another course record as that may well be what it takes to win , the other possibility is that the duel could see the two run so hard that they implode , leaving the chasing pack with an opportunity to pick up the pieces and just maybe spoil the party . Waiting in the wings are 2023 third-place finisher Carla Molinaro , “ new kid on the block ” Adele Broodryk , a resurgent Loveness Madziva and debutant Zinhle Shabalala .
Molinaro had fast finishes in both the 2023 Totalsports Two Oceans Marathons and the Comrades Marathon , finishing third in both races and will be keen to go one , if not two better . But more ominously is her win at the World 50k Championships in 2023 where she decimated a quality field to finish in 3:18.23 .
Broodryk has taken the South African Ultra scene by storm and could well upset the apple cart . Finishing 6th ( 2022 ) and 8th ( 2023 ) at the Totalsports Two Oceans Marathon she was also 3rd and 2nd at Comrades in 2022 and 2023 respectively . Her last race between Pietermaritzburg and Durban saw her clocking 5:56.26 is the third fastest time ever and the way she finished has many thinking she could go better . Her confidence is also on a new level and a podium could well be within her sights . And if the two favourites destroy each other in the process of looking for that win , a win that may very well require a new course record , then Broodryk will be eager to pounce .
Dark horse Loveness Madziva could well find herself in the top five at this year ’ s race . Madziva twice finished 7th ( 2018 / 19 ) and was 10th in 2023 , returning to racing after the birth of her first child . She recently joined the stable of coach Mdu Khumalo who has seen her improve dramatically . Madziva ’ s last long run was done at the Durban City Marathon on Sunday 24 March where she ran her second-best marathon time of 2:45.39 – and her best time since 2017 .
Debutant Zinhle Shabalala also has her eyes set on the top five , making the race for those five positions a fierce one . Shabalala was 3rd at the 2023 Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi 52k and has a 5th behind her name at the 2022 Nedbank Runified 50k .
Not to be ignored are America ’ s Andrea Pomaranski and Ireland ’ s Caitriona Jennings . Pomaranski was second at the 2023 World 50km Championships while Jennings was 3rd at the 2022 World 100km Championships . For both , this will be their first appearance at the World ’ s Most Beautiful Marathon .
The 2024 edition of the race is shaping up to be one of the most exciting in the history of the race .
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