Category: News

With the final names of Team SA for the Rio Olympics in August set to be announced soon, SA’s top athletes are chasing qualifying marks at local and international meets and events. Here are a few who have recently put their hands up for inclusion in the team. – BY SEAN FALCONER

No Cramping Irv’s Style

In spite of bitterly cold conditions that left her feet numb for the first 15km of the London Marathon in April, Irvette van Zyl was able to post a fast 2:32:20 to make her the fastest female marathoner inside the 2:45 Olympic qualifying criteria set by SASCOC and put her in pole position for selection for Rio. She also had to overcome the obstacle of being in the process of recovering from a stomach bug the week before, and then missed her personal drink at 25km, meaning she ran without any hydration from 20km to 30km and suffered cramping in both her stomach and legs, making the last 12km very hard. With the leg cramps I knew that if even stopped for any period of time, it would have been extremely hard to get going again, so I really had to hang in there. Let’s just say I was really pleased to get to the finish line,” she said.

Lebo Adds Her Name

Hot on the heels of Irvette van Zyl’s 2:32:20 in London came news that Lebo Phalula ran 2:33:48 in just her second marathon, at the Enschede Marathon in the Netherlands. Lebo’s time is not just a PB by just over five minutes, but is just five seconds slower than Christine Kalmer’s 2:33:43 (run in Valencia, Spain late last year), and thus puts her third on the list of fastest qualifiers and provisionally on the plane to Rio. “When the girls left me running alone at 16km, I just told myself I have to be strong and run my race with my own splits, which was easy. My first aim was to finish the race and all went according my plans,” she said.

Lynique Leaping for Joy

Having finally recovered from a long-term back injury, long jumper Lynique Prinsloo soared to a massive Olympic qualifier at the South African Student Championships in Limpopo at the end of April. Needing a 6.70m jump, she cleared that by a full 8cm, and said afterwards that moving to work with renowned long jump coach Emmarie Fouche at the University of Johannesburg has made the difference, on top of recovering from the three-year struggle with her back. “The wind played around with our first three jumps, on my fourth I got too much height, the fifth was a no-jump and then the last jump I came up with that 6.78. Sometimes an athlete can just feel it’s a good jump, and it felt like I was flying through the air for longer than usual.”

Dom Now in Elite Trio

Dominique Scott-Efurdbooked a provisional spot in Rio when she clocked a personal best 31:56.84 for 10,000m at the Payton Jordan Invitational meeting in California, taking 15 seconds off her previous best and finishing well under the Olympic qualifying mark of 32:15. Only two South African women, Elana Meyer and Colleen De Reuck, have ever gone faster, and Dominique is just the third to break 32 minutes. Should she get the nod to compete in Rio, she will be the first SA woman to run the Olympic 10,000m since Elana won the silver medal in Barcelona in 1992. “It’s been my dream ever since I can remember to compete in the Olympics in South Africa’s green and gold,” she said. “This was a dream even before I began racing on the track.”

Perfect Hurdle Execution

In the men’s 400m hurdles, Lindsay Hanekom looks to have realised his dream of booking a spot in Rio, thanks to clocking 49.03 at the ASA Open Championships in Bloemfontein in early May. His time is well inside the 49.40 qualifying time, and gives him a new personal best by 0.43 seconds. “I knew it was just a question of time before that time came! I was very, very focused ahead of my race and just went out trying to strive for perfect hurdle execution,” said Lindsay. “I was also very relaxed between my hurdles and maintained good rhythm. I’ve had a few injuries this year and didn’t have the best SA Championships, but I’ve risen above that and just came out to do my best.”

On Sunday, 29 May 2016, Caroline Wöstmann of KPMG Running Club will try and achieve something that no other female athlete has done before. She will attempt to win both the Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon as well as the Comrades Marathon in two consecutive years.

Derek Preiss is the only athlete so far that was able to do so. He did so in 1974 and 1975. With her victory in last year’s Comrades, Wöstmann, who trains at the High Performance Centre (HPC),became only the fourth athlete ever to win the Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon as well as the Comrades Marathonin the same year.

Frith van der Merwe did so in 1989 and Elena Nurgalieva from Russia in 2004 and 2012.

Lindsey Parry (head coach at Tuks/HPC) emphasized that making running history will not be what the Comrades will be about for Wöstmann on Sunday.

“Caroline’s only focus will be to stick to the race plan we agreed on. I think we have planned a good race. I know you can never expect to win a race but we are expecting to be competitive.  The good thing is that, as far as I am concerned, there is no pressure on Caroline. The fact that she has won the Two Oceans means that she has already achieved a great result for the year.”

What does it take to win Comrades?

“It is no secret. The fastest time on the day will win the race and we are aiming to run the fastest time. It is not impossible for Caroline to go under six hours but that is not our target.”

Parry expects that the women’s race might boil down to a battle between Wöstmann, Charné Bosman and Britain’s Ellie Greenwood. Last year Bosman, who also trains at the HPC, was second and Greenwood finished second in 2014.

“Quite a few other talented runners will also be competing. For example, Sweden’s Kajsa Berg who finished 2nd last September in the World 100km Championships in Winschoten, the Netherlands, but it is important to keep in mind that nobody just ‘rocks up’ at Comrades and wins. You first have to pay your dues.”

According to Parry, the unknown factors in the race will be Tanith Maxwell, a former Olympian marathon athlete, and Colleen de Reuck, a SA Olympian who now lives in the USA.  Although De Reuck is 52 already, Parry is confident that she will finish in the top ten.

Parry prefers not to make predictions about what might happen if Wöstmann and Bosman should be the two athletes to duel it out over the final kilometres.

“I coach both of them so I try not to play them off against each other. If Charné remembers to stick to her game plan it could be a very interesting race.”

Asked if he made drastic changes to the training programs of Wöstmann and Bosman since last year when they prepared for the ‘up-run’ (Durban to Pietermaritzburg), Parry said: “The fundamentals of running Comrades remain the same. In both the up and down runs the first 27 kilometres are the hardest part of the course.”

The Hollard JURA will have you crawling, climbing and running through urban and man-made obstacles you've never experienced before. It’s Go Time! Experience an adventure in your backyard at the Hollard Jozi Urban Run Adventure at Marks Park on Saturday, 28 May 2016. The Hollard JURA is a race that combines the best parts of trail running and obstacle courses to form a whole new urban running experience.

Here are our 5 top tips in conquering the Hollard JURA obstacles:

Show us your Spots

There’s nowhere to move but forward. For the leopard mesh crawl you’ll be making your way bum up and belly to the grass to get to the other side.

Hint: Keep your bum up so the net is above your face, that way you use your arms to move the net in front of you, easy-peasy!

Hanging Tough

Think ropes, and lots of them. You'll have to navigate your way across a rope jungle, using those guns to get you safely across and back to earth. Remember, the only wrong direction is down.

Hint: Build momentum then swing over and grab the next rope, this applies especially to those a little short in the arm department.

Wet and Wild

A addition to the Hollard JURA is the over 60m inflatable water slide. Glide your way down at speed while the water sprays around you. Time to cool down and letting catch your breath before the adventure continues. 

Hint: Lie flat on your back, hold your nose if you don’t want water up those nostrils and don’t forget to say “Weeeeeee!”

The Last Straw

With over 300 hay bales, the affectionately named “Hay Bale Hell is one of the highlights along the route. You’llrun and jump your way through, burying your hands in the straw and pulling yourself over, upwards and onwards.

Hint: Straw can scratch, so grab gently when you’re reaching for the next bale as you work your way over. Don’t forget to hoist and help each other out.

Over, Under, Through

From a series of obstacles to hop over and a variety of urban obstacles and storm water drains to crawl under and through. The Hollard JURA will have you going all O.U.T.

Hint:Going up? Hold the top, slide your foot to the side of the obstacle to get a good grip and then lift. Going under? Stop, drop and roll or try a squat and crawl.

Other obstacles you can look forward to: 3 crawling tunnels, grabbing some frequent climber miles up the Albert’s Farm rock climb, Tarzan style rope swings over Spruit ravines, wobbling your way across the balance walkers and winding your way down the 300m reed tunnel.

There’s fun for everyone, pick from three distance options: 6km, 12km and 18km. Each distance will feature a variety of inner-city obstacles, detours for those less adventurously inclined and routes that will give you the chance to climb, crawl and run through an epic urban jungle gym.

For those not lacing up and for all your family and friends, the Hollard Adventure Weekend Race Day Village at Marks Park will be alive with activity for the whole family.

Some fun to look forward to: A mini obstacle course for the adventurers in the making, an SAB beer garden and “Gig Rig”, Joburg’s top food stalls, an ABI family area, and much more. Follow all the latest news and announcements via social media by following us on Facebook.

There two weeks to go and a couple entries left so dust off those running shoes and enter! Entry fees are R249 for the 6km, R299 for the 12km and R330 for the 18km. Get your nearest sole mate and visit www.joziadventure.co.zafor entries and more information.

One year on……..from 5km to 42km in 365 days.
That’s the story of this middle of the road fatty, who, on May 1st 2015 quite literally huffed and puffed her way to a Deloitte Challenge 5km medal and exactly one year later, at the 2016 Challenge, “ground” through 42km for an eagerly desired finisher’s medal. Not that I didn’t “hit the wall”, think seriously about “bailing”, question my sanity, mutter and scowl while plodding the hills, wonder where everyone was on the flat sections plus question the marshals during the last 5km as to why the finish line had been moved. At the end of it all, my name is written in the annals of KwaZulu-Natal’s marathon history.
Let the record show; I love marathons. Lead me to the start line of the next, and the next, and the next, and the next, and the……get my point?
Please allow me to emphasise my marathon running future in the words of that ever popular ’60 – ‘70s pop group, The Hollies and their ’69 mash hit, He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother;
The road is long, With many a winding turns, That leads us to who knows where, Who knows where?
The road running bug has not so much bitten but rather wedged itself into every fibre of my being.
Three marathons medals hanging on the wall and there’s loads of room for many, many more. I’ve reached the stage in this matter of regular running where; no run – no smile, which I understand is the psychological disposition of a marathon runner. Life is miserable without my daily run.
What continues to astound me in my pursuit of distance running medals is that I have also reached the place where it hardly seems worthwhile gearing up for a 10km run. Can this really be? Is this what I have become? Is this the same person, who after her initial foray into the world of road running, was virtually brought to her knees (not in the Biblical sense you understand) from exhaustion after what would now be considered warm-up?
How well I recall that first Deloitte Challenge 5km in ‘15. Every aspect of the event was overwhelming. The large crowd of runners, the route, the aches and pains during the run and not least of all, the uncertainly of whether I would be able to stand upright while receiving my medal after suffering oxygen deprivation during the final kilometre These reflections still leave me with a profound sense of wonder and accomplishment.
My three ’16 marathons each have special memories indelibly etched in my mind.
‘Maritzburg City Marathon, my first, screamed with fear of the unknown. Is this for real? I have no idea of the route. What do I eat along the way? Can I go the distance? Will my legs hold out? Can I finish? What if……? The finish line……so soon? One down. First 42km finishers medal EVER. Happiness is……
Number two, Veralum; the loneliness of the long distance runner. Where has everyone gone? Why is it so quiet here…..? There’s no one to talk to……dogs aren’t even barking. All I can see is sugar cane. Why am I doing this? Am I having fun yet? What……my second medal already? Watch me drill this one next year
The Deloitte Challenge, my third 42km, had me questioning (rather brashly I’m afraid); who said there were no steep climbs in this marathon? Is this the race everyone said was downhill? Road runners speak with fork tongue……I’m in another race ……I’m on the wrong road, I can feel it. Where are the down hills everyone talked about and why have all the marshals gone home early? I can see the finish line; 500m to go……time to celebrate……another one bites the dust
A week later I attempted the Durban City Marathon but with KZN receiving its total summer rain fall in one weekend, I hauled my drenched, soggy body and shoes to a 21km medal. The proverbial water, water everywhere never rang truer.
This year has also registered a number of growth areas in my life. There has been an increase in my pain threshold. I have met a variety of medical practitioners whom under normal circumstances I would have not known existed. I have discovered a host of over the counter pain remedies. I have explored a world of diets previously unbeknown to me plus I have taken on an entirely new athletic vocabulary. I have also mastered new codes; LSD, PB, Negative Splits, DNS, DNF and VO2Max, plus I have taken to mixing my drinks while on the run. I also now treat pain with ice. In addition I go to bed tired and I wake up tired each morning.
Oh……and have I mentioned I now consume enough food and drink for three obese adults?
And in that my dear readers, lies the agony of my new found passion – I am still a middle of the road fatty. I don’t do weight loss.
I wonder why?

SANDTON, JOHANNESBURG, 11 MAY 2016 – Today, 11^th of May 2016, Comrades Marathon major sponsor, Nedbank, hosted their elite Nedbank Club runners from around the country at Nedbank’s Head Office in Johannesburg for an official Nedbank Running Club media launch and Comrades marathon send-off.

This is the first time that Nedbank has hosted its top Comrades Marathon gold medal contenders in the same place at the same time prior to this major race. This momentous occasion allowed media the rare opportunity to interview these elite athletes prior to the Comrades Marathon.

The send-off began at 7am with a 5km fun run/walk around the Nedbank Head Office in Sandton, involving Nedbank Running Club elite runners, their coaches and managers, plus Nedbank staff and executive management, and the media. This was followed by a Nedbank-sponsored breakfast during which Nedbank CEO, Mike Brown, gave a heartfelt speech wishing all runners good luck for their 2016 Comrades Marathon endeavour.

Pro runners flown up for this event included Nedbank Running Club’s Claude Moshiywa, who was the first South African winner of the Comrades Marathon’s ‘Up Run’ in 21 years when he claimed victory at the 88^th marathon in 2013. Moshiywa placed 3^rd at the 2011 marathon and 7^th at the 2015 marathon.

Also present was Charne Bosman (4^th Women – 2016 Two Oceans Marathon, 5^th Women – 2015 Two Oceans Marathon, 2^nd Women 2015 Comrades Marathon); Ludwick Mamabolo (6^th – 2016 Two Oceans Marathon, 2^nd – 2014 Comrades Marathon, 4^th – 2013 Comrades Marathon); Siphiwe Ndlela (10^th – 2016 Two Oceans Marathon, 17^th – 2015 Comrades Marathon); Eric Ngubane (19^th in 2009 Comrades Marathon), and Renier Grobler (18^th in 2015 Comrades Marathon) – will also be at the event.

“This rare but fantastic official media launch and CEO send-off, for and by the Nedbank Running Club, was aimed at giving elite Nedbank-sponsored athletes, Nedbank employees, and the media, the rare opportunity to interact in a fun and informal atmosphere. The send-off was about celebrating the growth of the Nedbank Running Club and how it continues to add immense value to thousands of social and Nedbank Dream Team elite runners across the country.

This momentous occasion in Nedbank history also offered our CEO, and our formidable runners, the heart-warming opportunity to say hello and thank you to one another, which was an amazing experience for all of them,” said Tobie Badenhorst, Head of Sponsorship and Cause Marketing at Nedbank.

Nedbank CEO, Mike Brown, took the opportunity to announce that Nedbank has signed a further three-year sponsorship deal with the Nedbank Running Club, which will extend the bank’s support for the club to 2019. Launched in 2008, the Nedbank Running Club’s core focus has been to bring running enthusiasts together in a social but competitive environment, also identifying and guiding talented individuals to their full potential in the sport. Under the expert management of Nick Bester (past Comrades Marathon winner), the Nedbank Running Club has 13 branches in 12 cities around South Africa, and has grown from a base of 1 200 runners in 2008, to 3 800 runners in 2015.

Testament to its success, Nedbank’s representation at the 90^th Comrades Marathon in 2015 saw more than 1000 Nedbank Club runners enter the event, with nine of the 20 gold medals going to Nedbank Club members.

“Nedbank remains a dedicated supporter, and sponsor, of South African runners. Running provides opportunities for all South Africans across cultural, racial and financial barriers. Running is truly a sport for all. We look forward to once again seeing the Nedbank colours fill the streets in the 2016 Comrades Marathon,” said Badenhorst.

At the media launch, Mike Brown also unveiled Nedbank’s 2016 Comrades Marathon CSI initiative to support the #GoSandile campaign.

Said Badenhorst, “Four years ago, 17-year-old Sandile Mbili from Diepsloot in Johannesburg lost his legs due to a bacterial infection. The amputation confined Sandile to a wheelchair. This affected his life tremendously, especially getting to and from school as most taxis would refuse to pick him up. With the help of two non-profit organisations – One School at a Time and the Jumping Kids Foundation – Sandile has been fitted with prosthetic legs.”

To motivate Sandile to walk again using his prosthetic legs, the Jumping Kids Foundation launched a Twitter campaign called #GoSandile, which encourages everyone to tweet motivational messages to him, using the #GoSandile hashtag. These tweets are printed out and given to Sandile at each of his physiotherapy sessions, encouraging him to take another step to success.

“Nedbank truly believes in this positive campaign to encourage and motivate Sandile to run again, and have challenged Sandile to do something incredible – they have challenged him to run the Nedbank Green Mile, which is 1.6km, at the 2016 Comrades Marathon,” said Badenhorst,

Badenhorst says that this distance will be physically and mentally challenging for Sandile, but what will motivate him tremendously is that he won’t be running for fun, he’ll be running to raise funds for other child paraplegics in a similar situation to himself.

To help Sandile help other runners like himself – simply send a tweet of encouragement to @PhambiliSandile with the hashtags #GoSandile #NedbankGreenMile.

With all the tweets received, Nedbank will create a 1.6km Twitter track at the 2016 Comrades Marathon Nedbank Green Mile for Sandile to run over. For every Tweet that Sandile receives and is used for the track, a donation will be made to the Jumping Kids Foundation to help more paraplegic children get prosthetic legs.

Said Sandile, “I am so excited. I like helping people. I can see the difference that these legs have brought to my life and if I can help people by just running, I’ll never stop.”

Editors’ Notes

Nedbank is an official major sponsor of the 2016 Comrades Marathon.

The first Comrades Marathon took place on 24th May 1921, Empire Day, starting outside the City Hall in Pietermaritzburg with 34 runners. It has continued since then every year with the exception of the war years 1941-1945, with the direction alternating each year between Pietermaritzburg and Durban, the so called up & down runs.

The Nedbank Green Mile is the only official spectator point along the marathon route, offering Comrades supporters a perfect vantage point to view all the race action. It is located along Old Main Road in Kloof and is just 26km from the finish line in Kingsmead, Durban.

Entry into the Nedbank Green Mile Spectator Zone is free and festivities start at 8am.

This year the 89-km marathon starts in Pietermaritzburg and ends in Durban on 29 May 2016.

Recently, concern was raised about Irvette van Zyl and her qualification for the Rio Olympic Games set to happen in August 2016.

Irvette stated that the 10 000m was always Plan-B. Irvette had qualified for the Olympic Games by running a time of 2:32:20 in the recent London Marathon. She is confident that the training she is receiving from coach Lindsay Parry will enable her to run a faster 10 000m time than 32 minutes.

“The problem is that I am battling to get an invite to compete in an international 10 000m race. Time is running out and the fact that I have already qualified for the Games in the marathon could mean that, at least for the moment, I might abandon my plan to try to qualify in a second event.”

Irvette said that she and her coach Lindsay Parry have learned valuable lessons from her participation in the 2016 London Marathon.

“I will be honest.  To be able to run a sub 32-minute 10 000m race is one of those must-do goals I have set myself. So if I don’t do it this year I will definitely try to do it next year. I am actually considering to race more on the track next year.”

But running the marathon is the least of the Nedbank runner’s problems at this very moment in time. On Sunday, 15 May 2016, Irvette will be competing in the FNB Cape Town 12 ONERUN. While Irvette is confident that she is able to win any race from 5km to 21km, she is not so sure about being victorious over 12 kilometres.

“Twelve kilometres is an odd distance to race. Last year I raced it exactly the same way I would have done over 10km, but those last two kilometres felt very long. I think I will have to change my mind-set when I race on Sunday.”

Although Irvette has not been beaten in a local race this season, she is hesitant to make any predictions. The organisers have invited some top international athletes and the competition will be very interesting.

“The best I can do will be to try and make a race of it. Then whatever happens, happens.”

Modern Athlete together with Go Sports Travel in partnership with Air Mauritius and LUX* Resorts & Hotels are giving you the chance to win an all-expenses paid trip to Mauritius to take part in the LUX* Mauritius Marathon! This is the perfect opportunity to escape the Winter Chill and head off for warmer weather, and maybe a cocktail or two.

Being run for the seventh time, the marathon takes place on 17 July 2016, starting at Saint Felix’s Beach, the route runs towards Riambel and then onto Le Morne Village, giving runners the opportunity to race along one of the most beautiful coastal roads the island has to offer. Runners also get a taste of local life as the route takes them through some typical fishing villages, and ending on the white sandy beaches of Saint Felix, runners can cool off with a swim in the lagoon while cheering on those still coming in.

It’s a magical race, so enter today and you will stand a chance of winning the trip for two to not only run it, but also to have a much-needed holiday on one of the most beautiful tropical islands in the world!

Valued at over R30 000 the prize includes:

• Return flights on Air Mauritius
• 5-night stay for two people sharing at the LUX*Tamassa Bel Ombre Hotel
• Entry for two people for the LUX* Mauritius Marathon
• Two TomTom Runner 2 watches

How to Enter:

Click on the link below, fill out your details and hit Enter – it’s that easy!

To increase your chances of winning, sign up for a free digital subscription for Modern Athlete Magazine and gain an extra entry into the competition! You can add another entry to your basket by signing up for a free digital subscription to Modern Cyclist Magazine.

But wait, there’s more… Refer friends using our 'Refer a Friend' form, and if they enter the competition as well, you will gain more entries into the competition! There is no limit on how many friends you can refer, so run with it!

Closing Date for Entries is 24 June 2016 so enter now! T's and C's apply.

The Comrades Marathon Association (CMA) has announced that its official 2016 Comrades Marathon Substitution Process is open as of today, 1 April 2016, and will be open for the next three weeks, closing on 21 April.

This means that runners who were unable to enter the 2016 Comrades Marathon during the official entry period from 1 September to 30 November 2015 now have an opportunity to still be part of the world’s most famous ultra-marathon on Sunday 29 May 2016 via the Substitution process. The process allows for a runner who has not entered to substitute in for an entrant who has withdrawn, or intends to withdraw, from the 2016 edition of The Ultimate Human Race.

Substitutions can only take effect on a like for like basis, meaning SA runners can only substitute for SA entrants, Rest of Africa (ROA) for other ROA runners and International runners for International entrants.

The completed application forms as specified in the Substitution Rule must reach the CMA office by 21 April 2016. There will be no extension of this deadline and no postal applications will be accepted.

Athletes still intending to submit Substitution application forms are advised to visit the official Comrades Marathon website at www.comrades.com for the downloadable forms and the comprehensive list of rules and regulations which govern the Substitution process. Prospective substitutes are encouraged to do their application online.

Race Director Rowyn James says, “The Substitution Rule has been part of the Comrades Marathon entry rules for the past four years. It has been very well received by our runners and we look forward to seeing many more athletes taking to the start line on Sunday 29 May 2016.”

With just under 3km to go in the 2016 Old Mutual Two oceans Marathon, Tanith Maxwell must have thought she had done enough to win the women’s title, having led for much of the race, then being overtaken by unheralded Ethiopian Amelework Fikadu Bosho on the Constantia Nek climb, but digging deep to reclaim the lead for much of the last 10km. However, she simply didn’t have an answer to the flying Caroline W?stmann, who once again left her charge late to power through and claim the win. She crossed the line in 3:44:44, 71 seconds ahead of Maxwell, wo had been third in 2015, with Bosho third

Last year W?stmann became the first South African female winner at Two Oceans in 14 years, then went on to win the Comrades Marathon as well, only the fourth athlete ever to record this ‘double’ in the two premier South African ultra-marathons. Then, just two weeks before this year’s Two Oceans, she won the Old Mutual Om Die Dam 50km ultra as well, becoming only the second athlete after Frith van der Merwe to win all three, and the first athlete ever to hold all three titles at the same time. Now, having won the Two Oceans again, she is on the brink of making history by winning all three in the same year, if she can repeat her Comrades win, and having run both Om Die Dam and Two Oceans fairly conservatively, she is looking odds on favourite to do so.

Before the race, W?stmann said that she would use the Two Oceans just as “a training run” in preparation for the Comrades in nine weeks, but once again she appeared to easily outrun the rest of the women without really having to exert herself. “I am very happy where I am in my training, although not quite in the same shape as I was last year, as I am planning to peak for the Comrades,” she said. “I think the absence of the Russians made the race slower than last year, and I was happy to let Tanith set the pace and to hang back in the main pack.” She said she then pushed hard for only the last 8km: “I asked myself, 'If I was running a time trial now, how do my legs feel?’ They didn't feel too bad.” W?stmann added that her aim is a another win and a sub-6 hour at Comrades, something that only Van der Merwe, American Ann Trason and Tatyana Zhirkova of Russia have done before. “I don't think this will mess up my Comrades,” she said.

In the men's race, the international contingent dominated as usual, but a strong wind buffeting the runners along Chapman's Peak Drive resulted in slower times overall. The win went to Zimbabwe’s Mike Fokoroni in 3:13:33, the slowest time since Phineas Makaba won in 3:15:06 as long ago as 1994. Three South Africans finished in the top ten, with former Comrades champion Modibe Ludwick Mamabolo taking sixth in 3:17:52.

Another highlight of the women’s race was the ultra-marathoning debut of SA all-time great Colleen De Reuck (51), who finished fifth in 3:53:07, demolishing the Master (50-59) age category course record and setting a new world age best at 50km of 3:27:38, shattering the previous time of 3:41:57 run by Brit Lavina Petrie in Canberra, Australia in 1994. Although now an American citizen, she received a rousing welcome everywhere she went pre-race, and the crowds loved her performance on race day as well. (Three other 50km records were also set: Fourth-placed woman Charne Bosman ran 3:24:46 for a South African record for veterans, as well as a WP open record, while the Pole Bogdan Barewski's 3:58:03 is a WP men’s open record for grandmasters.

Other notable finishes saw two runners, Tony Abrahamson and Louis Massyn, finish their 41st Two Oceans, in 5:08:44 and 6:08:24 respectively, to equal the all-time record held by the now retired Noel Stamper. These two grandmasters will pass that mark next year if they finish the 2017 Two Oceans.

The half marathon was missing a number of SA’s top runners, who were doing international duty at the World Half Marathon Champs in Cardiff, Wales on the same day, but the race still produced fast time. In the men's Half, Namakoe Nkhasi of Lesotho had to give everything in a sprint finish to beat SA track star Elroy Gelant by two seconds in a personal best of 1:03:38 – a mere three seconds slower than the course record held by three-time winner Stephen Mokoka, who was in Cardiff. The women’s race was dominated by Irvette van Zyle, who is the country’s fastest female half marathoner this year. She won easily in 1:13:14, just 31 seconds outside the course record, and more than four minutes clear of second-placed Onneile Dintwe of Botswana.