Category: News

Just days after announcing their title sponsorship of the Colin Mayer Tour mountain bike stage race in Mauritius in October, Grit Real Estate Income Group (GRIT) announced its sponsorship of the 4th annual Oakley X-Over event, powered by Sharp, cementing the GRIT brand firmly within the family sporting community in Mauritius and South Africa.

The popular, 2-day Oakley X-Over sports-celebrity event took place 20-21 July as part of the J-Bay Winterfest and comprised three vastly different disciplines – a 15km mountain bike race, a surfing contest, and 9-holes of golf.

This year’s sporting celebrities was a star-studded list of Who’s Who in Sport – Jean De Villiers, Dale Steyn, Greg Minnaar, John Smit, Jordy Smith, Ryan Sandes, Garreth McLellan, Giniel De Villiers, Raynard Tissink, Ruan de Smidt, Lance Isaacs, Nick de Wit, Kerim Fitzgerald, Butch James, Seabelo Senatla, Tonderai Chavhanga, Australian wildcard, Tom Whitaker, and radio and TV personality, Ryan O’Connor.

In the mountain bike race, multiple Downhill Mountain Bike World Champ, Greg Minnaar, rode into the lead to stay ahead of last year’s overall winner, Raynard Tissink, with Giniel De Villiers finishing in third.

The surf event held at Kitchen Windows was unsurprisingly won by Australian surfer, Tom Whitaker. He put on an innovative display in the Kitchen Windows surf, defeating Dale Steyn and Greg Minnaar, who finished second and third respectively.

In the last event, the X-Over Golf Tournament at the Links Golf Course, South African golfer, Ruan De Smidt, took the win ahead of Butch James and Garreth McLellan, aka Soldier Boy, MMA’s favourite champion.

Once the final tally was calculated, Greg Minnaar was crowned the overall winner of the 2017 Oakley X-Over. The competition runner-up was former South African rugby player, Butch James, and third place went to ex-Springbok captain, John Smit.

Said GRIT Director, and former pro-surfer, Greg Pearson, “This brand association was perfect for GRIT. Here were the toughest sporting individuals in the world taking on each other in disciplines other than their own, and fighting to the end. Similarly, as a company, we compete in the toughest industry and go to war every day for our clients, challenging beliefs on what is possible, proving it’s not what you do that counts but who you are that makes the difference. And we are the best. It takes guts, resilience, initiative and tenacity to succeed – real grit!”

Recently, Grit Real Estate Income Group rebranded from Mara Delta to better reflect the current and future growth ambitions of the Company.

The new brand positioning captures the Group’s entrepreneurial and determined spirit, and its ambitions for growth in Africa while entrenching international appeal and stature. Grit has experienced substantial growth over the last few years, having recently paid its sixth consecutive distribution and has set even bolder growth ambitions for the near future, including listing on the London Stock Exchange.

“The Oakley X-Over Celebrity Challenge strongly aligns with our motto of ‘work hard and play hard’ and we are very excited to be associated with the event,” comments Pearson.

The J-Bay Winterfest took place from 12-23 July, and comprises the Oakley X-Over, the Corona Open J-Bay World Surf League Championship Tour event, the J-Bay Loggers Classic surf contest, the Endurade J-BayX Trail Run, the J-Bay Wind Farm MTB Classic, the Coldwater Classic open-water swim, fishing, kite festival, motocross and more.

About Grit Real Estate Income Group

Grit is the largest and only pan-African focused real estate income group listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange and the Stock Exchange of Mauritius.

The Company focuses exclusively on real estate assets on the continent (excluding South Africa), underpinned by US Dollar and Euro denominated long-term leases with high quality tenants, delivering strong sustainable income.

Grit manages in excess of US$ 600 million worth of assets (post transfer of current acquisitions) with access to numerous acquisition opportunities. These include a strong pipeline of quality assets in Mauritius, Zambia, Kenya, Uganda, Mozambique, Morocco and others.

The Company’s immediate strategy is to consolidate opportunities within current countries of operation before expanding into other geographies.

www.grit.group

The fight against doping in sport will continue to be robust in spite of full accreditation again being withheld from the local laboratory which does testing, says the South African Institute for Drug-Free Sport (SAIDS).

For the past year SAIDS has already been sending drug test samples from local athletes to World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)-accredited laboratories in various countries, including Qatar, Belgium, Italy and the USA.

This has been done since WADA initially withdrew accreditation from the SA Doping Control Laboratory at the University of the Free State for 12 months in May last year. The 12-month suspension period is now over and – in spite of a temporary and partial relaxing of the suspension by WADA in August 2016 that allowed blood analyses – the full accreditation has again been withheld. The laboratory will continue to do testing of blood samples but not urine.

The laboratory is run independently of SAIDS and reports to the University of the Free State. SAIDS is its primary customer for the analysis of doping control samples. SAIDS remains committed to supporting the ongoing efforts of the University of Free State to regain the full accreditation of the doping control laboratory.

“SAIDS is disappointed to learn of WADA’s decision not to restore the laboratory’s full accreditation, clearly the steps taken to ensure compliance have still fallen short of WADA’s standards” said SAIDS CEO Khalid Galant.

“Drug testing in sport in South Africa has not been significantly affected but the cost of testing has increased substantially, mainly due to overseas courier costs,” said Galant.

“SAIDS would like to reassure national sports federations and athletes that protecting clean sport is our priority and that drug testing will continue along the robust lines that have become expected of us,” said Galant.

In a glitzy media launch last night in Durban, Stillwater Sports, the organisers of the FNB Cape Town 12 ONERUN and the FNB Joburg 10K CITYRUN, officially launched the FNB Durban 10K CITYSURFRUN, taking place on Sunday 8 October 2017, as part of its popular ‘Run Your City’ series. This race has the potential to become one of the fastest 10km events in the world, and with a significant prize purse on offer, it is already attracting the attention of the top South African road runners.

The FNB Durban 10K CITYSURFRUN will highlight the beauty of Durban while granting entrants the unique opportunity to explore the city. In addition to exciting on-route entertainment and a vibrant event atmosphere, entrants can look forward to running past iconic landmarks such as the Moses Mabhida Stadium, People’s Park, Old Fort, Juma Mosque, Durban Maritime Museum, City Hall, Human Rights Memorial Hall and the Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

“With the FNB Cape Town 12 ONERUN currently in its third year and the FNB Joburg 10K CITYRUN in its second year, we are extremely excited to launch a third mass participation road run – with a twist – this time in the bustling city of Durban,” says Michael Meyer, Managing Director of Stillwater Sports. “Following the blueprint of its sister-events, the FNB Durban 10K CITYSURFRUN will hero KwaZulu-Natal’s largest city. In addition to astonishing on route entertainment and rubbing shoulders with some of the world’s best middle distance runners, entrants will experience a 10km journey through the city, past a number of Durban’s iconic landmarks.”

“The FNB Durban 10K CITYSURFRUN route will be fast and flat,” continues Meyer. “Add to the mix near perfect weather conditions, and our goal of making this the fastest 10km in the world becomes even more achievable. We will be targeting some big name athletes to race through the streets of Durban in October, meaning South Africa’s best athletes will have another opportunity to race against the world’s best, ultimately uplifting the standard of South African middle distance running. We look forward to welcoming runners to an unforgettable event that encourages all to ‘Run the 031’.”

South African 5000m Record Holder and Olympian Elroy Gelant is brimming with excitement about the new event. “This is exactly what we need to boost middle distance running in South Africa, opportunities that reward our efforts in terms of prize money and opportunities to compete at home against the best in the world. Racing these top guys makes us even hungrier, and I am really looking forward to racing in Durban on 8 October.”

Howard Arrand, Provincial Head of FNB Business in KwaZulu-Natal, says, “The province boasts one of the most diverse destinations in the world in terms of offerings to a tourist. The diversity in cultures, subtropical climate, cuisine, natural landscapes and history is astounding, so what better way to show off the city than to invite the world to take part in a run that shows off this gem. FNB takes community building seriously, as it is well aligned to our brand values, and the sponsorship of the FNB Durban 10K CITYSURFRUN is a proof point where we answer our own call, how can we help you?”

According to Brett Bellinger, Marketing Director of PUMA South Africa, his company is proud to extend its partnership with Stillwater Sports and FNB by hosting a third major road running event. “With running continuing to be one of the major focus areas for the brand, both globally and locally, we are excited to carry the success of the FNB Cape Town 12 ONERUN and FNB Joburg 10K CITYRUN over to Durban. The ‘Run Your City’ series supports PUMA’s strategy of growing PUMA Running and bringing exciting running events to South Africa.”

The new FNB Durban 10K CITYSURFRUN will take place on Sunday 8 October, starting at 8am in front of Moses Mabhida Stadium in Masabalala Yengwa Street. The race will finish on the Beachfront Precinct adjacent to Moses Mabhida Stadium. Entires have already opened, and will close on Monday 25 September. For more information mail [email protected] or visit www.durban10k.com.

PUMA continues to focus on growing local athletics talent with the announcement today that the global sports brand has signed an endorsement deal with South African 100m sprint star Thando Roto.

21-year-old Roto is South Africa’s second-fastest man ever over 100m, having clocked a blistering 9.95sec in March 2017, which is also the fourth-fastest time in the world so far this season.

Hailing from King Williams Town in the Eastern Cape, Roto trains under the watchful eye of coach Hennie Kriel at the University of Pretoria, where he is in his second year of Sports Science studies. Roto is proud of his nickname ‘The Rock’, which he says is a tribute to his studious ways and focused approached to training.

Under the Forever Faster mantra, PUMA will provide Roto with the best in technical apparel to help him on his way to the world stage with Speed 300 IGNITE training shoes and competition spikes, EvoSPEED Electric 5. Commenting on his new deal with PUMA, Thando says, “I’m excited with the partnership and looking forward to the journey with PUMA.”

Brett Bellinger, PUMA’s Marketing Director for South Africa, says, “Thando is a raw talent who caught our eye with his impressive sprint performances. He embodies the spirit and values of PUMA, both on and off the track, by training and competing hard. He’s a young man with a huge future and we’re pleased to play a part in the success that will come.”

The signing of Thando Roto follows last years’ announcement of partnerships between PUMA and up-and-coming track stars Gezelle Magerman and Malesela Senona, as well as the long-standing sponsorship of fellow 100m sub-10 sprinter Henricho Bruintjies. Follow @PUMASouthAfrica and @Thando_Roto on social media for the latest news and updates.

Leading GPS watch manufacturer TomTom has pledged its support to the Modern Athlete Comrades Pacesetters for the 2017 Comrades Marathon, and another pacing stalwart has come on board to complete the pacing schedule, meaning there will be an official bus every 30 minutes from the sub-8:30 bus all the way through to the sub-12:00 bus.

The 92nd running of the Comrades Marathon will not only once again feature the Modern Athlete Comrades Pacesetters – the only official pacesetters in the race – but this year there will be more buses than ever, and the pacesetters will all be wearing the latest technology from TomTom on their wrists to help them monitor their pace at all times and bring their buses home on time.

Having just signed up as the technical sponsor of the Comrades Pacesetters this week, Chantal Grobler, the Senior Account Manager & Sports Specialist for TomTom South Africa, says “This will be a great partnership for all parties, as the TomTom brand stands for technology and reliability, and we are happy to be supporting the popular pacing buses that so many runners have come to rely on at the Comrades Marathon.”

Echoing her thoughts, Modern Athlete Editor Sean Falconer says, “TomTom has been a regular supporter and partner of our magazine for several years, and we are thrilled to welcome them on board our Comrades Pacsetting Programme as well. These Pacesetters are volunteers who sacrifice their own racing goals in order to help other runners achieve theirs, and any help we can give them in hitting their target times is a priority. Therefore, TomTom’s accurate GPS watches will take away the need to do complicated mental arithmetic during the race to work out when the bus on pace, as the watches will give instant feedback, allowing the Pacesetters to focus on their bus passengers and creating a great vibe in their buses. We’d like to thank TomTom for this important and generous contribution.”

New Sub-10:30 Bus Added
The other breaking news is that regular sub-11:00 Comrades Pacesetter of the last two years, Chris Kubeka, has also come on board once again, agreeing to carry the sub-10:30 flag this year, meaning that the Modern Athlete Comrades Pacesetters will now offer a bus every 30 minutes from 8:30 to the end of the race. This has never been done before, and Sean says he is understandably excited about this year’s programme.

“One of the highlights of the Comrades Marathon is watching the official Pacesetters bring their buses home, followed home by a huge crowd of singing, dancing, crying, high-fiving, fist-pumping, hugging and kissing runners. The buses have become a huge part of the race, and while some runners complain about the huge buses blocking the road and making overtaking difficult, many more love the vibe created in the buses. In past years, Modern Athlete usually organised the standard sub-9:00 Bill Rowan cut-off, sub-11:00 Bronze cut-off, and sub-12:00 Vic Clapham cut-off buses, and in 2016 we added a sub-10:00 bus, which proved just as popular as the more established buses. Now in 2017 we are going even bigger, adding sub-8:30, sub-9:30, sub-10:30 and sub-11:30 buses. It’s really incredible to see so many selfless volunteer Pacesetters willing to help other runners.”

Trusted Pacesetters
The list of Comrades Pacesetters has been co-ordinated by well-known Gauteng Pacesetter Buks van Heerden in conjunction with the Modern Athlete team, and along with a host of newcomers, this year we welcome back many well-known Comrades Pacesetters of previous years. Our volunteer Pacesetters are all experienced pacers with many Comrades medals between them, and some of these guys and girls have built up a dedicated following by carrying the time flags in many races:

Sub-8:30
Sameul Corneluis
16 Medals
2016 – 10:46:21, 2015 – 11:11:28, 2014 – 7:30:39

Sub-9:00
Johan Van Tonder
15 Medals
2016 – 8:54:32, 2015 – 8:54:05, 2014 – 8:56:00

Sub-9:00
Sbusiso Mlangeni
1 Medal
2016 – 9:29:19

Sub-9:30
Claus Kempen
12 Medals
2016 – 8:06:50, 2014 – 8:24:32, 2013 – 8:49:43

Sub-10:00
Linda ‘Coach’ Hlophe
13 Medals
2016 – 9:57:22, 2015 – 10:29:07, 2014 – 10:42:14

Sub-10:00
Maropeng George Mojela
8 Medals
2016 – 7:48:35, 2015 – 8:19:50, 2014 – 8:32:18

Sub-10:30
Chris Khubeka
15 Medals
2016 – 10:51:09, 2015 – 10:47:03, 2013 – 10:44:44

Sub-11:00
Jackie Campher
15 Medals
2016 – 10:53:42, 2015 – 10:45:36, 2014 – 9:45:52

Sub-11:00
Madoko Ndhlovu
12 Medals
2016 – 10:54:21, 2011 – 10:48:33, 2010 – 9:56:14

Sub-11:00
Jeff Ramokoka
18 medals
2016 – 10:51:49, 2015 – 10:45:37, 2014 – 10:42:15

Sub-11:00
Arnold Nkosi
9 Medals
2016 – 10:46:20, 2015 – 10:53:51, 2014 – 11:17:42

Sub-11:30
Charl Whitaker
10 Medals
2016 – 10:49:59, 2015 – 10:47:56, 2014 – 11:20:58

Sub-11:30
Lucas Seleka
10 Medals
2016 – 9:29:07, 2015 – 10:33:22, 2014 – 10:31:48

Sub-11:30
Gerald Pavel
5 Medals
2016 – 10:12:00, 2015 – 10:26:57, 2014 – 9:38:40

Sub-12:00
Buks Van Heerden
15 Medals
2016 – 11:54:24, 2015 – 11:13:19, 2014 – 8:46:08

Sub-12:00
Derrick Rondganger
10 Medals
2016 – 11:53:24, 2015 – 11:56:52, 2014 – 11:53:40

Sub-12:00
Thabile Madube Mathe
8 Medals
2015 – 11:41:06, 2014 – 11:46:20, 2013 – 11:53:48

Sub-12:00
Carolien van Heerden
2 Medals
2016 – 11:54:24

Sub-12:00
Shahieda Thungo
1 Medal
2016 – 11:52:30

Modern Athlete would like to thank all of our Comrades Pacesetters for their incredible spirit and camaraderie, and being willing to take on the responsibility of helping fellow runners. We look forward to welcoming all our buses home on Comrades race day.

With just a few weeks to go till the 92nd Comrades Marathon, many runners are making their final race-day plans for the 86.73km ultra to ensure they get them home on time to claim their medal. Good news is that the Modern Athlete Comrades Marathon Pacesetters will once again be in action, with more Pacesetters and more buses than ever before. Ladies and Gentleman, Runners all, meet your 2017 Comrades Pacesetters.

In past years Modern Athlete has offered the standard sub-9:00 (Bill Rowan cut-off), sub-11:00 (Bronze cut-off) and sub-12:00 (Vic Clapham cut-off) buses, and in 2016 we added a sub-10:00 bus, which proved just as popular as the more established buses. Now in 2017 we are going even bigger, adding sub-8:30, sub-9:30 and sub-11:30 buses, and we’re still looking into a sub-10:30 bus.

Furthermore, within each target time there will often be more than one Pacesetter, running at a slightly differing pace or following an alternate strategy, and the idea is to give runners a wider choice of bus to follow, with first and second options, in order to help more runners achieve their target times and earn that coveted Comrades medal.

The list of Comrades Pacesetters has been co-ordinated by well-known Gauteng Pacesetter Buks van Heerden in conjunction with the Modern Athlete team, and along with a host of newcomers, this year we welcome back many well-known Comradees Pacesetters of previous years, including Johan van Tonder, Linda Hlophe, Jackie Campher, Jeff Ramokoka and Derrick Rondganger, plus the ultimate Comrades Pacesetting legend, Vlam Pieterse, will once again be joining the sub-12 group, bringing his unique sense of humour to the get-you-home bus.

Our volunteer Pacesetters are all experienced Comrades runners, and some of these guys and girls have been doing this pacing job for many years and have built up a dedicated following. Even better is that this is the first year that the Comrades Pacesetters truly represent the whole country, as we have Pacesetters from Gauteng, Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape, Limpopo and Mpumalangs in the mix, as well both male and female bus drivers.

Keep in mind that these are the only official pacesetting buses at Comrades, and runners can ‘climb on the bus’ of their choice and rely on the ‘bus driver’ to guide them home within their target times.

And so, without further ado, here are your 2017 Modern Athlete Comrades Pacesetters*:

Sub-8:30
Sameul Cornelius

Sub-9:00
Johan van Tonder
Sbusiso Mlangeni

Sub-9:30
Claus Kempen

Sub-10:00
Linda ‘The Coach’ Hlophe
Maropeng George Mojela

Sub-11:00
Jackie Campher
Madoko Ndhlovu
Jeff Ramokoka
Arnold Nkosi

Sub-11:30
Charl Whitaker
Lucas Seleka
Gerald Pavel

Sub-12:00
Buks van Heerden
Carolien van Heerden
Shahieda Thungo
Derrick Rondganger
Vlam Pieterse
Thabile Madube Mathe

* Please note that specific buses or drivers may still change, and Modern Athlete will post updated info as it become available.

Over the next two weeks we will be bringing you more detailed profiles of these Pacesetters as well as interviews with them, so stay tuned to the Modern Athlete platforms.

Modern Athlete would like to thank all of our Comrades Pacesetters for your incredible spirit and camaraderie, and being willing to take on the responsibility of helping fellow runners. We look forward to welcoming all your buses home on Comrades race day.

Got any questions for the Pacesetters?
Want to know more about your chosen Pacesetter? Want to ask them where to meet them, or what their planned strategy will be for race day? Then mail your question to [email protected], or post it on our Facebook page and we will get you an answer quick as we can.

The men’s 100 metres final later today at the South African Track and Field Championships in Potchefstroom could just be the dream race everybody has been speculating about, with potentially all of SA’s sub-10-second 100-metre athletes set to do battle in an epic final, which means we could see three or more athletes dipping under 10 seconds for the first time in the same local race.

 

If nothing unforeseen happens, it will be the first time this season that all four of SA’s current sub-10 athletes – Akani Simbine (9.89), Thando Roto (9.95), Henricho Bruintjies (9.97) and Wayde van Niekerk (9.98) – will compete at the same meet in the 100 metres. There are also rumours that Simon Magakwe (9.98), the first South African to dip under 10 seconds, may be racing. He was banned for two years after he allegedly refused a dope test and only started racing again recently. The athletes will contents qualifying heats to make it to the final at 6:40pm this evening.

 

Simbine, who recently clocked his 10^th sub-10 race at the Gauteng North Champs in Pretoria, is seen as the favourite. He has said he is now confident of dipping under 10 seconds every time he races, and has been true to his word so far this season. At the provincial championships he clocked two sub-10 times on the same day, running 9.98 and 9.92.

 

Although a man of few words, Simbine says he is feeling good and expects to run a fast time in Potch. Asked how he felt about racing all of South Africa’s top sprinters, he said: “My training has gone really well, so I am looking forward to race. I cannot speak for the other athletes, I can only speak for myself, but when I say I am ready to run a fast time, I mean it. Hopefully the weather will play along, it won’t be too cold and there will be a slight wind from behind when we race.”

 

Meanwhile, Tuks/HPC head coach Hennie Kriel predicts that Roto has the ability to cause a surprise. In the 100m final at the provincial championships in Pretoria, he led for the first 70 metres before Simbine passed him. “Fast a very fast time,” was Kriel’s answer when asked what can be expected from Roto in tomorrow’s final.

 

Roto himself says he is up for the SA Champs shpwdown. “In Pretoria, at first I was zoned out and just racing. Then suddenly I realised that I was in the lead. It was like it cannot be that I am leading Akani. The mistake I made was to start to doubt in my own abilities,” he says.

 

A third contender, Henricho Bruintjies, is the defending South African 100m champion. However, up to now he has not come close to the form that saw him running 9.97 in 2015 in Switzerland, but his coach, Werner Prinsloo, is not worried. “Henricho is definitely going to run a sub-10 race. I just don’t know when it is going to be. If he comes close to running 10 seconds tomorrow I will be happy. Running his second sub-10 is a psychological barrier Henricho has to overcome – once he has done so, I am confident it will become a regular occurrence.”

 

The 100 metres is not really Olympic 400m Champ Van Niekerk’s speciality, so it will be interesting to see what he does in Potch, but given his 9.98 of last year, it will be wrong to discount him in the final.

 

Unfortunately Gift Leotlela, who set a new South African junior record by running 10.12 earlier this season, won’t compete in the 100m at the national championships, as he has slight back injury and has decided just race the 200m event.

Defending Old Mutual Om Die Dam Ultra women’s champion Caroline Wöstmann clinched her second consecutive win in the country’s largest inland ultra-marathon in Hartbeespoort on Saturday 18 March. She made her move shortly after the halfway mark, opening a sizeable gap over Comrades Marathon champion Charné Bosman and clocking three hours 29 minutes and 47 seconds (3:29:47) for the win, ahead of Bosman’s 3:34:42 and third-placed Yolande Maclean (3:40:46).

Last year Wöstmann became the first athlete to win the Old Mutual Two Oceans (2016), Old Mutual Om Die Dam (2016), and Comrades (2015) ultra-marathons within a 12-month period. After her win, she said, “It felt a lot easier than last year, so I'm quite surprised. I didn't expect it to be this easy. We formed a bit of a group and I was running with a great bunch of people, including Charné and Mary Khourie. I really enjoyed my run, it was just an easy run and I am just lucky the pace came so easy. I wasn't supposed to run this so fast, so my coach Lindsey Parry is not going to be happy with me.”

The men’s title went to Zimbabwean Colin Parura, claiming his maiden Old Mutual Om Die Dam title in a time of 2:53:54 with former Comrades winner Ludwick Mamabolo finishing second for the second consecutive year, clocking 2:56:51. Rofhiwa Mathidi rounded off the podium with a finishing time of 2:57:55.

The popular ultra-marathon has grown in stature, with both the half marathon and the 50km ultra selling out for the first time ever, plus a slightly revised route was introduced this year with a new finish at Oewer Club at Schoemansville. The runners still received little reprieve over the gruelling 2km climb over the notorious Saartjiesnek around the 36km mark. That’s where the men’s race really caught fire: A lead group of eight men stayed together until the 36km mark, when Parura made his move shortly before Saartjiesnek and continued to stretch his lead.

After breaking the tape, Parura said he was delighted with his victory, although Saartjienek had proved a really tough climb. “That was a steep one, it was a massive challenge, but I took the lead from there, pushing harder and harder.” Mamabolo, who won this race 14 years ago with a new course record, said he believed this performance would hold him in good stead for the Comrades Marathon on June 4.

Old Mutual Head of Brand, Karen Thomas, praised the athletes for their top performances and thanked the organisers for hosting a stunning event. “Congratulations to all the winners and runners who participated in the Old Mutual Om Die Dam Marathon over the weekend. Once again, the organisers put on a magnificent event, one which really kick-starts the ultra-marathon season in South Africa.”

”At Old Mutual we really believe in going the distance, so it's no surprise that we connect so readily with the three most prestigious ultra marathons in the country. Each one of the three major ultras – Old Mutual Om Die Dam Marathon, the Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon and the Comrades Marathon – require determination and planning to conquer, something we at Old Mutual recognise and value. It's why we're only too happy to continue our support of these wonderful races.”

Old Mutual Om die Dam results:

50km Men
1 Colin Parura (Nedbank) 2:53:54
2 Ludwick Mamabolo (Nedbank) 2:56:51
3 Rofhiwa Mathidi (Rocky Road Runners) 2:57:55

50km Women
1 Caroline Wöstmann (KPMG) 3:29:47
2 Charné Bosman (Nedbank) 3:34:42
3 Yolande Maclean (Born2Run) 3:40:46

21km Men
1 Obed Kopong (Nedbank) 1:10:50
2 Henno Havenga (NWU-Puk) 1:14:22
3 Fortune Howard (Anglo American) 1:22:23

21km Women
1 Andronica Mokgotla (Nedbank) 1:26:40
2 Rebecca Tebogo Mokgosinyane (Nedbank) 1:30:09
3 Maria Vilikazi (Run Walk for Life) 1:31:47

With 80 days to go to the 92nd Comrades Marathon on Sunday 4 June, the big day of anticipation for nearly 6000 novice Comrades runners is fast approaching. In putting Runners First, the Comrades Marathon Association (CMA) has once again partnered with major sponsor, Bonitas Medical Fund, to bring the novice-specific seminars to runners across the country.

At the seminars, runners will be able to interact with the official Comrades Coach, Lindsey Parry and other experts, including a medical doctor and dietician. Lindsey will share valuable information regarding training, injury prevention and treatment; recovery; reasons for failure and how to prevent them; tapering and race day strategies.

The medical doctor will will share health advice with the runners to ensure that they understand the dangers of taking medication while running, as well as some rules to adhere to for a good run and a great race day. Meanwhile. registered dietician Nicki De Villiers will cover runners’ nutrition, including what to eat and drink while training as well as race-day sustenance.

DATES & VENUES FOR BONITAS COMRADES MARATHON NOVICE SEMINARS 2017

Wednesday 22 March, 7pm
CAPE TOWN
Host Club: K-Way VOB
Venue: Constantia Bowls Club, Main Road, Constantia , Cape Town

Tuesday 28 March, 7pm
JOHANNESBURG
Host Club: Sunninghill Striders
Venue: The Auditorium, Eskom Megawatt Park, No 1 Maxwell Drive Sunninghill, Sandton

Wednesday 29 March, 7pm
JOHANNESBURG
Host Club: Benoni Northerns
Venue: Benoni Northerns Sports Club, 1 Brodigan Street, Rynfield, Benoni

Tuesday 4 April, 7pm
PRETORIA
Host Club: Irene
Venue: The Auditorium, Agricultural Research Council, Irene Campus, Olifantsfontein Road, Irene, Pretoria

Thursday 6 April, 7pm
DURBAN
Host Club: Savages
Venue: 132 Hollander Crescent, Morningside, Durban

These seminars are interactive and highly informative. Entry is free and bookings are not necessary. For more information, please e-mail CMA Marketing Coordinator, Nonkululeko Mdlalose at [email protected]. Zinikele – It takes all of you!

The official 2017 Comrades Marathon Substitution Process opens tomorrow, 14 March. This means that runners who were unable to enter the 2017 Comrades Marathon during the official entry period (1 September – 30 November 2016) now have an opportunity to still be part of the world’s most famous ultra-marathon on Sunday 4 June, through the Substitution Process.

The process runs for an extra week this year, closing on Friday 14 April. The Substitution Process allows for a runner who has not entered to substitute an entrant who has withdrawn, or intends to withdraw from the 2017 Comrades Marathon.

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.

Prospective substitutes are encouraged to do their applications online. Alternatively, they may send their completed applications via e-mail to [email protected] or hand-deliver them to Comrades House in Pietermaritzburg. Please do not post forms.

The completed application forms as specified in the Substitution Rule must reach the CMA office by 14 April 2017. There will be no extension of this deadline and no postal applications will be accepted. The cost of the Substitution application is R150,00.

Athletes 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.

Race Director Rowyn James says, “The Substitution Rule has been part of the Comrades Marathon entry rules for the past five years. It has been very well received by our runners and forms a tangible part of our Runners First initiative. With the 92nd running of the Comrades Marathon this year, we look forward to seeing many more athletes taking to the start line on Sunday 4 June.”