Category: News

The 2016 Comrades Marathon campaign was launched by the Comrades Marathon Association (CMA) in Johannesburg on Thursday 13 August, with the proudly South African 2015 Comrades Marathon winners, Gift Kelehe and Caroline Wostmann in attendance, along with the nation’s other top runners, sporting personalities and stakeholders.

The 2016 campaign for the world’s most famous ultra-marathon is centered on the humbling aspect of the race, with the slogan: ‘Izokuthoba – It Will Humble You’. CMA General Manager, Chris Fisher unveiled the 2016 campaign saying, “With its 90-year history, the Comrades Marathon is recognised as the biggest and oldest ultra-marathon in the world, and also the most challenging. The beauty of this event is that it is a humbling experience and you may never be the same person again once you have completed it. My call to you is to get involved, either as a runner, a volunteer or a supporter.”

CMA Chairperson, Macdonald Chitja adds: “We are pleased to unveil our 2016 Comrades Marathon campaign. Any Comrades runner will tell you that running The Ultimate Human Race is indeed a humbling experience. We welcome all of our runners, supporters and stakeholders to share in the humility, camaraderie and beauty of race day on Sunday 29 May 2016.”

The 91st Comrades Marathon will be a Down-run, starting at the Pietermaritzburg City Hall at 5:30am and ending 12 hours later at the Sahara-Kingsmead Cricket Stadium in Durban, covering a distance of around 90km. 1 September 2015 is the opening date for entries and the entry period will close on 30 November 2015, or as soon as the entry cap of 20,000 has been reached. Prospective entrants are encouraged to get their entries in early to avoid disappointment.

Entry fees for the 2016 Comrades Marathon are as follows:
• Local Entries: R420.00
• Rest of Africa: R700.00
• International: R2400.00

South African runners will be eligible for the ‘early bird’ entry fee of R380 if their entry is received before 30 September 2015. The regular South African entry fee of R420 will kick in from 1 October 2015 until the entry process is closed. Entry is free to all runners who have completed the Comrades Marathon 25 times or more.

Runners can enter as follows:
• Online via the Comrades Marathon website: www.comrades.com;
• By posting their completed entry form with proof of payment to the CMA Office in Pietermaritzburg: P.O. Box 100621, Scottsville, 3209;
• By handing in their completed entry form together with payment at the CMA office in Pietermaritzburg.

Entry forms will be available at local running clubs, provincial sporting federations and the CMA; as well as selected qualifying races which the Comrades Team will be attending from September to November. Qualifying for the 2016 Comrades Marathon will be applicable from 30 August 2015 till 2 May 2016. Runners are advised that the 2015 Comrades Marathon will not be an automatic qualifier for next year’s race. The Substitution window period will be from 1 – 21 April 2016.

For more information, visit the Comrades Marathon website

The Soweto Marathon is proud to announce Old Mutual as its new title sponsor for the next three years. With the backing of Old Mutual, the Soweto Marathon will host about 21,000 runners and walkers on 1 November 2015 starting at the traditional venue at Nasrec Expo Centre. The route will again pass key historic sites that showcase the township’s heritage and dynamic identity.

“The Soweto Marathon joins our portfolio of endurance sports sponsorships, which includes the Old Mutual Two Oceans, Old Mutual Om Die Dam and Comrades Marathons,” says Mokaedi Dilotsotlhe, Chief Marketing Officer of Old Mutual Emerging Markets. “These sponsored events speak to our focus on long-term goals and our commitment to staying the course, be it in investing or taking part in a marathon. So we are very proud to be associated again with the much-loved People’s Race of Soweto.”

Mr Sello Khunou, chairperson of the Soweto Marathon Trust says: “We are thrilled with this exciting partnership. It is encouraging to have partners who share in our vision to deliver an event that is credible and aspires to dramatic growth.”

Participants in the 2015 Old Mutual Soweto Marathon can enter one of three distances: The standard marathon (42.2km), the half marathon (21.1km) and the 10km race. Registration for all three distances opened online on Tuesday 4 August at 18h00 at the official race website, www.sowetomarathon.com.

Last week Thursday, 16 July, the recently launched Modern Athlete Club held its first info seminar in Johannesburg, an evening of short, informative talks by leading athletes and experts, with a fun vibe and some great prizes as well. Plans are now in motion for the next seminars, including taking them to other cities.

Hosted by the Gooderson Fabz Garden Hotel and Conference Centre in Lonehill, the room was filled by a healthy-sized audience to listen to Modern Athlete Club Coach Ray Orchison talk about the pillars of training and Justin Stout of Atkins explain why a low-carb diet can be so beneficial to runners.

Also on the programme were two of SA's top athletes, both of whom are now Brand Ambassadors for the Modern Athlete Club and running in our colours: Two-time Olympian and 40-time SA champion Rene Kalmer, and top Gauteng trail runner and Comrades silver medallist Bennie Roux. Both grabbed the audience’s attention with their humour as well as fascinating stories of racing at the top level.

Each speaker’s talk was followed by a short Q&A opportunity, and some of the questions showed that the audience members were not only really interested in the presentations, but even took notes!

These seminars are organised by the Modern Athlete Club, which has a branch already up and running Central Gauteng and just last week got the go ahead to launch the Gauteng North branch. More branches in other provinces are set to follow soon. The benefit of joining this new virtual club with a real presence at events is the list of partners who offer MA Club members exclusive special rates or deals on gear, services, entries or travel. For more info, go to www.modernathlete.co.za/page/the-modern-athlete-club

PS: If you want to see what others thought of the seminar, just read this great blog:
https://hylery.wordpress.com/2015/07/17/last-night-was-fabz/

We’re looking for part-time promotional staff to do regular brand activations for Modern Athlete at various events in all the major centres, including parkruns.

• So, are you passionate about running?
• Do you enjoy interacting with others?
• Do you enjoy the outdoors?
• Would you like to earn some cash?
• Are you available for weekend work?
• Do you have your own transport?

If that’s you, please mail us a short paragraph about yourself and why you believe that you fit the above profile – send to [email protected], and include your ID number, physical address and a copy of your driver's licence. (If you do not hear from us, please consider your application unsuccessful.)

Four South African athletes ran to podium positions in the sixth LUX Mauritius Marathon, Half Marathon & 10km on 19 July, with veteran Angelique Rabie winning the marathon in 3:33:37 and Candyce Hall coming home second in 3:39:44, while it was third for Tanya Posthumus-Fox in the half marathon. In the 10km, Gustav Brink was third across the line.

After some heavy rain in the early morning, the weather got much better and the runners only had to struggle with a strong headwind on the spectacular course, which made it difficult to run faster times. Nevertheless all the runners agreed that the Mauritius Marathon is one of the most beautiful courses they had run and that the whole event is absolutely unique. With 242 runners from 32 countries around the world, the Mauritius Marathon had an increase in participants of about 30% and has been established on the “Marathon map.”

The marathon was won by Albert Kangor from Kenya in 2:32:26, followed by Andrea Lazzarotti from Italy in 2:50:11 and Harris Khelawon from Mauritius in 2:50:51. Also attending the event was top Kenyan runner Geoffrey Ronoh, training-partner and pacemaker for marathon world record holder Dennis Kimetto and former marathon world record holder Wilson Kipsang. Unfortunately, Geoffrey was unable to run the Mauritius event due to an injury, but says he would love to come back!

Nancy Koech from Kenya took the women's half marathon with her 1:17:35. She won the Copenhagen Marathon earlier this year and is now preparing for the Münster Marathon in Germany on 6 September. Second on the podium was Isabelle Lebreton (Réunion, 1:32:15) and Tanya third. The fastest man in the half was Aki Nummela (Finland, 1:12:16), ahead of Eric Watson from Australia and Didier Hoarau from France.

The winner of the 10km was Sören Schulz from Germany, followed by Yohann Oodun from Mauritius and South Africa's Gustav Brink. For the full list of results, click the link below…
https://modernathlete.co.za/results/mauritius-marathon-2015

The winners of the marathon received an air ticket to Mauritius and stay at the Marathon Hotel Tamassa for the next Mauritius Marathon, which will be held on 17 July 2016, as well as a cash prize.

The Mauritius Marathon offers not only one of the most beautiful courses of the world, following the coastal road on the shores of the Indian Ocean, but also a very personal atmosphere. Also, the organisers give the runners the opportunity to take part in local cultural events to get to know the Mauritian people and culture while also enjoying the natural splendour of the island. One of these activities is climbing the mystic Mountain Le Morne, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

 

The Modern Athlete Running Club is already up and running in Central Gauteng, and today we got the go-ahead to launch our second branch. (And more are coming soon!)

The light blue vest of the Modern Athlete running club is going to be seen more and more on the roads of Pretoria and surrounds now that the Gauteng North branch of the club has been approved by the Athletics Gauteng North provincial body. The virtual club with a real presence was launched earlier this year with the initial branch in Central Gauteng, and some of our athletes were already in action in their new colours in the recent Comrades Marathon. Now the second branch will start signing up members, and plans are in place to get branches up and running in other provinces soon.

Olympian and multiple SA Champ René Kalmer is heading up the club in Central Gauteng as our club chairperson and brand ambassador, and in Gauteng North the go-to person will be top trail runner and Comrades silver medallist Bennie Roux. But the club is by no means just for elite athletes – anybody can join, whether you are a regular ultra-marathoner or a beginner just getting into racing. The club will cater for all, and provide a great social vibe at events.

For the rest of this year new members of either branch of the club will pay just R500 – that’s a 50% discount – which will give them a club vest, provincial licence number and postal subscription to Modern Athlete magazine, plus they will qualify for a number of extra benefits, including
• Individualised training programmes focused on selected events.
• Personalised nutritional programme based on your activity levels and nutrition requirements.
• Free entry to the Modern Athlete Chill Zones at partnered events.
• Great discounts and rewards from our partners on running gear, travel, entry fees and more.
• Free Access to Modern Athlete Seminars, featuring leading personalities and experts.

To sign up or get more info, go to www.modernathlete.co.za/page/the-modern-athlete-club or mail [email protected].

PS: Meet Bennie at Old Eds!
All prospective new members of the club as well as Modern Athlete readers are invited to stop by the Modern Athete Chill Zone at the Old Eds Half Marathon on 10 August in Johannesburg to meet Bennie and get more info on the club.

Running in her Modern Athlete colours, Rene Kalmer ran away with the win in the popular Momentum Cape Times Knysna Forest Half Marathon on 11 July). She clocked 1:19:09 to win comfortably from Andre Steyn (1:23:44), who was gunning for the win in the Big Five Challenge that encompassed five different events in the Pick n Pay Knysna Oyster Festival, while third place went to recent Comrades Marathon runner-up Charne Bosman (1:24:23).

The men’s half marathon title went to Tshepo Ramonene of Lesotho in 1:06:06, who outkicked Etienne Plaatjies (Nedbank) in the final kays to win by a clear minute. Third place went to top trail runner Michael Bailey, now running in RAC colours, who crossed the line in 1:12:24. The next two positions went to more Big Five contenders, Travis Johnston and Stuart Marais.

The Knysna Forest Marathon is one of the toughest on the SA calendar, but Lesotho’s Tsepang Ramonene made light work of it to win in 2:25:28, well ahead of Eric Sigxashe (2:34:55), who was followed home by former Two Oceans Ultra-marathon winner George Ntshiliza (2:37:41) and local hero Lindile Tokota (2:42:34). The women’s race was a considerably tighter affair, with Candice-Lee Davison of Harfield Harriers taking the win in 3:23:05 and being followed home by Nedbank’s Ursula Frans (3:23:27) and Helen Squirrell (3:23:36).

On Wednesday night sprinter Akani Simbine became only the second South African to break the 10-second barrier in the 100m sprint when he clocked 9.99 seconds to win the event at the 20th European Athletics Classics Meeting in Slovenia. He was followed home by Pretoria-based Tuks High Performance Centre teammate Henricho Bruintjies, who was second in 10.15.

If the statistics on Wikipedia are correct, Simbine is only the 103rd sprinter ever to run under 10 seconds, and only the second after Simon Magakwe clocked 9.98 at last year’s South African Championships in Pretoria. The first ever sub-10 was run by Jim Hines of the USA in 1968 in Mexico.

Before Simbine departed to compete internationally, the Tuks/hpc athlete at first said his main goal for the season was to break 10 seconds. “However, when I started competing I had second thoughts and changed my goal to focusing on running the perfect race instead. I reckoned that if I managed to run the perfect race, sub-10 seconds would happen automatically.”

“For me being a good sprinter is all about consistency. This means that I do not chase fast times any longer, but rather focus on making sure that I do the small things right. This means that I focus on running the perfect race. I am still under pressure, but I do not allow it to ‘sit on my shoulders’,” said Simbine, who ran a time of 10.02s at last year’s national championships.

At the same meet, SA’s Rynhardt van Rensburg finished second in the 800 metres in a time of 1:45.40, while Justine Palframan finished second in the 200 metres in a time of 23.36s.

Caroline Wöstmann, winner of both the 2015 Comrades and Old Mutual Two Oceans ultra-races, has set herself a new challenge: She wants to qualify for next year’s Olympic Marathon.

She has been invited to compete in the New York Marathon in November and Lindsey Parry, head coach at the High Performance Centre (HPC), said much will depend on her performance in New York. “If Caroline manages to run a time close to or faster than 2 hours and 35 minutes, I think next year’s Olympic Marathon will be our next goal. I would then like her to run a second marathon round about April next year, where her goal should be to run a time as close as possible to 2 hours and 30 minutes. If she manages to do that, she will probably be one of South Africa’s top-three female marathon athletes.”

Wöstmann’s current best marathon time is 2 hours and 44 minutes, which means that the Nedbank runner will have to improve by nearly 14 minutes during the next 11 months, but if she has proven anything this year, it is that she is not one to shy away from a challenge, and she says she likes the challenge of setting herself a goal and then working hard towards achieving it. “Every time I thought about the Comrades I visualised winning, so nothing is impossible. The only limitations we have are the limitations we put on ourselves, and I will never limit myself by saying I am not capable of doing something. I strive to give it my best and if I don’t succeed it is OK. It is not the end of the world. All that matters is that I enjoy what I am doing.”

“After winning the Comrades it feels as if I have achieved my ultimate goal. Obviously Comrades will still be there next year, but I feel I should challenge myself by doing something else, something new which I have not done before. I like the uncertainty of pushing the boundaries, not knowing whether it is possible to break through.”

Following his recent Comrades 2015 win, Gift Kehele has a new target in sight; to conquer South Africa's iconic Table Mountain by racing the 100km Ultra-trail Cape Town (UTCT) on 3 October. The route embraces various technical terrains and includes a total climb that is more than a Mt Everest ascent.

Trail running has seen major growth in the last decade, with notably increased interest in the 100km to 100-mile races, in which Europeans and Americans seem to dominate. “We are very excited from a South African perspective to see the likes of Gift wanting to run ultra trails,” says UTCT race director Nic Bornman. ”Beyond our own event, we want to find and launch South Africa's best talent into an ever more competitive international landscape. The word development springs to mind, but if you look at the South African performances at this year’s Comrades, it is clear that our runners need more exposure, rather than development. The talent pool runs deep.”

After winning last year’s UTCT in 10H41, Eric Ngubane said he believes it is possible to run the course in under 10 hours. “I just need to be pushed,” he added. Says Bornman: “To be honest, it’s hard to predict what the guys are capable of these days. Each year, mountain ultras are increasing in popularity and with the crossover from other running disciplines, the bar keeps being raised higher and higher. We are excited at the possibility of the elites going under the magical 10-hour mark.”

Kehele is quite aware of the difference between Comrades and a race like UTCT. “I have heard it’s a tough but beautiful course, so it will be a good challenge for me. Mountain running is quite different to the races I usually do, so I am excited about going to Cape Town and giving this one a shot.” His coach, John Hamlet, is confident that Gift will be ready. “Changing the game from road to trail makes for fresh thinking, and the training we do in Dulstroom is really trail running. Determination and commitment are a daily norm.”

This year Ngubane returns to defend his title as he toes the line with Kehele and Jordanian desert running specialist Salameh al Aqara. Some of the other men’s hopefuls are Andrew Hagan, Jock Green, Christiaan Greyling and Nic de Beer. The women’s field is also shaping up as one that will be too tight to call, with Sally Mcrae (USA) and Stephanie Case (Canada) set to line up with Landie Greyling and Linda Doke, both racing UTCT for the first time, along with last year’s first and second place finishers, Nicolette Griffioen and Chantel Nienaber.

For more information as well as race entries, please visit www.ultratrailcaptown.com or follow the event on Facebook and Twitter.