Latest news with #DownRun
IOL News
9 hours ago
- Sport
- IOL News
Gerda Steyn favoured to win the Comrades Marathon, but the men's race remains unpredictable
Gerda Steyn GERDA Steyn is favoured to winn the Women's race in the 2025 Comrades Marathon. | Sibonelo Ngcobo/Independent Newspapers Equally motivated will be his club mate yet adversary in the form of Piet Wiersma. The Dutchman has to be considered a possible winner given how close he ran Dijana in 2023. The South African in me of course wants one of our own to keep the title home. And there are a few athletes who can do just that, the standout being defending Down Run champion Morena Tete Dijana. But that has never stopped us from trying to play Nostradamus, has it? And I am not going to start now and shirk out of having a go. The men's race on the other hand is not so clear-cut. As it is, predicting a winner is tantamount to attempting to tell dark blue from black in the dark – impossible. Sure, there are some competitive runners who are likely to run her close. But you are not going to find punters putting high odds against her not winning. DURBAN - GERDA Steyn's status as a firm favourite to win the women's race in Sunday's Comrades Marathon is a given. Wiersma showed with that compelling run for a second spot that it is possible for a foreign rookie to win the race. There is one such rookie brought here by Maxed Elite in the form of Frenchman Guillaume Ruel who could pull the rug from underneath the aforementioned duo of Nedbank, a club he previously ran for. The 27-year-old who stands at a strapping 1.87m was in South Africa three years ago for the Nedbank Runified 50km where he ran the European record at 2:47:23. He said on Thursday during the press conference that he's here on a reconnaissance trip and will be returning to be competitive the following year, explaining that he's not fully fit having had an Achilles operation earlier in the year. That could well be. But athletes are known to play down their chances and with his kind of speed – he boasts a 2:14:48 standard marathon PB - and the fact he holds the French 100km record at 6:13:41 9:51 suggests he is going to be pretty competitive. The Comrades Marathon is renowned for being unkind to highly-rated foreigners though and few have had their noses bloodied by the world's most famous ultra. In recent years the locals have dominated the race, with the Nedbank Running Club having won it in the last four years. Dijana's teammate and captain Edward Mothibi was a winner in 2019 and his second and third place finishes in the previous two Down Runs suggests he should not be overlooked. Like Dijana, he had a poor run last year finishing 16th and while he says he is simply going for a top 10, the reality is that the man they call Slender has it in him to push for glory. Their former teammate Joseph Manyedi who won the veteran's category with his fourth-place finish has found a new lease on life at Maxed Elite. He has all intentions to get a podium finish for his new employers who will have the battle-hardened Teboho Sello once again pushing for glory. He has all intentions to get a podium finish for his new employers who will have the battle-hardened Teboho Sello once again pushing for glory. The Comrades stalwart that is Bongmusa Mthembu remains a force of the race even though it appears that his glory days are long gone, but cannot be completely written off. And then there's three-time gold medalist Gordon Lesetedi who is coached by the champion-producing John Hamlett who has said he is going for victory On the face of it, this could easily be a two-horse race between Dijana and Wiersma. But such is the unpredictability of the Comrades Marathon that the winner could well come from left field. We are in for an intriguing race this weekend.
The South African
13 hours ago
- Climate
- The South African
Weather forecast for Sunday's Comrades Marathon route
Home » Weather forecast for Sunday's Comrades Marathon route Nerves and excitement will be starting to set in for those runners set to take to the start line for Sunday's Comrades Marathon. Image: Comrades Marathon website A mixed of nerves and excitement will no doubt be starting to set in for those runners set to take to the start line for Sunday's 98th running of the Comrades Marathon. A close eye will be kept on the weather conditions for race day. According to the South African Weather Service (SAWS), the temperature at the start in Pietermaritzburg at 05:30 will be a cool 11 degrees Celsius. Temperatures will peak at 24 degrees Celsius around midday before a 30% chance rain is expected from 16:00 onwards as the majority of runners approach the finish in Durban. The Comrades Marathon Association (CMA) has officially announced that the route distance for the 98th edition of The Ultimate Human Race is a challenging 89.98km. This year's race will be the 49th Down Run, taking place on Sunday, 8 June, with the race starting at the Pietermaritzburg City Hall and finishing 12 hours later with a street finish outside Durban's People's Park. The 2025 race will be slightly longer than the 87.701km of the previous Down Run (2023), as the finish has been moved from the Hollywoodbets Kingsmead to a new street finish outside People's Park, in the northbound lanes of Masabalala Yengwa Avenue. This will include a finish-line grandstand for spectators erected in the southbound lanes of Masabalala Yengwa Avenue, as well as a hospitality and entertainment area in People's Park, and space allocated for running club tents on either side of the finish. The longest Down Run in the history of the Comrades was 92km in 1971. The new street finish will create a more inclusive and celebratory atmosphere, as more people can gather to cheer on the participants, while also allowing better flow of runners and spectators, reducing congestion, and ensuring a smoother finish experience for all. Runners will not doubt be pleased to know that no steps will need to be climbed after they finish, with a short, flat walk from the finish-line to either the Club Tent hospitality area, or nearby parking areas – and a free shuttle service throughout the day will make getting to cars even easier. This precise distance of the route has been meticulously confirmed following thorough route measurement conducted by the CMA's Route Portfolio team, in close collaboration with the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport's Road Traffic Inspectorate and the Durban Metro Police. 'The Comrades Marathon Association is incredibly proud to announce the official 89.98km distance for the 2025 Down Run,' said CMA General Manager, Alain Dalais. 'This carefully measured course embodies the spirit and tradition of The Ultimate Human Race, promising an unforgettable test of endurance and resilience for all participants. 'The route from the start will leave the City of Pietermaritzburg via Chief Albert Luthuli Street, turning right onto Alexandra Road and left onto Ritchie Road, which becomes Washington Road, and proceeding through Mkondeni to Polly Shortt's. 'These first 8km of the route are wide, spacious and well lit, thus ensuring safer running conditions for all participants.' 'We are really excited about the new finish venue, because it will provide both runners and spectators with a unique experience and inspirational end to the day's running,' added Dalais. 'The runners will enjoy an easier, smoother finish process, while loved ones and supporters will be right there to welcome their runners in, and the venue will help create a terrific finish-line atmosphere.' Two things drive the 2025 Comrades Marathon organisers: To improve both the runners' safety and race-day experience. With the largest ever field of around 22 000 Down Run starters expected, this prompted the CMA's decision to split the Start into two groups, with a slightly later start time to ensure more light and better visibility in the early kilometres, notably coming down Polly Shortt's. This will see the first group start at 05:45 and the second group setting off at 06:00. The two-batch start will ensure that runners experience similar free, open road running of the races in the 1990s and early 2000s, and the last runners in each start group are expected to cross the start line in under five minutes. Runners' start batch and seeding information will be finalised and shared shortly after the qualifying window for the 2025 race closes on Monday, 5 May. The two start groups will have different coloured race numbers – orange or purple – and there will be two similarly coloured finish chutes in Durban. Both start groups will have the traditional 12 hours to complete the race, and all the normal medal cut-off times at the finish, with volunteer 'spotters' and signage to ensure that runners enter the correct chute and receive the correct medals. A special sound will be played at the finish for the Group 1 race-end at 17:45, and the traditional final cut-off gun will be fired by the CMA Board Chairperson for the Group 2 race-end at 18:00. To further ensure the runners' safety and overall experience towards the end of the 12-hour race, the last 10km of the route will be well lit by both existing streetlights in Durban, as well as a large number of generator-powered mobile floodlight masts provided by the CMA. These will be positioned at darker points of the route from Westwood/45th Cutting to the finish precinct, as well as at all race-day parking areas, and all sidewalks and side streets from the finish to Jacko Jackson Drive (outside Hollywoodbets Kings Park). Furthermore, a large security response team will be in place in all the aforementioned areas until late in the evening of race-day, working with the finish venue security team and the SAPS to ensure the safety and protection of runners and spectators. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
The Star
16 hours ago
- Sport
- The Star
Dijana vs Wiersma: The battle for Comrades Marathon glory
DURBAN - THERE was a moment during the elite athletes' pre race media conference of the Comrades Marathon at a beachfront hotel here on Thursday when Pie Wiersma and Tete Dijana exchanged glances and a smile flickered across both men's faces. The smiles were fleeting though, coming as they did immediately after Dijana had declared himself not being under any pressure but loudly saying' they have pressure'. He looked at Wiersma when he said that and the Dutchman clearly knew his adversary was playing mind games. For a significant part of the press conference, the two Nedbank Running Club athletes had not really looked at each other – although Dijana intermittently smiled when Wiersma spoke about his readiness and 'being in the best shape' of his life. Given the tough nature and the unpredictability of The Ultimate Human Race, it would be folly to think Sunday's 98th running of the world famous ultra marathon between the KwaZulu-Natal cities of Pietermaritzburg and Durban would be a two-horse race. Far from it, for there are a few athletes capable of pulling off a victory. But there can be no denying that Dijana and Wiersma are going to be the main protagonists given what happened two years ago in the last Down Run – from Pietermaritzburg to Durban when Wiersma introduced himself to Comrades with a run so compellingly good he scared the living daylights out of holder and defending champion Dijnana. Wiersma finished runner-up by less than five seconds in one of the closest finishes in the race's history as Dijana broke the Down Run best time previously held by David Gatebe. Wiersma also ran under that 5:18:19 mark and was gutted to not have won. He made amends last year, albeit in the Up Run when he reigned supreme on an afternoon when Dijana had dizzy spells less and suffered wobbly legs to finish a distant 14th place. It appears the gloves are off this year, with Dijana eager to chalk up a rare hat-trick of Down Run victories while Wiersma will be out to do a back-to-back. The Dutchman was in high spirits yesterday as he reflected on how his training has gone out in Kenya which he has made his camp from last year despite having suffered an infection from drinking contaminated water. Previously a student and juggling running with his studies, Wiersma has since gone full time professional and says this has seen to a remarkable improvement in his running. He looks leaner and talks a good game: 'To me every year I am out there looking to do better and this year, training has been good. Last year I got an opportunity to become a professional runner and this has made a big difference. I feel that I am better, but there are never any guarantees, I can't say I will win.' But he definitely wants to, so much so that in addition to training like a madman he has been spending time watching videos of previous races. 'In a way I am a student (of the race),' he admitted. 'Two years ago when I first came here I did not know much about Comrades but last year and this year I did some homework and watched the past races. It is necessary to improve year to year and be the best I can be for every race. I trained to be at the best level I can be and this time my entire year has been very good.' Warnings to Dijana and the rest of the field don't come as ominous as that, do they? But the man from Mafikeng was unfazed by it all, Dijana playfully moving the microphone away from him to another Nedbank runner in Onalenna Khonkhobe, who typically took the bait and declared himself ready to smash the field. 'Sunday, I start with the gun. No matter (there is a) pacemaker or not, I am going up front. I am here to learn lots of things but in three years or four years time I will win Comrades back-to-back,' he said to loud applause. Dijana was not speaking in such bold terms but he flashed a knowing smile as he shared what his plans are for Sunday's race. 'I am so excited to come and fix what happened last year,' he said in reference to the bad run he had in the Up Run. 'I walked and watched the videos (of the race) at home and I heard one of the coaches telling his athletes 'Tete is walking'. But this year, I am not here to walk. And no, I don't have pressure, they have.' He flashed that toothpaste advert smile of his as he looked towards his far left where Wiersma sat. The battle lines have been drawn. Who will reign supreme? Dijana or Wiersma? Or will the winner come out of left field in the men's race?
IOL News
20 hours ago
- Sport
- IOL News
Dijana vs Wiersma: The battle for Comrades Marathon glory
Given the tough nature and the unpredictability of The Ultimate Human Race, it would be folly to think Sunday's 98th running of the world famous ultra marathon between the KwaZulu-Natal cities of Pietermaritzburg and Durban would be a two-horse race. Far from it, for there are a few athletes capable of pulling off a victory. For a significant part of the press conference, the two Nedbank Running Club athletes had not really looked at each other – although Dijana intermittently smiled when Wiersma spoke about his readiness and 'being in the best shape' of his life. The smiles were fleeting though, coming as they did immediately after Dijana had declared himself not being under any pressure but loudly saying' they have pressure'. He looked at Wiersma when he said that and the Dutchman clearly knew his adversary was playing mind games. DURBAN - THERE was a moment during the elite athletes' pre race media conference of the Comrades Marathon at a beachfront hotel here on Thursday when Pie Wiersma and Tete Dijana exchanged glances and a smile flickered across both men's faces. But there can be no denying that Dijana and Wiersma are going to be the main protagonists given what happened two years ago in the last Down Run – from Pietermaritzburg to Durban when Wiersma introduced himself to Comrades with a run so compellingly good he scared the living daylights out of holder and defending champion Dijnana. Wiersma finished runner-up by less than five seconds in one of the closest finishes in the race's history as Dijana broke the Down Run best time previously held by David Gatebe. Wiersma also ran under that 5:18:19 mark and was gutted to not have won. He made amends last year, albeit in the Up Run when he reigned supreme on an afternoon when Dijana had dizzy spells less and suffered wobbly legs to finish a distant 14th place. It appears the gloves are off this year, with Dijana eager to chalk up a rare hat-trick of Down Run victories while Wiersma will be out to do a back-to-back. The Dutchman was in high spirits yesterday as he reflected on how his training has gone out in Kenya which he has made his camp from last year despite having suffered an infection from drinking contaminated water. Previously a student and juggling running with his studies, Wiersma has since gone full time professional and says this has seen to a remarkable improvement in his running. He looks leaner and talks a good game: 'To me every year I am out there looking to do better and this year, training has been good. Last year I got an opportunity to become a professional runner and this has made a big difference. I feel that I am better, but there are never any guarantees, I can't say I will win.' But he definitely wants to, so much so that in addition to training like a madman he has been spending time watching videos of previous races. 'In a way I am a student (of the race),' he admitted. 'Two years ago when I first came here I did not know much about Comrades but last year and this year I did some homework and watched the past races. It is necessary to improve year to year and be the best I can be for every race. I trained to be at the best level I can be and this time my entire year has been very good.' Warnings to Dijana and the rest of the field don't come as ominous as that, do they? But the man from Mafikeng was unfazed by it all, Dijana playfully moving the microphone away from him to another Nedbank runner in Onalenna Khonkhobe, who typically took the bait and declared himself ready to smash the field. 'Sunday, I start with the gun. No matter (there is a) pacemaker or not, I am going up front. I am here to learn lots of things but in three years or four years time I will win Comrades back-to-back,' he said to loud applause. Dijana was not speaking in such bold terms but he flashed a knowing smile as he shared what his plans are for Sunday's race. 'I am so excited to come and fix what happened last year,' he said in reference to the bad run he had in the Up Run. 'I walked and watched the videos (of the race) at home and I heard one of the coaches telling his athletes 'Tete is walking'. But this year, I am not here to walk. And no, I don't have pressure, they have.' He flashed that toothpaste advert smile of his as he looked towards his far left where Wiersma sat. The battle lines have been drawn. Who will reign supreme? Dijana or Wiersma? Or will the winner come out of left field in the men's race?
IOL News
3 days ago
- Health
- IOL News
Hamlett looking add to his galaxy of Comrades champions
JOHN HAMLETT 's passion for the Comrades Marathon is contagious. Spend time in the former South Africa Defence Colonel's presence and you suddenly find yourself wanting to lace-up for the grueling race between the KwaZulu/Natal cities of Durban and Pietermaritzburg. A renowned champion-producer who has run the race himself, he specializes in training athletes just to tackle The Ultimate Human Race. It's been a while since he had a runner be the first to breast the finish line tape, but that has not dissuaded him from pushing on – Hamlett yet again taking a sizeable group of runners to the race taking place this weekend. 'We've got a good group Mats, and they are all ready to challenge for honours,' he says of the Pan African Resources Club (PAR) athletes who will line up among the elites at the start of the 98th running of this world famous ultra in front of the Pietermaritzburg City Hall early on Sunday. Leading the charge for glory will no doubt be the highly experienced Gordon Lesetedi, the three-time gold medalist who will be lining up for his 10th race. Out in the high-altitude, quaint small tourist town of Dullstroom which has served as Hamlett's base for cooking up Comrades Marathon champions – Lesetedi is the senior citizen following the retirement of 2015 king Gift Kelehe. And he always leads by example during the long and hard training runs Hamlett gets the athletes doing so they are ready on race day. I visited them a fortnight ago and they all looked lean and ready to hand Hamlett his fifth champion – eager to follow in the footsteps of Kelehe, his older brother Andrew as well as 2016 Down Run winner with a record David Gatebe plus Ann Ashworth. Lesetedi was in particularly high spirits, confident that he would eventually get that podium finish (top three) he has been chasing for years. 'Ke nako,' he tells me as we settle out in the suny backyard of the cozy little house they've called home for six weeks then. 'It might be the 10th race and I know that for a lot of runners the Green Number (given after you've completed the race 10 times) is special. But for me it is just like any other ace and I am going to give it my best. I've generally done well in the Down Run (From Maritzburg to Durban) and I believe I usually get it right.' His dream of the top three is yet to happen because he believes the Comrades Marathon is always dependent on what happens on race day. 'It is a very long race and you can say before the race that you are ready to win or to do well, but then things might go wrong on the day. I am confident I can do well this year because I believe I can break the 5:20 that I ran in 2023 and of course if I get that time, then I will definitely be in the top three. I think a 5:17 will be good enough to put you up there.' Lesetedi is experienced enough to know that the race only begins after the 60km mark and he figured that it is different from the past and unlike then, it is hard to break from the leading bunch early on in the race. Though yet to podium, the man from Sekhing in the North West – the home of the Kelehe brothers who are his role models and inspiration - looks back at his Comrades career with delight because 'my times are always improving with every race'. 'And for now, it is no longer just about the gold, we are going for the podium and the win. I've got the experience and I am coached by a man who knows how to win this thing.' Alongside Lesetedi in the black, gold and white colours of PAR will be a handful of young men with a bright future in ultra-running who have got Hamlett excited that he could produce a champion yet again – if not this year in the near future.. Gift Mokoena has been with Hamlett since after the Covid pandemic and has been gradually improving, so much so that he narrowly missed out on gold last year. 'I was in the top 10 when we got to Polly Shortts but I cramped a little and that's when I lost out on gold,' said the man from Bethlehem of his 13th place finish and he is confident he will do better this time around. He was particularly disappointed at missing out on a target he'd set himself when he got into ultra running: 'My goal was to get my first gold last year for it to coincide with my 40th birthday. But I missed out on that and it was very disappointing. But I am this guy who learns from my mistakes everytime and I now know exactly what to do to get that gold.' Inspired by Andrew Kelehe and 2003 champions Fusi Nhlapo – who was trained by Hamlett until shortly before the race – Mokoena says he has done everything right and is looking forward to making his coach, himself and family proud. Proud Chauke is a confident 31-year-old from Malamulele who wears his heart on his sleeve: 'I always run a race to win, all races. My mentality is always to win the race. According to the races I ran this year and what the coach has been telling me, I am confident that I will do very well this time. The coach has been telling me that I can win Comrades and I believe I can do it. I am going there to compete for a win.' Chauke also derives his confidence from his victory at the Border to Border ultra (between Mozambique and Swaziland) in a good time of 3:54 and even went on to finish second in the Balwin Marthon in Durban. With three Comrades Marathons to his name, Chauke says he owes himself a good race given that the previous ones were ran on injuries and that he also made some rookie mistakes in some of them – once pulling out of the lead bunch thinking they were going too fast and that he would catch them one by one. 'I was not aware that there were no longer hills after that and they left me and I just could not catch them. That was a painful lesson because if I had stuck with them I could have done very well. But I am experienced now and coach has taught me all the tricks and I am ready to run a PB. I have a 5:41 but this time I want a 5:20. It's a time that we believe can give me a podium finish if not a win.' Chauke wants to see the Comrades title going back to Limpopo to end the long drought given that the last time a runner from that province won was back in 2012 when Ludwick Mamabolo reigned supreme. The other athletes in Hamlett's group are Musa Zweni, Vuyo Hagiole as well as the roses among the thorns in Kelebogile Motshabi and Wanda Britz. Will any of them give Hamlett yet a nother win to cement his legacy as a Comrades Champion Coach?
