Foreign runners are flocking to the Comrades Marathon but the locals are still very much in the rush for gold
ROAD RUNNING:Julian Drew
LAST year it was won by a Russian. This year it takes place on June 16, a day remembered for the Soweto uprising of 1976 and now known as Youth Day. Comrades, it would seem, is living up to its name but it is also becoming what it has long claimed to be: the most prestigious and competitive ultra-marathon in the world.
The Comrades Marathon has been the world’s largest ultra-marathon for many years and has its own unique pomp and ceremony that creates a sense of occasion unequalled in this sector of athletics which generally goes unnoticed in the rest of the world.
Since the doors were opened to international athletes in 1992 it has also been attracting increasing numbers of the world’s best ultra runners. That trend continues this year with what is certainly the strongest field ever assembled for both the men’s and women’s races. Indeed Comrades is fast approaching de facto world championships status and although the official 100km world championships still attract a deeper elite field, that may not be the case for much longer.
One reason that Comrades is quickly catching up is the ever-increasing value of prize money on offer. It was only in 1995 that the Comrades Marathon Association took a bold step away from amateurism but already the winner’s prize has increased by nearly half to R65 000. That may be chicken feed compared to what’s available at some of the big city marathons elsewhere, but in the world of ultra running it is the biggest purse by far.
Running Comrades, with the vociferous support of thousands of spectators and the captive attention of a whole nation, is also a lot more enjoyable than the lonely and often obscure road that is ultra running in other parts of the globe.
But despite the foreign onslaught and predictions that South Africans would soon be forced out of the gold medal positions, local athletes have continued to demonstrate that this country produces some of the best ultra runners in the world. Last year there were four overseas athletes in the top 10, the highest number yet, while six of the women’s top 10 places were claimed by foreigners, also a record.
This year the race is as open as ever with winners predictions best left to the foolhardy but many local athletes are expected to be in with a chance of glory.
Predictably those three stalwarts – Nick Bester, Shaun Meiklejohn and Charl Mattheus – should feature most prominently. They have proven themselves consistently in Comrades throughout the 1990s and have the experience that so often proves crucial in this extremely demanding race.
Mattheus has been training at altitude in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado to try and regain that winning edge which has been so close in the last two years following the disappointment of disqualification when winning the race in 1992 after inadvertently taking medication containing banned stimulants. Whether it was a wise decision to change the training regime that has served him so well in the past will only become evident late on Monday morning, but for Meiklejohn it has been a case of sticking to a tried and trusted formula.
Meiklejohn has followed a similar programme to the one which saw him become Natal’s first winner in 16 years on the last down run two years ago. With an enviable record on the down run he could again prove to be the best tip among the South Africans.
Nick Bester also took himself away from home to prepare for Comrades but apart from the isolation of Dullstroom in the Eastern Transvaal the altitude was only a few hundred metres higher than what he is used to in Pretoria. Bester can never be ruled out in Comrades and while his best results in recent years have been on the up run – second in 1994 and 1996 – his victorious run of 1991 came on the down run.
Other South Africans who are expected to do well are Rasta Mohloli who has been in the top four in three out of the last four years, Theo Rafiri, Donovan Wright and Gary Turner.
South African marathon recordholder Zithulele Sinqe is the dark horse in the pack. It will be Sinqe’s first attempt at Comrades and also his final race in an illustrious career which includes a successful defence of his Two Oceans title earlier this year.
Two Oceans pedigree, however, does not always translate to the Comrades – Two Oceans recordholder Thompson Magawana could manage no better than fifth – but the fact that Sinqe is a novice certainly does not count against him either.
Winners Dmitri Grishine (1996), Alberto Salazar (1994) and Charly Doll (1993) have all shown in recent years that it is possible to win at the first attempt.
Among the foreign legionnaires, last year’s American ultra runner of the year, Tom Johnson, is one of the favourites, as is last year’s winner Dmitri Grishine of Russia. Alexei Volgin – third for the last two years – is another Russian who can go all the way and with world 100km record- holder Konstantin Santalov and newcomer Igor Ryabov also in the starting line-up, the Russians have the talent to make a real impact this year. Germany’s Kaziemierz Bak, Poland’s Jaroslaw Janicki and Andrzej Magier and Britain’s Christopher Parkes are other overseas athletes who could feature on Monday.
In the women’s race there seems little prospect of a South African challenging for the title with a group of four high-profile international athletes seemingly in a league of their own. The world’s top female ultra runner, American Ann Trason – who holds the 100km world record and set an up run course record when winning Comrades last year – is not expected to win this year, though.
Trason underwent surgery on a ruptured hamstring in November and has only been in training for two months. She may not be strong enough yet to win the race but she could still carry too much firepower for the South Africans.
Germany’s Maria Bak – the winner in 1995 – and Russia’s Valentina Shatyaeva are the two favourites, with 1994 winner Valentina Liakhova of Russia also in the running. South Africa’s best bet seems to lie with Pretoria’s Helene Joubert.
Whether it was a wise decision to change the training regime that has served him so well in the past will only become evident late on Monday morning, but for Meiklejohn it has been a case of sticking to a tried and trusted formula.
Meiklejohn has followed a similar programme to the one which saw him become Natal’s first winner in 16 years on the last down run two years ago. With an enviable record on the down run he could again prove to be the best tip among the South Africans.
Nick Bester also took himself away from home to prepare for Comrades but apart from the isolation of Dullstroom in the Eastern Transvaal the altitude was only a few hundred metres higher than what he is used to in Pretoria. Bester can never be ruled out in Comrades and while his best results in recent years have been on the up run – second in 1994 and 1996 – his victorious run of 1991 came on the down run.
Other South Africans who are expected to do well are Rasta Mohloli who has been in the top four in three out of the last four years, Theo Rafiri, Donovan Wright and Gary Turner.
South African marathon recordholder Zithulele Sinqe is the dark horse in the pack. It will be Sinqe’s first attempt at Comrades and also his final race in an illustrious career which includes a successful defence of his Two Oceans title earlier this year.
Two Oceans pedigree, however, does not always translate to the Comrades – Two Oceans recordholder Thompson Magawana could manage no better than fifth – but the fact that Sinqe is a novice certainly does not count against him either.
Winners Dmitri Grishine (1996), Alberto Salazar (1994) and Charly Doll (1993) have all shown in recent years that it is possible to win at the first attempt.
Among the foreign legionnaires, last year’s American ultra runner of the year, Tom Johnson, is one of the favourites, as is last year’s winner Dmitri Grishine of Russia. Alexei Volgin – third for the last two years – is another Russian who can go all the way and with world 100km record- holder Konstantin Santalov and newcomer Igor Ryabov also in the starting line-up, the Russians have the talent to make a real impact this year. Germany’s Kaziemierz Bak, Poland’s Jaroslaw Janicki and Andrzej Magier and Britain’s Christopher Parkes are other overseas athletes who could feature on Monday.
In the women’s race there seems little prospect of a South African challenging for the title with a group of four high profile international athletes seemingly in a league of their own. The world’s top female ultra runner, American Ann Trason – who holds the 100km world record and set an up run course record when winning Comrades last year – is not expected to win this year though.
Trason underwent surgery on a ruptured hamstring in November and has only been in training for two months. She may not be strong enough yet to win the race but she could still carry too much firepower for the South Africans.
Germany’s Maria Bak – the winner in 1995 – and Russia’s Valentina Shatyaeva are the two favourites, with 1994 winner Valentina Liakhova of Russia also in the running. South Africa’s best bet seems to lie with Pretoria’s Helene Joubert.