Frans Moyo of Harmony chanced his luck with hard early racing and he paid the price when he was reduced to a walk going through the halfway mark at Drummond before a large crowd at the Comrades Marathon on Wednesday.
Moyo went ahead after Fields Hill after about 90 minutes on the road from Durban in ideal, cool conditions then held out for 2:45:05 through halfway. Former winners Vladimir Katov, the up-run record holder, Willie Mtolo and Andrew Kelehe tucked into the bunch of favourites two minutes down.
Then White Modisanye had a go off the front over the top of Nchanga Hill, but the bunch, containing Russians Vladimir Yepenov, Andrey Yaroslavtsev and Comrades novice Zamele Gabashe — the newcomer to ultras of Premier who is being coached by former champion Bruce Fordyce — among the contenders as the field moved on towards the gruelling Harrison Flats.
Here Kotov, the 46-year-old veteran, controlled the pace as the pack, also including former winner Jaraslaw Janicki of Poland, was whittled down to eight. Kelehe and 40-year-old Mtolo were holding out comfortably in the pack that held Modisanye in their sights a short way up the road.
Modisanye was hauled in before Camperdown with 23km to go and then the race was on between Simon Mphulanyani, Mtolo, Janicki, Kelehe, Joseph Ikaneng, Kotov and Mluleki Nobanda.
Further back the Russian twins Elena and Olesya Nurgalieva, first and second in the down run last year, controlled the pace among the women and surged through halfway in 3:04:33 with South Africa’s Farwa Mentoor of Cape Town close on their heels. – Sapa