Oceans stage set for Africa’s finest
27 countries from continent represented in ‘ultra’
THE Two Oceans Marathon will showcase Africa’s finest ultra-distance athletes this weekend in what has effectively become the African ultra-marathon championship.
The intense rivalry amongst many of the continent’s top distance-running countries comes to a head in Saturday’s race, with five African marathon super-powers going head to head along the classic circuit.
While the Oceans contest and rewards are primarily about individual excellence over the challenging 56km course, there is little doubt that inter-country rivalry has strengthened in recent years.
No fewer than 27 African countries will be competing in the Two Oceans on Saturday, but while the likes of Namibia and Botswana boast significant numbers, just five nations are expected to be involved in the battle for supremacy up front – South Africa, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Ethiopia and Lesotho. Tiny Lesotho has consistently demonstrated that size does not matter, their athletes dominating the podium places on four occasions in the past six years.
Typically the “Mountain Kingdom” marathoners run tactically, largely as a team. They did so superbly in 2014 and 2015, but misjudged the pace last year and left their surge too late, allowing the front-running Zimbabweans to stay out in front to the finish. Mike Fokoroni took line honours with compatriot Collen Makaza close behind in second.
South Africans tend to be more “club-conscious”, or run as individuals, to the detriment of the country’s runners. Their successes, such as George Ntshiliza’s win in 2011, and David Gatebe and Mthandazo Qhina’s great 1-2 in 2013, have been sporadic and often unexpected.
Kenya and Ethiopia are the real powerhouses of distance running in Africa, but have yet to dominate on the global ultra-marathon circuit, as they have over the standard marathon distance. Kenyan John Wachira’s win in 2009 has not been followed by further success from these two countries, although there has been a gradual increase in their gold medal success in recent years, particularly in the women’s competition.
Some believe it is only a matter of time before Kenya and Ethiopia plunder the majority of the Two Oceans spoils, and Saturday could see the likes of Ethiopia’s Kebeda Dinke (ninth last year), and Kenyan’s Moses Kurgat and Melly Kennedy contest the top placings.
But more probably Saturday’s podium positions will be taken by athletes from Zimbabwe, Lesotho and possibly SA. Fokoroni and Makaza are reportedly in even better condition this time around. Compatriot Moses Njodzi, winner in 2006, showed off his form earlier in the year with a fine win in the Red Hill Classic 36km.
Lesotho’s Moses Mosuhli will be looking to emulate his 2015 form, when he finished third in 3hr 13min 44sec, rather than that of last year, when he dropped back to 34th.
With the gap between the Oceans and Comrades being just seven weeks this year, some of SA’s leading ultra-marathoners, including the vastly talented Ludwick Mamabola, Bongmusa Mthembu (Comrades winner in 2014) and Claude Moshiywa (and Caroline Wostmann and Charne Bosman in the women’s race), will probably not race competitively on Saturday.
This could open opportunities for the “old men” of the race, former marathon super-stars, ALSO INSIDE: SBW on logos, P30 CT City v Plat Stars, P31 Tough period for Blues, P31 Hendrick Ramaala and Gert Thys, who at 45 years are both reportedly focused on the podium on Saturday, but don’t write off the chances of Mthandazo Qhina and Lungile Gongqa, becoming the first Cape Town Two Oceans winner since Don Hartley’s victory in 1973.
In the women’s competition. American Sarah Bard and Briton Holly Rush have a chance, but it is the Belarusian, Maryna Damantsevich, with a 2:30:09 marathon best time, who looks most likely to upset Tanith Maxwell’s hopes and ambitions, and take another win for Eastern Europe on Saturday.
The half-marathon starts at 6am in Newlands Main Road, and the ultra at 6.40pm. WE all know the original is far better than the cover – no matter who does it and whatever changes are made to it. The Stormers in 2017 are the cover version of the original Lions. It’s a bit like Justin Bieber covering a Bruce Springsteen song. That’s just the plain reality.
Granted, the Stormers have put out a pretty decent copy of the original, I’ll give them that. I suppose it helps that they’ve brought in the former Lions stalwart and junior coach Russell Winter to work with the forwards.
The Capetonians have played their rugby with real zest this year, they’ve kept ball in hand, they’ve spread it wide and the players have been given licence to “play it as they see it”.
Men like SP Marais, Dillyn Leyds, Robert du Preez, Dan du Plessis, Cheslin Kolbe and Dewaldt Duvenage have thrived in the environment created by Robbie Fleck... but, let’s be honest, what the Stormers have done in 2017 is still not what the Lions did in 2016 – the original thrill-a-minute team – and what Johan Ackermann’s charges have done up to now.
The likes of Faf de Klerk, Elton Jantjies, Rohan Janse van Rensburg, Courtnall Skosan, Andries Coetzee were the original off-load kings, try-hungry gap-busters... and they remain that.
This weekend they’ll want to put the puffed-up Capetonians in their place. Seriously Stormers fans, enough now; you can stop raving about that one off-load against the Chiefs – that’s one off-load. One.
Also, all of a sudden every Stormers player is a Bok, and a potential saviour of the national side, including one young 18-yearold flyhalf who’s had three minutes of Super Rugby action. Really?
Ackermann’s team are the original trend-setters, too. They’ll set that record straight against the impostors this weekend in their first outing since their coach revealed he’d be leaving the Lions at the conclusion of the competition. To go back to Springsteen Shame man, it must be extremely difficult for the Lions to see another team be the pride of the South African rugby pack.
Yep, you guessed it. That pride is, of course, the Stormers.
And like I said, the Lions must be feeling it. They must be feeling it a lot. Last year it was Johan Ackermann’s team that had everybody shouting “make all the Lions Springboks!” and, well... that seems to be the notion going around about the Stormers now. Not a good feeling hey, Lions?
all know how the Johannesburgers love attention, I mean, if it’s not Elton Jantjies getting edgier haircuts week in and week out, or Rohan Janse van Rensburg showing off his Luke McAlister-like thighs (you can stop pumping them up now, Rohan), it’s the whole of Johannesburg filling up our social media news feeds with their somewhat annoying #BeThere campaigns (it’s getting too much now,
I know this whole hashtag craze of theirs is to engage their supporters and hunt for more, but if not even an Ernie Els, all-over-theinternet video of support can help you guys beat the Jaguares, how are all your other supporters going to help you beat the Stormers?
And besides, the Lions are so used to facing lousy Australian opposition by now (remember the old saying, you’re only as good as your competition) that they won’t know what to do with the Stormers’ impressive onslaught. And their recent opposition, the Sharks, are so up and down they don’t mean much. So you can stop holding onto that win, Lions (and the Kings and Cheetahs - after all, the Stormers beat them better than you did).
And Stormers, remember, there’s another old saying - you’re only as good as your last game - and well... we all know how YOUR last game was.
So go out there and send your fans twisting into the same spirals of delight at Newlands.
Oh yes, one last thing. The Lions are probably still very emotional about the announced departure of their beloved coach, so who knows; as if they don’t have enough odds against them already, could that sad news be the biggest downer?
#TooSoon?