Elite athletes Bosman, Moeng, Mulaudzi lace up for Mandela Remembrance Run

FORMER Comrades Marathon winner Charne Bosman will be among the top elite athletes at the Mandela Remembrance Walk and Run in Pretoria on Sunday when the event will host a half-marathon for the first time.

Bosman may be better known for her ability over the ultra-marathon distances but will still be chasing after a podium place in her home town.

“I am glad the organisers incorporated a 21km race this year. It’s still a little short for me, but I am incorporating it into my long run training. I stay in Menlo Park, so this race is on my doorstep and I am looking to be very competitive and to give this race my best shot,” Bosman said.

“I participated in the 10km race last year and it’s an incredible event, a really special race. It is always nice to be part of an event that recognises the contribution of Nelson Mandela.”

In remembrance of President Nelson Mandela, the walk will follow the route of his funeral cortege, starting from Kgosi Mampuru Prison through to Thaba Tshwane to the Union Building.

The event will include a five kilometre walk and 10km run while the 21km distance will be introduced for the first time.

While Bosman is more adept over the longer distances, she said she would use the half-marathon as part of a training run.

“It’s a really nice training run and it’s rare that we get to run a race such as this through the streets of Pretoria,” Bosman said.

“Enter the race and come and have fun. It was a great experience last year, the event was really well organised and it’s a great way to end the year on the road before we all go on holiday.”

While Bosman may consider the 21km as a training run there seems to be a trend for ultra-distance runners to pick up speed in the shorter distances.

The 2018 Comrades winner Ann Ashworth and runner-up Gerda Steyn produced blistering personal best times in the marathon over the last month.

Ashworth chopped a massive 22 minutes off her previous best from 2014 when she clocked a time of 2:35.47 at the Valencia Marathon over the weekend.

Steyn produced a stunning performance at the New York Marathon last month, posting a new personal best time of 2:31.04 for 13th place at the iconic race.

The 2018 Two Oceans Marathon champion launched herself into sixth place on the South African all-time list over the 42.2km distance.

The Mandela Remembrance Walk and Run will have some star quality in the men’s elite races with 2013 South African marathon champion Benedict Moeng and former World Student Games half-marathon silver medallist Collen Mulaudzi lining up on Sunday.

Moeng, who is also a Pretoria-based athlete, said he will be using the 10km race as part of his speed training as he targets a marathon spot for next year’s IAAF World Championships in Doha.

“It will be a pleasure to run this race in honour of Madiba, who did such great things for our country,” Moeng said.

“I am doing the 10-kilometre run and will be looking to get my speed up during this race.”

Mulaudzi will be among the favourites in the men’s half-marathon race which he will use as preparation for next month’s South African cross country trials in Pretoria.

“While it’s important preparation time for me and I will be looking to run a time of around 64-65 minutes, this event for me is about honouring Madiba’s name,” Mulaudzi said.