Marathon Man will not be star of the show

Four-time winner skips Washie

JUST two weeks remain to the 41st running of the ETB Equipment Washie 100 and it was confirmed in the past week that, for the second year running the race will be without four times winner, Johan van der Merwe of Pietersburg Road Runners.

Van der Merwe set tongues wagging prior to the 2012 race when he openly predicted on social media that he would both win the race and set a new record.

Local hacks who did their homework on a man they knew little about and having perused his Comrades pedigree, were swayed to believe he might just deliver on that promise. Expectations for a great time were higher than for many a year and certainly since the Saayman, Len Keating, Thomas Gxakaza era of the 1980's.

Come the race and Van der Merwe dominated from the starters pistol, powering over hills and through lonely passes, entering the city after a cold night on that much revered road between Port Alfred and East London.

He was well on target to break Manie Saayman's then 30-year-old record. A monumental record that stood at 13:13:38.

A novice to the race he and his team followed the lead traffic vehicle, which rather than make the left turn round Marina Glen and up Buffalo Park Drive, they went right, mounting MacJannet Drive, Baysville.

Fortunately the error was picked up fairly quickly by the media and Team Van der Merwe headed back down the hill and then up to the finish at the Buffalo Club.

Sanity prevailed and athletics officials were able to award a finishing time of 13:07:05 and a superb new record.

Van der Merwe went on to win again in 2013, 2014 and 2015, but last year injury ruled him out.

This year he was all fired up for a return to Washie.

This after ASA had turned down his request to represent his country at the 24-hour World Championships in Belfast, Ireland. The decision was not unexpected and Van der Merwe whose pedigree speaks for itself, is somewhat disparaging of the reasons forwarded to him.

The plan therefore reverted to Washie and the preparation centred around running an easy Comrades. That is if a seven-hour Comrades on legs that had done 272km in the week before the race is indeed easy.

Speaking over the past weekend, Van der Merwe said “doing a comfortable silver on tired legs would have been the best mental motivation ever for Washie, in my opinion”.

The international 24-hour event has both a national team segment and an open one where runners can compete for the masters championships in their age categories.

When the organisers heard of Van der Merwe's predicament they seem to have elevated him from 37th on the waiting list to a direct invitation to run. That was the day before Comrades. The decision was difficult, but obvious. Van der Merwe laments “I could not let this opportunity to run alongside the best ultra athletes on the planet pass me by. Washie will be there next year”.

So one of South Africa's maverick ultra runners will be out there doing what he loves best this coming weekend. — DDC