Buffs ready to hit road again

Since 1974, the Buffs Marathon has been a dominant feature of the local and national roadrunning calendar.

The 46th Jumbo Buffs Marathon is being organised, as it traditionally is, by Buffalo Road Runners and, for the first time, with the assistance of Rotary.

The marathon remains extremely important to Buffalo City and to the thousands of roadrunners in the Eastern Cape in particular.

In his book Road Running: the

Border Story, Tony Viljoen writes: “Large fields make the Buffs Marathon, traditionally run on the first weekend of March, one of the most popular events, not only in this area, but in the country as a whole. Ideally placed on the roadrunning calendar it serves as a most useful qualifier for both the Two Oceans and Comrades Marathons.”

Those are the words of one of the most respected running minds in the province and a man who, despite only starting his distance training at the age of 43, ran a personal best 2:42:31.

For some reason that advice has been ignored and the marathon has, for no valid reason, been pushed out a week.

While many local runners of yore are aghast, it is unlikely to impact on the enthusiasm of locals to run their beloved Buffs Marathon.

Competition nationally is quite fierce, however, and the date is important to folk who are apt to travel from various corners of South Africa.

The very first Buffs Marathon was won by Gordon Shaw, then in the colours of East London Athletic Club (Elac), with a time of 2:26:08.

Shaw went on to dominate, winning in 1975, ’76 and ’78, before going on an overseas sojourn for nearly five years.

Upon his return in 1983 he entered and won the race one more time.

Sadly Shaw was never recognised as a five-time winner of the marathon, but his name is indelibly written into its history.

In 1983 he ran 2:16, beating Bruce Fordyce into second place by just 34 seconds, and went on to come second in the Comrades Marathon of that year, behind the same Fordyce.

Shaw’s 1983 time would have been a deserved new course record had it not been for the superb efforts of Willie Farrell of Diggers, Johannesburg, when he ran 2:14:51 in 1979 a year after Shaw’s fourth triumph in a 2:20:50 personal best.

Craig Hepburn of Savages, Durban, was second in 2:16:51,

The very first Buffs marathon was won by Gordon Shaw, then in colours of EL Athletic Club

such was the racing ability of the marathoners of the day.

Border’s Willie Mankayi, of the Defence Club, was in great shape in 1985 when he recorded 2:14:15 to beat off the South African champion Kevin Flanegan.

Mankayi was awarded SA Road Running Association colours on the back of that performance, while Flanegan, in the colours of Bloemfontein Achilles, returned to win the race in 1986.

The course, traditionally from MacLeantown to the Buffs Club, was under construction between 1984 and ’86, and thus a different route was used during that period.

Other roadrunning greats among the winning men have included Kantoor Nkoane, who won in 2:17:49; Joe Claase, Alan Robb, Sam Tshabalala, Ronnie September, as well as Border’s Mlamli Nkonkobe, Tembinkosi Bishop, Davis Skepe and Mzwandile Shube.

Marathon and half-marathon entries close on Monday March 4, and all care should be taken by Two Oceans and Comrades hopefuls to enter and qualify.