Get set for Bay half marathon

Record number of entries on cards for race and 10km, 5km events

WITH the EP Athletics half marathon title at stake, Saturday’s Panamor Gel Half Marathon, and 10km race, which start and end at the Maranatha Children’s Home in Main Road, Southdene, should attract a record number of entries.

Zolani Ngqaqa and Ntombesintu Mfunzi are the defending champions.

A 5km fun run-walk will also take place on Saturday.

Now in its fifth year, the half marathon, previously known as the HYDRAssist Half Marathon, is organised by the Aspen Athletic Club and is an EP Athletics Prestige and Participation League event.

Aspen Pharmacare, manufacturers of both HYDRAssist and Panamor Gel, remain the title sponsors.

The entry fee for the half marathon is R80. The 10km run will cost R50, and the 5km fun run-walk will cost R25. The temporary licence fee (half marathon and 10km only) is R30.

Entries, at sports shops in the metro, close at 5pm today.

Late entries will be accepted at the children’s home, behind the Forest Hill army base, between 5pm and 7pm on Friday, and from 5am on Saturday.

The half marathon will start at 7am and the 10km run at 7.15am. The fun run-walk starts at 7.30am. The first 200 pre-entries in the half marathon will receive a Panamor water bottle and a pair of branded Aspen socks. The next 100 will receive a water bottle and a T-shirt.

The first 100 entrants in the 10km race will receive a T-shirt and a water bottle.

All entrants in the 5km run-walk will receive a water bottle.

The winner’s purse for both men and women in the half marathon is R800.

The cut-off time for the half marathon is 3 hours 30 minutes, and two hours for the 10km race.

In addition to cash prizes in the various categories there will be the customary lucky draw. The main prize is a weekend for two at the Paxton Hotel.

For more information, call Wendy Denston on 076- 834-8124 or Sharon Reder on 083-305-3962.

DESPITE the 10km SPAR Women’s Challenge taking centre stage, more than 400 people turned up for the three parkruns in the metro this past weekend.

In the Hobie Beach event, Bruce van Niekerk recorded the fastest time, finishing in 20:25.

Adam Daniels finished first at Sardinia Bay with a time of 22:11.

In the Lady Slipper parkrun, Jared Surtees was first in 23:36.

Results:

Hobie Beach

Men: Bruce van Niekerk 20:25, Elgie Shusha 21:06, Richard Bergh 21:24 Women: Noma Nogaga 25:48, Lynette Herselman 28:06, Angela Rogers 29:45

Sardinia Bay Men: Adam Daniels 22:45, Elijah London 22:42, Ali Williamson 23:45 Women: Pamela Marais 33:26, Esther Clarke 32:41, Tania Plakonouris 32:58

Lady Slipper Men: Jared Surtees 23:36, Neil Cook 28:32, Ronald Reeves 28:37 Women: Henneli Smit 33:19, Vicki Laing 33:21, Tammy van Zyl 34:11