Measuring Comrades route
COMRADES Marathon authorities will spend tomorrow morning measuring the exact distance of the Comrades Marathon from its start to Moses Mabidha Stadium, the new finishing line, race director Rowyn James has confirmed.
In August the Comrades Marathon Association announced the change in venue from the Kingsmead Sahara Stadium.
“We need to conform to the Safety Sports and Recreation Events Act and Kingsmead Sahara no longer meets those requirements for road running,” said James, stressing that cricket was not affected.
“Then we have a partnership with the eThekwini Municipality, which owns the stadium and it’s a world class icon, so it makes sense to tie up with it.”
James said the CMA was considering a number of options for the final part of the route and that whichever was chosen needed the approval of the Metro Police.
“We shall try and keep the distance as close as possible to the previous down-run, in 2016, which was 89.2km.”
Tomorrow’s measuring would only be of the final part of the route.
“The International Association of Athletics Federations requires us to measure the whole route every five years, but we did that last year,” he said.
Meanwhile, KwaZulu-Natal marathon and trail running star Prodigal Khumalo looks forward to ending this year’s race, on June 10, at Moses Mabhida Stadium.
“It would be nice to come in among the top five,” said last year’s eighth past-the-post.
“I’ll be happy to improve on my previous time but I don’t want to put myself under too much pressure,” he told The Independent on Saturday.
Having started out as a barefoot runner who circled the school track while his mates kept themselves busy with sprinting, Zimbabwe-born Khumalo, 35, has now also made a name as a trail runner.
Last month Khumalo broke the men’s record at the Ultra-trail Cape Town, which forms part of the Ultra-trail World Tour, by just under an hour, in a time of 9:51.00.
Khumalo has also become a trainer and three of his protegés have cracked it in the US.
“Veronica Mtethwa completed the 42km New York Marathon in 5h19min.
“You cannot disappoint people back home. It’s your promise to your family, your fans and your sponsors..
“She had an injury before she left but I told her – don’t give up.
“You’ve booked your flight and your spot. If it’s meant, do it on one leg.
“She was amazing,” said Khumalo.
Mthethwa calls him “kind and someone who takes a lot of care for people he trains”.
She too is looking forward to the Comrades Marathon having pulled out after 17km last year due to cramps.
Another two of Khumalo’s 20 trainees who cracked it in the US last year were Austin Marathon winner Sipho Ngxongo and Woodlands Marathon winner Sphamandla Nyembe.
“I spend most of my time motivating them. I know that it’s important to have the motivation and drive to fight.
“We jog for an hour and then we talk,” he said.
Since taking up trail running, Khumalo has expanded his training ground from the pathways of Inanda near his home to the rocks and sand of Anstey’s Beach on the Bluff.
The training sessions happen before and after his working day as an airgun salesman at Kings Arms and Ammunition in central Durban.