The Cape Town Marathon At a glance

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JOHN DOBSON: WESTERN PROVINCE RUGBY COACH, ON THE RACE

“My guys (the WP Rugby squad) are fit and strong, but they would still struggle to run 42 kilometres. They’re just not built to be marathon runners. They’re battle-hardened and mentally tough, but would struggle over long distances. It’s strange that the forwards take to running marathons, rather than the backs, who are better built for running. I think the big guys know that their bodies will balloon once they stop rugby and take up running to keep themselves in shape! I won’t run this year, but will be out in support. My wife won’t let me sleep in when there’s a marathon in town!”

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TIM NOAKES: ON WHICH SPORTING DISCIPLINES WILL COME TO THE FORE IN SUNDAY’S MARATHON

“I’d put my money on the soccer players. Typically they have lighter builds and are more efficient for marathon running. The rugby forwards will get half way and start to wonder why they signed up for the run! They’ll learn new lessons and will make it to the finish – they’re tough-minded sportsmen – but they’ll wish they were somewhere else in the latter stages of the race! It will be worse than playing the All Blacks, where they could stop after 80 minutes. On Sunday the pain will continue for more than four or five hours!”

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The Cape Town Marathon will start on Sunday with a torch carried by race ambassador, Francois Pienaar. Ignited in former president Nelson Mandela’s jail cell on nearby Robben Island, the flame is symbolic of radiance, love, resilience and defiance. Mandela himself once said: “Man’s goodness is a flame that can be hidden but never extinguished”. It is this attitude that drives Cape Town in its quest to becoming one of the world’s major marathons. The flame is also the symbol of the Olympic Games, where traditionally the Olympic torch is lit in Olympia and follows a relay from Greece to the city in which the Games are being held. The flame used will originate from The Sri Chinmoy Oneness-Home Peace Run, a global relay that seeks to promote international friendship and understanding. – Stephen Granger