Running in the mist of uncertainty
The holiday season is fast approaching and as it does the demeanour of runners, after a tough year, will lighten as schools close, families spend more time together, the days are longer, warmer and filled with colour.
Training becomes easier in respect of time frames and often lightened by meeting up with established and new running friends from across the country.
Those in the hospitality, law enforcement and other essential industries may well not be as fortunate and those of us who have the luxury to embrace the holiday season and we owe much gratitude.
In running terms, the arrival of 2023 ushers in a “mist of uncertainty” in respect of the availability of 2023 running licences and the impact that has on club membership fees and activity.
For many years licences for the ensuing year have not been available to either renewing athletes or novices when races open in January. Provinces would, however, be able to inform runners of what their licence fees would cost when they did arrive. Not so currently though.
Numerous club officials have confirmed to me that ASA will only be able to inform clubs following a council meeting currently in the planning stages. Runners, not surprisingly become agitated, but hopefully end of year festivities will temper such frustrations.
There are two 10km races in January and both attract good numbers on the back of New Year resolutions. Thereafter follows three extremely popular events, all different in nature, but attracting runners from out of province, which is great because locals are tested.
The Bridle Drift Half Marathon is scheduled four weeks into 2023, while the Surfers Challenge is four weeks later still and the Buffs Marathon and half marathon another two weeks after Surfers. All are popular and all have various components to the day. Bridle Drift has a 5km run added, Surfers has the 5km, 11,2km and 16,5km races along with the paddlers on the Indian Ocean adding variety and the two Buffs races speak for themselves.
A start to the year like that requires perfect planning from all involved, to ensure growth in the sport.
It is a well-known fact that the two big ultra-marathons in neighbouring regions, Two Oceans and Comrades, use Buffs and other marathons, or ultra-marathons, as qualifying races, which adds healthy numbers to every qualifier. They are in fact a breadbasket to the sport as a whole.
Real Gijimas, who organise the Bridle Drift keep themselves exceedingly busy adding a “sister” 50km ultra marathon on Sunday, March 19, which will be an added opportunity to qualify for Comrades, now back to its 11 June date. There are many challenges to athletes running back to back Comrades, as a result.
Running a 90km race at the tail end of August 2022, needing to recover fully, before building up to another qualifying event in early 2023 and then on to another 90km race just nine months later is a tough ask for any runner.
True there have been a numerous qualifying marathons in October, November and one populated to the calendar down Gqeberha way on the first weekend of December. Each marathon will have presented challenges given the short recovery period available. The end of February, early March would be best, given the offer of 27 weeks between Comrades 2022 and qualifier 2023. Not as good as the 41 weeks in years past however, and runners are likely to feel the pressure as the month of June approaches. I have witnessed first hand the pressure on many of the Comrades runners already and it is only the back end of 2022.
Coaches will already have been closely evaluating their runners’ best interests and are going to have their skills tested further in the new year. I wish athlete and coach well.