Stars ready to repel invasion

Wesley Botton

Local road runners will face stiff challenges over the long weekend, with quality South African contingents turning out against a foreign onslaught at the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon and the FNB Joburg 10km CityRun.

In Cape Town tomorrow, fourtime Shanghai Marathon winner Stephen Mokoka and former national champion Desmond Mokgobu were set to spearhead the charge against the likes of Kenyan athletes Albert Korir and Kipsang Kimpkemoi, as well as Ethiopian contender Fikre Assefa.

Local favourite Nolene Conrad was touted among the women’s favourites in the build-up, and she was gearing up to lead the challenge against a line-up which featured sub-2:30 runners Helalia Johannes of Namibia and Askale Alemayehu of Ethiopia.

While Mokoka and Mokgobu were turning out in sponsors’ colours and not their provincial kit, and were therefore ineligible for titles, Conrad was expected to dominate the women’s race in the battle for national crowns, with the annual event incorporating the SA Marathon Championships.

On Monday, defending champion Thabang Mosiako and countryman Elroy Gelant will compete in the annual CityRun 10km race through the streets of Joburg.

Elsewhere, the Africa Athletics League meeting was given the go ahead yesterday, on the eve of the inaugural event in Pietermaritzburg.

Today’s meeting, held under the auspices of the Confederation of African Athletics Southern Region, was set to open the new Msunduzi Stadium, despite a high court interdict being filed by KwaZulu-Natal Athletics (KZNA) this week which left the event in doubt.

While KZNA claimed organisers had not followed correct protocol in organising the meeting within its borders, a settlement was reportedly reached late yesterday.