Covid-19: Athletes to be refunded for Forever Loskop Marathon Series

This year a single gunshot did not break the silence to set nearly 4 000 athletes off on the popular Forever Loskop Marathon Series.

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Instead of adding another chapter to its rich history the marathon now has a blank page with the words Covid-19 and refunds scribbled over it.

Organisers had no choice but to cancel the 34th Loskop Ultra Marathon and 14th Loskop Wild Challenge that were set to be held on April 18, based on the proclamation of President Cyril Ramaphosa on March 23 that the country is in a nationwide lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and the subsequent announcement of risk-adjusted strategy regulations.

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A virtual meeting was held to determine the process moving forward and a decision was reached that all entrants would receive a full refund for their race entries purchased.

Kobus Tait, managing director of Forever Resorts South Africa and main sponsor of the Loskop Marathon Series, said, “Due to the overwhelming uncertainty of when sporting events may resume in future, we have utilised this time to deliberate the best options available to accommodate our dedicated running community”.

Furthermore, a decision was made by the Loskop Marathon Series committee that all entrants who had purchased race entries for the race would be receive a full refund for their tickets and any additional purchases made at the time of entry through the official channels of the Loskop Marathon Series, which will exclude any bank transactional fees incurred at the time of payment.

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Due to these unforeseen circumstances, the entrants of this year’s Loskop Marathon Series will unfortunately not be receiving the popular marathon shirt or race pack.

The refund process is set to begin on June 1 and the Loskop Marathon office will be in communication with entrants directly.

No action will be required by entrants who utilised the official online platform, as refunds will automatically be made to the debit/credit card utilised at the time of entry, which upon verification is expected to reflect on the entrant’s bank statement within four to five weeks.

For manual payments, entrants will be contacted directly to arrange the relevant refund.

Any donations made by individuals at the time of entry will be paid to the relevant charity.

All entrants are advised not to disclose personal details, such as, but not limited to, card verification value, ID or passport numbers, pins and passcodes, and to check that all emails which are received are from official peaktiming.co.za or foreversa.co.za email addresses.

If you are unsure of an email or want to check its validity contact the Loskop Marathon office on loskopmarathon@foreversa.co.za or loskop@peaktiming.co.za.

“Understanding the financial hardships that many households will endure over the coming months, we feel this is the correct decision for all concerned following the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic in South Africa,” said Tait.

At this stage, the Loskop Marathon Series committee cannot announce a date for the next marathon.

The Loskop Marathon Series committee thanks each of the runners, supporters, volunteers and their valued sponsors for their patience and understanding in these unprecedented times.

The committee’s thoughts and prayers are with all who are affected by the pandemic.

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