Northerns athletes race to the finishing line
They also provided a two-kilometre children's route.
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Many races and competitions all over the world have been cancelled due to Covid-19, so the Benoni Northerns Athletics Club decided to take a break with their usual Saturday morning tradition of simply running and rather run a fixed, pre-defined route and have a braai afterwards to enjoy each other’s company.
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This was the first time Northerns Athletics had held such an event for their members and they hope to continue with it annually.
“People were able to run as fast or as slow as they wanted to. We had two water tables en route and while the restrictions on athletics are such that no road racing is allowed, we created an opportunity for a family-oriented function, free for all our club members,” explained John Ansell, the club’s chairperson.
They also provided a two-kilometre children’s route.
All the running took place at Homestead Dam to minimise any inconvenience to motorists.
“Everyone was then invited to a braai at the club after the event, which we really enjoyed while spending time together and enjoying cooling down after our run,” said Ansell.
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The fastest man on the day was Justin Brown in a time of 32:38, with Bright Mikolongwe right on his heels.
The first woman home was Nicole van der Merwe in a time of 38:31.
“These are remarkable performances for amateur athletes running at altitude.
“It was a successful event with about 130 runners in total.
“Depending on the race calendar next year, we hope to make this an annual event,” concluded Ansell.