Cornel grabs second Washie win

Fochville’s ultra marathon running star, Cornel Metcalfe, did exceptionally well again at one of the hardest races in the country.

Cornel took part in the Washie 100 miler road race over the past weekend. This is the oldest 100 miler race in the country, as it took place for the 47th year.

Although the race was previously always run from Port Alfred to East London, the 160km route was changed in 2018 due to the roadworks along the R72 and into East London.

Cornel tackled the race for the fifth time this year, which also earned her a permanent number. She never finished outside of the top three ladies and won the race in 2017 when it was still the old route.

As there are only three check-in points during the race, runners need their own backup crew. Another well-known Fochville runner, Elmarie Hayes, was Cornel’s pacer, while Cornel’s husband Mark was the driver and took care of her nutrition.

“The women’s section of the race was tightly contested between Cornel and Marsha Muller, who is also a previous ladies winner in 2019. The two were basically running their own races exchanging positions for most of the race and it was only with about 16km to go that Marsha started cramping and Cornel was able to pull away and maintain a 2km gap to the end. It was also Marsha’s fifth run, so both were contesting for a win on this memorable occasion,” says Mark.

“I think that the experience and trail grit that Cornel has developed over the years gave her the edge. Cornel’s legs have run more 100 milers than Marsha’s and her nutritional intake is also more refined now. This year Cornel also stuck to the game plan and pushed at the right time,” Mark added.