Germiston Callies Harriers hosted a Comrades Marathon Breakfast, at the Victoria Lake Club, on Sunday.
The main aim of the breakfast was to wish Callies athletes taking part in the Comrades Marathon good luck.
The Comrades is the world’s oldest and largest ultra-marathon, run over a distance of approximately 90km, between Pietermaritzburg and the coastal city of Durban.
It is scheduled to take place on June 1.
Callies have finalised their 66 athletes who are taking part in this year’s Comrades Marathon, and they, together with their family and friends, came out in numbers to be part of the special breakfast.
“We would like to wish our athletes the best of luck as they head for the Comrades; they always perform well and make us proud,” said Germiston Callies Harriers chairman Les Black.
“We have athletes who have been competing in the Marathon for years; Alan Robb will be running for the 41st year on Sunday.”
The breakfast is also held to motivate and give the athletes tips on how to tackle the marathon.
Comrades’ legend Tommy Malone was the guest speaker for the day and he shared his experiences, as an athlete and of the race, and gave the runners advice.
Among other accolades, Malone won the Comrades Marathon in 1966, in a time of six hours, 14 minutes and six seconds.
He connected well with the athletes, sharing a few jokes, which the audience enjoyed.
“I can’t tell you how to run the Comrades Marathon, but achieve what you want to achieve, all the best and good luck,” he said as he concluded his talk.
There was also an early 15km run, and the athletes had time to shower and prepare for the breakfast.
The 2014 Comrades T-shirts were handed out to the eager athletes, who were also given important information, such as the positions of Callies support stations along the route.
The athletes seemed geared up and ready for the run, and they will not only be representing Callies, but Germiston at large.
