Spot the Highway Comrades runners

ON Sunday, 31 May, people will gather in the streets to support runners from all over the world in the 90th Comrades Marathon.

The Comrades Marathon is the world’s oldest and largest ultra-marathon, run over a distance of approximately 90km. This year an extra 877 metres have been added onto the race because of the Pinetown roadworks.

This year’s marathon is an up-run from Durban to Pietermaritzburg. The Highway Mail has compiled a list of the Highway clubs that residents could look out for: Hillcrest Villagers Athletic Club, Pinetown and District Athletic Club, Highway Athletic Club, Westville Athletic Club, Kearsney Striders Athletic Club, Chiltern Park Athletic Club and Forest Hills Athletic Club.

Hillcrest Villagers Athletic Club has 106 entrants in the Comrades Marathon, of whom 33 are novices. The club has one woman and three men running their 10th races, ‘Going for Green’: Charmaine Roux, Brad Kavanagh, Ryan Mitchell, Barry Trevor-Roberts.

Another nine ‘green numbers’ are running again: Rob Collins is going for number 38, Thanda Duma going for number 17, with Patsy Clemens and Noel Varty going for number 15. The club wishes every Comrades entrant a successful run and a wonderful day.

Pinetown and District Athletic Club has 55 runners who have qualified to run the 2015 Comrades marathon, six women and 49 men.

They have 11 novices and one of them is a woman: Thobile Masilela. PDAC has 13 runners who have run more than 10 Comrades. Wayne Scott has got 30 Comrades and will be running his 31st this Sunday.

Pieter Hougaard, Kelvin Borland and Gregg Patterson will be running their 12th Comrades. Johannis Zuma and Terrence Zulu will be running the Comrades for the 13th year; Rhys Kitching 12th year; Welcome Mandlenkosi Mtshali and Maxwell Myeni will be running their 16th Comrades.

Sipho Nyembe is on his 13th Comrades; Gavin Frankish 15th year; Sifiso Mazibuko will be running his 24th Comrades; with Jenny Tyers in her 14th year.

There are four members who will be running their 10th Comrades on Sunday and aiming for their green numbers. Sipho Dinga, Gaye Jackson, Jabulani Mdlalose and Mark Deeble will be running their 9th marathon.

Highway Athletic Club has 21 members entered for the Comrades, of which four are women. Cliff Hagerman will be running his 16th Comrades this year. He has completed 15 runs.

The Highway club will erect a gazebo opposite the old 1 000 Hills Hotel to support and refresh runners.

Westville Athletic Club has 119 runners that will be running the Comrades this year – 86 men and 33 women. The club has 27 novices and three runners who will be going for their 10th marathon: Chris Martin, Craig Blewitt and Jowaine Parrott.

Dave Lowe will be running his 42nd Comrades, Shaun Wood running his 38th, Graham Buck his 26th, Derrick Mazibuko his 24th and Aubrey Roberts will be running his 23rd marathon.

Kearsney Striders Athletic Club has 37 runners that will be running this year’s Comrades Marathon: 25 men and 12 women. Three women from the club – Nicky Mazoe, Claudia Stencel and Catherine Perry – will be going for their green number this year. Jennifer Rigby will be running her sixth Comrades, eight people will be running their second Comrades and there is one novice.

Chiltern Park Athletic Club has 32 runners who will be representing the club this year – 19 men and 13 women. There are two novices this year and six members who have green numbers: Karen Arjun, Stephen Ngiba, Sifiso Ngubane, Ravi Padayachee, Thulebona Hlongwane and Muziwakhe Nxumalo.

Forest Hills Athletic Club has 16 runners that will be ruuning the Comrades Marathon. There are three novices. Dave Cloke is running his 22nd Comrades and Merryl Duncan is running her 19th.

GETFIT Athletic Club has 16 runners taking part in this year’s Comrades, of whom ten are novice runners. Michelle Coskey will be running her 22nd consecutive Comrades Marathon.