IN 2019, the Isavel Roche-Kelly medal was introduced for any woman who finished outside the Top 10 but broke seven and a half hours.
This effectively meant that no woman was able to win a silver medal.
Fast forward to this year, with the Comrades Marathon Association’s Heritage and Traditions Committee’s recommendation to the CMA Board to have the Isavel Roche-Kelly medal cut-off at seven hours, and its subsequent approval, women will now stand the chance of earning the coveted Comrades silver medal if they so wish.
Also read: Call for Comrades volunteers
Roche-Kelly, the first woman to win a silver medal at the Comrades, made an indelible mark on The Ultimate Human Race.
Such was her contribution to the world’s biggest and oldest ultra-marathon, that the only medal named after a woman is the one bearing her name.
“It was with a sense of excitement that we announced the inclusion of the Isavel Roche-Kelly Medal to the Comrades Marathon medal collection five years ago. I am pleased to say that after much deliberation, the CMA Board took the decision to review the cut-off time for this medal this year and revised it to seven hours rather than the original 07 hours 30 minutes,” said CMA chairperson Mqondisi Ngcobo.
The Isavel Roche-Kelly Medal is the women’s equivalent of the Wally Hayward Medal, which is awarded to those male athletes who finish outside the gold medal but under six hours.
For more from Northglen News, follow us on Facebook, X or Instagram. You can also check out our videos on our YouTube channel or follow us on TikTok
