Lowveld race creates camaraderie among athletes

Vryheid Athletics Club members competed in Mpumalanga’s most scenic Comrades qualifier over the weekend. The TracN4 Elands Marathon is a race that is run mainly on the N4 toll route and this year’s edition was the second running of the re-launched version.
The iconic 42.2km marathon starts at Laerskool Oosterlijn in eMgwenya (Waterval Boven), with the route taking runners down the escarpment, through the Waterval Boven tunnel and down to the beautiful Fortis Malaga Hotel, where the half-marathon (21.1km) starts. Both the marathon and half-marathon ended at the Sappi Skills Training Centre in Ngodwana. The 10km race was out-and-back from the Sappi Skills training centre. This beautiful route never fails to produce fast times, with many runners achieving ‘personal bests’ and very fast Comrades qualifiers. This race normally attracts top-class athletes from around the country.
The five Vryheid athletes posted excellent times in very hot weather conditions. The camaraderie among the athletes was noticeable in the way they supported one another during the race.
The results are as follows:
Jeanine Theron – 3:21; Hein Potgieter – 3:56; Richard Scheepers – 3:59; Paula Smal – 4:22; Cathy de Beer – 5:30.

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The news provided to you in this link comes to you from the editorial staff of the Vryheid Herald, a sold newspaper distributed in the Vryheid area.