Hersch Randburg Harriers Challenge draws 6 500
PRAEGVILLE – Good music, stalls and vibe keep everyone entertained at annual run.
The 34th annual Adrienne Hersch Randburg Harriers Challenge reached record numbers this year – the difficult Randburg hills proving to be a major drawcard.
A whopping 6 500 runners challenged themselves on 10 September, filling streets in suburbs around the Randburg Sports Complex on a sunny morning.
The 10km was the biggest hit, followed by the 21.1km and 5km fun run.
Mobile band, Mooven Groove played classics such as Chariots of Fire, Eye of the Tiger and When the Saints go Marching in, to the crowd’s pleasure, as food stores and spot prizes kept everyone entertained.
Adrienne Hersch herself attended the event, and although she did not run, she promised to train for next year.
“We have previously had 3 500 to 4 000 runners but this year we hit 6 500, so the partnership with Discovery Vitality has been great,” she said. “There has been great camaraderie and community spirit to get up early and support each other.”
Race director, Liesl Koch was happy that the event ran without hitches, save for long toilet queues, which they will address come next year.
Runner, Emma Murray ran her sixth 21km race of the year with her husband as well as a friend.
“It has been good to see so many clubs represented today, and the organisers doing registrations up to four days in advance also helped,” she said.
Grant Silverman and wife Deidre ran the 10km together and brought their two young daughters for support.
“It is a nice family day out with lots of fun,” the couple said.
Katleho Monaheng was the fastest 10km runner, finishing in 00:33:49, while Portia Ngwenya was the fastest woman in 00:42:29.
Mbongeleni Ximba was the fastest 21.1km runner in 01:16:25, while Kate Roberts was the fastest woman in 01:28:05.
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