Local athletes all set for Comrades Marathon next weekend

Approximately 170 local athletes will be joining the almost 20 000 national and international runners at the starting line for the annual Comrades Marathon on 4 June.
Local athletics clubs will be hosting their annual goody bag events at various venues in the city on the weekend to wish their members a safe journey and good luck for the race.
Polokwane Athletics Club (PAC) has the largest number of entrants namely 127 that will be departing for the event. During their annual pre-marathon breakfast Comrades gold medallist Ludwig Mamabolo and Arnold Geerdts, who has been anchoring test rugby, golf majors, five Olympic Games and million rand fund raising events through to the Comrades Marathon will be the motivational speakers.
Club Chairperson Corrie Calitz hopes for silver medals from at least Pelly Lamola, Andries Malete, Koketjo Gumbo and Tidius Forotija.
PAC member Pienas Magashule is expected to finish under the top five in the masters category while female masters Melanie Melville, Leani Venter and Pearl Hughes are also expected to excel.
Pietersburg Road Runners (PRR) is entering 11 female and 15 male athletes. Chairperson Colinda Potgieter expects Lutendo Mapoto, Timothy Munzhelele, Peter Muthubi and Calvin Malatji to achieve top category positions. Joyce Netshifhefhe and Geneva Raphahla are expected to achieve silver medals while Lazarus Seroka might achieve a top three position in the masters’ category.
PRR expects at least eight silver medals from the team and has six novices competing.
Run/Walk for Life is entering only three athletes with Mzansi Athletics Club having 12 athletes of which five are novices.
Comrades Marathon Association Race Director, Rowyn James in January announced the distance of the 2017 Comrades Marathon measured at 86,73 km.
This year will be an up-run from Durban to Pietermaritzburg.
The race is set to start at the Durban City Hall and finish at the Scottsville Racecourse in Pietermaritzburg. The route is similar to the one 1998 and 2000 with a few minor tweaks here and there.
This year’s up-run will be slightly shorter than the two most recent up-run routes. The 2013 route was 86,86 km long while the 2015 route measured 87,72 km.

Story: RC Myburgh
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