General views during the Comrades Marathon 2014 on June 01, 2014 in Durban, South Africa. The 2014 Comrades Marathon is starting at City Hall in Pietermaritzburg and finishing at The Kingsmead Cricket Stadium in Durban. (Photo by Anesh Debiky/Gallo Images).
Already offering lucrative prize money, in an attempt to attract elite international and local athletes to the 42.2km race in September, former distance runner Elana Meyer said Sanlam’s sponsorship would enable the organisers to meet the criteria laid out by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) for Silver Label status.
Meyer, a member of the event’s executive committee, was confident it would become the first standard marathon in Africa to be included in the global body’s road running calendar.
She said the long-term goal was to secure a place in the top-flight World Marathon Majors series.
“We offer contestants the largest sum of prize money for a South African standard marathon, with cash prizes exceeding R1.6-million,” Meyer said in a statement.
“This is in line with international city marathon benchmarks and a requirement to be considered for the WMM and IAAF membership.”
Meyer, a former world record holder on the road and Olympic silver medallist on the track, confirmed the Cape Town race had received support from the IAAF, which would have a presence at the event.
The organisers confirmed the sponsors had signed a three-year deal for naming rights to the race.
“We take pride in creating an opportunity for international athletes to compete in a global event on the continent, in particular African athletes,” said Yegs Ramiah, chief executive of the financial services group.
– Sapa
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