Elroy Gelant will line up among the favourites in Durban on Sunday morning. Picture: Roger Sedres/Gallo Images
National marathon champions Elroy Gelant and Cian Oldknow have enjoyed the best season of their careers, and both athletes have credited last year’s Hollywoodbets Durban 10km as a catalyst for their superb campaigns.
Though he didn’t win the race last year (that honour belonged to Kabelo Mulaudzi) Gelant finished second at the annual 10km race in 28:04.
The 38-year-old distance runner used his momentum from that race to produce a string of spectacular results over the last 12 months.
He formed part of the SA half-marathon team who earned the bronze medal at the World Road Running Championships in Riga late last year. He then went on to win the SA marathon and half-marathon titles, and set personal bests over the 10km (27:47) and 42km (2:08:56) distances, before finishing 11th at the Olympic marathon in Paris.
Returning to the Hollywoodbets race in Durban on Sunday morning, Gelant hoped to shine again.
“Things started here last year… and this is a fast course, so we (Boxer Athletics Club athletes) want to do well again,” Gelant said.
Similarly, Oldknow secured the biggest win of her career (at that point) when she triumphed in Durban last year in 32:17.
She went on to set a marathon personal best of 2:25:08 before winning the SA marathon title. She was also the first SA woman home in the Olympic marathon, finishing 32nd overall.
Winning in Durban last year, according to Oldknow, had given her a boost in confidence.
“Where I’ve come from as an athlete, I’ve always kind of been aiming for times because I wasn’t really fast enough to be competitive,” she said.
“Last year at this race I was still going for time, and suddenly that pace found me in the front of the race, and I kind of switched over from chasing times to being competitive against the other female runners.
“I think that did a lot for my confidence this year because when I go into a race I feel I can actually win it.”
On top of the R37 500 cheque on offer for the first man and woman on Sunday morning, organisers of the Hollywoodbets Durban 10km have put up R50 000 bonuses for SA records.
Aside from Gelant and defending champion Mulaudzi, the men’s field includes the likes of Stephen Mokoka, Thabang Mosiako and Kenyan athlete Gideon Kipngetich.
In the women’s race, Oldknow will join the likes of Cacisile Sosibo, Tayla Kavanagh and Neheng Khatala of Lesotho in the elite line-up.
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