Club losing support could be a massive blow for women’s road running

Some of the country’s best women long-distance runners were left stranded this week when the popular Murray & Roberts Running Club lost its main sponsor, leaving the future of the club in doubt.

With Murray & Roberts experiencing a “cash crunch”, as explained to members in a letter released this week, the company was unable to continue supporting the club.

And while this is hardly an unusual circumstance, with many corporates having pulled their sponsorships of clubs over the years (many of them ultimately closing because of these decisions), the biggest concern around this week’s news is that the club has specifically thrown its weight behind women athletes.

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At elite level, the Murray & Roberts club supported the likes of Comrades Marathon gold medallists Adele Broodryk and Jenna Challenor. More importantly, they also sponsored some of the country’s rising stars, including Tayla Kavanagh and Cian Oldknow.

Though the club isn’t closing, and will continue under new management led by former elite star Rene Kalmer, it has been made clear to members that elite support will not be possible unless they find a new sponsor.

Other clubs

It’s not all doom and gloom, and some of the club’s top runners will be snatched up by other professional clubs, including the likes of Nedbank, Boxer and Maxed Elite.

But the reality is that, unless the Murray & Roberts Running Club finds a new sponsor, or a new club fills the gap, some athletes are going to struggle to find financial support, making it significantly more challenging for them to compete at professional or semi-professional level.

It’s sad, and the letter to club members this week was extremely apologetic, but we live in a real world where some things require significant resources, and it is what it is.

Over the years, some of the country’s biggest professional clubs have closed, always leaving top athletes stranded, with major brands pulling their support of athletics.

But the Murray & Roberts Running Club was unique because it did more for women road runners than any other club in the country.

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Even if the club can’t find a new sponsor, the likes of Broodryk and Challenor shouldn’t have much trouble finding a new home. The problem is that the likes of Kavanagh and Oldknow might not find it as easy, and this would be a massive blow to the future of SA women’s athletics.

These athletes are some of the most talented road runners South Africa has produced in decades and it would be a real shame if they didn’t have sufficient backing to achieve their potential.

Let’s hope a solution is found to ensure these young women are able to continue on their career trajectories and don’t become discouraged by the news they received this week.

Losing a major domestic club is always a pity. But it would be a real shame if we lost talented athletes too.