Paul Kasu led the Boksburg Athletic Club (BAC) charge at the 99th Comrades Marathon on June 14, but veteran David Gamede ensured the club’s blue-and-white colours shone brightest during the gruelling up run from Durban to Pietermaritzburg.

Kasu was the club’s first athlete home, claiming his fifth consecutive silver medal in a personal best up-run time of 06:52:22. He shaved 1:15 off the 06:53:37 he recorded in the 2024 race.

Kasu, Isaac Mokgola and Felix Banda all finished the race under seven hours. Mokgola clocked 06:56:52 to improve his up-run personal best by 17:11 and secure a fourth silver medal.

Banda crossed the line at Scottsville Racecourse in 06:57:38, smashing his previous best of 07:11:24 from the 2024 race by almost 14 minutes to earn a third successive silver medal.

Gamede added the club’s fourth silver medal in 07:11:19, while Johan Christiaan Burger made it five silvers for BAC when he finished in 07:19:52 to break the sub-07:30 barrier for the first time.

Gamede shines

The sexagenarian joined the race winners at the post-race champions’ breakfast at Durban’s Elangeni Hotel on June 15 after winning the men’s grandmasters (60-69) category.

Gamede outpaced 1995 Comrades champion Shaun Meiklejohn, who boasts an impressive record of 10 gold medals, 21 silvers and a Bill Rowan medal from his illustrious Comrades career.

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The victory marked Gamede’s second grandmaster’s title, having first won the category in 2024. It also extended his remarkable run of podium finishes to five consecutive years after runner-up placings in 2022 and 2023 and third place last year.

Christina Silale was once again the club’s first woman home. She produced a personal best of 07:48:21, slicing 6:11 off her previous best of 07:54:32 from the 2024 up run.

The Wattville resident also claimed third place in the women’s masters (50-59) category.

Brigitte O’Connor finished as BAC’s second woman, clocking a personal best 08:23:25 to earn her first Bill Rowan medal in only her second Comrades Marathon.

Three-time silver medallist and 2022 Isavel Roche-Kelly medal recipient Lindy-Lee Folscher rounded out the club’s top three women in 08:29:33.

Veteran Edward Banda created his own piece of history by earning a double green number after successfully completing his 20th Comrades Marathon in 11:49:34.

Overall, BAC enjoyed a successful race, collecting five silver medals, 12 Bill Rowans, seven Robert Mtshalis, 10 bronze medals and 21 Vic Claphams.

At the front of the race, George Kusche and Gerda Steyn rewrote the record books. Kusche stormed to victory in 05:15:56, eclipsing Leonid Shvetsov’s long-standing men’s up-run record of 05:24:49 set in 2004.

Steyn shattered her own women’s up-run record, finishing in a personal best 05:44:53 to better the 05:49:46 she set in 2024 by 4:53.

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