For top long-distance runners, March and April are when they intensify their training for the Comrades Marathon.
“If you understand Comrades training, you know March and April are the most important months because that’s when you start to do your longer runs,” said the City of Ekurhuleni Athletics Club’s treasurer, Thato Mamabolo.
“In May, you start to taper off, so you start to reduce your mileage so you can be fresh for the marathon in June.”
With this in mind, the club organised a 50km run at the Brakpan Sports Grounds on Saturday at 05.30.
The event also honours two of the club’s legends – Matome Mashabathakga and Eric Siminya.
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They have more than 20 Comrades Marathons worth of experience between them.
“The purpose of the run is to honour those legends, but as the Ekurhuleni Athletics Club, we will have some runners who will participate in Comrades this year at the run,” said the club coach, Alfred Mangala.
The run is a looped 10km, so the public is invited to run 10km, 20km, 30km, 40km or 50km.
“Even members of other clubs or the community are invited,” said the coach.
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The coach looks forward to seeing how runners perform in the ultimate endurance race.
“In terms of the Comrades, we know most of our runners have full-time jobs, so we have drawn up programmes based on their strengths, especially for those targeting silver medals,” he said.
“There is a special programme they can use in their spare time. Every week, they show us their results.
“I’m targeting to run it in less than nine hours (Bill Rowan), so I have a programme I’m following.”
For more information, contact 072 126 7918, 072 523 8626 or 067 793 7340.
