Cornel ended in the third position of the gruelling Washie 100-Miler Ultra Marathon this weekend.
The race was run over 105 km from Cathcart to East London in the Eastern Cape, due to road works on the original route from Port Alfred to East London.
Cornel finished the race in a time of 19 hours and 52 minutes. She was the third woman to cross the finishing line and came in 14th overall. Her running seconds were fellow members of the Fanatics Racing Club in Fochville, Annalisa Freese and Elmarie Hayes.
Cornel ran most of the race with Manuel Alves, the previous Carletonville Harriers Club chairperson. Manuel finished in 26th position overall in a time of 21 hours 15 minutes. It was his 11th Washie.
The first woman in this year’s race crossed the finishing line in a time of 19:08 min, while the second woman came in at 19 hours 20 minutes.
According to Cornel’s husband, Mark, the past race was the fourth Washie she had tackled. In her first race in 2017, she was the first woman over the finishing line, with a time of 18 hours 52 minutes. Although Cornel started the 2018 race, she had to withdraw due to a recurring injury after the halfway mark. However, this did not deter Cornel, and she was the second woman over the finishing line in 2019 when she completed the race in a time of 19:01.
The Washie never took place in 2020 or 2021 due to the Covid-19 lockdowns.
