Metcalfe excels again
Local ultramarathon runner excels while most other residents are asleep.
Fochville’s ultra-marathon star, Cornel Metcalfe, excelled at another demanding race last weekend.
Metcalfe tackled the Kenton 100-mile (160-km) “Love the Loop” race at Kenton-on-Sea in the Eastern Cape.
“This is a hybrid kind of race, as you run along the beach, over dunes, along riverside walkways, up some steps and intertwine through the streets of Kenton-on-Sea,” says her husband, Mark.
The race comprises a 16km “loop”, which the runners must complete ten times to complete the 100-mile race.
The runners started at midnight on Friday. They could only see the full beauty of their surroundings after their second lap when the sun began to rise.
“With an Elite invite to run the UTD160 next weekend, this run was more like a training run for Cornel, and she had no intention of going out hard,” says Mark.
She teamed up with another runner, Matthew Duggan, and they ran together in third and fourth place until the very last lap, when they caught up and passed the leaders. Matthew went on to win the race, and Cornel finished in second place, 20 minutes behind Matthew, in 28:03.
“I thank the Lord for keeping her safe during the race, and all the organisers, sponsors, and Johan Botes for his race entry,” says Mark.
He added that this race probably has SA’s most colourful and beautiful 100 miler belt buckle, signifying Kenton-on-Sea.
