Athletes wanting to run a personal best time over 21 or 10 kilometres should enter to race at the Bestmed Tuks event on 18 February.

Jet Moses from TuksAthletics is confident that athletes who have put in the hours on the road should clock fast times. The last part of the half-marathon is downhill and flat.

When discussing the Bestmed Tuks event, Moses can’t help but brag a bit.

“Our Bestmed Tuks event is definitely one of the best-organised races. And it is one of the cheapest to run. What is exciting is that our 21km race doubles up to also be the Athletics Gauteng North’s championship event. It means some of South Africa’s best distance runners will be in action. A lot will depend on who gets selected to represent South Africa at the World Cross Country Championships,” he commented.

According to Moses, the most significant change this year is the decision to do away with the marathon.

“I am guilty of not wanting a marathon. The reason for this is the Covid pandemic’s effect on local road races. The sport only started to open up towards the second part of last year. I know this because I am the deputy chairperson of Athletics Gauteng North’s road racing committee. Part of my job is to read all the race referee’s reports. It gives me a good indication of the latest road racing trends,” he explained.

Moses said that he has learned that there are seldom more than a thousand finishers in any race. Before the Covid pandemic, most of these races attracted 2000 to 3000 athletes. Sometimes even more.

“There are various reasons why the numbers declined. The most significant was the national lockdown brought about by the pandemic. For nearly two years, there had been no races. It led to the sport going ‘undercover’. Some athletes took up trail running,” he remarked.

He believes athletes who regularly goes for a Saturday morning run got asked by other athletes whether they could join. They then would go for 10 to 20-kilometre runs. On a regular basis, this would end up being a regular Saturday thing. Some of these groups got to be quite innovative. Collecting money amongst themselves to organise a support vehicle. Roadrunners continue to do their own thing because it is becoming expensive to race.

“So, our challenge as race organisers is to find unique ways to create an event every runner will want to run. With the Bestmed Tuks event, we are on track to do so,” Moses said.

Running enthusiasts of all experience levels are welcome to participate in the Bestmed Tuks race, which promises to be a fun-filled family event. Athletes can enter the 21.1km half-marathon, the 10km or 5km races, or the 1km fun run/walk.

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