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Athletes react furiously after problems during Wally Hayward marathon

While race participants of the famous Wally Hayward marathon, which has been an institution on the streets of Centurion for years on Labor Day, reacted with anger and disappointment on social media about logistical problems during this year's race, the organizers have given the assurance that the matter will be rectified and no prejudice will apply to any athlete.

May 2, 2024
Koos Venter 3 minutes read
Nearly 13,000 athletes took to the streets of Centurion on Labor Day to participate in the four different race options of the Wally Hayward marathon. Photo: Facebook

One of the most famous and popular road races in Gauteng, the Wally Hayward marathon, which is presented annually in Centurion by the Alpha Centurion Athletics Club, was plunged into controversy on Wednesday due to apparent logistical problems.

Athletes and their supporters took to social media after the race to lash out at serious logistical problems during the famous event, which has been part of the road race calendar in Centurion for decades.

The race route, which started and finished at the Centurion rugby club, ran from this club through the eastern suburbs of Centurion. The 21,1km (half marathon) route had to be completed twice by the athletes who participated in the 42.2km standard marathon.

Most athletes who complained agreed that logistical errors by the organizers caused the route to be longer than indicated. As a result, literally hundreds of athletes’ official times have been affected and this fact has serious complications for many of them.

Francois Jordaan, Race Director of the Wally Hayward marathon, confirmed that he and his fellow organizers are working hard to find a satisfactory solution to the logistical problems that occurred at this race on Wednesday.

The biggest crisis seems to have occurred early in the race in the Doornkloof suburb, near the intersection of Deodar and Mahonie Streets. This is apparently where the vehicles accompanying the leading athletes lost their way, while there were also accusations that some of the race marshals on the route in that area made mistakes.

The extent of this crisis is exacerbated by the fact that, for athletes in Gauteng, the Wally Hayward marathon is their last opportunity to qualify for the Comrades marathon.

The Comrades marathon takes place this year on Sunday, 9 June. One of the non-negotiable criteria for qualifying for the 2024 Comrades, is that athletes must complete an officially ASA accredited standard marathon (42,2km) in less than 4 hours and 50 minutes between 1 September 2023 and 6 May 2024.

It is common knowledge that this regulation is one of the most important reasons why the Wally Hayward marathon is so popular with athletes in Gauteng. This race, which is presented annually on Labor Day, is literally the last opportunity for prospective Comrades participants to officially qualify for the famous ultra-marathon.

Francois Jordaan, race director of the Wally Hayward marathon, admitted to Rekord that there were logistical problems during the race on Wednesday.

“Due to human error, almost 2000 athletes out of the more than 7000 who took part in the half marathon and the marathon ended up on the wrong route and as a result they ran about 3km further than they were supposed to,” Jordaan admitted.

According to Jordaan, this error did not affect the final result for the top three athletes in each of these races, but he realizes that it could have been detrimental to hundreds of athletes who used the 42.2km marathon as a qualifying opportunity for the Comrades.

“As race director I take full responsibility for the mistake, while my fellow organizers feel the same way about it. Since the end of yesterday’s event, we have been working non-stop – basically through the night – to do data analyses to identify each of the athletes who were impaired by that mistake. We are also in continuous discussion with Athletics Gauteng North, Athletics South Africa and the Comrades marathon organizers and we already have their approval to accommodate these athletes and adjust their times,” he told Rekord.

According to Jordaan, no athlete will end up missing out on qualifying for the Comrades because of the mistake.

“The opposite is actually true. There are several borderline cases and we would rather see that their times are adjusted to be able to qualify for the Comrades than the other way around,” he remarked.

Jordaan confirmed that they are working with Finish Time Results (https://results.finishtime.co.za/) as their official time keeper and that the official times of all this year’s Wally Hayward competitors will be available on their website before the end of Thursday 2 May.

He also confirmed that they are aware of other complaints surrounding the presentation of the race. He assured Rekord that each of the complaints will be dealt with and that the organizers will discuss problems with all the complainants.

“We treat these complaints with respect and seriousness. Every complaint or critical comment is collected and it forms part of our reflection as organizers. It helps us in our endeavour to improve the presentation of this race,” Jordaan concluded.

 

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May 2, 2024
Koos Venter 3 minutes read
 
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