Johan’s sights on 3rd Washie title
Johan van der Merwe of Pietersburg Road Runners will compete in the 38th annual Washie 100 race on July 11.
POLOKWANE – Johan van der Merwe of Pietersburg Road Runners will compete in the 38th annual Washie 100 race on July 11.
The race will start at Halyards Hotel in Port Alfred and end at Buffalo Park, East London.
Van der Merwe is the 2013 and 2014 Washie champion and has improved the long-standing race record of legendary Manie Saayman, who won the race five times in the 70s.
Van der Merwe set a new race record of 13:07:05.
The cut-off time to complete the race is 26 hours.
He posted the fourth fastest time ever in 2013 (13:18:02) when he successfully defended his title as Washie champion.
The Washie was first run in 1977, making it the oldest 100 mile race (160km) in South Africa.
According to Van der Merwe, only 13 runners have completed the race in less than 14 hours from 1977 until 2013.
He says he will line up at the start with high expectations of becoming the first runner to break through the 13-hour barrier and only the second athlete to win the race title in three consecutive years.
“There are no water points or refreshment stations along the route and all participants have to arrange for a vehicle to receive water and other supplements to avoid dehydration. I will be assisted by my wife, Corine and my sister, Colinda Potgieter,” he says.
He says he looks forward to the big day and believes he will do his best and win the title for the third time in three consecutive years.
