Athletes prepare to run this well-known BMW 4-in-1 Comrades qualifier race

THE Polokwane Athletic Club will be hosting their annual BMW 4-in-1 Marathon on Saturday.

This is a very popular event and not only one of the oldest races in Limpopo, but also the biggest in the number of participants.

Last year approximately 1 200 runners and walkers participated in this event.

The marathon also serves as a qualifying race for the Comrades as well as the Two Oceans Marathon, and well-known athletes use the marathon as preparation for the Comrades marathon.

This is the seventh year that local BMW dealership Modern Autohaus is sponsoring the event with a total prize money of R18 000.

Participants can choose between distances of 5 km, 10 km, 21 km or 42 km and walkers are welcome in all the races except the full marathon.

There will also be a 60 m toddler run or crawl for children under the age of six years which will start at 10:30.

The school with the most entries will receive R1 000 and the best water point will also be rewarded with R1 000.

All the races will start and finish on the B and C rugby fields of the Peter Mokaba Stadium.

The starting time is 06:30 for the 21km and 42km races and 06:45 for the 5km and 10km races.

Entries for the event will be accepted the evening before the race at the venue from 17:00 until 20:00.

On the morning of the event, entries will be accepted from 04:30 until five minutes before the starting times of the respective races.

Finishers of all the races will receive a medal and the first 250 finishers in the marathon will each receive a BMW-branded cap.

The entry fee for the 5 km fun run is R20, and R40, R60 and R80 respectively for the 10 km, 21 km and 42 km races.

It is important for participants in the 10 km, 21 km and 42 km races to be in possession of a provincial road race licence.

Temporary licences will, however, be sold at the venue before the start of the race for R25.

All runners over the age of 70 years do not have to pay the race running fees but must pay the fees for a temporary number if they are not a member of a registered club. ID books must be produced for a free race number.

For more information on the event, contact Corrie Calitz at 082 464 1963, Carin Smit at 082 817 0164 or Johan van Vuuren at 083 277 2505.

Entry forms are available at BMW reception, the clubhouse of Polokwane Athletic Club or can be downloaded from the Polokwane Athletic Club’s Facebook-page, Polokwane Athletic Club.