Van Zyl betters 50km world record
The men’s title, which has been held by Thompson Mangawana for over 30 years, was broken by Ethiopian Ketema Negasa at 2:42.06.
What was set out as an opportunity to maintain the momentum of elite running in 2021, saw eight 50km IAU world record times being broken.
Marine Drive in the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality proved to be a fast stretch of road as athletes took to the Nedbank Runified: Breaking Barriers 50km International Athletic Union (IAU) world record attempt.
The men’s title, which has been held by Thompson Mangawana for over 30 years, was broken by Ethiopian Ketema Negasa at 2:42.06.
South African Irvette van Zyl, who started the race as a pace runner, crossed the finishing line at 3:04.23 to break the record and be the first South African woman to break the 50km IAU world record.
When asked about van Zyl’s victory, race director and national manager of NRC Nick Bester said she knew what she was capable of and isn’t surprised at her achievements today.
“The conditions were great and I felt good. At 30km, I was meant to go off but I felt good. After Nick gave me the signal, I pushed through to the finishing line.
“If you asked me a year ago today, I wouldn’t have said I would be here today due to my knee surgery, but this is such a proud moment for me and I am grateful for this opportunity,” said three-time Soweto Marathon winner van Zyl, who recently qualified for the upcoming Tokyo Olympic Games Marathon.
On her debut ultra-marathon, Kenyan long-distance runner Lillian Chemweno, who was breathing down van Zyl’s neck, held the second place and crossed the finish line at 03:05.00, breaking the second world record time of the day. Closing off the podium was Dominika Stelmach, giving the Nedbank running club a 1-2-3 finish.
“After months of planning and all the hard work, we came here today to break the record, and that’s exactly what we did,” said Bester.
“We have ticked every box to make sure all procedures and rules have been adhered to in order for our race to be official and IAU world records to stand.”
The success of today’s event has set a high benchmark of what the Nedbank Runified series stands for and what is to come.
While world best performances are accepted at face value, the IAU world records are submitted to the rigorous ratification process that includes certified course measurement, official timing, doping control and additional checks and standards.
