‘Blue wave’ to hit Durban on Sunday
A total of 34 athletes from the Meyerton Athletics Club (MAC), including 8 female athletes, will be taking on the gruelling Comrades Marathon this Sunday.
MEYERTON. – The 96th edition of the Comrades Marathon takes place on Sunday 11 June.
The race will start in at the Pietermaritzburg City Hall and conclude in at the Kingsmead Stadium in Durban.
The official distance of this year’s race is 87.701km.
Midvaal Mayor Peter Teixeira wished the runners good luck during a send-off function at Café du Cirque in Daleside on Saturday.
Teixeira said that when Chariots of fire echoes through the streets of Pietermaritzburg early on Sunday morning, the MAC athletes will have the backing of all 200 000 Proudly Midvaal residents.
The send-off function for the Comrades runners was held at Café du Cirque, which is also the venue for the upcoming MADMAC race that will be held on 15 July.
Before the send-off function MAC athletes painted the streets blue on the 10km route run of the upcoming MADMAC race.
Comrades veteran Buks van Heerden gave a passionate and emotional send-off speech to fellow athletes.
One of MAC’s top performing female athletes, Helene van Rooyen, who placed 67th in the women’s race last year (in her first Comrades), will be back on the start line this year.
William Mokwalakwala a former gold medalist (8th in 2014) will also line up in the colour of blue and have been mentoring fellow runners.
Support from Lynca Meats and BSi Steel made it possible for various athletes that otherwise would not have had the means to take part in the 87.7km journey.
Roland du Plessis is running in his 10th Comrades which will secure him his green permanent number 3500. This was a number passed on to him by his father.
Elzana Swanepoel qualified by completing Ironman earlier this year and will be lining up with 6 other novices, with Marelize la Grange the youngest (at the age of 20) who will be running with her dad.
The athletes completed 1000-1700km since January in training and qualified predominantly at local Vaal, Sedibeng and Sasol Marathon races.
MAC will have 3 support points along the route.
Tim Kriel and Casper Barnard will once again be running in the cow patterned shorts of the CHOC foundation in support of Children with Cancer.
