A warm winters day greeted athletes on Saturday as they set out for the Mountain Drive half-marathon.
A warm winters day greeted athletes on Saturday as they set out for the Mountain Drive half-marathon.
The annual 21km run is an Eastern Province Athletics league event and attracted runners from Gauteng, as well as many from Queenstown, East London, Port Elizabeth, Somerset East and a handful from Port Alfred. Over 40 residents from Grahamstown joined the over 300 entrants.
Rob Beer of Beer Property Management saved the Mountain Drive race after former sponsors pulled the plug on the event which has become a popular challenging event for athletes across the province. The local Kwikspar also got involved in this year’s event by providing t-shirts to the first 200 finishers. Runners set off from the Albany Sports Club in cool conditions, which turned windy at the top of Mountain Drive. Once athletes reached the industrial area, things started heating up.
In the men’s race Patrick Mnto of Run/Walk For Life Athletics Club set off at a blistering pace as he attempted to keep with top EP runners George Ntshiliza and Eric Sigxashe, both of Mr Price Athletics Club, as they reached the top of the mountain. Not too far behind, was local veteran (40-49 age category) Basie Bonaparte who found himself alongside EP veteran runner Christopher Mabengeza (both of Nedbank Running Club). The second half of the race saw a change as Mnto’s early pace took its toll and he struggled through to the finish, as Bonaparte pushed on passing him to finish as the first local athlete home. He also outran Mabengeze who finished as the second veteran home, behind Maboyisana Mazwayi (Nedbank). Bonaparte finished in 8th position overall with a time of 1:16:27.
Mnto, who still holds the fastest time by a local with his 1:13:55 set in 2004, finished 13th overall. Ntshiliza finished first in 1:13:22 with Sigxashe taking second spot in 1:14:02.
The women’s race was different, as local runner Terri-Lynn Penney (Run/Walk For Life) led from start to finish and she was the first woman over the finish in 1:32:53, setting the fastest time on the course by a local woman and just over four minutes off the course record. In second place was Grizelda Pietersen (Achilles AAA), who has finished in the top three in this race for the past few years. She finished over ten minutes behind Penney.
Carriot Galela as the fifth veteran home while Wilfred Appollis (both Run/Walk For Life) was third in the men’s 60-64 age category. Local triathlete Kerry Longhurst was the first in the 35-39 age category. First runner from host club, Albany Road Runners, was Sean Eriksen in a time of 1:35:13. First Rhodes University Athletics Club member was Steven Lowe, finishing in 1:34:44.
Peter Sidina (Run/Walk For Life) won the walking event in 2:16:39.
