Over 40 Grahamstown athletes travelled to Cape Town over Easter Weekend, for the annual Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon.
Over 40 Grahamstown athletes travelled to Cape Town over Easter Weekend, for the annual Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon.
This was the 44th consecutive running of the event.
While Friday's weather was wet and miserable, runners assumed the race would be a repeat of last year's event, held in rainy conditions, from start to finish.
However, athletes were warned that while there would not be rain, there would be winds of over 45km/hour.
Unfortunately, the weather man got it right this time and the gale-force winds caused havoc along Champan's Peak, just over half-way into the Ultra marathon.
Malibongwe Mbelu of Run/Walk For Life Athletics Club was first local home in a time of 4:24:33, with club-mate Jene Banfield first local women home in 4:41:25.
Banfield was also the second Eastern Province female runner home. Basie Bonaparte of Albany Road Runners was first local home in the half-marathon in a time of 1:21:26.
Natalie Ross of Rhodes University Athletics Club was first local woman and first Eastern Province woman home in the half-marathon in 1:27:28.
Bonaparte was third Eastern Province athlete home and eighth veteran runner.
A record field of athletes lined up at the start of this year’s Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon in cold and windy conditions.
Race director Rowyn James says he is happy that the weather still allowed for great race conditions.
“Today has been a terrific day, with a record field, a number of record-breaking runs and some great upsets – especially in the Ultra Marathon. And with our long-term sponsors Old Mutual announcing that they will offer an additional R1-million to the winning male and female runner if they break the Ultra Marathon course records in next year’s event, 2014 is set to be even bigger and better.”
Novice runner David Gatebe (Impala Platinum) beat a highly competitive field to take the top spot in a time of 3:08:54.
Gatebe said the strong winds did not play a major role in his run.
For the first time since 2007, Russian twins Elena and Olesya Nurgalieva could not achieve a win, with compatriot Natalia Volgina winning in a time of 3:38:38, just over a minute ahead of second place Thabita Tsatsa from Zimbabwe.
In the Half Marathon race, both the men’s and women's winners established new course records despite the windy conditions.
Stephen Lesego Mokoka (Team Transnet) won the Men’s race in a time 1:03:36, beating Lusapho April (Oxford Striders) to the finish.
In the women's race, Ethiopian runner Biru Meseret Mengista stormed to victory in a time of 1:12:43, shaving more than two minutes off the course record, set last year by Rene Kalmer, who managed to take second place.
Grahamstown athletes who completed the Two Oceans Ultra Marathon, with number of Ultras run in brackets:
- Malibongwe Mbelu (Run/Walk For Life, 2) 4:24:33
- Thembinkosi Mdyogolo (Nedbank Running Club, 6) 4:30:08
- Winston Lionel Blaauw (Run/Walk For Life, 2) 4:41:05
- Jene Banfield (Run/Walk For Life Athletics Club, 4) 4:41:25
- Rooi Rikhotso (Run/Walk For Life, 2) 4:46:33
- Stephen Penney (Run/Walk For Life, 21) 4:55:28
- Martin Bekker (Albany, 2) 5:17:59
- Graham Carlson (Albany, 2) 5:18:44
- Richard Foss (Albany, 9) 5:20:14
- Richard Alexander (Albany Road Runners, 1) 5:39:58
- Timothy Mcdougall (Rhodes, 1) 5:46:23
- Eric Mapara (Rhodes, 23) 5:50:12
- Garyn Rapson (Rhodes, 1) 5:53:35
- Brian Bannatyne (Albany, 3) 6:02:49
- Terri-Lynn Penney (Run/Walk For Life, 9) 6:03:38
- Barry Podesta (Albany, 6) 6:04:02
- Colin Meyer (Run/Walk For Life, 1) 6:06:40
- Linda Ngxande (Run/Walk For Life, 5) 6:15:39
- John Van Onselen (Run/Walk For Life, 6) 6:21:31
- Sylvester Jeffries (Albany, 5) 6:51:48
- Natasha Bülbring (Rhodes, 1) 6:54:45
Grahamstown athletes who completed the Two Oceans Half-Marathon, with number of half-marathons run in brackets):
- Basie Bonaparte (Albany, 8) 1:21:26
- Warrick Smith (Rhodes, 4) 1:25:10
- Natalie Ross (Rhodes, 4) 1:27:28
- Darryn Van Huyssteen (Rhodes, 1) 1:29:29
- Johan Gerber (Run/Walk For Life, 4) 1:39:08
- Matthew Anley (Rhodes University Athletics Club, 2) 1:43:17
- Joubert Retief (Run/Walk For Life, 6) 1:47:26
- George Purbrick (Rhodes, 3) 1:47:46
- Matthew Theijssen (Rhodes, 2) 1:48:37
- Matthew Van Der Vegte (Rhodes, 2) 1:49:55
- Megan Schoeman (Rhodes, 3) 1:56:55
- Karen Meyer (Run/Walk For Life, 3) 2:04:12
- Leanne Voerman (Rhodes, 3) 2:04:49
- Samantha Bezuidenhout (Rhodes, 2) 2:09:52
- David Goble (Rhodes , 3) 2:09:52
- Lise Westaway (Run/Walk For Life, 2) 2:10:11
- Debbie Du Plessis (Run/Walk For Life, 1) 2:20:18
- Zelda Van Onselen (Run/Walk For Life, 4) 2:24:59
- Leigh-Ann Jones (Albany, 4) 2:37:04
- Bronwyn Herring (No Club, 1) 2:39:22
- Hendrien Coetzee (Run/Walk For Life, 3) 2:40:53
- Junitha Els (Run/Walk For Life, 2) 2:48:33
- Amy Taylor (Run/Walk For Life, 3) 2:50:06
- Colin Price-Smith (Run/Walk For Life, 8) 2:52:29
