About 300 road runners take to Grahamstown streets and outlying roads on Saturday 9 August for the Oak Cottage KwikSpar Mountain Drive half-marathon, a participation league event sanctioned by Eastern Province Athletics (EPA).
About 300 road runners take to Grahamstown streets and outlying roads on Saturday 9 August for the Oak Cottage KwikSpar Mountain Drive half-marathon, a participation league event sanctioned by Eastern Province Athletics (EPA).
With league points at stake, most clubs under the jurisdiction of EPA will be represented, with athletes coming from Port Elizabeth, Uitenhage, Despatch, Jeffreys Bay, Humansdorp, Somerset East, Cradock and Port Alfred.
The race will start and finish at Rhodes University’s Prospect sports complex at the western end of African Street. It includes a half-marathon for walkers, who start an hour before the runners take off at 8am.
Athletes will make their way along African and Somerset streets towards Makana Resort below Grey Dam, where they begin the tough uphill Mountain Drive climb, followed by the descent to the N2. The seven-kilometre Mountain Drive section is all gravel road.
After crossing the N2, the field will enjoy a flat, tarred section through the industrial area and golf club before reaching Somerset Heights.
Then it’s a relatively-easy four-kilometre jaunt through the suburbs to the finish on the Prospect field.
Race organisers urge Grahamstown residents and motorists to use caution when travelling on local streets and to give athletes a wide berth. Marshals will be on point duty at intersections to assist.
The cut-off time is 11am, giving runners three hours to complete the course, and walkers four hours.
The organisers of the annual event offer around R7 000 in prize-money, plus cash prizes to the King of the Mountain and Queen of the Mountain.
The first 350 finishers will receive a medal, and there will be spot prizes up for grabs.
Late entries will be accepted at the Prospect sports complex from 6pm to 8pm this evening, and from 6am to 7.45am tomorrow morning. Entrants must be 16 years or older.
The entry fee is R45 plus R25 for unlicensed athletes. Grandmasters (60 years and older) will pay R25.
