FinishTime Newsletter NEWSLETTER: April / May 2024 Don’t let the chilly weather stop you As the thermometer drops, we are now just a few weeks away from one of South Africa’s most famous endurance sporting events and the winter sporting season is ramping up. It is hard to miss the arrival of Comrades Fever as runners all over the country pound the pavements and roads, desperately trying to prepare for their 85,91km date on June 9.…
"Apr/May ’24: Don’t let the cold stop you"Tag: Road Running
FinishTime Newsletter NEWSLETTER: March / April Paris beats 60-hour cutoff First of all, an apology … Regular readers of this esteemed newsletter will probably already know about the Barkley Marathon. The editorial team at FinishTime is a bit fixated on the American off-road ultra marathon, but we were determined this year to ignore the event after faithfully reporting on it for three years in a row – after all, we do try and give the…
"Mar/Apr 2024: Paris beats 60-hour cutoff"
Malawian Jimmy Bonjesi ran a negative split for the second half of the Hemel en Aarde Marathon as he powered away from Siyabonga Sakwe to claim a four-minute victory in the 42,2km race from Caledon to Hermanus. Bonjesi and Sakwe established their dominance over the undulating first half of the race and when they went through the halfway mark together in 1:16:52 it was clear they were the only two runners in contention for the…
"Bonjesi claims Hemel en Aarde title"
Mpontsho Nodolo and Ntokozo Mkhize both produced perfectly paced runs in Durban to take the victories ahead of a big field in the 42,2km races at the KZN Best of Best Marathon on Saturday. Ndolo crossed the line in a quick two hours 22 minutes and 58 seconds to score a home-club win for the race organisers, Ama-Ravens Athletics Club. He beat Sphamandla Nyembe by just over a minute after the runner-up was credited with…
"Nodolo, Mkhize are Best of Best champs"
Finishing a 42,2km standard marathon can be a tough and, in some cases, painful experience. The Hemel en Aarde Marathon hopes to mitigate some of the difficulties of running for anything from two to five hours by providing entrants Entrants in Saturday’s event from Caledon to Hermanus still have to use their feet to propel themselves over the full 42km distance, but at least the run through the beautiful Overberg region of the Western Cape…
"Beautiful route offsets pain at Hemel en Aarde"
The KZN Best of Best Marathon starts a crowded weekend of Durban beachfront sporting activity early on Saturday morning. The beachfront has become a popular sporting playground for the fit and famous since it was revamped in 2010, and this weekend highlights the success of the upgrade with runners, canoeists and triathletes joining the normal weekend throng. The Best of Best Marathon starts at the King’s Park Athletics Stadium at 5am on Saturday morning and…
"Best of Best starts hectic Durban weekend"
Entries have closed for the inaugural Hemel en Aarde Marathon and a full field of runners is looking forward to a spectacular new addition to road running in the Boland next weekend. The new event on Saturday February 29 will be held in one of South Africa’s most renowned areas of scenic beauty and runners on the 42,2km “downhill” route from Caledon to Hermanus will be expecting some impressive scenery. The race website immodestly describes…
"Fast times on offer at Hemel en Aarde"
The revamped Durban beachfront has become one of KwaZulu-Natal’s favourite running spots and next weekend it will be crowded with athletes looking to secure their all-important ultra-marathon qualifying times at the KZN Best of Best Marathon. Just about every weekend the promenade is filled with recreational athletes simply enjoying some exercise in warm weather while allowing the beautiful seaside views to distract them from the rigours of getting fit. However, next Saturday there will be…
"Durban beachfront to host Best of Best" The organisers of the inaugural Hemel en Aarde Marathon claim on their event website that they are staging the most spectacular marathon in South Africa. There will surely be a few other marathons in the country who will dismiss this as hyperbole and exaggeration, but few will can argue the event on February 29 will be held in one of South Africa’s most scenic areas. And it is hard to dispute the facts that the…
"Is this marathon heaven on earth?"
In warm and humid conditions Mmanoko Mokwakwaila and Deanne Horn proved too strong for their rivals as the emerged victorious ahead of a field of almost 1 000 runners at the Aurum Klerksdorp Marathon on Sunday. Mokwakwaila powered away over the second lap of the 42,2km distance to build a convincing lead over William Monelo and Jabulani Nhlapo. The eventual winner crossed the line at Wesvalia High School in 2.33.09 after incredibly increasing his lead by…
"Mokwakwaila and Horn take Klerksdorp titles"