Saturday’s Madibaz half-marathon, which also feature 10km and 5km races, will present the perfect opportunity for Madibaz runner Amanda Detshe to improve her personal best.
After the original Gqeberha event, which consisted of 21.1km and 10km races, attracted a flood of participants the organisers took yet another step forward with the addition of a 5km fun run.
As entries for Saturday’s event have already pushed past the 1 000-mark, Madibaz Sport’s athletics manager Bernard Petersen said they were preparing themselves for an even bigger day at the races.
“The support of the Nelson Mandela Bay running community has been exceptional.”
Positive feedback on the runner-friendly course inspired the Madibaz Athletics Club to broaden the event’s appeal by adding the shorter run to cater for more families, social runners and students.
They wanted to make it “a true community occasion”, Petersen explained.
The half-marathon enjoys Prestige and Participation League status from EP Athletics and has quickly become a key fixture on the Madibaz and provincial road running calendars.
“It means a lot to the university and the club. Very few university-based clubs offer races over these distances and we’re proud to be setting that example,” he said.
One of the major drawcards is the accommodating route, which showcases the campus in all of its glory as well as stretches of Marine Drive.
It is unchanged from last year and the only difference from the first edition is an extra kilometre within the university grounds.
Besides reaching out to the public, Petersen highlighted the importance of creating competitive opportunities for members of the club.
He said it was a pillar of the metro and broader Eastern Cape and that the race motivated its runners to push for podiums.
It also presents an opportunity for emerging talent to assess themselves against strong opposition.
One of the University’s rising stars, Amanda Detshe, said she would target a PB in the 10km to evaluate her form ahead of the cross-country season.
The fleet-of-foot track specialist, who boasts a fastest time of 37:59 over the distance, claimed silver in the 3 000m steeplechase at the SA U23 Championships in Cape Town earlier this year.
“The flat nature of the course should help me achieve that,” the hopeful runner said.
Refeloe Solomons, who triumphed at the inaugural half-marathon in 2023, retained the women’s crown in a time of 1:23:33 last year while Simon Sibeko set a personal best of 1:02:20 en route to winning the men’s feature race.
The 21.1km and 10km events get underway at 7am from the Madibaz Stadium. The 5km follows half an hour later.
Direct enquiries to Petersen on 076 402 7317 or Graham Terblanche at 072 650 6551.