It’s ironic that the most disappointing moment in South African road running this year is going to provide a significant boost to the country’s most controversial race.
After the Cape Town Marathon was cancelled last month due to adverse weather conditions, thousands of runners were left stranded, including some of the nation’s elite stars.
Those elite athletes can’t just waste all their training, and getting into an international race now won’t be easy because most big marathons before the end of the year have decided on their elite fields.
In South Africa, only two marathons remain this season with anything close to the large prize purse Cape Town was offering – the Big Hole Marathon in Kimberley this weekend (R200 000 for the winners) and the Soweto Marathon next weekend (R250 000 for the winners).
But with the Big Hole event offering less media coverage, it seems Soweto will be the obvious choice for many of SA’s marathon stars.
Strong line-up expected
It has already been revealed that former SA record holder Gerda Steyn has been confirmed for Soweto, and she is expected to be locked in a thrilling battle against fellow Olympian and four-time Soweto winner Irvette van Zyl.
Among the men, the likes of SA record holder Elroy Gelant, veteran Stephen Mokoka and in-form athlete Thabang Mosiako were all due to run Cape Town, and though there are rumours about some of them having been confirmed for Soweto, nothing has been officially revealed.
If Gelant, Mokoka and Mosiako turn out in the historical township (among others, including defending champion Onalenna Khonkhobe) we could be in for the most competitive contest the race has ever produced.
Mass field
And with Soweto Marathon organisers cleverly offering a 50% discount to Cape Town Marathon entrants, they will have ensured a boost in entries from social participants for a race which was in danger of losing a lot of runners due to confusion caused by a controversial power battle which has been waged behind the scenes.
It remains unclear whether the race will be sabotaged, with members of the Soweto Marathon Trust claiming they will ensure the race does not go ahead.
But if there are no issues on race day, we might be set for the best edition of the Soweto Marathon we’ve seen, and Cape Town’s loss will be Soweto’s gain.
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