A woman participating in the Soweto Marathon on Saturday was hospitalised after being hit by a taxi during the annual race, organisers have confirmed.
The 45-year-old runner was seriously injured after the unauthorised vehicle “forced its way onto the route and collided with her”.
“She was stabilised on site and has since been transferred to the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital, where she remains in a critical condition,” organisers said.
The driver of the taxi, who was allegedly suspected to have been driving under the influence of alcohol, had been arrested for reckless and negligent driving.
“Our thoughts are with [the injured runner] and her loved ones. We are working with the medical teams to provide the best possible care and will continue to assess the situation and provide updates, as they become available.”
Traffic concerns
Ahead of the popular race through the historic township, which started and finished in Nasrec, concerns had been raised about additional traffic on the route, with the event (traditionally held on a Sunday) taking place on a Saturday for the first time.
While the roads were not entirely closed to traffic during the event, rolling road closures were used to protect runner safety, monitored by Metro Police and volunteer marshals.
Nearly 13,000 runners entered the 30th edition of the Soweto Marathon, which included races over 42km, 21km and 10km distances.
There had also been concerns that the race would be disrupted due to an ongoing power battle for control of the event, but provincial body Central Gauteng Athletics got a court interdict the day before the race to prevent disruptions.
The injured runner being hospitalised was the only major incident reported on the day of the race.
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