Ready, set, four weeks to go

WE’RE a little under a month away from the annual Cape Town Marathon which takes on a completely new look.

Renée Jordaan, Cape Town Marathon race director, said there had been “an overwhelmingly positive response from the running community” to this year’s event.

“Everyone is hungry for an in-person race. Runners who face travel restrictions or are unable to experience the race in Cape Town this year are also glad to be able to run the 5km or 10km Virtual Peace Runs or the Virtual Half Marathon,” said Jordaan.

Covid-19 safety protocols have necessitated a rethink of race weekend on October 16 and 17.

Chief among the changes is the absence of spectators along the route for any of the events.

“We know that spectators provide such an incredible vibe along the route and we will miss them along the course this year.

“But runners are still in for a treat because the route refreshment points crews will entertain, motivate and cheer them on from start to finish. Running enthusiasts can (also) follow the event’s live broadcast, and their loved ones on the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon app.”

The feature race, the 42.2km marathon on Sunday, will start at Fritz Sonnenberg Road outside the Cape Town Stadium. There will be a staggered start with athletes setting off in batches of 300 to ensure social distancing.

The cut-off time for runners to cross the finish line is six-and-a-half hours.

A revamped prize-giving will feature only the top three men and women.

Lauren Kansley, from the Ommiedraai Friends running club, will be running the marathon for the firth time.

“This is the second one that I am doing during the pandemic. In November I travelled to Istanbul to run the Turkish Marathon and I was impressed by their focus on safety and Covid regulations.

“I am very grateful to run in my home town this year and preparations have been going well,” she said.

“I always enjoy the focus that marathon training gives you and nothing feels better than finishing on that blue carpet at CT Marathon. I can’t wait.”

Hilton Murray and his wife, Anita, from Bellville Running Club, are counting the days to the marathon. Hilton pushes his wheelchair-bound wife in her jogger from start to finish.

“We’ve been running together for six years, and we’ve done more than 1 000km all over the country. Everybody loves Anita because of her bubbly personality,” said Hilton.

Leanne de Bassompierre is flying into town from Abidjan, Ivory Coast. She’s been on a work assignment in Gabon, and putting in the kilometres on the beaches of Libreville. Some times she clocks 29km a day.

Also in the field for this year’s marathon will be a group called Adventure For A Cause.

The 32-strong team will be running the 1 520km journey from Johannesburg to Cape Town from October 8 to 15, in a bid to raise funds for charity.