PLETTENBERG BAY NEWS - As more than 20 000 hardcore runners conclude the last preparations for this weekend’s Comrades Marathon in KwaZulu-Natal, Plettenberg Bay athletes enter the final stretch of months of training.
Four members of the Plett Athletics Club will be taking on the 90th installment of the world’s oldest and biggest ultra-marathon on Sunday May 31.
They will be among about 23 000 participants from around South Africa and the world who will attempt to complete the 87.72km – the longest 'up run' in recent history – from Durban City Hall to the Oval Cricket Stadium in Pietermartizburg in under 12 hours.
One of the local runners, Andrew Bezuidenhout will be going after his eighth Comrades finish and hopes to complete the grueling but addictive race in less than 10 hours. This will see him receive a bronze medal.
Another Plett runner, Eric Nangu will be participating in his fifth race and will be aiming for a silver medal and a sub-seven-hour run.
Georgie Minopetros, who will be competing in his third Comrades, has set a goal of crossing the finish line in less than eight hours. If he manages this he will receive a Bill Rowan medal – a special medal with a bronze centre encircled by a silver ring.
The final club runner and only woman among her male counterparts, Vicki Meggersee will be taking on her second race. “My goal is to beat the man with the gun and finish in less than 12 hours,” Meggersee said.
While the four have been following their own training regimes, they have been getting together once a week for a run.
“We all belong to Plett Athletics Club that meets once a week, every Thursday, at 17:15 at Central Beach,” she added.
Meggersee has followed Comrades official coach Lyndsey Perry’s training programme, which involves five months of training, working towards running a sub-four-and-a-half-hour marathon before Comrades.
Comrades regulations require runners to qualify for the race by running a five-hour marathon between August 1 the previous year and May 4 this year.
Millions of eyes will be on the four and the rest of the field as the race attracts about 2.5-million television viewers, 300 000 spectators and 4 000 volunteers.
Click below for related articles:
- 4 Plett runners tackle Comrades
- Car guard needs help to run Comrades
- Last week for Comrades marathon latecomers
- Plett trail run for charity
ARTICLE: YOLANDé STANDER, KNYSNA-PLETT CORRESPONDENT.
'We bring you the latest Plettenberg Bay, Garden Route news'
