Athletics
All set for Comrades
2011-05-26 17:48
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Durban - Organisers of this weekend's Comrades Marathon insist that everything is in place for the successful running of the 86th edition of the race.
Close to 20 000 athletes will line up for the run from Durban to Pietermaritzburg on Sunday, almost double the number that took part in the last race in that direction, but less than the 23 000 plus that participated last year.
Amongst those competing are also 1 288 foreigners, celebrities and politicians like new Ekurhuleni mayor Mondli Gungubele and MEC for Health in Kwa-Zulu Natal, Sibongiseni Dhlomo.
After the last two competitions were run the other way around - last year it was changed especially because of South Africa hosting the Soccer World Cup - this time around it is back to the "Up Run", which was last run in 2008 when Russians Leonid Shvetsov and Elena Nurgalieva were the winners in the male and female races respectively.
No major changes have been made to the logistical structures of the race, but there will be one new innovation at the finish which race director Johan van Staden is hoping will help put the top athletes more in the spotlight.
"We are very well prepared this year," said van Staden.
"Our route is exactly the same as 2008, so there's no change in the distance. The big difference we will find at the end is the introduction of a winners' circle. The main function of this is to lift the profile of the winners
"As the CMA (Comrades Marathon Association) got together we started discussing the importance of creating new heroes within Comrades.
"We've had the Bruce Fordyces and the Alan Robbs from years back. There are icons but the new runners coming in need to be exposed."
Van Staden also highlighted the top medical facilities that would be on call throughout the day, including specialist treatment at the finish.
He continued: "There is a fully equipped hospital at the finish and I must say, I was there yesterday afternoon, and was very impressed.
"It has all the facilities, a full ICU and 50 qualified doctors on standby in the area to assist with any emergency that may come up. So we believe that all basis are covered."
Meanwhile, organisers also confirmed that the 2012 edition of the race will be run on June 3 next year.
The race will be a "Down Run", starting out in Pietermarizburg and ending in Durban, with competition entries open for the duration of September and November this year.
The burning question regarding the 2012 race was whether it will end at its usual finish point, the Kingsmead cricket stadium, or the newly erected Moses Mabhida Stadium.
When the stadium was initially built, the CMA was consulted over requirements organisers may have for the race to finish at the iconic World Cup venue in the future.
But CMA chairman Gary Boshoff ruled out the possibility, adding: "We were requested to consider the idea. The city spoke to us about it and it was tabled to our board and in principal they agreed to finish the race there, even though it entailed changing the route and adding around half a kilometre extra.
"Unfortunately when we pursued that immediately after the race, there were concerns raised by the management of the stadium with regard to the surface inside and the irrigation system.
"The infrastructure that we erect on the field might be damaging to the surface. They want to develop the stadium as a major sporting centre and our structures might be a problem.
"We then pursued it further, but they recommended that we use the area next to the stadium to finish.
"Now that didn't make sense…changing the route and everything to finish next to the stadium rather than finishing inside. So the logical decision was taken and we decided to keep everything intact and finish at Kingsmead."