Road and cross country running are operating in a different era currently and it is probably perplexing to many role players involved as they grapple with the new environment.
Cross country has always been a winter sport for all ages in SA, while road running has operated year round with the odd dip in activity centred around the big ultra-marathons, and Comrades in particular.
That is not because most runners enter the Big C, but because many other events, marathons and half marathons in particular feed into and off the Comrades hype.
Cross country in this region has become a mostly schools’ activity and if we are to be brutally honest, primary schools are where the numbers are.
Watching these young athletes in action is fantastic and there are meetings virtually every week.
Last week, there was a meeting at Lilyfontein and yesterday Stirling hosted a fixture at Old Selbornians, while in the weeks ahead other venues are being planned and hosted by Beaconhurst and Laerskool Nahoon.
The challenge though is to keep those bright-eyed youngsters interested and keen to compete through high school and beyond.
At club level, very little is happening and that affects performance throughout athletics.
In years gone by, most of the top distance and ultra-distance athletes ran cross country as a test of both stamina and speed.
There is major schools’ activity being suggested for the months ahead, which will create excitement throughout Buffalo City and surrounding areas.
In the planning stages is an event for BCM schools at the end of July, followed by an Eastern Cape Schools Championship on August 27 and the South African School’s Championships on October 1.
In the case of road running, the “new calendar” determined by the Comrades Marathon having been moved from the traditional dates in late May and early June to Sunday August 28, will be put to the test.
One of the factors is that the participants will for the first time have to contend with midwinter training.
Bad enough, but maybe not critical in the Eastern Cape coastal climate, but moving inland to Komani, Mthatha and other frosty areas is a real challenge.
Likewise, in the cities of Johannesburg and Pretoria from whence the bulk of runners come, the climate has a huge impact.
Locally, the Tony Viljoen Marathon has been moved to May 29, taking advantage of Comrades runners seeking an ever faster qualifying time.
How this all pans out will determine if road running will indeed get back to the numbers attracted in 2018 and 2019, when races had sold out within days of signs going up of entries opening.
There has been none of that in 2022, as yet, and Comrades entries are still open, mere days before the official cut-off date.
The proverbial jury is still out on the standard of performance after two years of no meaningful competition.
Local runners will be able to ascertain a sobering analysis of their levels of fitness after the Ocean 10 race in Gonubie on Sunday.
Times recorded will give athletes and coaches a mechanism by which to measure future performances at a race such as the SA Half Marathon Championships in Nelson Mandela Bay on June 4, the Tony Viljoen Marathon two weeks hence, and Comrades itself.
Exciting times and on a 10km race there is simply no place to hide. The course we know is fast and the weather is looking near perfect at 14°C with a slight northwesterly breeze and excuses will be hard to come by.
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