Several runners who contested top positions in the 98th Comrades Marathon on Sunday blamed undersized tables used to hold elite athletes’ bottles for missing their timed fuelling, believing this led to them cramping at crucial segments of the race.
Athletes use various energy gels and supplements needed by their bodies to prevent cramping and other issues.
Former Comrades marathon winner Edward Mothibi attributed part of his cramping during the second half of the 89.9km race to missing his nutrition bottles at some of the demarcated elite tables.
Speaking during the post-race media conference, Mothibi, who placed fourth in the men’s race, said that when they reached about 60km he had started having some problems.
“Just about 25km [distance remaining], I started getting some problems,” he said.
“I kept on cramping and I needed to take water each time.
“There was a stage where I was behind, and [race winner] Tete Dijana had to wait for me and ask, ‘brother, what is going on?’.
“I told him I kept on cramping and that it was not a good sign.
“I said, 'You must just go for now, I will catch up.’
“We do take nutrition. I was taking nutrition the whole day, but the sad part is that sometimes we had to kneel and try to grab the [special] drinks, and it was very difficult for us.
“We had to skip drinks every time. Without our Nedbank supporters, we could not have got drinks. At least we got them.”
He said there had been no way they could have grabbed the drinks from the floor, so they had skipped them and got them from the Nedbank seconders at the next spot.
His club manager, Nick Bester, said they had held three meetings with some of the Comrades Marathon Association committee members, telling them that their approach to elite tables was not going to work.
“It is too complicated. They make it too different,” he said.
“We told them before the time, we said they must allow hand and stand, and they said no, they don’t want to allow hand and stand.”
Bester said he had spoken to women’s winner Gerda Steyn’s husband, and she had got only three bottles from the elite water stations.
“So that’s unacceptable,” he said.
“If he were not on the motorbike with hired people and supporting her, then it would have been big trouble.
“So that was a shortfall and a shortfall could have been prevented if they had listened to the team managers because we are coming with the race for 45 years.”
Another elite athlete, who also struggled grabbing the bottles, was Maxed Elite’s new star signing, Joseph Manyedi.
Manyedi said that during the last 14km of the race he had struggled with cramps when pushing the pace while pursuing Mothibi and Piet Wiersma, who were a few metres in front of him.
Manyedi said elite athletes should have their own people second them on the road.
Runners and managers from other clubs did not want to speak on record, but also voiced their frustrations.
Comrades Marathon Association general manager Alain Dalais confirmed some club managers had spoken to him about the height of the elite water station tables.
“I’’s our second year attempting the elite stations,” he said.
“We will take that feedback constructively and look at continuing to improve it next year.” — WATCH: We are the Champions News Agency
Elite Comrades runners hindered by missed supplement bottles
Cramping issues caused by inadequate nutrition, says former winner Edward Mothibi
Image: DARREN STEWART/GALLO IMAGES
Several runners who contested top positions in the 98th Comrades Marathon on Sunday blamed undersized tables used to hold elite athletes’ bottles for missing their timed fuelling, believing this led to them cramping at crucial segments of the race.
Athletes use various energy gels and supplements needed by their bodies to prevent cramping and other issues.
Former Comrades marathon winner Edward Mothibi attributed part of his cramping during the second half of the 89.9km race to missing his nutrition bottles at some of the demarcated elite tables.
Speaking during the post-race media conference, Mothibi, who placed fourth in the men’s race, said that when they reached about 60km he had started having some problems.
“Just about 25km [distance remaining], I started getting some problems,” he said.
“I kept on cramping and I needed to take water each time.
“There was a stage where I was behind, and [race winner] Tete Dijana had to wait for me and ask, ‘brother, what is going on?’.
“I told him I kept on cramping and that it was not a good sign.
“I said, 'You must just go for now, I will catch up.’
“We do take nutrition. I was taking nutrition the whole day, but the sad part is that sometimes we had to kneel and try to grab the [special] drinks, and it was very difficult for us.
“We had to skip drinks every time. Without our Nedbank supporters, we could not have got drinks. At least we got them.”
He said there had been no way they could have grabbed the drinks from the floor, so they had skipped them and got them from the Nedbank seconders at the next spot.
His club manager, Nick Bester, said they had held three meetings with some of the Comrades Marathon Association committee members, telling them that their approach to elite tables was not going to work.
“It is too complicated. They make it too different,” he said.
“We told them before the time, we said they must allow hand and stand, and they said no, they don’t want to allow hand and stand.”
Bester said he had spoken to women’s winner Gerda Steyn’s husband, and she had got only three bottles from the elite water stations.
“So that’s unacceptable,” he said.
“If he were not on the motorbike with hired people and supporting her, then it would have been big trouble.
“So that was a shortfall and a shortfall could have been prevented if they had listened to the team managers because we are coming with the race for 45 years.”
Another elite athlete, who also struggled grabbing the bottles, was Maxed Elite’s new star signing, Joseph Manyedi.
Manyedi said that during the last 14km of the race he had struggled with cramps when pushing the pace while pursuing Mothibi and Piet Wiersma, who were a few metres in front of him.
Manyedi said elite athletes should have their own people second them on the road.
Runners and managers from other clubs did not want to speak on record, but also voiced their frustrations.
Comrades Marathon Association general manager Alain Dalais confirmed some club managers had spoken to him about the height of the elite water station tables.
“I’’s our second year attempting the elite stations,” he said.
“We will take that feedback constructively and look at continuing to improve it next year.” — WATCH: We are the Champions News Agency
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