There are strokes of genius that deliver not only masterpieces à la The Beatles but also that simply set the scene for the recording of a special history, where ordinary folk can have their names engraved as a part of folklore.
One such Border event, or original masterpiece, is the Buffalo Marathon, and on Sunday, the 52nd running of a race, which, like a chameleon, has changed often and dramatically through the years, will take to the N6, into suburbia, and finish at the beautiful setting of the Buffalo Club, one of the oldest rugby clubs in South Africa.
For those who might think that is strange, it is not, because Celtic Harriers, who launched the Two Oceans 56km Marathon in May 1970 with just 24 tough runners, were and are attached to the Villages Rugby Club in Cape Town.
It is a race that has developed, or, as old-timers might feel, overdeveloped, through the years.
“The Buffs” is similar in that it started four years later on 2nd March 1974 with 58 finishes. The motivation was the same – to find a suitable qualifier for the Two Oceans and Comrades Marathons.
It can never be separated from that ideal, for it would lose its identity. It nearly happened in recent years, but it is now back where it belongs on March 1.
The result is that all who direct the sport, runners, organisers and others, become a part of road running history and folklore and, like the pioneers of early days, can never be sidelined.
There is one more route variation being introduced this year – there have been many – and it comes at about 38km into the race, after the beast of Willasdale Drive, but before the second-to-last climb up Galway Road.
Instead of turning right into Drake Road on the way down Beach Road, runners will be directed into Kennington Road a couple of hundred metres further on. It means missing out on the picturesque and flat Roslin Road in Stirling and the sharp downhill that ushers directly into Galway. It should result in a faster finish.
The first Buffs was won by one of the province’s greatest marathon runners, Gordon Shaw (he won the race five times), in 2:26:08 and at the 10th anniversary of the race in 1983, he won it in 2:16:44.
Other great local men and women have included Willie Mankayi 2:14:15, on a different route during the N6 road construction; Mlamli Nkonkobe 2:18:16 and Mzwandile Shube 2:18:03.
Alan Robb, four-time winner of the Comrades, with 42 Comrades behind him, won Buffs in 1980 and is a regular parkrunner in Port Alfred.
This year is Alan’s 50th anniversary of his first Comrades win.
He also ran Surfers at the weekend and is running Buffs in preparation for the 99th (his 43rd) Comrades on June 14 this year.
The first woman to run and win was Estelle Tiltman (Botha) with a 4:07:05 in 1975 and a 3:59:44 three years later. She went on to win on four occasions with a best of 3:38:03. Diane Sandford, nee Massyn, broke three hours in 1989 with a 2:56:56, and Buzelwa Mnyanda 2:52:01 in 1992, running barefoot. Both women will remain legendary in the sport nationally, not just provincially.
There have been many other great performances since, and there will be again. A closer look at the entry list of 2026, during the course of this week, should give a synopsis of likely outcomes on race day.
The humidity and temperatures of February will continue, but a long-term forecast for Sunday, the first day of March, suggests it will be much cooler with overcast skies and a light breeze.
That being the case, the whole purpose of Buffs, to run personal bests and fast qualifiers for the ultramarathons ahead, should be realised.
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