The Discovery Surfers Challenge of 2026 is likely to feature numerous surprises, which could well include the results of the various in-house competitions between paddlers and runners and the inner strength of the athletes concerned.
Low tide is a little past midday at 12.11pm, and high tide is at 6.03pm, adding spice to the Nahoon River crossing and the beach running between Bonza Bay and the finish.
It will not be the first time runners, particularly the 17.5km race entrants, will be tested, but it is likely to be difficult, though rather incoming than outgoing.
It is that time of the year when Surfers Challenge participants and followers wonder what might be delivered on race day.
The weather and tides cannot be discounted, and one of the items in history that proves it is Mzwandile Shube, the man who ran the fastest ever, albeit over 16.423km in length as measured by John Pollock on February 11 2000.
Shube ran 55:40 in 1989 and 60:35 in 1991, the same year he won the SA Half Marathon in the junior category. That tells something about the tides, the winds, et al.
Running royalty abounds in the Eastern Cape, as so many runners aligned with Surfers and particularly Buffs attest
Heidi Wust won in 1983, but no times were allocated to the women, and then she set a record in the fast year of 1989.
Last men’s winner in 2025, Keagan Cooke, will be back and quite possibly chasing the men’s record over the now 17.5km. His father, Guy, told the Daily Dispatch that Keagan is in a big triathlon training block, so he is going into the race without a taper, “so he does not have unrealistic expectations”.
He said his son would try for a win, and if he breaks the current record, that would be a bonus.
Awonke Bungu, who won the previous two years, is back, but his best time to date is 70:40, so he has much work to do. He remains confident, however.
Bulelani Mgubo won the race in a faster 69:48 in 2019 and is likely to race again, having shown good form of late.
Unfortunately for the race, Hanlie Botha, who has won more Surfers than anyone else and by a long way, is running again but is not back to peak fitness after a tough 2025. She said she may run the 5km with her youngest daughter, Milaney, while her elder daughter, Danieka, and husband, Leon, are also entered in various events.
Another previous winner, Andrea Ranger, is running the 17.5km and could be the one to beat, along with last year’s second-placed runner, Kim Comley, while adventure racer Shale Biggs was impressive in finishing third in 2025.
Runners who carry a real history in Surfers and running in general include Rob Joiner, who won the second Surfers in 1976, and tied with Buffs Marathon legend and twice gold medallist at Comrades, Gordon Shaw, in 1978. It is 50 years since his first win.
Meanwhile, Alan Robb, a four-time winner of Comrades and now a neighbour of Joiner in Port Alfred, is also coming through to run the 17.5km and the Buffs Marathon next weekend. They both run in the 70+ category at races. Another major landmark is that it is 50 years since Robb won his first Comrades.
Running royalty abounds in the Eastern Cape, as so many runners aligned with Surfers and particularly Buffs attest.
The only sure result on Saturday is that there will be celebrations throughout.
Daily Dispatch
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