The Buffalo City Marathon offers the final opportunity for Comrades Marathon runners to record a faster qualifying time and obtain a better seeding than they may currently have banked.
The Buffalo City course on offer is considered one of the fastest standard marathon routes in the country.
Added to that is the news released this week by the Comrades Marathon Association that their route for the 2026 up run will be the shortest in recent history, measuring 85,777km, which is 133m shorter than the previous shortest in 2024.
Comrades Marathon race director, Sue Forge, said the change emanates mainly from an “adjustment to the finishing straight” at the Scottsville Race Course and on the route between 45th Cutting and Cowies Hill, where runners will be on the opposite side of the road to what has been the norm in the past.
This will also reduce the gradient somewhat. No runner will complain about that on an up run.
The Comrades medal being chased and the colour or name thereof could well be shaped at the marathon between Berlin and the Police Club at the top of Western Avenue in Vincent. Mere minutes, indeed seconds, determine a runner’s medal history.
The ‘Going the Distance’ column last week predicted that a men’s time of 2:15 is on the cards without suggesting by whom, and Chillie AC chair Zweli Matanzima said there is an unnamed runner who has indicated that he is indeed looking to chase exactly that
It is not all about qualifying for Comrades, of course, and the winning times at the marathon have been good by local standards.
The course record set in 2023 stands at 2:16:44 and is held by Habtamu Mishamo, who, a year later, registered a 2:18:58 and last year, Nkululeko Lekhoehla of Komani Athletics ran an impressive 2:18:15 in establishing a personal best for the marathon distance.
In the first year the women’s race was won by Caryn Lategan of Easy Equities Born2Run in 2:57:59, with her sister Lauren Ranger second in 2:58:00.
A year later, Lusanda Bomvana of Black Diamond won in 2:59:30, and last year the course record was rewritten by Andisiwe Njunguza of XCEL in Durban, with a time of 2:51:24, followed by Refiloe Solomons of Nedbank EP in 2:56:26 and Ranger in 2:58:24.
The Going the Distance column last week predicted that a men’s time of 2:15 is on the cards without suggesting by whom, and Chillie AC chair Zweli Matanzima said there is an unnamed runner who has indicated that he is indeed looking to chase exactly that. The runner does not wish to be named, though the fact that he shares his goal with the organising club must mean he is confident and prepared to race.
There has been little word of who is running what — there is also a fast half-marathon to consider — but in the women’s marathon Solomons is running and so is Ranger.
Lategan is on the mend from an injury and will be opting for the half-marathon, as will possibly the 2024 winner, Hanlie Botha of Easy Equities Born2Run. She holds the half-marathon course record of 75:37, which is unlikely to be broken by anyone other than her.
The men’s half-marathon record is held by Cofimvaba star Luyolo Ngcongolo of Purac with a time of 63:20 set last year, which is 35 seconds faster than multiple race record holder, Yanga Malusi, who won in 2023.
The two races have attracted another record entry, and local enthusiasts are in for a great morning of racing, personal best times and surprises too.
Daily Dispatch
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.