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Soweto set for SA's richest marathon

Lesego Madumo

29 October 2008

Popularly known as The People's Race, the Nedbank Soweto Marathon is by far South Africa's richest standard marathon, with a total prize purse of R807 700.

Entries for the 17th annual Nedbank Soweto Marathon are closed, although Athletics South Africa has confirmed that late registrations will be allowed until race day, Sunday, 2 November.

This ultra-marathon will see athletes taking to the streets of Soweto on Sunday, with the start and the finish at the Elkah Stadium in Moroka.

The event is made up of five categories:

A 42.2km race, which starts at 06:00 and is reserved for athletes of 20 years and older;

A 20km walk, which starts at 08:30 and is reserved for athletes of 20 years and older;

A 10km race for able-bodied athletes;

A 10km wheelchair race, for participants of 15 years and older; and

A 5km fun run, for participants of nine years and older.

The two 10km races begin at 06:15 and 06:05 at separate starting points. The 5km fun run starts at 09:00.

Prize money

The first male and female to finish the standard marathon will each pocket R100 000. The second and third place finishers will take home R80 000 and R60 000 respectively. The winners of the 20km race will each pocket R5 000, while second place is worth R3 500 and third R3 000.

Teboho Sello, last year's winner of the male category in 2 hours 18 minutes and 51 seconds, in an interview on the Athletics South Africa website, said he has been hard in training for the race and victory is once again his goal.

Sello is part of a strong contingent of athletes from Lesotho. Athletics South Africa's (ASA) acting general manager, Molatelo Malehopo, says they bear close watching. "Lesotho athletes will again launch a formidable challenge in this year's Nedbank Soweto Marathon," he reckoned, "and will go all out to equal or better their performances in last year's marathon.

"Sello and his colleagues shocked the athletics fraternity last year when they made a clean sweep in the men's marathon and also walked away with the women's title," Malehopo explained.

Bettering 2007

ASA is confident that this year's marathon will surpass the standards set in 2007, and draw even more participants and spectators alike. "It is our intention and that of our partners to grow the event to become the biggest marathon on the continent," said President of ASA, Leonard Chuene.

Johannesburg sees the marathon as an ideal opportunity to market Soweto. The city hopes that both the participants and TV audiences will be able to see the rapid pace of economic development taking place in Soweto. It plans to actively promote the growth of tourism and market its heritage sites in Soweto.

Soweto is home to an assortment of languages, cultures, heritage sites and history. More than a million people from every ethnic group in the country, including Sotho, Ndebele, Xhonga, Xhosa and Zulu live there.

Known for being influential in the anti-apartheid revolution, the spacious South African township is now a trendy and vibrant melting pot, punctuated by taverns, tourism attractions, shebeens, historic landmarks, music, dance, sports, fashion, and many other exciting activities and experiences.

Route

The organisers say the route of this year's marathon will remain almost exactly the same as last year's course, taking athletes through Soweto's heritage sites and showcasing some of its trendy new developments. The only detour of the race will be at Koma Road, due to construction.

The marathon will give participants a chance to race past Vilakazi Street, the only street in the world to house two Nobel laureates – Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela.

Weather

Mark Todd, a forecaster at the South African Weather Bureau, said the weather on day of the race will be partly cloudy with warm conditions in the morning. "The maximum temperature could be in the upper 20s, with a 30 percent chance of thundershowers in the late afternoon," he reckoned.

"I am not an ardent sportsman, so I wouldn't be able to say much to the participants, except that they should expect a typical summer day with warm weather conditions and a possible chance of thundershowers," he concluded.

The cost of entry for the Nedbank Soweto Marathon is R65, which includes a T-shirt and goodie bags for each entrant. Medals will be awarded to all those who finish the race and walk in the allotted time.

Source: City of Johannesburg