Despite the withdrawal of Gerda Steyn and David Gatebe and the banning of Russian athletes from this year’s race, Comrades Marathon coach Lindsey Parry says there is still a good field of top athletes who will compete for the laurels this year.
More than 14 000 runners from 72 countries will be on the starting line at Pietermaritzburg’s City Hall at 5:30am on Sunday. Despite the two-year COVID-19 break, elite athletes say they are satisfied with their preparations for the race.
Elite runner David Gatebe, who set the Comrades down-run record in 2016, has withdrawn from this year’s race because the Comrades Marathon Association (CMA) has halved the prize money.
The winners of the men’s and women’s race will receive R260 000 each this year, going down to R12 000 for the person who comes in tenth. The CMA said at the beginning of the year they have been forced to cut the prize money due to increasing operational costs and a drop in revenue. However, Gatebe believes that the CMA received huge financial support from the sponsors they secured this year. The Two Oceans winner feels the CMA is undermining athletes.
“Comrade Marathon Association, they are not taking us serious. They are taking us for granted. Now the issue again, the access on the route, they have withdrew access on the route for the elite athletes. They are undermining us as elite to be calling us elite athletes but these are people building the profile for the race. They just want to use us for their own benefit.”
Parry says while Gatebe’s withdrawal is a surprise, he believes there is still a good field of top-runners.
“It is obviously a surprise I was there at the press conference in the formal part. Sounded like he was fit and trained and ready to go and so a bit of a surprise to me that David Gatebe withdrew. I still think we got a very good race . I’m disappointed that the record holder has dropped out but luckily still some big guns in the field. I think we will be looking forward to the extreme race on Sunday. Obviously it’s opens up for other contenders.”
Meanwhile, South Africa’s Ann Ashworth who won the last Comrades down-run in 2018, says she is happy to be able to take part in the iconic race again. She will be running her ninth Comrades this weekend. Ashworth says she does not consider herself as the defending champion.
“I certainly do not consider myself the defending champion because so much had happened between then and now. I’m just here to enjoy the race. I’m really thrilled that the race is back after couple years of COVID.”
Charné Bosman, the South African who won the women’s race in 2016, says the race is wide open this year. Bosman was the first South African woman across the finish line in her debut Comrades in 2013, taking fifth place. Except for 2014 when she collapsed on the route due to medical problems, Bosman has consistently placed among the top 10 women. She believes experience may be the deciding factor in this year’s women’s race.”
“I think it a open race . I think experience is going to be a quite important on Sunday. I’m going to focus on my own race.”
Whether they have focused on ultra-distance running or clocked sterling times in other distances, one thing is for sure, the scene is set for top-athletes delivering another spectacular display of speed and stamina over the gruelling 89-kilometre route from Pietermaritzburg to Durban come Sunday.
