Chase on for Two Oceans' old marks

Since the miracle by Simon Magakwe last weekend when he broke SA's 26-year-old 100m record, a sense of believe has been sparked that similar achievements in South Africa could be realised in roadrunning this weekend.

The targets are the two course records at the 56km Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon, which like the old 100m mark, had been up for grabs since the 1980s. The men's record of 3:03:44 (1988) has stood as stoically as the character of its holder, the late Thompson Magawana, while the women's mark of 3:30:36 (1989) is held by the legendary Frith van der Merwe.

Two Oceans' 2014 edition on Saturday in Cape Town has additional appetiser of R1million for the winners who set the new course records, and Van der Merwe expressed confidence in a statement on Tuesday that her record could go.

She remembers how an incentive of a car spurred her on to a "comfortable" victory 25 years ago.

"The car was enough to motivate me, so the R1-million bonus this year is an incredible incentive," she said.

"It's going to attract very good marathon runners. It will take an athlete with natural speed to break the record."

The lithe Van der Merwe was unstoppable in 1989; two months before the Two Oceans she had smashed the South African standard marathon (42.2km) at the SA Championships in Port Elizabeth.

She has advised that the best chance at her 3:30:36 mark will be if the leading bunch of women can cross the 42km mark on Saturday at 2:30 hour mark or under. Unfortunately there is no South African female runner at this stage who can achieve that feat. The Russians, who have dominated the women's race at the Two Oceans, stand a better chance. Twins Elena and Olesya Nurgalieva (pictured below) are back in the hunt again this year, but their chance to run faster – who will be running again this year – but nobody has come within three minutes of the record.

Last year Zimbabwe’s Tabitha Tsatsa won the women’s race by default, after the first woman over the line, Russian specialist ultramarathoner Natalia Volgina, tested positive for steroids. Last week Tsatsa was also defending champion at the 50km Loskop Marathon in Middelburg but opted out of the race to focus on the more lucrative Two Oceans. 

The race offers R250 000 to winners in both men’s and women’s races.

The men’s winner last year, David Gatebe, is expected to return to the Cape Town a hungry man. He had not been earning income from his work at Impala Platinum following a protracted workers strike in Rustenburg’s platinum mines. 

Speaking on radio earlier this week, Gatebe said the men’s race was open and could go anywhere. He is right. Though SA men remain contenders in this race every year, the winner’s cheque can go to either Lesotho or Zimbabwe or east Africa or another part of the world.

Given prediction for warmer conditions on race day on Saturday in Cape Town, it appears the two-decade old records are safe again this year, despite the alluring R1m incentive. But there’s no stopping the expected intense competition for honours. 

Good luck to all.