Where Your Dreams Become Reality
|
Where Your Dreams Become Reality |
|
MAMBO, NURGALIEVA TO DEFEND TWO OCEANS TITLES SATURDAY By Riel Hauman (c) 2005 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved March 24, 2005 All ten men's defending gold medallists return for Saturday's 36th running of the Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon. The 56 kilometer event is South Africa's second largest road race. Both Marco Mambo of Zimbabwe and Russian Yelena Nurgalieva, who won last year in their Two Oceans debut, will return to defend their titles. Mambo won last year's rain-plagued race in 3:07:41, the fifth fastest in the history of the race, whil Nurgalieva had to resist a challenge from South African Azwindini Lukhwareni over the last few kilometres to win in 3:37:51, the third fastest time ever. Mambo will be challenged by Mluleki Nobanda, winner in 2003 and runner-up last year; 2001 winner Honest Mutsakani of Zimbabwe; and another Zimbabwean, Sipho Ncube, who was fifth last year in his first Two Oceans. Other former winners in the field are Fusi Nhlapo (1998), Hlonepha Mphulanyane (2002), and Isaac Tshabalala (1993 and 1999). Former Comrades champion Jaroslaw Janicki (POL), who was second in the 1995 Two Oceans and recently won the Pedestres Villa de Madrid 100 km, will also be on the starting line. Other contenders include Joseph Maerman, who won the last gold medal in 2004, Vladimir Kotov (BLR), the first master last year, Joseph Molaba, Kasirai Sita (ZIM), Frans Chauke, Jacob Mazibuko and Abner Chipu. Eight of the ten female gold medalists will be on the starting line; the only two missing will be Hungary's Simona Staicu, who is taking the year off for maternity leave, and Theresa Fourie, who will run the half marathon. Lukhwareni finished third last year in 3:38:56, a time beaten among South Africans only by Frith van der Merwe, who set the course record of 3:30:36 in 1989. In last year's race, sandwiched between Nurgalieva and Lukhwareni was the former's twin sister Olesya. The two Russians then went on to finish first and fourth in the Comrades ultramarathon after a one-two finish the previous year. While the first three women last year were all running their race debuts --Staicu, the 2003 champion, was fourth-- the fifth woman was seasoned campaigner Farwa Mentoor and with an extra two weeks between the Two Oceans and the Comrades, Mentoor may run the Cape ultra a bit harder this time around. Mentoor has been the first South African in the last three editions of the Comrades and makes no secret of her dream to win South Africa's premier ultra. She finished third in 2004 in 6:18:23, the third fastest time ever by a South African. Other top women are Angelina Sephooa (LES), winner in 1997, 1998 and 1999, Yolande Maclean, Tatyana Zhirkova (RUS) and Grace de Oliveira. Close to 15,500 runners will traverse the two very demanding courses in Cape Town, with 7829 in the ultramarathon and 7650 in the half marathon. In the field will be 840 international runners from 44 different countries; the top three represented countries are Germany, the USA and the United Kingdom. In the half marathon the star attractions are two of the best distance runners yet produced in South Africa: Hendrick Ramaala, current ING New York City Marathon champion, and RSA marathon record holder Gert Thys, who was second in the Seoul Marathon last weekend. In the women's race Fourie will be up against defending champion Ronel Thomas and Nambian Beata Naigambu, second in 2004. Among the celebrity runners facing the starter will be Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi, Minister of Public Service and Administration, who will run the half marathon, and Francois Pienaar, captain of the South African rugby team that won the World Cup in 1999 and now chief executive of the country's bid for the 2011 World Cup. Pienaar will raise funds for the MAD (Make a Difference) charity organisation, which provides educational opportunities for less privileged, talented children. The winners of both the male and female ultra races will each receive R150,000 (USD 24,350). The incentives on offer for a course record (the men's record of 3:03:44 was set by Thompson Magawana in 1988) are R25,000 (USD 4050) cash, an Opel Corsa valued at R80,000 (USD 13,000) and a 10-ounce gold investment bar valued at R25,000.
|
Cross Country Spikes 10% off Injured?
|
