Where Your Dreams Become Reality
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Where Your Dreams Become Reality |
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NJODZI AND ZHIRKOVA TO DEFEND TWO OCEANS TITLES By Riel Hauman (c) 2007 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved. Used with permission. Eight of the ten male gold medalists (top-10 finishers) in the 2006 Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon, presented by Nike, will be at the starting line when the 38th running of the ultramarathon over 56 km takes place this Saturday, April 7, in Cape Town. Also in the line-up will be 1996 Olympic marathon champion Josiah Thugwane, who debuted in the race on his birthday last year but dropped out. The field includes both the men and womens defending champions in the ultramarathon and over 1000 international runners. Coupled with the 6000 entrants expected for the fun runs on Good Friday, April 6, the event will have a combined total field of 25,000 participants, making it the biggest road running event in South Africa. The ultramarathon has attracted a field of close to 8000 participants, which is not a record but constitutes one of the biggest fields in the history of the race. (The largest field was in 2004, when the race returned to the traditional Chapmans Peak route and had close to 10,000 runners.) The half-marathon will be held for the tenth time and it has broken records again. It is the biggest field ever with almost 11,000 runners taking part, making it the largest half-marathon in the country. All ten female gold medalists will be returning. Last years second placer, Yelena Nurgalieva, will again be joined by twin sister Olesya, who did not enter in 2006 (and did not run the Comrades either). Yelena went on to win and set a course record in the Comrades, in which her Two Oceans conqueror Tatyana Zhirkova finished third. In the mens race Zimbabwean Moses Njodzi, who won last year in 3:06:50 (the fifth fastest time ever), will defend his title. His main opposition should come from his fellow countryman Marco Mambo, who won in 2004 on his debut and repeated the victory in 2005 in 3:05:39 the fastest time since 1988. Last year Mambo failed to finish. Others from last years top ten who have entered are Honest Mutsakani (ZIM, 2nd), Henry Moyo (MAW, 5th), and South Africans Sipho Ngomane (3rd), Mzwanele Maphekula (4th), Zamile Gebashe (6th), Brian Zondi (7th) and Hlonepha Mphulanyane (10th). Mutsakani (2001) and Mphulanyane (2002) are previous winners, while Ngomane has won the Comrades. All these men have kept a rather low profile so far this year, with only Maphekula showing his hand by finishing fifth in the SA Marathon in a PB 2:18:26. Ngomane was seventh in the Matla Black Gold Marathon (at altitude) in 2:38:28. Zondi, who was second in his first Comrades last year and also finished third in the SA Marathon, later in the year had a disastrous run in the ING New York City Marathon (50th in 2:29:38). Thugwane tried the Two Oceans for the first time in 2006 on his 35th birthday, but dropped out after halfway. Just a week later he almost won the Columbus Loskop 50 km, but relaxed too much in the last few hundred metres and was pipped at the post by a hard charging Kingston Maringe (ZIM), who beat him by one second in 2:49:22. It is a lesson Thugwane, who was fourth in the Warsaw Marathon late last year in 2:17:11, will probably not forget as he comes up against Maringe again. Thugwane, who said he didnt like running downhill, has prepared much better for this years race by doing more training on downhills. Even though he is past his best as far as marathon running is concerned, he will be a threat if he manages the right strategy on the demanding course. Other runners who will pose a threat include Emerson Kayana, Graham Malinga, Claude Moshiywa, Fusi Nhlapo, Mluleki Nobanda, and Hatiwande Nyamande (ZIM), who missed gold by one place in 2006. Nobanda, in 2003, is the last South African to win the race. In the womens race the question will again be: Who can break up the twins teamwork? Zhirkova showed last year that Yelena Nurgalieva is vulnerable over the shorter of South Africas two ultras if she is pressurised enough in the latter stages, but whether the same will happen with both sisters in the race is another matter. This writers feeling is that the biggest challenge will come from Hungarys Simona Staicu, who won the race in 2003 on her debut and clocked the then second fastest time of 3:37:32. She was fourth in 2004, stayed away in 2005 and finished third last year in 3:37:15 now the fourth quickest ever behind Frith van der Merwes 3:30:36, Zhirkovas 3:36:19 and Yelena Nurgalievas 3:36:29. Staicu droped out of the Osaka International Ladies Marathon earlier this year, but last year finished 22nd in the World Road Running Championships. She is a formidable competitor will all the experience in the world. South Africans Farwa Mentoor (5th in 2006), Yolande Maclean (7th) and Ursula Frans (10th) will most likely use the Two Oceans merely as preparation for the Comrades. One of the highlights of the day will be the appearance of multiple world record setter Tegla Loroupe (KEN) in the half marathon. Loroupe, who these days spends more time and energy on running-related matters off the track and road as sports ambassador for the United Nations and in developing the sport in Kenya, earlier this year ran 78:12 in the Egmond Half Marathon and 2:42:52 in the Mumbai Marathon and will be a force to be reckoned with. Her old half-marathon and marathon rival Elana Meyer, who had planned to run the ultramarathon, lost time because of an injury in December and decided to withdraw. Another runner who will receive tremendous support along the way is Race Director Chet Sainsbury. This is Sainsburys 27th and last time at the helm of a race he has built up to become one of the great running events in the world; he will be running for the 26th time and do his utmost to achieve the Sainsbury medal introduced last year and named for him and wife Annemarie. In 2006 cramps slowed him and he missed the target of 5 hours by a shade over 4 minutes. First prize for both men and women, apart from the one-ounce gold medal, is R150,000 (US $20,300). There are also incentives for breaking the course records (Thompson Magawanas 3:03:44 and Van der Merwes 3:30:36): R25,000 (US $3400) cash plus a ten-ounce gold investment bar valued at R25,000 and a Volkswagen car. The cut-off time is 7 hours; last year 6880 runners completed the race within this time.
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