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COMRADES MARATHON - "The Comrades Marathon is the best race in the world!" ©Comrades Marathon Organization
COMRADES MARATHON – „The Comrades Marathon is the best race in the world!“
Entries for the 2013 Comrades Marathon officially closed at 11:00 on Friday 30 November 2012 when the entry cap of 18 000 was reached.
An excited CMA Race Director, Johan Van Staden, lauded South African athletes for their unwavering commitment to the world's oldest ultra-marathon, saying: "The enthusiasm and desire to run the Comrades Marathon has reached record levels, not only in South Africa, but across the globe. However, it is mainly thanks to the South African runner that we have managed to maintain our position as world leaders in road running".
Dear Runner,"The Comrades Marathon is the best race in the world!"– Sarel Van Der Walt, Die Beeld Reporter & 2012 CMA Journalist of the Year
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2013 COMRADES MARATHON ENTRIES CLOSED |
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Entries for the 2013 Comrades Marathon officially closed at 11:00 on Friday 30 November 2012 when the entry cap of 18 000 was reached.
An excited CMA Race Director, Johan Van Staden, lauded South African athletes for their unwavering commitment to the world's oldest ultra-marathon, saying: "The enthusiasm and desire to run the Comrades Marathon has reached record levels, not only in South Africa, but across the globe. However, it is mainly thanks to the South African runner that we have managed to maintain our position as world leaders in road running". The 2013 Comrades Marathon on 2 June will be an Up-Run from Durban to Pietermaritzburg and will be the 88th time the race is staged since Vic Clapham organized the first Comrades Marathon in 1921. For more details visit www.comrades.com
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| 2012 SPIRIT OF COMRADES AWARDS | ||||||||
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The CMA hosted its annual awards gala in Durban North recently, which saw three ultra-deserving Comrades Marathon runners as well as the CMA Journalist of the Year being honoured. The CATHSSETA Spirit of Comrades Awards banquet celebrates outstanding individuals for their awesome qualities of dedication, selflessness, perseverance and Ubuntu, coupled with their passion for 'The Ultimate Human Race'. FIRST RECIPIENT: Frankie Cawdry Proving that dynamite does indeed come in small packages, the first CATHSSETA Spirit of Comrades recipient was Frankie Cawdry. Being a member of the Chiltern Athletics Club, Frankie has run 'The Ultimate Human Race' eleven times and earned herself 1 Bill Rowan and 10 Bronze medals. Through her involvement with the Comrades Marathon and a life of running, Frankie has showcased herself as an exemplary runner and committed volunteer to the Comrades Marathon's Refreshment Station portfolio. Unfortunately, tragedy struck on 20 May 2009 just before the 84th Comrades Marathon, effectively bringing Frankie's life to a standstill. The feisty runner was hit by a car in Westville and landed in a coma with untold injuries. Some of the procedures to save her life entailed a craniotomy to stop the bleeding on the brain, extensive suturing of wounds, tracheotomy to allow free breathing and major maxis facial surgery with about two dozen screws to hold her facial bones together. She is still suffering the effects of memory loss and having implants, jaw operations and undergoing rehab. But despite these setbacks, she has huge determination and an undying drive to make the most of her life which is probably what saw her completing her 2012 Comrades after this most trying chapter of her life. All things considered, Frankie's drive to survive is inspiring and definitely worthy of the Spirit of Comrades Award. SECOND RECIPIENT: Mandla Zwane It's about listening to your heart as well as others footsteps! As 32 year old Nongoma runner, Mandla Zwane has proven, being visually impaired is no barrier to running the greatest footrace on the planet; for this is the race that rules his heart. He has always had a love for the Comrades Marathon and when he's running it, he just focuses on the sound of other runners' footsteps to follow the route, complete his race and receive his medal. Yes, it's that simple for uBaba Mangethe – the powerful Mandla Zwane as his name suggests. The inspirational Mandla has completed 'The Ultimate Human Race' 6 times without the help of a runner guide or any other assistance. He holds 1 Bronze and 5 Bill Rowan medals to his name, with a personal best of 07:52:58. Mandla's maverick nature has certainly captured the imagination of many people, mostly Comrades Marathon runners, who are in awe of the way he tackles the race and his 'don't pity me' attitude. Living in Nzondwane, a very rural area in northern KwaZulu-Natal, Mandla survives on a disability grant. As for his training, he says he is used to running alone in the wide open spaces of the countryside. "Everyone is my friend", beams Mandla, "so wherever my training takes me, I come into contact with people I know and am happy". Circumstances prevented Mandla from realizing his ambition of becoming a psychologist but he says, "I am happy with my life because you may never have everything in life but you must be satisfied with what you have achieved". Wise words indeed from the worthy second CATHSSETA Spirit of Comrades recipient! THIRD RECIPIENT: Jeff Minnaar The final recipient in line for the Spirit of Comrades accolade was CMA Board and Race Organising Committee (ROC) member, Jeff Minnaar for displaying everything that the esteemed Spirit of Comrades Awards is about. Besides his amazing 40 years of dedicated service to the CMA, Jeff has proven that where there's a will, there is always a way! Barely 4 months before the race Jeff was admitted to hospital for a CAT SCAN where it was discovered that he had a perforated colon. He was immediately taken into theatre where he underwent an operation to repair the colon and remove a section of his small intestine. He was then placed in ICU to recover, only to realize that his colon had perforated again, necessitating another operation. By then, the colon had caused a serious dose of septicemia. Jeff was in put into an induced coma to allow his body to try and recover from the poison. By then, his kidneys, lungs and liver were closing down, forcing him to endure 7 trips to theatre in 14 days. Add to the above, the fact that this dedicated Finish Venue Portfolio Convener continued to organise the Comrades Marathon Finish Venue from his hospital bed and despite his weakened state, worked on the finish venue build-up and availed himself on Race Day. Jeff also conquered 'The Ultimate Human Race' back in 1978, when he ran for Collegians Harriers Running Club, making him totally deserving of the esteemed CATHSSETA Spirit of Comrades accolade! |
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| 2012 CMA JOURNALIST: Sarel Van Der Walt | ||||||||
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Another feature of the Spirit of Comrades celebratory night is the honouring of the ‘CMA Journalist of the Year'. This is a sincere acknowledgement and appreciation of the important and enduring work of the media and rewards the journalist who has shown a year-long interest in the Comrades Marathon and in that spirit, has generated the most coverage for ‘The Ultimate Human Race'. That journalist, who has done more than his fair share of Comrades Marathon reporting is Die Beeld sports reporter, Sarel Van Der Walt. Based on the number of articles reported by any journalist over the course of the year and independently verified by Newsclip Media Monitoring, Sarel proved to be the most prolific messenger of Comrades Marathon news. As a token of gratitude for his Comrades Marathon passion and extensive coverage, he was awarded the ‘CMA Journalist of the Year' accolade. |
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2012 GREATER EDENDALE RACE & FUN RUN |
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The CMA once again hosted a community road-running event that was crammed with magic and excitement on Sunday, 18 November 2012 at the FNB Wadley Stadium in Georgetown, Edendale. Having been held for the sixth year, the Greater Edendale Race and Fun Run has become a highly anticipated community initiative and proven to be a major sports attraction in Edendale. Despite the inclement weather, the local community came out in full force to support the sporting spectacle, with 314 runners in the 10km race and about 600 enthusiastic children joining in the Fun Run experience. In line with the success of the 2011 event, the 6th edition of this community development initiative delivered on its promises, proving to be a hugely exciting affair. Prize money totalling R14,000 was awarded to the top performers, with a generous first prize of R2,500 for the First Man and First Woman respectively. The Top Five Male Winners are as follows: Name: Finishing Time: Name: Finishing Time: Local school children from Esigodini and Sanzwili Primary Schools came out in droves and added a huge sense of enthusiasm and magic to the event, as only children can. Many of these optimistic little souls won lucky draw prizes of homeware and amazing electrical appliances, including a HiFi system.
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COMRADES MARATHON RECOGNISED AT AIMS AWARDS GALA |
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The Comrades Marathon was officially recognised as Africa's oldest road-running race at the 2012 Association of International Marathons and Distance Races (AIMS) 30th Anniversary Awards Gala on Friday, 9 November 2013 in Athens, Greece. At the Awards Gala, AIMS highlighted the contributions of the world's oldest marathons from five world regions to the sport of road running. The Comrades Marathon of course was awarded for being the ‘Oldest marathon and Ultra-Marathon' on the African continent. Board Member Peter Proctor travelled to Athens to accept the award on behalf of the CMA.
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PASSIONATE ABOUT THE COMRADES MARATHON |
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Comrades Marathon enthusiasts come out in numbers to support and show their passion for the iconic road-running race. Please send us your outstanding or funny picture for publishing and we will spread the Comrades Marathon cheer! Please email: delaine@comrades.com.
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VITAL HEALTH COMRADES MARATHON WOMEN SEMINARS |
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For the very first time, the Comrades Marathon will present 4 women-specific Seminars. The Comrades Marathon has partnered with Vital Health Foods, the market leader within the South African health foods industry to present the Vital Health Comrades Marathon Women Seminars across the four big cities of South Africa. For a very long time most women runners have believed that competing in the Comrades Marathon is beyond their physical capability. These seminars aim to empower the women running Comrades Marathon with some vital information that they will need in order to do well in their journey to prepare for and compete in the Comrades Marathon. These women will be empowered with psychological and technical know-how that will help them achieve their Comrades Marathon goal. The panel will include the following professionals:
The attendees will have an opportunity to pose questions such as:
These seminars will be presented in the Month of February 2013, in order to prepare these women for the peak training months, March and April. Seats will be limited to 200 attendees per venue. For more information on securing your seat at one of the venues please contact the CMA offices on 033 8978650 or email: thami@comrades.com. |
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ONLINE COMRADES MARATHON STORE |
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Dress for success and show off your love for The Ultimate Human Race. Runners are encouraged to visit the online Comrades Marathon Shop for an exciting range of exclusive merchandise. Please follow the link at www.comrades.com |
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2012 COMRADES MARATHON RESULTS BROCHURE |
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In light of the delay with the issuing of the 2012 Comrades Marathon Results Brochure, runners are requested to please bear with us as we await the official go-ahead from the South African Institute for Drug Free Sport (SAIDS) and KwaZulu-Natal Athletics (KZNA). |
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MY COMRADES MARATHON JOURNEY |
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"I'm very fortunate to share my Comrades Marathon journey and life story with other runners and more so truly blessed with the grace and mercy from the Almighty God. On 30th July 2006, I was busy preparing for the Sunday evening church service when my cell phone rang. I was informed that my friend Michael Scout was killed in a freak car accident while walking home. I told my late wife that I had to go to Michael's house to sympathise because I knew him and his wife well. After church we headed to the Scout's home in Algoa Park. On our way from church my wife said to me, "If I go before you, then you must go on with your life. You are fortunate to have a full life with sport, business and work and maybe you will quickly meet someone who will make you happy." My response was, "If I go before you then you must not sit and get old without a partner as I will not rule you from my grave. Enjoy life and look after the children.'' My baby daughter was with us in the Ford Bantam bakkie and was listening to this conversation. About two minutes after I spoke to my wife, there was a silence and the next thing, a huge bang from the front. A car had overtaken another vehicle which was driving towards us and went head on into my vehicle. My wife was killed on impact while my daughter was thrown out of the vehicle with me trapped inside. It took the ‘jaws of life' to free me, after which my daughter and I found ourselves in hospital, with me in a coma and terribly injured. My right leg was crushed, broke in two places above the knee, both hands were crushed, collarbone broken, nose broken, gash in the forehead, a hole in my tongue and my hip and some ribs broken. I was feeling like a cabbage that was all smashed up. Four days after the accident, I regained consciousness and was told that my wife had died while my daughter had survived. She was brought to me and we just cried. On 9th August, I was reluctantly discharged to be at the funeral. I was in a wheelchair for 3 months and underwent further operations. I started walking only in November with the use of crutches. In May 2008, I was able to walk without any assistance. From as early as April 2007, I started attending water physio sessions to help strengthen my legs. My faith in God was my biggest motivation. In March 2008, I started walking longer distances and eventually started to run-walk until I could run for longer periods. It was challenging for me because before the accident, I easily completed the Comrades in under 10hrs. My first 10km in 2008 was a slow one. At the end of 2008, I achieved three goals – to walk, to work and to drive my own car again. At the end of January 2009, I attempted a half marathon and completed it inside the 3 hour cut-off time. That same year I went further and completed a qualifying marathon in 4hrs 58min and entered for the Two Oceans 56km. I failed to reach the finish inside the 7hr cut off time but managed to complete the 56km in 7hrs 17min. 2010 was an historic year for our country and I used the positive energy of the 2010 Soccer World Cup as motivation. My targets were to complete a standard marathon in under 5hrs and the Comrades Marathon which I achieved through the grace and mercy of God. With low mileage and lots of faith and experience, I'm approaching the next Comrades Marathon with a simple strategy, meet the cut off times at the various stages on the route, get on the 12hr bus and hang on. Please keep your fingers crossed for me!" PLEASE SHARE YOUR COMRADES MARATHON JOURNEY WITH US. PLEASE EMAIL: delaine@comrades.com |
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WE REMEMBER BRYCE COURTENAY |
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Bryce Courtenay, the famous Australian/South African author of "The Power of One" passed away recently. He will long be remembered as an ardent Comrades Marathon runner and supporter; and has a plaque on the Wall of Honour near Drummond. |
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| SOCIAL NETWORKING | ||||||||
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Tweet about us, like us or browse the world-wide-web for all things Comrades Marathon related. www.twitter.com/@ComradesRace |
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AMABEADIBEADI CHARITY NEWS |
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We will keep you updated on all Amabeadibeadi Charity news as and when it happens. Please support our campaign to better the lives of those in need! |
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Comrades Runners who will be travelling to Durban from 28 May – 03 June 2013. SOUTHERN SUN ELANGENI (4*) SOUTHERN SUN NORTH BEACH (4*) SUNCOAST SUNSQUARE (4*) GARDEN COURT MARINE PARADE (3*) GARDEN COURT SOUTH BEACH (3*)
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