Bloemfontein’s Centre City Titaniums Athletics Club will embark on the great trek to this year’s Comrades Marathon on 9 June, with a contingent of 56 runners in total.
The crew’s endurance will be tested on the upward course of this year’s marathon, which marks being hosted a 97th time.
Of these ambitious men and women, 15 are debutants and 41 seasoned runners.
Teboho Lemao, club chairperson, said for the 2024 Comrades Marathon the initial number of club members reduced from 59 to 56 due to one injury and two of the members experiencing personal challenges.
The five women of the Centre City Titaniums who were included in the original crew scooped medals in the two previous Comrades Marathons. They are: Yolandi Fourie (Vic Clapham medal), Busi Mailer, Pinkie Taunyane, Hilda Ramakuela, and Caroline Jacobs (Robert Mtshali medal winners).
The men who already boast silver medals in their cabinet are: Ernest Khalata and Bala Lidzane.
The majority of the members have managed to finish the race since the club’s first participation in the global race dubbed Ultimate Human Race, in 2022.
“We are aiming at a 95% success rate or more, which translates to a minimum of 53 medals. We are confident of a couple of silver medals, and a possible Wally Hayward medal,” says Lemao.
“Our predictions indicate that 60% of our members should achieve results between 8:30 and 11:00, which guarantees numerous Bill Rowan, Robert Mtshali and bronze medals.”
The Comrades Marathon Association (CMA) Board has approved an adjustment to the final cut-off time at the 79,1 km mark. This has been changed from 11:10 to 11:20 and gives the back-marker participants an added advantage.
The CMA has stated that approximately 23 000 runners from countries across the globe have registered to participate in the 97th Comrades Marathon.
The race is set to start at 05:30 in Durban.
- See more photos of the runners on the BloemExpress page on News24, under “Publications”.
