The top three athletes who will be spearheading the elite field from Pollock Beach, Summerstrand, will be Gulliamme Ruel from France, Nkosikhona Mhlwakana from KZN and Lebello Mopenyane (Maxed Elite Lesotho).
Mopenyane led Two Oceans last year and was only caught in the final 5km to finish 5th on his debut ultra marathon.
Nkosikhona just missed a top ten finish at the 2021 Nedbank Runified Breaking Barriers 50km race, so the Hollywood Athletic Club top runner returns to the new look race now known as the Runified City 50km on Sunday feeling positive that he can make amends and upgrade his 11th place to a podium finish. Mhlakwana, a Comrades gold medallist from 2022, and who has since claimed two consecutive top three finishes at the Totalsports Two Oceans Marathon in 2022 and 2023, says he is ready.
“The target remains to finish inside the top 10, says Mhlakwana.
“I understand the route as I have ran there before so I don’t think it would be a problem. “The approach is to concentrate on my race without worrying about other athletes. “That’s the main goal.”
Ruel, a very strong French athlete who finished the 2022 Runified 50km in his personal best time of 2:47, achieving both a National and European Records, has now improved his marathon time down to 2:14 and is extremely strong and fast, so an exciting finish between Ruel and Nkosikhona could well be expected.
Jobo Khotane, from Maxed Elite Lesotho, will be competing in his dubut ultra marathon. Jobo is a very fast half marathon runner and has had multiple top 10 finishes in the tough Soweto Marathon.
Pule Sibeko, from Maxed KZN, is also a good ultra runner having finished in the top 10 in last year’s Two Oceans 56km.
Another strong contender, Mahlomula Sekhonyana, who finished 4th the last time Comrades went up to Pietermartizburg in 2019, is looking at this event as preparation for another Comrades top 10 finish.
On the local front, strong athlete, Luyanda Tschangana, running for Ikhamva athletics club, finished in 2:52:28 last year.
“My preparations are on track and going well and I will be ready for 50km this weekend.
“I’m injury-free and hoping that on Sunday I will improve on my time of 2:52 or at least run under 2H50,” he added.
Top Ikhamva club athletes, Melikhaya Frans, Thabang Mosiako and Simon Sibeko will be pacesetters until the 15km, 25km, 32km marks respectively.
In the women’s race Nedbank running club athletes, Galetsang Mekgoe and Kelly van Vliet will be the ones to watch.
This will be Galantsang’s third consecutive Runified 50km, she finished the 2022 edition in 3:30:24 in 7th position and last year finished in 6th position in 3:33:23.
Kelly van Vliet is fit and ready to go and will have the local crowd behind her. In 2022, her ultra-debut, Van Vliet finished 7th overall and was the 4th South African woman to finish in a time of 3.30.
Another strong contender is Loveness Madziva, who runs for Hollywood athletics club, KZN. She finished 7th at Two Oceans in 2019 and 10th in 2023 coming off the birth of her child. She won the Prince Mangosuthu Butheletizi 52k in 2019 and 2021. No stranger to Gqeberha, she won the NMB1 City Marathon in 2023.
Race organisers confirmed that they are ready to host the event.
“I am happy that the Runified City 50km is ranked by the International Ultrarunners Association as a gold label event, the stamp of approval only given to the leading Ultra marathon events in the World,” said race director Michael Mbambani. Both the 50km and 42.2km distances will also be able to be used for World Athletic ranking points by our competing athletes finishing under qualifying times which will enable local athletes to Improve their WA ranking points status on home turf.
“We are looking forward to host another successful race in Nelson Mandela Bay.
“All hands are on deck in terms of the preparation and planning for the weekend,” added Mbambani.
This event, which is organised by EP Athletics in partnership with Nelson Mandela Bay municipality, has a few initiatives this year.
For the first time the 50km distance will incorporate the ASA 50km national championships, with athletes from around the country expecting to compete for the honor of being crowned national champion.
The 2024 edition will also offer an official 42,2km timing mat which runners will also be allowed to use to submit as a qualifier, as well as a 10km race.
Collection of race numbers as well as late entries will be available on Saturday, February 24, from the Marine Hotel between 09:00 and 20:00. Race number collection will also be available from the Marine Hotel from 04.00 – 05.15 on race day for the 50km and from 05.15 – 06.30 for the 10km. No late entries will be taken on race day under any conditions.
For more information athletes can contact Michael Mbambani on 079 149 6796, Irene van Eeden on 083 299 1775, EP Athletics office on 041 374 2818 or email epa@pe.co.za
