By BOB NORRIS
Three time runner-up Mcebisi Yose finally won the TLB Washie 100 Miler ultra marathon from Port Alfred to East London, clocking a time of 15:54:05.
Widely tipped as the favourite, Yose lived up to the top billing as he managed the pressure magnificently.
Although Yose’s winning time was not his fastest, the win was far more important for the popular All Stars runner.
It was during the night when a number of other pre-race favourites wilted in the cold river passes of the Eastern Cape.
At the 18km mark Yose was joint fourth with Justin Sher from Born2Run but steadily made his way through the top of the field and by the first major checkpoint at 40km he lay second to Piliso Mogale of the SA National Defence Force.
That was set to change fairly rapidly, and by the halfway mark which Yose passed in 7:20:32, he had a commanding lead with Mogale slipping back to fourth and Gavin Pansegrouw of Alberton moving up to second place
From there Yose looked like a winner.
With 20km to go he was in great spirits and had plenty to say as he passed by.
His pending victory was announced to the crowd at the Kidd’s Beach parkrun and the local man from the little seaside village received enthusiastic applause.
At the East London Airport it looked like the Border/Kei region would grab a rare one and two in the men’s race, however, drama followed on the approach to the Buffs Club.
Sifiso Msane of Cheetahs in Mthatha, had come racing through from seventh at halfway to second place at the 122km checkpoint, but behind him Mark McCalgan from Amanzimtoti was on a mission.
He had finished fifth last year, but was much faster this time around and was in fact the fastest man in the field over the second half by a margin of 3:31.
With mere kilometres to go he struck, sped past Msane and captured second place in 16:25:52, more than an hour quicker than his previous time.
Msane was third in 16:33:12 followed by Pansegrouw, Mzabantu Nesi of Run Walk for Life and then Sher.
Johannesburg’s Megan Davey won her third Washie with a commanding performance and her second-best time in finishing in 18:25:50.
Only her 2013 race when finishing third overall was faster, and then by just 3:13.
Davey, who also has two second-place finishes to her credit, said: “It was lovely, I really enjoyed it. My times are all pretty similar and I am just so happy to be back running again.”
In second place was the most experienced woman in the field, Hazel Moller of Bedfordview Country Club. Moller completed her ninth Washie in a sound 19:32:05.
Novice runner Helene Anderson from RunAvation in Pretoria, had a great debut in finishing third in 20:08:38, upsetting a few more experienced competitors along the way.
American visitor Elaine Stypula was fourth in 21:28:40, while Kimberley runners Anel Viljoen and Surien van Litsenborgh were next in, just two minutes apart.
In all, 80 runners completed the distance in the 26 hours allocated, and 25 of them were women, up from 10 last year and seven in 2014.
East London’s father and son team of Cyril and Desmond Bekker started and finished together in 24:57:12.
At the prize giving yesterday, Cyril, 64, said: “Never again, never.”
Eric Wright of Rand Road Warriors and David “Butch” Duffy of Buffs completed their 26th journeys, feats that will not easily be emulated.
Yose makes his way to the top
Three time runner-up Mcebisi Yose finally won the TLB Washie 100 Miler ultra marathon from Port Alfred to East London, clocking a time of 15:54:05.
Widely tipped as the favourite, Yose lived up to the top billing as he managed the pressure magnificently.
Although Yose’s winning time was not his fastest, the win was far more important for the popular All Stars runner.
It was during the night when a number of other pre-race favourites wilted in the cold river passes of the Eastern Cape.
At the 18km mark Yose was joint fourth with Justin Sher from Born2Run but steadily made his way through the top of the field and by the first major checkpoint at 40km he lay second to Piliso Mogale of the SA National Defence Force.
That was set to change fairly rapidly, and by the halfway mark which Yose passed in 7:20:32, he had a commanding lead with Mogale slipping back to fourth and Gavin Pansegrouw of Alberton moving up to second place
From there Yose looked like a winner.
With 20km to go he was in great spirits and had plenty to say as he passed by.
His pending victory was announced to the crowd at the Kidd’s Beach parkrun and the local man from the little seaside village received enthusiastic applause.
At the East London Airport it looked like the Border/Kei region would grab a rare one and two in the men’s race, however, drama followed on the approach to the Buffs Club.
Sifiso Msane of Cheetahs in Mthatha, had come racing through from seventh at halfway to second place at the 122km checkpoint, but behind him Mark McCalgan from Amanzimtoti was on a mission.
He had finished fifth last year, but was much faster this time around and was in fact the fastest man in the field over the second half by a margin of 3:31.
With mere kilometres to go he struck, sped past Msane and captured second place in 16:25:52, more than an hour quicker than his previous time.
Msane was third in 16:33:12 followed by Pansegrouw, Mzabantu Nesi of Run Walk for Life and then Sher.
Johannesburg’s Megan Davey won her third Washie with a commanding performance and her second-best time in finishing in 18:25:50.
Only her 2013 race when finishing third overall was faster, and then by just 3:13.
Davey, who also has two second-place finishes to her credit, said: “It was lovely, I really enjoyed it. My times are all pretty similar and I am just so happy to be back running again.”
In second place was the most experienced woman in the field, Hazel Moller of Bedfordview Country Club. Moller completed her ninth Washie in a sound 19:32:05.
Novice runner Helene Anderson from RunAvation in Pretoria, had a great debut in finishing third in 20:08:38, upsetting a few more experienced competitors along the way.
American visitor Elaine Stypula was fourth in 21:28:40, while Kimberley runners Anel Viljoen and Surien van Litsenborgh were next in, just two minutes apart.
In all, 80 runners completed the distance in the 26 hours allocated, and 25 of them were women, up from 10 last year and seven in 2014.
East London’s father and son team of Cyril and Desmond Bekker started and finished together in 24:57:12.
At the prize giving yesterday, Cyril, 64, said: “Never again, never.”
Eric Wright of Rand Road Warriors and David “Butch” Duffy of Buffs completed their 26th journeys, feats that will not easily be emulated.
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