South Africa’s perennial veil of mediocrity in the Comrades Marathon up-run was spectacularly shed when Gift Kelehe and Caroline Wostmann powered to their maiden titles yesterday.
It was the first time local athletes clinched the No1 spots since 1992, when Jetman Msutu and Frances van Blerk took charge of the up-run.
While Kelehe’s win sealed the first double by brothers since his brother Andrew won the 2001 down-run, Wostmann’s victory held more significance as it was the first by a South African woman since Rae Bischoff’s triumph in the 1998 up- run.
In a race that was 800m longer than normal due to roadworks in Pinetown, Wostmann’s time of 6:12.22 was just under three minutes shy of Elena Nurgalieva’s 2006 record run of 6:09:23.
It was a testament to her powers of stamina and concentration as she is also the reigning Two Oceans Marathon champion, which left her with minimal recovery and preparation time from the Easter Weekend race.
However, the management accounting lecturer at Wits University finally dispelled the myth of South African woman distance athletes of not being able to rise to the Comrades Marathon occasion.
Wostmann did not have the best of starts but by the time she got to Drummond, the Nurgalieva twins had been overhauled and a storming second half left them eating dust.
There were two other South African finishers in the women’s top 10 in Emmerentia Rautenbach and Yolande McLean finishing seventh and 10th respectively.
Elena and her twin sister Olesya (third and fourth) sunk without a trace as Charne Bosman powered past them to finish second in a time of 6:33.24.
Elena’s wait for that elusive ninth title to match Bruce Fordyce’s legendary haul, will have to wait another year and she looked like a spent force with a time of 6:40:36.
With a time of 5:36.38, Kelehe was never going to threaten Leonid Shvetzov’s 2008 time of 5:24.49, but he produced a tactical masterclass of gliding down hills and attacking the steep climbs.
Kelehe was content to stay in the chasing pack while Gilbert Mutandiro and Thobani Chagwe took turns as the pacemakers.
Mutandiro’s engine gave up on him at the bottom of Botha’s Hill while Chagwe pushed with the leadership baton until Drummond where he also disappeared into oblivion.
The unlikely figure of Mohammed Husein from Ethiopia somehow found himself in the lead past the halfway mark, but the relentless Kelehe hunted him down.
The 33-year-old Tactical Response Team provincial policeman played the aggression card near Camperdown and as the R103 meandered past the sleepy town, Kelehe shifted gears seamlessly and Husein simply wilted as Kelehe’s power and the unseasonal Midlands heat took its toll.
Husein was able to beat South African Hatiwande Nyamande to finish in a time of 5:46:14 while Nyamande clocked in at 5:48:19.
While Nyamande and Husein involved themselves in the positional war, Kelehe attacked the remaining inclines while his brother kept in close contact and coach John Hamlett was weirdly but effectively blowing a whistle every time he handed refreshments to his runner.
Kelehe’s lead was comfortable enough to form a cushion in the event of a Polly Shortts meltdown. However, while he visibly tired, he completed the notorious last mark in 8:39 to ease his way to the line.
The stronger down-runners like Ludwick Mamabolo did not put up much of a fight but defending up-run champion Claude Moshyiwa finished seventh as one of five South Africans in the top 10.
Proudly SA win at Comrades
It was the first time local athletes clinched the No1 spots since 1992, when Jetman Msutu and Frances van Blerk took charge of the up-run.
While Kelehe’s win sealed the first double by brothers since his brother Andrew won the 2001 down-run, Wostmann’s victory held more significance as it was the first by a South African woman since Rae Bischoff’s triumph in the 1998 up- run.
In a race that was 800m longer than normal due to roadworks in Pinetown, Wostmann’s time of 6:12.22 was just under three minutes shy of Elena Nurgalieva’s 2006 record run of 6:09:23.
It was a testament to her powers of stamina and concentration as she is also the reigning Two Oceans Marathon champion, which left her with minimal recovery and preparation time from the Easter Weekend race.
However, the management accounting lecturer at Wits University finally dispelled the myth of South African woman distance athletes of not being able to rise to the Comrades Marathon occasion.
Wostmann did not have the best of starts but by the time she got to Drummond, the Nurgalieva twins had been overhauled and a storming second half left them eating dust.
There were two other South African finishers in the women’s top 10 in Emmerentia Rautenbach and Yolande McLean finishing seventh and 10th respectively.
Elena and her twin sister Olesya (third and fourth) sunk without a trace as Charne Bosman powered past them to finish second in a time of 6:33.24.
Elena’s wait for that elusive ninth title to match Bruce Fordyce’s legendary haul, will have to wait another year and she looked like a spent force with a time of 6:40:36.
With a time of 5:36.38, Kelehe was never going to threaten Leonid Shvetzov’s 2008 time of 5:24.49, but he produced a tactical masterclass of gliding down hills and attacking the steep climbs.
Kelehe was content to stay in the chasing pack while Gilbert Mutandiro and Thobani Chagwe took turns as the pacemakers.
Mutandiro’s engine gave up on him at the bottom of Botha’s Hill while Chagwe pushed with the leadership baton until Drummond where he also disappeared into oblivion.
The unlikely figure of Mohammed Husein from Ethiopia somehow found himself in the lead past the halfway mark, but the relentless Kelehe hunted him down.
The 33-year-old Tactical Response Team provincial policeman played the aggression card near Camperdown and as the R103 meandered past the sleepy town, Kelehe shifted gears seamlessly and Husein simply wilted as Kelehe’s power and the unseasonal Midlands heat took its toll.
Husein was able to beat South African Hatiwande Nyamande to finish in a time of 5:46:14 while Nyamande clocked in at 5:48:19.
While Nyamande and Husein involved themselves in the positional war, Kelehe attacked the remaining inclines while his brother kept in close contact and coach John Hamlett was weirdly but effectively blowing a whistle every time he handed refreshments to his runner.
Kelehe’s lead was comfortable enough to form a cushion in the event of a Polly Shortts meltdown. However, while he visibly tired, he completed the notorious last mark in 8:39 to ease his way to the line.
The stronger down-runners like Ludwick Mamabolo did not put up much of a fight but defending up-run champion Claude Moshyiwa finished seventh as one of five South Africans in the top 10.
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