Port Elizabeth Running -- South African half marathon champs in Summerstrand -- 24 JUNE 2017.

Addo Elephant Park and wildlife Safari.  Guided tours of Port Elizabeth; City Tours; Township Tours; Garden Route adventures.
Peter Giddy is a Certified Guide.  His experience and local knowledge is your passport to an adventure holiday in South Africa.
peter.giddy@gmail. com

SOUTH AFRICAN HALF MARATHON CHAMPS -- JUNE 2017

Maria at the start.  It is cold and we have long sleeve jackets / jerseys

 The elite athletes are in the front.  Ladies to the Left as we line up under the start banner.

Kenny; Peter and Percy at the start.
This event is for some of the elite athletes of South Africa and further afield. There is a huge prestige to competing in this event -- particularly for the top athletes.  There is also good prize money to be won. 
I was not going to be able to take part as I had volunteered to marshal with the Achilles team on the 5kay event.  However on Friday I had learned from Nick that he had sufficient marshals and that I would be able to run.
Not that it made that much difference.  Just that I had not pre entered the event. 
So on Saturday morning I pick up Maria and we get to Summerstrand livesaving clubhouse at just after 7.00am.  I register  and then Maria and I do about a 2kay warm up. 

 Daniel is doing seconding for Clarendon Park -- For Clarries Cares.

 Lynne Woods on the run near to Kings Beach

 Maria with just a few kays to go.

 Kenny Barwood is running strong.  Here he has about 2km to go and will finish well under 2 hours

Allan Verryne on the final loop with just a few km to go.
This morning is cold.  I have an old long sleeve t shirt that barely keeps out the chill. My hands in particular are cold.  We see Neil Bissiker and Alec Riddle at the start giving commentary.  Then we line up at the start.  Ladies to one side so I lose sight of Maria. I am with Ken Barwood and Percy Dalton at the start.  All the elite and provincial athletes are in the front. 

The start is at 8;00am and in Marine Drive in front of the Retief Plein.  We head in an westerly direction.  This morning is a bright sunshine day.  There is a chilly breeze from the west but I soon begin to heat up and take off my t shirt.  Running towards Mc Arthur Baths and then at Kings Beach we do a U turn and start back the long haul up past the start area and on towards the Golf Course.  On the road Marshalling we pass Chris; Elmarie and Ronel at Mc Donalds and then Gerald and Pat a bit further on.

Support along the way is great.  John Durant; Ken and Linda; Kathleen; and others shouting encouragement.  There are not a large number of Achilles runners.  But we shout out encouragement as we run. 
With an out and back / circular route like this one you are able to see who is ahead and who is behind you.  So at the Golf course we do a U turn and begin the run back towards the start area and then on towards Kings Beach.  Just after we turn at Flat Rock we see the leaders of the run hurtling towards us.  I try to pick up my pace a fraction -- I don't want to be overtaken by the leaders who will finish in just under 62 minutes while I still have another whole loop to do. 

 Allan Verryne is about a kay ahead of me on the final loop
Allan comments as follows:  Gave it horns today. Elaine did her first sub 3 hour.  Third in age and won R1000.  Allan did 1.56

 Chris; Robin and Maria.... All finished a good half marathon this morning.

 Chris and Robin have become good running partners to Maria at these races.

Maria and Peter looking pretty bedraggled and tired
I pass the start / finish area just ahead of the race leaders and continue back to Kings Beach where we again have to U turn, Back along Marine Drive all over again -- Past the start finish area and on to the Golf Course.  As we turn for the last time we have about 2.5km to go. See Erica coming towards me.  She is running just about everything. I seem to see her at every event.  I first met Erica a few years ago when I was marshalling this event. A windy day.  She is the mom of a friend of Ally and we got to chatting as I cycled a few kays with her at the end of the event.  I realise that I have wasted some time taking pics and so will not finish under 2 hours.  But nevertheless I press on as hard as I can.  I pass Tracey in the final Km and finish in 2.02.

I see Maria; Chris and Robin -- They have become firm running partners in the past 6 months.  Chris and Maria finish in 1.55 while Robin is a few minutes behind them. 
My calves begin to seize up.  I am really tired after this event.  Achilles has a compulsory photo session with as many of us as they can round up.  And then Maria and I hobble back to the car parked behind Pick 'n Pay.

 The Achilles team members who we were able to round up.  Some had left and others we simply could not find. 
In this pic:  Peter; Maria Benito; Liz Austin; Andre; Liz; Tremaine Wesson; Bev Barends; Gail Klockowitz; Robin Coyle Downing; Leslie Maggot.
Missing -- Kenny Barwood; Michael Botha; Graham Nel;

 Maria at the start wearing long sleeves.  She handed the jacket to Pat a short while after this.

 I am still looking chirpy.  Must be the first round as I had to force the pace on the second loop.

 Maria and Chris are encouraged by Chris Botha -- Chris tells me later that he loved this moment as she "high fived" him.

Maria at the Mc Donalds waving to Ronel who takes this pick.
After I drop Maria at home, I take off my running stuff and dress as warmly as I can.  I cannot stop shivering.  I take some Re Hydrate but still my tummy is sore and I am shivering.  I have a hot shower and dress again but continue to feel miserable.  It seems worse than when I finished a long distance event. 
So finally I succumb to my need for a rest and get under the blankets and have an hour sleep.  This does the trick to a certain extent and I am able to make some breakfast and begin to recover.

Later this afternoon I am at rugby at Grey with Joshua and Daniel.  Grey 43; Daniel Pienaar 25.  Then Barbara and I spend the evening with Chris; Elmarie and Ronel watching the last of three Rugby matches where the Springbok team wins.

Some results of the 21kay.

336 251 1004 KATHERINE VAN DER WALT BODY CONCEPT F 41 40-44F 1.36.50370 484 1152 ANCHE SCHUBART ACHILLES AAA F 35 35-39F 1.39.23409 1477 1477 DAVID GLOVER TEMP M 35 35-39M 1.41.28541 1012 9012 ADRIAN MEISTRE TEMP M 45 45-49M 1.51.03558 1159 1148 PERCY DALTON ACHILLES AAA M 68 65-69M 1.52.12601 631 9073 MARIA BENITO TEMP F 44 40-44F 1.55.02602 1257 1144 KEN BARWOOD ACHILLES AAA M 62 60-64M 1.55.03630 610 724 ALLAN VERREYNNE CRUSADERS AC M 70 70+M 1.56.55651 1445 1147 LIZ PRINS ACHILLES AAA F 47 45-49F 1.58.13674 1297 1090 SUSANN CHAPMAN ACHILLES AAA F 41 40-44F 1.59.23683 1318 1318 MICHELLE ELFICK TEMP F 46 45-49F 1.59.51688 701 8 KOBUS GERBER PEAAC M 73 70+M 2.00.11710 1165 1112 ROBIN COYLE-DOWLING ACHILLES AAA M 51 50-54M 2.01.55715 1321 1116 PETER GIDDY ACHILLES AAA M 66 65-69M 2.02.15720 1137 9137 TRACEY CROMMELIN TEMP F 37 35-39F 2.02.37768 1380 1151 LIZ AUSTIN ACHILLES AAA F 58 55-59F 2.07.56788 720 9129 TINKY HODGSON TEMP F 51 50-54F 2.08.59822 1088 1652 KELLY-RAE MORTIMER MADIBA BW F 35 35-39F 2.10.29834 1331 1331 SHANNON BRADFORD TEMP F 20 SF 2.11.13842 410 1938 SONJA OLIVIER BLUEWATER BAY F 49 45-49F 2.11.47847 1274 1119 TREMAINE WESSON ACHILLES AAA M 56 55-59M 2.12.03850 1138 2376 HELEN JOHN MADIBAZ AC F 43 40-44F 2.12.07879 473 734 MIKE BURGER CRUSADERS AC M 63 60-64M 2.13.51919 527 1571 DORIS GERBER NEDBANK RC F 46 45-49F 2.18.33962 644 705 OCTAVIA BOSHOFF CRUSADERS AC F 47 45-49F 2.24.30979 785 855 TRACY MENTZEL CHARLO AC F 54 50-54F 2.27.161002 1239 1135 MOF BOTHA ACHILLES AAA M 61 60-64M 2.30.461023 565 9565 BRIGGETTA MEY TEMP F 40 40-44F 2.34.311024 617 1686 CHERYL WITTE MADIBA BW F 55 55-59F 2.34.381044 812 1139 GRAHAM NELL ACHILLES AAA M 66 65-69M 2.37.591069 1149 1960 ERICA ERASMUS BLUEWATER BAY F 47 45-49F 2.41.56

H6 305 1017 ECKART SCHUMANN BODY CONCEPT M 71 70+M 2.04.06 2 0

H7 306 1186 LINDA HARWOOD ACHILLES AAA F 49 45-49F 2.11.58 1 0

H8 307 1118 RODNEY MAGGOTT ACHILLES AAA M 59 55-59M 2.19.11  


1118 611 727 ELAINE VERREYNNE CRUSADERS AC F 71 70+F 2.57.37