While the dust is yet to settle on the record-breaking and dramatic 2023 Comrades Marathon, the qualifiers for next year’s edition are already upon us.
But the dark cloud of doubt, suspicion and mudslinging brought about by that strangest of finishes at the 12-hour mark when there was incredibly no wave of runners striving to beat the clock continues to hover above the world famous ultra marathon.
Such has been the CMA’S poor handling of the issues brought about by runner and social media writer and data analyst “The Running Mann” that there is a feeling that the event does not care much about the runners.
Whatever happens going forward, though, the reality is that there needs to be a serious change in attitude from Comrades House with regard to how they handle runners’ complaints.
However, there is also a serious responsibility on the part of the running community to ensure they help make race organisers’ work much easier, too. The disqualification debacle of 25 athletes who were deemed to have “cheated” in one way or another – although others were wrongly accused – is a case in point.
It was thus refreshing this week to see the president of Kwazulu-natal Athletics, Steve Mkasi, tackling the issue of cheating head-on and calling on clubs and runners from his province to ensure the “safeguarding of our sport”.
A runner himself – he ran his 10th Comrades Marathon this year – Mkasi knows the pain of getting suspended from a popular race (Two Oceans) for two years because he had allowed someone to run using his number because he had fallen ill on the eve of the race. The other athlete was also similarly punished.
With the qualifiers for the two big ultras coming up, Mkasi pleaded to runners to desist from cheating.
“Whether it is just cutting a few minutes off of a genuine finishing time in order to meet a qualification standard, simply making one up; or even known instances in which men have run qualifying races for women and/or more gifted athletes have actually even been paid to complete qualifiers on behalf of slower runners … ” Mkasi said.
He was not making it up. I’ve heard of all these and at times even met people who were running qualifying races for either the Two Oceans or Comrades for others.
What’s the pride in that, though?
“It is simply not on and goes against the entire ethical code and ethos of the sport of athletics,” Mkasi lamented.
Often those who cheat in the qualifiers don’t get to finish the races. So why bother really?
Nothing beats the pleasure of achieving a good run in the Comrades or Two Oceans knowing you have worked hard for it, from the qualification through training to race day.
Mkasi is right, let’s weed out cheating in the upcoming qualifiers.
@Tshiliboy