Cape Town – Runners around the Peninsula are set to come together this weekend, as the Pinelands Athletic Club gears up to welcome athletes for the 2022 Hohenort 15km Road Race.
In honour of Dave Spence, who coached many athletes in sprints, race walking, middle distance, and long-distance, Spence was made a life member of the club for his 20 years of coaching.
With the Hohenort 15km Road Race being made the flagship event for people who used the race as part of their training for Two Oceans, Race Director Paul Rist said that he hopes the race will rekindle relationships that motivate former runners.
“Due to the lockdown, membership numbers declined, and many runners did not renew their club membership or their running licences. Covid-19 also introduced a whole new dynamic to putting on an event, along with many extra expenses one has to incur to mitigate the risks associated with the transmission of the virus.
“As the lockdown levels increased and people had more freedom to exercise, we aimed to get runners to celebrate the fact that we have the freedom once again to run in an organised event to rekindle relationships with other runners that they have not seen for a very long time, and most importantly, to encourage all runners to join a club so that we can grow the sport,” said Rist.
Nancy Will, who followed Spence’s training programs and holds many records for her age group, said that from the race, she hopes that participants can leave motivated and inspired to keep pushing through all the challenges they experienced last year.
“With it being the first race of the year, I am so pleased to have races starting up again after having two years of no actual races due to Covid-19.
“I hope all athletes experience and enjoy the challenge of the Hohenort Hills, the cameraderie of running with like-minded athletes from all walks of life, and go away with motivation to keep running and to stay fit.
"Also, with it being the very first race of the year, we hope to get the Western Cape province road running back on track, hence we need to keep the sport going to motivate other clubs to start organising their races," said Will.
Weekend Argus