Il 25 maggio 2014 si è svolta, nella Repubblica Sudafricana, la 93^ edizione della Comrades Marathon che unisce in un suggestivo ed impegnativo percorso point to point Pietermaritzburg, capitale della provincia dello Kwzazulu-Natal con Durban (quest'anno con percorso "down", cioè dall'interno verso il mare) ed una distanza anomala di poco più di 88 km (56,1 miglia).
La storica ultramaratona su strada delle Repubblica sudafricana è indubbiamente da considerarsi l'Ultramaratona "ufficiale" (cioè codificata) più antica al mondo, pari come storia alla Boston Marathon e da equiparare come popolarità e numero di partecipanti ad una delle Maggiori Maratone del mondo contemporaneo.
Sarebbe bello vedere i top runer di ultra prendere parte alla sfida, come capita per atleti russi o svedesi, ma il sogno sembra difficile da avverarsi, dal momento che l'Ultra sudafricana si svolge sannualmente in sovrapposizione con la nostra 100 km del Passatore: eppure la Comrades sarebbe un'ottima occasione di confronto con una parterre di top runner internazionali.
Nell'edizione di quest'anno il vincitore è stato Bongmusa Mthembu, sudafricano con il crono di 5h28'34, mentre tra le donne per la prima volte dopo otto anni, in cui l'appannaggio delle vittoria è stato russo con Elena Nurgalieva, il primo posto sul podio è stato conquistato dalla britannica Eleanor (Ellie) Greenwood, in 6h18'15. Dietro di lei, con più di 5' di distacco Elena Nurgalieva e la gemella a circa 6' di distacco.
Unico europeo a spezzare il predominio dei Neri sudafricani nei topten è stato lo svedese Jonas Buud, ultramaratoneta di valore che ha chiuso la gara in 7^ posizione con 9'44 di distacco dal primo.
Bongmusa Mthembu was crowned 2014 Comrades Marathon champion on Sunday. The South African ran a time of five hours, 28 minutes and 34 seconds to triumph in front of a home crowd.
The official Comrades Marathon Twitter account was on hand to capture the first-place finisher's crowning moment, with countryman Ludwick Mamabolo finishing second and Gift Kelehe in third: Mthembu was four minutes and 41 seconds faster than nearest rival Mamabolo, clocking in with an average time of three minutes and 41 seconds per kilometre.
Elena Nurgalieva had the opportunity to record her ninth victory in the 89-kilometre ultramarathon, but she dropped off the leading pace with barely six kilometres remaining, giving way to Nedbank International runner Eleanor Greenwood.
Greenwood finished atop the women's pile with a time of six hours, 18 minutes and 15 seconds. As East Coast Radio's Andre Bloem points out, the result represents a break in the Nurgalieva hold over the largest ultramarathon in the world.
Had Elena, the more successful of the Nurgalieva twins, been able to prevail, the Russian would have tied Bruce Fordyce's nine race wins—five more than any other woman has ever managed.
As it is, however, she misjudged her run and blew up short of the finish line, slipping to Greenwood's perseverance at a crucial juncture in the course.
While Nurgalieva is well-versed in the ways of winning under the South African sun, this was a maiden championship for Mthembu, presenting two quite opposite modes of victors in this year's event.
Mthembu placed third in the 2010 Comrades Marathon, and this year's run will be remembered as a moment of realisation for all his past attempts in taking home the biggest prize at stake.
Not only that, but the finish line will have been especially sentimental for Mthembu, who ran into hometown territory as a Pietermaritzburg native, having been born near Bulwer.
His time is the fastest any competitor has run since 2009 when Stephen Muzhingi went from Durban to the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands in five hours, 23 minutes and 27 seconds, also on the down run.
Sweden's Jonas Buud was the only non-African who managed to break into the men's top 10, flying a lonely flag for Europe and finishing seventh overall—nine minutes and 44 seconds behind Mthembu.
Mthembu is the fourth athlete to have won the men's race in the last four years, after Leonid Shvetsov and Muzhingi shared the championship between them from 2007 to 2011.
Position | Name | Nationality | Time |
1 | Bongmusa Mthembu | South Africa | 5:28:34 |
2 | Ludwick Mamabolo | South Africa | +4:41 |
3 | Gift Kelehe | South Africa | +6:06 |
4 | Stephen Muzhingi | Zimbabwe | +6:45 |
5 | Rufus Photo | South Africa | +6:57 |
6 | Mncedisi Mkhize | South Africa | +7:33 |
7 | Jonas Buud | Sweden | +9:44 |
8 | Manoko William Mokwalakwala | South Africa | +10:56 |
9 | Prodigal Khumalo | Zimbabwe | +11:03 |
10 | Latudi Makofane | South Africa | +12:08 |
Position | Name | Nationality | Time |
1 | Eleanor Greenwood | Great Britain | 6:18:15 |
2 | Elena Nurgalieva | Russia | +5:04 |
3 | Olesya Nurgalieva | Russia | +6:36 |
4 | Irina Antropova | South Africa | +15:53 |
5 | Camille Herron | United States | +28:48 |
6 | Jo Meek | Great Britain | +33:29 |
7 | Caroline Wostmann | South Africa | +37:40 |
8 | Frida Sodermark | Sweden | +39:19 |
9 | Zola Budd Pieterse | South Africa | +42:32 |
10 | Martinique Potgieter | South Africa | +44:35 |
Vedi anche: Eleanor Greenwood wins women's race at Comrades (01 giugno, 2014 12:29)