After a two-year absence due to Covid-19, the Mercedes-Benz Old Selbornian 15km race returned on October 2.
Mercedes-Benz has been sponsoring the race for more than 30 years and its presence was sorely missed as runners across the metro make use of the race to train for upcoming fixtures such as the Amathole Marathon, which is scheduled to take place this year on October 9.
The route was fairly uncomplicated, with a double lap that started at Old Selbornian through to Beach Road and down towards Gleneagles.
Race winner Anele Dlamini came in at 46:06 minutes, followed closely by Yanga Malusi at 46:56 and Malixole Kalideni came in third at 49:00. Dlamini maintained the first position throughout the race and enjoyed a comfortable lead until the end when Malusi kicked into overdrive to make a last attempt to catch up at Gleneagles Street.
The race includes a 15km and a 5km section, with entrants for the 15km at over 300 participants this year.
Organiser from Old Selbornian Jan Labuschagne saidt the turnout for the year was exceptional as, after two years, athletes were excited by the opportunity to compete. “We are very happy to have Mercedes and local business support us because this race is a big part of East London.
“It means a lot to the local community to have runs to look forward to on the weekends, especially after Comrades, and so businesses that get involved, like Mercedes-Benz, know that their support means a lot because it is good to have local fixtures supported by the local community instead of always expecting local athletes to spend large sums of money to compete in different cities,” Labuschagne said.
Old Selbornian hosts club runs for everyone on Wednesday evenings and the next big fixture will be the PWC Night Race in January 2023.
