BOB NORRIS
In 1975, just 26 maverick type runners and surfers met up on the banks of the Kwelera River to see who could propel themselves over gravel, rocks, shingle, a bushy path or two, tar, soft sand and in between swim the Gonubie and Nahoon Rivers to arrive at Nahoon Corner first.
Some had met at a relay event between Qonce and East London some weeks before and the team of Buffalo Road Runners, many with surfing interests, had triumphed over a talented team of surfers.
The first winner of what was to become the Discovery Surfers Challenge, an iconic and annual match-up, was Kenny Wilkinson, a top cross country, marathon and Comrades Marathon runner.
He was followed by local school master and equally talented athlete Rob Joiner and Border’s best Comrades runner of all time, Gordon Shaw.
Over the years, top athletes continued to be drawn to the race, but so too were hundreds — and eventually thousands — of casual runners, joggers and walkers, while the introduction of a new challenge, that of the paddlers, was introduced and added flair to the occasion.
Who and exactly when the first woman ran the race has not as yet been established, but the first recognised athlete appears to have been old Rhodian, Heidi Wust, who won it twice, once in 1983 and again in 1989, the year one of Border’s real flyers, Mzwandile Shube set a blistering record of 55:40 when the most ideal running condition for the event occurred with low tides and a strong following east wind.
There is an ongoing effort to establish times through the years, as in the early days it was a casual run as you can type event, with no strict timekeeping or records kept.
Progress has certainly been made in establishing who when and how, but any information that can be shared might just get the individual concerned a name in the annals of history.
Contact Bob, on 082-554-4016.
A 50-race history is a huge number, and few local events have such a history to boast of, one of which is the Buffs Marathon.
That both races have been forced on to the same weekend is a calamity, but given the mutual history, the determination of those who have gone before and their pioneering spirit, it seems assured that both will continue to be “a must run race” for many years to come.
