Posted: April 5, 2004

Athletics: Nobanda, Staicu Favored To Clinch Two Oceans Again

From David Monti

(c) 2004 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved RaceResultsWeekly.com

By Riel Hauman, (c) 2004 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved

Chappies, here we come! The record entry for Saturday’s 35th Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon, presented by Nike, no doubt stems largely from the return to the traditional route over world famous scenic drive Chapman’s Peak. After three years of stagnation when the race was run on a different route, entries have jumped to 9,933 for Cape Town’s 56 km classic.

“Chappies”, as the spectacular drive along the Cape Peninsula’s western coast is affectionately known, was closed after the 1999 race due to a massive fire and dangerous rockfalls that killed one driver. For the past four years the race was run over Ou Kaapse Weg (Old Cape Road), a mountain range away from the sea lapping at the foot of Chapman’s Peak.

Construction work to repair Chapman’s Peak Drive (originally built between 1915 and 1922) started in October 2002 and is not quite finished yet. Recently the Pick ‘n Pay Cape Argus Cycle Tour over 108 km (called the largest timed sporting event in the world by its organisers) was the first major sports event to return to Chapman’s Peak. The magnificently reconstructed road produced an unexpected scare when a minor rockfall caused the event to be stopped for half an hour.

In 2003 entries for the Two Oceans dropped to 7,115, the lowest it has been since 1988. In 2000 there were 9,205 entrants – the only time since 1991 that the total was more than 9,000.

The accompanying half marathon, run for the sixth time this year, has shown tremendous growth – from 3,596 entries in 1999 to a record 7,305 this year.

Both 2003 winners, Mluleki Nobanda (RSA) and Simona Staicu (HUN) are returning. Both won last year in their debut ultramarathon and are favorites to repeat as champions.

The fact that runners who are aiming to also compete in South Africa’s other big ultramarathon, the Comrades, have an extra two weeks between the two events this year (as compared to only eight weeks in 2003), will probably have a significant effect on the way the Two Oceans is run.

Staicu went on to finish tenth in the Comrades last year after having run 3:37:32 in the Two Oceans – the second fastest time ever. The route over Chapman’s Peak is generally regarded as faster, so if the same cool, misty conditions of 2003 prevail this year, a time closer to 3:30 is a big possibility. Yet one cannot see anyone coming close to Frith van der Merwe’s phenomenal course record of 3:30:36, which has been standing since 1989.

Staicu comes to Cape Town with two good performances over shorter distances so far in 2004 – a win in the Twintig van Alphen and second in the City-Pier-City Half Marathon in the Netherlands. She also ran 2:36:46 in the Osaka Marathon and is reputed to be in better shape than she was in 2003.

The one-time World junior champion over 3000 meters will be up against the two top South African ultrarunners, Farwa Mentoor (third last year) and Yolande Maclean, and some formidable international names: Maria Bak (GER), winner in 1996, Elvira Kolpakova (RUS), the world’s number one in 2001, Russia’s Nurgalieva twins Elena (Comrades champion) and Olesya (second in the Comrades), Angelina Sephooa (LES), three-time winner, Natalia Volgina (RUS), champion in 2002, Tatyana Zhyrkova (RUS), and World 100 km champion Monica Casiraghi (ITA).

And then there is also Theresa du Toit, of whom I wrote last year: “It will be a debut ultra for [her], and one questions the wisdom of injury-prone Du Toit, who has only recently recovered from a series of injuries, to run such a gruelling event at this stage.”

Du Toit had to pull out of the race with another injury. A few weeks ago she won the downhill Cango Marathon in an Olympic “B” qualifying time of 2:38:03, but since then Athletics South Africa has announced that – contrary to what it had said originally – it will only consider athletes with “A” qualifiers for the marathon in Athens. Du Toit has therefore decided to put all her eggs in the Two Oceans basket. If she can hold her fragile body together, she could surprise.

Unlike Staicu, Nobanda did not run the Comrades last year and has kept a very low profile during the past few months, rarely racing. In February he won the Cape Town Half Marathon in 64:21 and has also finished first in a 15 km race (46:53). His time in the 2003 Two Oceans, 3:09:21, is the second fastest winning time since Thompson Magawana set his course record 3:03:44 in 1988 and, like Staicu, he can certainly run faster.

Runners who should challenge him do that are Zimbabweans Kingston Maringe and Kasirai Sita (who was second last year in his Two Oceans debut), and South Africans Fanie Matshipa, Joseph Molaba, Pio Mpolokeng and former winner Willie Mtolo, who would want to redeem himself after last year’s bad run.

Lucketz Swartbooi (NAM) is returning for another even-year crack at the title after finishing third in 2000 and second in 2002. Both he and Comrades champion Fusi Nhlapo (ninth in 2003) are good bets for top-ten finishes.

Prize money for the male and female winners is R150,000 ($23,250) each, followed by R75,000, R50,000, R25,000, R10,000, R9,000, R8,000, R7,000, R6,000 and R5,000 for the next nine positions. Incentives for breaking the course records are R25,000 each.

The male and female winners of the half marathon will received R10,000 each.

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