Posted: May 27, 2005

Athletics: Kotov, 47, Still A Contender For Comrades Title

From David Monti

© 2005 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved RaceResultsWeekly.com

By Riel Hauman

Most of the hype connected to this year’s 80th Comrades ultramarathon between Pietermaritzburg and Durban will centre on whether three-time champion of the “up” run Vladimir Kotov (BLR) will succeed in winning the “down” run for the first time, and on whether Elena Nurgalieva (RUS) will extend her unbeaten streak of South African ultra victories to five. Yet many nostalgic eyes will watch the return of Frith van der Merwe, whose brilliant record for the down run set in 1989 has withstood all challenges.

The Comrades, on Youth Day, June 16, is a down run this year. With three weeks to go, entries for the race total 13,909 – an increase of 16% over last year’s figure. Women entries have increased by 26%. Among the entrants are runners from 38 countries other than South Africa.

Van der Merwe, who last ran the race in 2000 (finishing 11th in 7:07:26), won it three times – in 1988, 1989 and 1991 – and will be a strong contender for the veterans (masters) title. She turned 41 on May 26.

She recently said that she wanted to complete ten Comrades by the time she is 45. She also completed the ultramarathon in 1987 (28th). In 1988 she set a new up record of 6:32:56; this was broken by Ann Trason in 1996 with 6:13:23. In 1989 Van der Merwe stunned the ultra world by finishing 15th overall and obliterating the down record by almost an hour in 5:54:43.

“I’m in the best of health, but not any faster or fitter than I was when I won the Comrades when I ran flat out. However, I’ll be very competitive this time around as well, but there’s no pressure on me to win the race,” Van der Merwe said. “With Germanys’ Maria Bak out of the way I believe I have a great chance of winning the veterans title. However, I would have to contend with Grace de Oliveira this time around. It will be a great duel.”

Van der Merwe will be a member of the Mr Price “elite team”, together with the Russian twins Elena and Olesya Nurgalieva, their Russian compatriot Marina Bychkova, and South Africans De Oliveira and Yolande Maclean.

Kotov is spearheading the Mr Price men’s team and with him in the red-and-white colours will be Fusi Nhlapo, winner of the last down run, Frans Chauke, Walter Nkosi, Hlonepha Mphulanyane, Jacob Mazibuko, Zamile Gebashe, Moses Lepheana, Mluleki Nobanda, Joseph Maerman, Joseph Ikaneng, Jaroslaw Janicki (winner of the down run in 1999) and Sandile Lembethe.

A host of festivities have been arranged to celebrate the 80th running of the race. Among these is a remembrance, in the form of a “street party” outside the Comrades office in Pietermaritzburg, of the “forgotten Comrades” – hundreds of black runners who completed the ultramarathon unofficially in the days when it was open only to white athletes, and many women who could not run because the race was for men only. One of the black athletes honoured will be Robert Mtshali, who in 1935 became the first black man to finish the race. The Comrades was opened to blacks and women in 1975.