Godfrey Kariem says Tipper’s Creek had him gasping for air as he pushed on shuffling, walking and praying to get to the top of the hill during last year’s 15km road race in Bluewater Bay. But he is doing it all again this Saturday morning.
Now 83, Godfrey recalls how his toes on his left foot burned, due to injured nerves, as he went on to complete the distance in 2 hours 17 minutes. He was the oldest athlete ever to compete in this annual event.
Kelly van Vliet, one of South Africa’s top long-distance runners, will also be back again. Kelly, who is a member of the Nedbank Running Club, was the first female across the winning line last year. She also has a healthy respect for Tipper’s Creek.
“Bluewater Bay is always a cool race,” says Kelly. “Lovely course, not too hilly, other than Tipper’s Creek, which is basically a mountain!” Kelly says she is planning to run at a steady pace throughout the race. This means no slacking off over any of the 1km splits in the race.
Kelly’s last race was just two weeks ago, and she has done high mileage in marathon/ocean training, longer speed tests and double runs. “Tired legs but happy to run,” she said.
Last year, men’s winner, Melikhay Frans, completed the distance in 47.2 minutes. It is not known whether he will be on the starting line tomorrow. Runners can register right up until the start of the race tomorrow morning.
The road race is the biggest in Bluewater Bay each year and organisers are hoping that 800 athletes will compete. The race is hosted by Bluewater Bay Running Club and is an Eastern Cape League event.
The race will start at 06h00 at the N2 Shopping Centre and finish there after a 15km run along a route that winds through the suburb. Bluewater Bay Running Club is the host of the event. The cut off time to complete the distance is 08h30.
There will be four waterholes on the route. One is sponsored by Sportsman’s Warehouse, two by Bevco and one by Klinicare.
Marshals will be out to guide runners in the right direction and ensure minimum disruption to traffic. iPatrol will also be out in force to assist.
Entry fees are R120 for under 65s licensed athletes and R160 for unlicensed athletes. Over 65s pay R0 and R40 respectively.
