Lloyd Bosman made a stunning return to the Madibaz George Forest Run, taking the win against a record number of entrants.
George, South Africa (17 September 2024) – A record number of runners turned out to run circles in the forest around Mandela University’s George campus recently.
A total of 682 entrants lined up for the 21.1km, 10km and 5km events that formed part of the Madibaz George Forest Run on the first Saturday of September 2024. That was around 200 more than the field had toed the line in 2023.
The fact that 293 runners took part in the half marathon and 253 in the 10km is a further indication of the scenic event’s amplified status among serious runners.
“We are thrilled with the turnout,” Siphesihle Jobo, Madibaz Sport manager in the Garden Route city, said.
The entries came in gradually but shot up from 300 to 500 on the Friday. And then there was a flurry of late entries on the Saturday morning before the start.
“It was crazy,” Jobo admitted.
Former champion and this year’s Knysna Forest Marathon winner Lloyd Bosman made a sensational comeback to the event to reclaim the title in a solid time of 1:11:36.
However, the evergreen hometown distance runner had to draw on all his reserves to see off the challenge of teammate and last year’s Madibaz George Forest Run with Discovery Vitality winner Selwyn Matthews.
In the end, a mere five seconds separated the two.
Another Nedbank runner, Willard Jussah, took the last spot on the podium, only three seconds further adrift.
Jobo said the duel between Bosman and Matthews provided plenty of excitement as they had been neck-and-neck most of the way.
As Matthews did in 2023, Bosman pulled off the “double” by winning both the Knysna and George Forest races in the same year.
Anneri Donald (32Gi) was the first woman to break the tape, doing so in 1:37:33. Melissa van Rensburg (Nedbank) was runner-up in 1:38:22 with Hanlie Schanrel (Nedbank) third in 1:49:58.
There was also a tight tussle in the men’s open 10km, where Bruce Maboza (Nedbank) recorded a fast 34:05 to pip Sicelo Mashaba (Madibaz Athletics Club) to the post by 31 seconds. Aaron Thlou (Madibaz) rounded out the podium in a creditable 35:02.
In the women’s 10km, Helena Janse van Rensburg took line honours in 51:33, besting Sarah Arnott (Madibaz) and Johanna Behr (Nedbank).
The weather gods had provided perfect running conditions, Jobo said.
He also noted that many elite runners had made the Forest Run part of their programme due to its favourable positioning ahead of the prestigious Cape Town Marathon.
Apart from the competitive side of things, families and friends came out in their droves to support loved ones, bringing along picnic blankets and taking part in the 5km fun run.
by 