Top road runners for Bestmed Tuks Race 2011

Thursday, 17 February 2011 08:06

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Top middle distance road runners for Bestmed Tuks Race

The 2011 Bestmed Tuks Race will see some of the country's elite long-distance athletes in action on February 19 as they go in search of the top prize over 21km.

There are talented fields in both the Men's and Women's races with performers who have won medals locally and abroad. It makes the Bestmed Tuks Race among the most prestigious in the country as athletes fight it out over 21km and 10km, while there are also 5km and 1km races for young and old.

“We are thrilled to have such a top field competing in the 2011 Bestmed Tuks Race. It is a reminder that, along with those that just want to compete for fun and exercise, there are medals and prize-money to be won and competition will no doubt be fierce given the pedigree of the elite runners we will have on show,” says Dries La Grange, Principal Officer of Bestmed.  

The sponsorship of the 2011 Bestmed Tuks Race follows a similar partnership with the Bestmed Eersterust Marathon that took place on January 15 of this year, another community development initiative that forms part of Bestmed's social investment calendar.

The elite athletes running on Saturday will have their eyes on the marathon records for the BESTmed Tuks Race, with the first man or women crossing the line in a record time in the 10km and 21km races able to double their prize-money!

The current course records for the 10km run are 29:37 for men and 35:39 for women. In the 21km race, the records stand at 65:06 for men and 77:21 for women.

The winning male and female runners in the full 21.1-kilometre race will each earn R5 000 in prize-money, with a total of R66 100 to be won across all the various distances and age-groups.

The Bestmed Tuks Race is open to all, with a combination of professional athletes and social runners making up what could be an 8 000-strong field. The run starts at the University of Pretoria's LC De Villiers Sports Grounds from 06h00.

The following elite runners will be making up part of the field at the 2011 Bestmed Tuks Race:

MYRETTE FILMALTER
Myrette is a Pretoria local, though she grew up in the Free State countryside. The 30-year-old has most recently represented South Africa in Cross Country in Jordan in 2009 and is a former South African steeplechase champion, qualifying for the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India.

RENE KALMER
Kalmer has been competing at provincial level since 1997 and has received National Colours for international participation at both Junior and senior levels for athletics, cross country and road running. The 30-year-old from Roodepoort won the prestigious Soweto Marathon (2009) and Two Oceans 21-kilometre run (2010), and also qualified for the World Indoor Championships in Qatar and the Commonwealth Games in India.

MASUNDA LUWIS
The Zimbabwean has competed all over the world, including at the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships and the IAAF World Cross Country Championships. The 34-year-old will be amongst the top contenders in the Men's race.

MPHO MABUZA
Mabuza won the 2009 Mauritius International Marathon and is a regular top finisher in local races, having started to compete with the elite in 2008. The 31-year-old set her personal best in the 21.1-kilometre distance in the South African Championship in Port Elizabeth just last year, and has been a steady improver in all distances recently.

POPPY MLAMBO
The 30-year-old Mlambo has been competing with the elite since 2002 and has had enormous success since then. Just last year she won the Colgate 15-kilometre run and in 2009 was second in the prestigious Soweto Marathon.

SIBUSISO NZIMA
Nzima competes over both short and long distances. He won the 2008 South African 10-kilometre Championships and the 2009 South African Cross Country Championships. Still just 24 years old, Nzima has a massive future ahead of him having only been competing with the elite since 2008.

MARELISE RETIEF
Retied started running at the age of eight and by the time she was 10 had won provincial colours. She has competed internationally for South Africa since 2002, mostly in cross country, and was South Africa cross country champion in 2002 (Schools), 2003 Schools and Clubs, and 2004 and 2008 (both Students).

RONEL THOMAS
Thomas is one of the most decorated athletes in the field having competed internationally for South Africa in cross country on numerous occasions. She has been national cross country champion five times (2001 to 2003, 2005, 2006), as well as in the veterans category (2007, 2008). She has also competed at the Correctional Services at The World Police & Fire Games, where she has won 17 Gold medals and five silver medals over the years.

XOLISA TYALI
The 22-year-old will be one of the younger elite runners in the field, and is a rising star of South African road running. He won the 21.1kilometre Gun Run in Cape Town last year, to go with victory in the shorter Vodacom Country Challenge raced over 10-kilometres, the second time he had won that event.

IRVETTE VAN BLERK
The 23-year-old has been a regular winner since starting elite running in 2007, culminating in a magnificent 2010 when she collected numerous top titles, including the South African Championships over both 21-kilometres and 10-kilometres. She will be one of the favorites for the Women's race.

Online entries can be made at www.entrytime.com or www.sa-active.com until February 18. Entries will also be taken at the Tuks athletics office, LC de Villiers, on February 17 and 18. Tel: (012) 420 6044 from 17:00 until 19:00.

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