It’s a smaller venue, getting there is a bit quicker, but you’ll have the crowd within touching distance for the final lap, cheering athletes to the end of a gruelling road trip that has attracted more than 20 000 runners to this year’s event.
That's how some former athlete’s felt about the Comrades Marathon down run finish being at the Hollywoodbets Kingsmead Stadium in Durban today.
The last time the nearly 90km-long down run (Pietermaritzburg to Durban) concluded at Kingsmead was in 2017.
Since then, down runs, which are run every alternate year, climaxed at the Moses Mabhida Stadium.
As fate would have it, Kingsmead got to host the 2023 Comrades finish, which coincides with the venue’s 100th anniversary celebrations.
Moses Mabhida was not available because the eThekwini Municipality, the custodians of this venue, preferred to host Hollywoodbets’ Cosafa Cup football fixtures that began on Monday and will end on Friday.
Today’s race marked the 22nd time the race end was at Kingsmead, with the first occasion being in 1977.
Bruce Fordyce, a nine-time Comrades winner, said, “Finishing at Kingsmead is the only official down-run finish for me.”
Fordyce believed that finishing at Kingsmead was popular with athletics clubs and their runners.
“The course is about 2km shorter to Kingsmead than Moses Mabhida. So, borderline runners fancy their chances to make the cut-off for medals.
“After running on tarmac, it's nice to get onto the soft grass for the last 400m. Besides, crowds are close at Kingsmead. You can touch them.”
Fordyce’s best Kingsmead moment was his last Comrades in 2012, where he finished with another running sensation, Zola Budd, who debuted at the event.
Finishing at Kingsmead in 1993 was a moment to “savour” for popular Durban athlete, Tilda Tearle. She landed her only win on that occasion.
Tearle, who completed 30 Comrades runs, said she had no option but to win in 1993 having placed fourth, third and second in the preceding years.
She said there was a huge roar when she entered the stadium in 1993. Fans cheered and some banged on the advertising boards, “creating a big din”.
“I suffered to get there, but I savoured the moment. I wasn’t looking over my shoulder because I was informed that the next girl was about five minutes behind.
“You associate down-run finishes with Kingsmead. It’s not the same elsewhere,” said Tearle, who will be firing the gun at 1pm today, marking the cut-off time for silver medallists.
Willie Mtolo, another Comrades runner, was also happy that the Comrades was back at Kingsmead.
“The distance is shorter, so the runners can chase records and the crowd support is amazing,” said Mtolo, who lost the 1989 down run in the closing stages to Sam Tshabalala.
Helen Lucre, who won three consecutive ladies’ races (1985-1987), also appreciated a Kingsmead finish.
“The runners love it, and it goes with the traditions of the Comrades.”
Lucre said her best Kingsmead memory was Frith van der Merwe winning the 1989 down run in a record time (5 hours and 54 minutes).
“That was remarkable. Frith beat so many accomplished runners (men),” said Lucre.
Crowd favourite Hoseah Tjale, who achieved two second- and two third-place Comrades finishes, mostly in the 1980s, said: “I used to enjoy the Kingsmead support and people shouting my name.”
Heinrich Strydom, the CEO of the Dolphins cricket franchise based at Kingsmead, said: “It was a great honour and privilege to have Comrades back. We grabbed the opportunity.”
Strydom said some of the reasons athletes preferred Kingsmead were because it was smaller and created a more intimate atmosphere, and because the runners didn’t enjoy climbing the stairs to exit Moses Mabhida Stadium afterwards.
He said no effort was spared to ensure the efficient hosting of today’s event.
Strydom said that it was fitting that the finish landed with Kingsmead on their 100th anniversary.
Various events celebrating Kingsmead’s centenary at the venue began in January and will continue until December.
Strydom said a celebration highlight will be the three T-20 cricket matches between the Proteas and the Australians scheduled for Kingsmead between August 30 and September 1 and 2.
He rated Kingsmead among the top-three cricket grounds in the country and said with help from their sponsors and others, their facilities were upgraded to make the ground a world-class facility.
Strydom said their next mission was to get the traditional “Boxing Day Test” matches back at Kingsmead.
SUNDAY TRIBUNE