British athlete Lucy Reid raced to a record-breaking victory in yesterday’s (Sunday 18 January) Top Form Bay to Bay 30km, her high-speed duel with South African ‘golden girl’ Gerda Steyn providing one of the highlights of the race’s history of more than forty years.
The Bay to Bay 30km, run over an out and back route between Camps Bay and Hout Bay, has evolved into one of the country’s premier road races and with over 5000 finishers from all over South Africa in Sunday’s 15km and 30km races, it joins the Two Oceans and Cape Town Marathons and SPAR and Absa 10km races as Cape Town’s ‘Big Five’ running events.
Thirty-year old Tymebank Langa athlete, Raydon Balie, surely deserves the ‘Freedom of Camps Bay’, after defending his title and collecting his third Bay to Bay win in four starts, his winning time of 1:37:55 just 40 seconds slower than last year’s victory.
In a competitive race and in one of the closest finishes in the history of the race, Balie won by just 21 seconds over RCS Gugulethu athlete, Sibusiso Madikizela with Nedbank KZN’s Sithembiso Mqhele just one second behind in third.
But the fireworks came in the in the women’s race with two world-class athletes going head-to-head over Suikerbossie – the challenging hill separating the two ‘Bays’.
“The race was great,” said Reid, “although it was a new experience starting so early – my alarm went off at 03h30! In the UK we typically start races around 9 or 10am.
“But I felt up for it and my adrenaline kicked in when the gun went. I ran with Gerda and her pack for the first couple of kms, but felt the pace was too quick as we started to climb and dropped behind.
“But I got into my rhythm and caught Gerda by the top of first hill,” Reid continued. “I’m usually stronger on the downhill, so I went for it and managed to get a lead.
“Then I found a guy in a red and white-striped vest (Lusindiso Mbuli of Helderberg Harriers) who was running my pace and we ran from the bottom of Suikebossie Hill (about 12km) until 5km to go.
“I was trying not to completely bury myself – I simply wanted a hard training run and it ended perfectly. I knew there was a good chance Gerda would come back at me, as she gets stronger as the race gets longer. But I didn’t look back and I was delighted with the win.”
Reid romped home to take the tape in 1 hr 49 min 17 sec to become the first female athlete to run faster than 1:50 in South Africa, while Steyn’s close second in 1:50:09 is a national record, beating the previous mark of 1:53:01 by Monica Drogemoller.
Zimbabwean Fortunate Chidzivo won the 2019 Bay to Bay in 1:52:29, but the change in the start position at the race meant that the course was ruled ‘aided’ and not statistically valid.
Although indications are that the course is now valid for record purposes, leading statistician, Riel Hauman, cautions that there is still “…uncertainty about the nature of the current course. The start was changed …and until the course is validated the times will be regarded as record-eligible.”
While the battle for line honours in the women’s competition stole the show, the close contest for the final podium position provided the icing on the cake.
In a field which included two previous winners in British athlete Steph McCall (2024) and Mia Steytler (2023), Bay to Bay debutant, Comrades gold-medallist and KZN veteran athlete, Jenna Challenor, finally got the better of McCall to take third in a SA age group (W40) record time of 1:56:15, with Steytler fifth behind McCall.
“What an absolutely beautiful race with some very big hills and magnificent views and such a privilege to race those speedy young ladies!” Challenor remarked. “I absolutely loved my debut Bay to Bay – always wanted to run it. I’m very pleased with my 3rd place and my time.
“I had knee surgery in June after stupidly trying to run Comrades with a torn medial meniscus, so this is my first race back and I think it went well. I’ve been doing some consistent solid training and felt it was time to test the legs.
“I went out on my own race plan and stuck to that. Steph (McCall) was in front of me from the start before I passed her around 4km. She passed me again down the steep Sukkerbossie Hill around 11km.
“Shortly afterwards, I passed her again and never saw her after that, holding onto 3rd till the finish. I ran very unsure of my body as this was my first race back. It’s good to have that under the belt and to gain some confidence again.
“A huge thanks to Top Form for their hospitality and such a well-organized race. The running community in Cape Town is incredible. Everyone cheering me along route made me so happy. Now for Two Oceans!”
For the past two years Reid, who works full time in finance at London’s JP Morgan bank, has chosen Cape Town as a training base to escape the London mid-winter for a few weeks.
Last year she raced to victory in the Hohenort 15km in early January while this year she opted to run Bay to Bay 30km as preparation for the London Marathon in April.
Reid, now in the Puma stable, raced her much-awaited marathon debut in Malaga in Spain last month, her time of 2:26:35 the third-fastest marathon debut in Great Britain’s history.
“Malaga was really good and went as well as it could,” Reid reflected. “I had felt in shape to race a mid- 2:20s marathon but after a stomach bug and a sprained ankle in the lead-up, I thought a result higher in the 2:20s would be good. So I was very happy with my time.”
With London and potentially the World Championships beyond (“that’s in the corner of my eye”), Cape Town has proved an ideal tonic and preparation base for Reid.
“Bay to Bay was fantastic – everyone was so welcoming with many people coming up to me for photos and a chat. And meeting Gerda was amazing too. Of course, I’ve known about her running accomplishments, so it was wonderful to be able to race against her.
“Gerda was so cool, much loved by runners everywhere and she spoke so well at the prize-giving. Hopefully we will get to train together sometime soon.”
Cape Multisport athlete, Elmarie Coetzee completed the record-breaking bonanza in the women’s field, her 2:19:29 setting a Western Province grandmasters record (60 yrs plus).
Trail runners Kane Reilly and Marie-Tinka Olivier came out on top in the one-way Bay to Bay 15km from Hout Bay to Camps Bay.
Results
Top Form Bay to Bay 30km
Men
1 Raydon Balie (Tymebank Langa) 1:37:55; 2 Sibusiso Madikizela (RCS Gugs) 1:38:16; 3 Sithembiso Mqhele (Nedbank KZN) 1:38:17; 4 Mandlenkosi Tuna (Nedbank WP) 1:39:18; 5 Mthandazo Qhina (RCS Gugs) 1:45:23
Veterans (M40)
1 Mthandazo Qhina (RCS Gugs) 1:45:20; 2 Willard Juss (Nedbank WP) 1:45:29; 3 Lusindiso Mbuli (Held Har) 1:49:44
Masters (M50)
1 Tsungai Mwanengeni (RCS Gugs) 1:56:24; 2 Greg Henricks (Spartan Har) 1:58:09; 3 Shawn Abrahams (Kuils Riv) 2:02:45
Grandmasters (M60)
1 Eric Coetzee (Casuarina) 2:08:24; 2 Louis Abbott (Ned WP) 2:10:57; 3 Isaac Manuel (Edge) 2:13:47
Great Grandmasters (M70)
1 Mike Nunan (Kowie Striders) 3:05:50
Women
1 Lucy Reid (GB) 1:49:13; 2 Gerda Steyn (Holywood CGA) 1:50:08; 3 Jenna Challenor (Durban HS) 1:56:12; 4 Steph McCall (GB) 1:58:02; 5 Mia Steytler (Tynebank Langa) 2:01:19
Veterans (W40)
1 Challenor; 2 Christelle Hattingh (Multi Sport Maniacs) 2:12:39; 3 Elme Middlemost (Nedbank WP) 2:15:01
Masters (W50)
1 Ursula Frans (Edgemead) 2:23:01; 2 Obertina Kanyongo (Edgemead) 2:23:45; 3 Lynn Davis (AAC) 2:27:27
Grandmasters (W60)
1 Elmarie Coetzee (CMS) 2:19:22; 2 Bertha Denichaud (Edge) 2:45:31; 3 India Baard (tmp lic) 2:45:47
Great Grandmasters (W70)
1 Nancy Will (Pine) 2:51:12
Top Form Bay to Bay 15km
Men
1 Kane Reilly (tmp lic) 49:40; 2 Duane Fortuin (Tynebank Langa) 49:52; 3 Gilbert Mutandiro (Zim) 52:26
Veterans (M40)
1 Fortuin; 2 Mutandiro; 3 Boy Makulu (Ned 57:31
Masters (M50)
1 Ian MacDonald (RAC) 55:12; 2 Xolile Macanda (RCS Gugs) 61:09; 3 Francois du Preez (Mykonos) 77:28
Grandmasters (M60)
1 Barry Wainman (AAC) 1:14:24
Great Grandmasters (M70)
1 Neville Frieslich (F Hoek) 1:20:33
Women
1 Marie-Tinka Olivier (Tmp lic) 58:54; 2 Alexa Townsend (Tynbank Langa) 58:58; 3 Alexandra Quenet (tmp lic) 61:13
Veterans (W40)
1 Nadia Turton (VOB) 1:04:16; 2 Busisiwe Matiwane (Ned WP) 1:11:39; 3 Didi Ward (W Coast) 1:11:41
Masters (W50)
1 Anne Stewart (AAC) 1:03:50; 2 Vanessa Steyn (AAC) 1:10:08; 3 Joretha Kruger (Bell) 1:21:22
Grandmasters (W60)
1 Dawn Saunders (Held) 1:23:10
Great Grandmasters (W70)
1 Kay Longman (F Hoek) 1:24:15
