Sunday’s London Marathon could be an African record fest

South African marathon athletes, Gerda Steyn, Elroy Gelant and Melikhaya Frans all have a gilt-edged opportunity to post top times and attract global attention at the Virgin Money London Marathon on Sunday (October 4). Centre-stage however, will be the battle between Africa’s – and the world’s- finest marathoners, Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge and Kenenisa Bekele from Ethiopia.

The world mark is a realistic target for Kipchoge and Bekele, while Kipchoge’s compatriot, Brigid Kosgei, will also have global aspirations as she chases her own world marathon record of 2 hr 14 min 04 sec, set at last year’s Chicago Marathon. Steyn and Gelant will have South Africa’s national marathon records in their sights.

This year’s London Marathon takes on a very different format, with the COVID pandemic forcing the small field of elite runners into a spectator-free circuit.  Similar to this year’s Cape Town Marathon, London is hosting the elite race in conjunction with a virtual marathon, where thousands around the world will be running in their own neighbourhoods.

Separate races will be held for women and men and athletes will complete nearly twenty laps of 2.15 km around St James Park in Central London, with the traditional finish down the Mall at Buckingham Palace being retained.

Kipchoge starts as Olympic champion, four-time London Marathon winner, official world record holder and first man to run a sub-two-hour marathon. Few doubt that he is the greatest marathon runner of all time. On Sunday he aims to become the most successful runner in London Marathon history, tilting at a fifth title including three in a row.

But the presence of the 5000m and 10 000m Olympic and World record holder, Bekele, adds spice to the action. A Kipchoge victory is by no means a certainty.  While the Ethiopian has never beaten Kipchoge over the marathon distance, his finishing speed could prove decisive, something he used to good effect in winning last year’s Berlin Marathon in 2:01:41 – just two seconds outside Kipchoge’s official world record.

And last year’s runners-up to Kipchoge in London, Ethiopians Mosinet Geremew and Mule Wasihun, are back, hoping to spring a surprise on the favoured two and looking to run under 2 hrs 2 min for the first time.

Kosgei looks to be a cut-above her rivals, with fellow-Kenyan and World Marathon Champion, Ruth Chepngetich almost three minutes slower with a personal best time of 2:17:08.  The presence of Olympic hero, sub 2 hr 20 min marathoner and winner of the 2015  Cape Town ONERUN 12km, Vivian Cheruiyot, also from Kenya, should not be discounted.

But while athletes from Africa’s Rift Valley look certain to dominate, as with every other significant marathon on the planet, for two athletes from the south of the continent, Sunday could prove the defining moment of their careers.

South Africa’s ‘golden girl’ of athletics, Steyn, is arguably the world’s top ultra-distance athlete. But she has transformed her career over the past 18 months, posting competitive times over the marathon and shorter distances, including a recent 15:44 victory in a 5km race in England.  And given the significant improvement in her sub-marathon distance times since her superb 2 hr 27 min 48 sec run in last year’s New York City Marathon, there is every chance that Colleen de Reuck’s 24 year-old South African marathon record of 2:26:35 will fall on Sunday.

“Records are there to be broken,” said De Reuck this week from her home in Boulder, Colorado. “It feels such a long time ago when I ran that time at the Berlin Marathon. All I can recall is that I felt so sick and had a cough and struggled a lot towards the end of the race.

“I really thought I would improve on that time in later years, but it never happened.  I think Elana (Van Zyl) and I destroyed each other’s chances at the Chicago Marathon the following year and although I won the USA Olympic Trial Race after that, the time was slower.”

Although De Reuck holds the official marathon record, Elana Van Zyl boasts the fastest marathon time recorded by a female South African athlete. Her debut marathon of 2:25:15 at the Boston Marathon, however, does not qualify for record status, due to the point to point nature of the course. Van Zyl is confident that Steyn will triumph on Sunday.

“I definitely think Gerda will beat my time,” Van Zyl said. “If you look at the times she has posted recently over shorter distances and together with her specialist skills and mental toughness as an ultra-marathon runner, I think she’s going to smash it!

“I haven’t ever seen Gerda run a bad race.  She’s in that golden phase of her career, at the top of her form and full of confidence. Other athletes will fear her.  Although she is thirty, she is still young in running years and could enjoy at least five years of running at the highest level.  There is a freshness and lightness to her running one sees in very few athletes.”

Steyn herself recognises the occasion and its potential. While not over-confident, she is optimistic about her chances. “It’s obviously an important race and the outcome will decide the difference of 2020 being a disappointing year or one of the best of my career,” Steyn said earlier this week from her home in the French Alps where she is completing high altitude training.

“If I look at my training times the past three months compared to those last year before New York, all my times are faster so I must be confident for Sunday.  There have been few opportunities to prove myself this year, so I’m hoping to make full use of my chance on Sunday. 

“The field of thirty is incredibly strong, with several sub- 2 hr 20 min marathoners who will likely be out on their own. But there are also several marathoners in the 2:22 – 2:28 bracket, so I don’t think I’ll be on my own.”

Potchefstroom-based Gelant has been in London since Sunday and is also eager to get racing. “Everything is relaxed here – the athletes are focused and calm,” said Gelant from his London base.  “We’re doing some jogging and some easy strides while enjoying good weather about 13 – 14 degrees.

“My preparation has been very good – I’ve had three months solid training leading up to this race so hopefully it will go well on Sunday.  The target is 2:08, but we’ll see how it goes. Hopefully I can go a bit faster if I’m feeling good.”

If Gelant’s ‘bit faster’ can translate into a minute, then Gert Thys’ national record of 2:06:33, set in Tokyo 21 years ago, could be threatened.

The third South Africa, Frans, who ran his personal best of 2:14:57 at Cape Town Marathon last year also has a chance to step up to the big league, while Cape Town resident and former winner of the Cape Town Marathon, British athlete Tish Jones, aims to dip under the 2 hours 30 minute barrier for the first time in her career.