Russian runners dominate S Africa's ultra-marathon

Updated：2007-06-18 From：Xinhuanet

JOHANNESBURG, June 17 (Xinhua) -- Russian athletes took top honors at South Africa's 82nd annual ultra-marathon Comrades Marathon from Pietermaritzburg to Durban on Sunday.

Leonid Shvetsov, a Russian doctor who now lives in the United States, set a new mark of five hours, 20 minutes and 49 seconds in winning the men's, while the Nurgalieva twins, Olesya and Elena, and Madina Biktigirova triumphed as the top three in the women's.

Olesya won the 89.3-km running after finishing 6:10:11 with only a 29 seconds cushion over her sister Elena, the SAPA news agency reported.

Long time front runner Madina Biktigirova fell back badly after halfway but rallied to finished third in 6:22:03, with the dependable Farwa Mentoor claiming fourth and first local lass home in 6:24:38.

Shvetsov's countryman Grigory Murzin took men's second place in 5:30:20, with the first local athlete being Mncedisi Mkhize who clocked 5:32:58 for third.

Shvetsov bettered the 21-year-old record of Bruce Fordyce, South Africa's legendary runner who set a mark of 5.24:07 in 1986, and had won nine times - eight of them in succession.

"After finishing second six years ago when I had felt so good physically nearing the finish at the Sahara Stadium in Durban, I had always dreamt of being first home," said the 38-year-old runner.

"It was my dream. It was my goal. It was my desire. It was my everything," he was quoted as saying.

The one-day event was marred by a tragedy when an unidentified runner collapsed on the finish line after being carried in by several fellow runners attempting to get across the finish line before the 11 hour cut off, which qualifies them a medal, at Kingsmead Stadium in Durban on Sunday.

The Comrades Marathon Association confirmed the runner that collapsed was a 33-year-old male and had later died, the SAPA reported.

The world-famous ultramarathon is run between Pietermaritzburg, the capital of the Kwazulu-Natal Province, and the coastal city of Durban. The direction of the race alternates each year, alternating between the "up" run (about 87 km) starting from Durban and the "down" run (about 89km) starting from Pietermaritzburg.

Although it took less than six hours for elite runners to complete the down run to Durban, most participants had to trek some 10 hours.

The competition is described as the world's toughest marathon race, which was first staged on May 1921.

On that occasion a bedraggled bunch of just 34 athletes and soldiers faced the starter's pistol outside the Pietermaritzburg City Hall to participate in an event that was conceived to commemorate the courage, camaraderie, hardships and sacrifice of the soldiers who fought in the First World War.

Although that first event was to produce just 16 finishers, it so inspired the nation that the race attracted a phenomenal 89 starters as the direction of the race was reversed from Durban to Pietermaritzburg in 1922, thus beginning the tradition of alternating Up Runs and Down Runs on an annual basis.