Strong turnout and smooth running mark Bay to Bay success

The more than 5 000 runners who signed up for Sunday’s 48th edition of the annual Bay to Bay race, organised by Kenwyn-based TopForm Athletics Club, bear testimony to the club’s belief that the race has something special to offer. The club’s race organising committee took over the planning of the race 10 years ago.

Sunday’s turnout was nothing short of remarkable, said TopForm executive member Ameen Stemmet, with all entries sold out in six days in October. Despite the lack of a major title sponsor and the impact of the end-of-year festivities, Cape Town’s running faithful gathered at the 30 km starting line at Camps Bay High in the early hours of Sunday morning.

“We are really humbled by the running community for supporting us, and as a club, we always want to put on a good race,” said Stemmet.

“If you think of the placement of the race being in January, following the December holiday break, a lot of people coming back might not have trained,” he said. 

“However, with Bay to Bay, I think there’s always a lot of pre-race excitement, so many different training runs, and many runners using this as their first race of the year,” he said.

With the weather playing along nicely, the mood on the day was phenomenal, said Stemmet. “It was about 18 to 20 degrees in the morning, so it was nice and chilly. We had little wind, which was fantastic. Of course, there are a few tough climbs along the route, but the beautiful views took away a lot of the pain,” he jokingly said.

Stemmet said there were no hiccups along the way; everything ran smoothly from start to finish.

“It all starts with our preparation, making sure we eliminate all elements that could impact negatively on the race,” he said.

“On behalf of the organising committee, I want to thank all our stakeholders and volunteers. They did a fantastic job on the day,” he said.

Looking ahead, preparations for next year’s race and the club’s 10 km run in June are already underway.

“We want to expand the race, have a bigger expo, and invite businesses to come on board,” he said.

• Results:

Men's 30km 

First Edward Jack (1hr35min19sec);  Second Lloyd Bosman (1hr38min53sec); Third Kane Reilly  (1h41m42s).

Women’s 30km     

First Gerda Steyn (1hr49min29s);  Second Jenna Challenor (1hr55min02s); Third Deanne Laubscher (1hr58min13sec).

Men's 15km

First Keaton Lott (50min07sec);  Second  Duane Fortuin  (52min20sec); Third Gustav Geldenhuys  (52min36sec).

Women's 15km

First Steph McCall  (56min50sec; Second Marie-Tinka Olivier (57m38s) Third  Alexa Townsend (1h00m03s)

For more information, visit topformathletic.co.za or call 082 738 1188.