Church services for Comrades

2007-06-12 07:50

Durban - Participants in Sunday's Comrades Marathon can still go to church twice, and if they get a move on, a third time.

Because of the unhappiness in some circles that the next three Comrades Marathons would be held on Sundays, the Comrades Marathon Association (CMA) decided to arrange church services for those athletes who still want to attend church this Sunday.

Renee Smith, race director said on Monday that the first service would be held outside the town hall in Pietermaritzburg, where the event begins.

"The first service is to begin at 04:30, an hour before the race begins, the second at 15:00 in the afternoon (at the finish) and the third at 17:00, Smith said.

All three services would be interdenominational.

Fewer entries

There was great unhappiness in religious and political circles about the decision to hold the Comrades on Sundays.

After complaints by the ANC's Youth League to Athletics South Africa and the government of KwaZulu-Natal, that the annual TV transmission of the race was keeping people away from Youth Day celebrations, the CMA decided to move the event to the Sunday closest to Youth Day.

There are more than 1 000 fewer entries for this year's down race (between Pietermaritzburg and Durban), than there was for the previous down race.

About 11 900 runners will tackle the 89.3km stretch to Durban on Sunday.

- Beeld