ISSUE 120 - FREE
10
MARCH
the good news paper
2017
017 631 1903 / 017 631 1845 • admin@thebulletin.co.za • 1 Kiewiet Street, Secunda (Lake Umuzi)
The Kosmos 3-in-1 is here!
The 25th PwC Kosmos 3 in 1 race is taking place this weekend with Lake Umuzi as the start and finish points. This concept to lure staunch road runners to the Eastern Highveld for an endurance race they had never experienced, was the brain child of local running enthusiasts and business people Ria van Schalkwyk, Jan Pieterse and Louis Hilligan, joined by a few stalwarts from the Sasol Marathon Club and the Secunda Marathon Club. The first race started at a sports store in Trichardt 26 years ago, with the only option of completing all the races in one day. This rule was later changed to accommodate those runners who wished to run only individual races and the not the entire 73,3km broken up into 42km in the early morning, 21km at lunch time and 10km late in the afternoon. Although the main sponsors of this unique race have changed throughout the years, and despite it almost being “highjacked”, the race just continued to grow, drawing top South African runners such as Sipho Ngomane, Bruce Fordyce, Nick Bester and Lindsay van Aswegen. It was under the guidance of one such running legend that the Kosmos 3 in 1 was held in Pretoria one year. Local marathon clubs stuck to their guns to
have this race unique to this area back in Secunda. This lead to skipping a year, but organisers prevailed. The Secunda Marathon Club has since been the organising force behind the PwC Kosmos 3 in 1. The event was sponsored and hosted by Lake Umuzi for several years before PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) took over sponsorship in 2015. Lake Umuzi continues to host the event. For more information, phone Tersia at 076 593 8377.
Fast Facts
• 42km race is a Comrades Qualifier • Entries closed for 3-in-1 and 42km • 907 runners finished 3-in-1 (73km) last year • Total entrants in 2016: 4 681 of which 1351 entered the 42km, 1 546 entrants for the 21km and 1 784 entrants in the 10km. • Route difficulty rate: 2 • Time Limit: 06:00 (42km); 03:30 (21km) and 2:00 (10km) • Record number of entries for the 3in-1 (73km) this year: 1404 • Number of water sachets available for the day: 125 000
The Cosmos 3 -in-1 (73,3km) record holders: Sipho Ngomane (2007): 04:13:29 and Lindsay van Aswegen (2009): 05:10:12 TAKE NOTE: Entries are closed for the 73km and the 42km, but there are entries on race day for the 21km starting at 13:00; the fun run 4,5km starting at 13:15 and the 10km starting at 17:00