Renowned coach Nick Bester has called for a lifetime ban on Nedbank Running Club social member Sihle Mapukata after he controversially started ahead of the elite men’s field at the Cape Town Marathon, causing confusion and bringing disrepute to the club. Picture: screenshot/x.com/canvasofarunner
It’s not clear what a Nedbank Running Club social member identified as Sihle Mapukata was trying to achieve when he started ahead of the elite men’s field at the Cape Town Marathon on Sunday, but renowned coach Nick Bester has called for the runner to receive a lifetime suspension from the club.
Videos on social media immortalised the moment, when a clearly non-elite runner was seen sprinting ahead of the men’s field in the early stages of the race.
This is generally impossible in a race that has seeded batches, with the elites right at the front.
A social runner simply can’t manage the acceleration to first reach the elite group that are doing under 3 minutes per kilometre, never mind surge ahead.
