MOSSEL BAY, 03 September 2015 – The PetroSA Marathon has notched another impressive milestone, with the announcement that it is one of South Africa’s qualifying races for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.

Athletics South Africa (ASA) has confirmed to the organisers of the PetroSA Marathon that because the race is being run on an IAAF and AIMS certified course, performances will be considered for Olympic qualification.

In 2014 the PetroSA Marathon route received accreditation from the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) and Association for International Marathon Standards (AIMS). The accreditation meant that athletes could use the PetroSA Marathon to qualify for international race meetings.

Ms Mapula Modipa, PetroSA’s Acting Group CEO, said athletes were from as far afield as East Africa, with the rest coming from the Southern Africa sub-region.    

“Some of the early entrants for the 2015 race originate from countries that include Kenya, Tanzania, Eritrea, Ethiopia and Lesotho.  We are confident that this race will hopefully grow as we continue popularising it in the South Africa and beyond,” Ms Modipa said.

The 13th edition of the PetroSA Marathon will be hosted in Mossel Bay on 26 September 2015. Winners of the marathon will share a total of R580 000 in cash prizes. The cash prize for the winner men’s and women’s 42.2km race is R60 000. There are also cash prizes for the first ten (10) men and women athletes in the 42.2km race.

Last year’s 42.2km (men and women) races were respectively won by David Tumo of Kenya in a time of 2:14:42 and South Africa’s Jenna Challenor in a time of 2:41:44.

“Our vision for the PetroSA Marathon has always been to ensure we build it into a popular brand among race enthusiasts. If the year-on-year increase in athletes participating in the race is anything to go by, then we are confident of achieving this objective,” Ms Modipa said.

Last year, over 1000 athletes participated in the race, which boasts one of the most scenic routes by a meeting in South Africa. This year we expect race participation by more 1200 athletes.

The PetroSA Marathon is held ahead of the well-established Mossel Bay Sports Festival which hosts various sports activities.

“This is an enjoyable period for our residents particularly those visiting Mossel Bay. More importantly the PetroSA Marathon is critical to our town’s economy. During this period our hotels and eateries are fully-booked, which is good for job creation and for sustaining our tourism industry,” Mayor of Mossel Bay, Alderlady Marie Ferreira said.

Entry forms for the PetroSA Marathon are available on www.petrosa.co.za or on www.aswd.co.za . The race is scheduled to start at 07h00 from Mossel Bay’s picturesque Santos Beach. It will feature a 42.2km, 21.1km, 10km races and a 5km fun run.

The event will be hosted by Athletics South Western District.  For more information on the event, please contact Moses Gericke (082 763 7974)