Humorous Anecdotes, Observations & Accounts of Marathon Running & Agile Adventures.
There are very few South African men who’ve run under 2h10 for a marathon. This decade there have only been five. Only one of these men has also founded a successful running club that has over 600 active members. Only one of these men puts on three road running events a year thereby contributing to both the local running community and to his province’s income. That man is Adam Lipschitz.
On 1 August, the Comrades Marathon Association (CMA) members delivered a clear message that they were tired of the parasitic meddling and interference from KwaZulu Natal Athletics (KZNA) and Athletics South Africa (ASA).
Almost 80% of voting members chose a “CMA first” over an ASA / KZNA “accommodative” approach when voting on the first resolution and over two-thirds (67%) validated the decision at the November 2025 AGM to disaffiliate with KZNA.
There are a lot of “What does this mean?” messages as well as plenty of fearmongering and misinformation from certain quarters. There are many things that we cannot know for certain but there are several highly probable outcomes. Below is my detailed analysis and predictions as to how this will all play out.
Continue reading “Comrades Gains Freedom: What Now?”
This is how I voted ahead of the SGM on 1 August and why I believe it’s in the best interests of the Comrades Marathon to secede (for now anyway).
The benefit to Comrades is clear and obvious. Withdrawing comes with little or no drawbacks.
Continue reading “CMA SGM: My vote is not a secret”
KwaZulu Natal Athletics (KZNA) decided to play a game of chicken with the Comrades Marathon and, just before impact, KZNA have realized that they are riding a bicycle and Comrades is about to hit them with a bus.
A day after the final hearing on the urgent interdict that the Comrades Members Association (CMA) raised against KZNA’s “locals only” edict, KZNA finally appeared to acquiesce with a conciliatory press release headed “KZNA Supports the Comrades Marathon and Requests Urgent Independent Mediation”.
Continue reading “KZNA Blinks First in Comrades Chicken Run”
There is a big difference between a rule and a law. A law is a formally enacted rule made by a government that is enforceable by the legal system. A rule is a guideline or requirement set by a particular organization, group, event or authority. A simple way to look at it is that all laws are rules, but not all rules are laws.
If there is ever a battle between a rule and a law, the law wins. Always.
Continue reading “Why the Comrades Marathon will go ahead (with or without ASA)”
Report Compiled via Hermes Agent. Whilst every effort has been made to check facts, artificial intelligence sometimes makes errors that might not have been picked up in the report.
Steve Mkasi was re-elected as President of KwaZulu-Natal Athletics (KZNA) on 14 June 2025 with 36 of 95 votes (37.9%) — a plurality in a 5-way split. 62% of voting clubs voted against him. His tenure has been marked by:
The only thing that surprises me these days about South African athletics officials is that they continue to surprise me. The below video appears to be KZNA president Steve Mkasi in a street fight with a young Ama Ravens AC athlete and organiser of The Best of the Best Marathon, Sphephelo Ndlovu, on Saturday evening.
Earlier this week, the Comrades Marathon Association (CMA) received a cease-and-desist letter from KZNA courtesy of Deneys attorneys. This is not a cheap exercise and would cost KZNA an estimated R5,000 (excluding VAT). This is money that is being spent on frivolous legal ego trips rather than the athletes that KZNA are supposed to represent.
Steve Mkasi, president of KZNA, has already spent (most would say wasted) in the region of R500,000 on another seemingly fruitless legal venture when he tried to enact a “locals only” CMA Membership ruling as part of his apparent attempts to capture Comrades in 2024. Mkasi and KZNA have already been given three High Court smackdowns relating to this matter and the final hearing is due to be heard on 22 July and the ruling should follow shortly thereafter. It is quite likely that a costs order will be granted against KZNA which would possibly bankrupt them.
Continue reading “Steve Mkasi keeps shooting blanks (KZNA’s latest threat to “Cancel Comrades”)”
My articles seem to be producing a violent slow burn, delayed reaction amongst the miscreants in running administration. Toni Cavanagh took five months to respond to my article exposing her as a liar who inflated both her running pedigree and business experience. And now KZNA President Steve Mkasi, long accused of being ‘slow on the uptake’ by detractors, has decided that an article I wrote about him in November 2024 requires legal attention.
The article in question is “Time for Mkasi to “Pay Back the Money” to KZNA?” . Whilst the steel industry is suffering in South Africa, the irony industry is flourishing with Mkasi and his KZNA minions providing one of the richest veins to be mined.
Continue reading “Another Day, Another Lawsuit”
[For anyone late to the party, this article was published on 1 April as an April Fool’s joke – but it does provide a satirical commentary on the South African road running scene.]
In a surprise move, Comrades have announced that they will be moving their 2026 race date to the October slot recently vacated by Cape Town Marathon (CTM). Comrades has traditionally been run on the second Sunday in June which would be three weeks after CTM’s new 23 May race date.
Continue reading “Breaking News: Comrades to take CTM’s October race date in 2026”