| Penge/pris/dop-forhold | ||||
Nei, før det skjer skal arrangørene ha svar på om disse passerer de omfattende dopingtestene - noe de vil ha innen 48 timer etter løpet. Dette gjør arrangøren etter å ha erfart problemer i så måte tiligere... - les artikkelen nedenfor | ||||
| Money matters and the Comrades June 12 By Iqbal Khan The Star No prize money or gold medals will be handed to the top 10 finishers in the men's and women's races after Monday's Comrades Marathon between Durban and Pietermaritzburg, said Cheryl Winn, media liaison officer for the Comrades Marathon Association (CMA). "We learnt the hard way a few years ago when we innocently handed over the prize money and medals to the top finishers and then found out that they had failed the drug tests," she said. "We will have the prize-giving ceremony after the race, but no money or medals will change hands. Once we have the drug test reports, we will hand over the money and medals." Winn said that random drug testing will be conducted after the race and results should be back in the hands of the CMA within 48 hours. Russian Viktor Zhdanov, who tested positive for a banned substance during the 1999 race, was awarded a gold medal plus R50 000 in prize money, and has yet to return his money to the CMA. He wanted to run this year's race but the CMA said he couldn't unless he paid the money back. He has subsequently decided against running the race. Drug testing The drug testing at the Comrades is conducted on behalf of Athletics South Africa by the Institute for Drug Free Sport. They conduct random tests at all major SA sporting events. Winn said: "We provide them with the facilities at the finish and they do the testing. All we do is await the results." Meanwhile, Russian Dmitri Grishine is keen to earn his "green number" at this world famous ultra-marathon. Grishine, who won the race in 1996 and 1999, has four gold medals to his name in six Comrades. The former up-run record holder could have earned his number in perpetuity had he not "bombed" out in 1997 when he finished in 8:02:53 to fall outside the gold medals and then clocked 6:29:03 to finish second. Three others looking for their "green numbers" are Lucas Matlala, Theo Rafiri and Mahlala Mohloli, all of whom have four gold medals. Mohloli would have his "green number" if he had not failed a drug test after the 1999 race. He was awarded the medal and prize money, which was subsequently returned to the CMA. Harmony Gold Athletics Club hopes to make one of its athletes an overnight millionaire after the Comrades Marathon. Club spokesman, Ferdi Dippenaar disclosed yesterday that if a Harmony runner was to win the 87km "up" run in course record time, he or she would become an instant millionaire. Dippenaar said that as an incentive for the club's athletes to go flat out for victory, they had dangled a R500 000 cash carrot. Prizes This is over and above the R150 000 winner's prizes offered by the CMA for the first man and woman to cross the finish line at Scottsville Racecourse. Then there is a solid gold Hermes statuette, valued at around R80 000 at the current gold price, that will be presented to the first South African man and woman to finish the race. And if any athlete, local or foreign, manages to break the up-run record - the men's mark of 5:25:33 set by Belarusian Vladimir Kotov two years ago, or the women's best of 6:13:00 recorded by American, Ann Trason in 1996 - they will receive a statuette, with an estimated value of R320 000. On top of that will come other bonuses. Harmony, a club started with just 12 members two years ago by 1991 Comrades champion, Nick Bester in collaboration with the Harmony Gold Mine, have their victory hopes pinned on two athletes in particular this year, former national standard marathon champion, Willie Mtolo, and Russian-born naturalised South African Dmitri Grishin, the winner of the "up" runs in 1996 and 1998. |
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