All SA athletes who will be considered for selection onto the final team will have to run below 2hr 12min for men and 2hr 36min for women. Athletes who do not reach the qualifying times at the Nedbank Durban City Marathon may still qualify at any marathon that is recognised by ASA and IAAF before 30 April 09, to secure their ticket to Berlin, Germany.
Selected marathon runners will not be permitted to compete in any distance over 21.1km after 30 April 09 leading to the World Champs on 15-23 August 09. All selected marathon runners will be required to compete in a half marathon race in Port Elizabeth on 4 July 09 in order to prove their fitness.
Last year the first South African across the line, Coolboy Ngamole came third overall with a time of 2hr 15min 8sec, and with proper training SA athletes should not find it difficult to achieve the qualifying standard. Charne Bosman also came third overall in the women section and was the first South African to reach the finish line with a time of 2hrs 42min 28sec. ASA is confident that SA athletes will fight to qualify for the Champs which they very much deserve and there is no better place to do it than in Durban.
The Nedbank Durban City Marathon is recognised by the IAAF as a qualifying event for the World Championships in Berlin, Germany.
The Marathon starts at 5h30, 10km 6h25 and wheelchair marathon at 5h25. Entries are still open on www.enteronline.co.za.
