03 June 2003: No 37/03

South African National Defence Force athletes/runners will once again participate in the 2003 Comrades Marathon on the 16^th of June 2003 over a distance of 89 km from Pietermaritzburg to Durban.

This year a total of about 270 DOD runners will participate in the race. The DOD, including the Reserve Force Club Natal Carbineers as a combined club, has the second largest club entry for this year. A total of about 13300 athletes will participate in the race, of which 448 are foreign athletes.

The Defence Force will have a special stand at Kingsmead Cricket Stadium in Durban where all the families and friends of the runners can get together to watch the race as the runners enter the stadium. The stand will be identified with the National Flag, the SANDF flag and four Arms of Service flags which will be displayed with banners in front of the stand for easy identification.

To promote the corporate image of the DOD with respect to the Comrades and to capture DOD participation in the Comrades Marathon, Col Zirk Lourens will, as in the past, liaise with the SABC TV for coverage as well as conduct a live interview on television after the completion of the race at approximately 15h00. A radio interview is also planned.

Members from the Area Military Health Unit KZN will provide a water point on the route and physiotherapy services at the SANDF stand located at the ‘FINISH’ point. They will assist persons who may need medical care on completion of the race. SOLDIER will also be present to capture the event for later publication.

Six athletes will try to obtain their green numbers by completing their tenth Comrades Marathon and a total of 47 athletes will be competing for the first time. Col Zirk Lourens and Mr Richard Hammill will be running their 19^th Comrades. A total of 21 athletes who will be participating have already completed more than 10 races.

The CSANDF and members of the Defence Staff Council, as well as the management of the SANDF Road Runners Association, wish all participants a successful race and trust that their personal goals for the day will be met.

Tel: (012) 313-2237 or 2428 Fax: (012) 313-2402