Elroy Gelant to surrender SA national marathon title

The 38-year-old clinched victory at the Durban International Marathon last year, setting a new course record as part of the Athletics South Africa Championships. 

However, ASA have moved the national marathon championships forward by two months, instead incorporating them into the Cape Peninsula Marathon, which is scheduled for Sunday, 16 February – way ahead of Gelant's preparation schedule.

"I can confirm that I will not be defending my title at this year’s ASA Marathon Championships in Cape Town. I won’t be competing because it’s a bit too soon for me," Gelant told the national broadcaster. 

"After last year’s demanding schedule, I needed time off to recover. Taking that break meant I didn’t have enough time to properly prepare for the event."

This confirms that there will be new champions in both the men's and female marathon category, after Cian Oldknow told SABC Sport last week that she will also not be competing in the marathon due to the timing of the race.

Gelant, who also won the national half-marathon title in 2024, will only begin his road racing season in April, starting with the Absa Run Your City Gqeberha 10km, followed by a 42.2km marathon in Rotterdam, Netherlands.

"My focus is on a marathon in Europe this April, where I aim to achieve the qualifying time for the World Championships in Tokyo, Japan, this September," he pointed out.

"My goal is to run under 2 hours and 7 minutes, which would be a satisfying result."

READ: Glenrose Xaba optimistic about the upcoming season