The Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon office announced today that Nike sponsored athlete Elana Meyer would be running the 2007 ultra event, which takes place on Easter Saturday, April 7, 2007. Meyer will be running in the club colours of Mr Price.
Meyer, who has achieved international success in her 15 years as a professional distance athlete, has enlisted the help of Bruce Fordyce to help her with her preparation. “He is the best ultra-runner this country has seen and he has a wealth of experience and knowledge, as well as a passion for running and sport,” said Meyer.
Tony Lankester, sponsorship manager for Old Mutual, added that the event has always attracted top athletes both locally and internationally. “We are extremely excited that an athlete of Meyer's calibre has committed to take part. It can only add to the overall excitement on race day and ensure a great race, particularly if a South African wins the race.”
Meyer’s credentials speak for themselves. She is the current world record holder for both the 15 km [46:57] and 21 km [64:44], an Olympic silver medallist, world half marathon champion and holds six world records in distances ranging from 5 km to 21 km.
“The Old Mutual Two Oceans has to be most scenic ultra in the world and it’s in my backyard but I’ve never done it. My focus was always on the international racing scene and I was always preparing for races in the United States, England or Europe,” Meyer added.
Her trip on the media truck following this year’s ultra was the catalyst as she experienced the incredible vibe and the route first hand and her immediate emotion was that she had to run the race at least once.
It was a hike up to Everest base camp that helped her to make her decision and start training for the 2007 event. Meyer feels it will be the challenge she is looking for. “It’s something I’ve never done before and am excited about the challenge of racing over a distance longer than the standard marathon.”
For the past nine years Meyer has partnered with Nike and has been competing in the most technically advanced running products on the market. Rowyn James, sports marketing manager for Nike SA, considers Meyer to be a great brand ambassador and is pleased that she will be taking part in the 2007 event. “By running the ultra next year, she will be adding an exciting new chapter to her already remarkable career," said James.
According to Mr Price’s athletics portfolio manager, Graham Daniel, the company is thrilled to sponsor Meyer in her bid to run the 56 km ultra marathon. “We believe in her ability and will help her in anyway possible to beat the Russians. It would be great to see a South African win the title and if her training goes according to plan, we believe she will be with the top athletes at Constantia Nek. From there it will be an exciting race to see who makes it to the finish at UCT the quickest.”
Meyer retired from international competition at the end of 2005 and has used the last 18 months to catch up on the activities she always wanted to do but never had time due to her intense training regime. She has climbed Kilimanjaro, hiked in the Himalayas, started sky diving and rock climbing and taken up golf.
No comments:
Post a Comment