Zola's veterans win won't count

[caption id="attachment_35738" align="alignright" width="250"] LOST OUT: Disqualified women's veterans winner Zola Budd at the finish of the Comrades Marathon. Picture: GALLO IMAGES[/caption]

FAILURE to follow the pre-race instructions cost Zola Budd R12000 at the Comrades Marathon, according to race organisers.

US-based Budd, 48, finished seventh in the women's race, and she was the first veteran across the line.

Budd earned R25000 for her overall placing, but she was disqualified as the veterans winner – which carried a R12000 prize – because she did not wear her age-group category tags, Comrades race director Rowyn James said yesterday.

He was reacting to a statement that Budd was devastated at being disqualified as the winning veteran.

"The question is why is Zola being singled out? A mistake has been made and it needs to be rectified," Budd's SA manager, Ray de Vries, said, claiming that the second and third female veterans had also not worn their tags.

James refuted this. "That is not so. I have watched the video evidence."

It is understood that Comrades legend Alan Robb, a four-times winner of the race, finished second in the grand-master category this year, but his placing was not recognised because he too had failed to wear his tags.

"The rule is consistently applied across the board," James said.

De Vries said instructions issued to runners had stated that the age category was already printed on the race number on the front and the back.

But James countered that these were separate to the requirement for all age-group runners to wear additional tags on the front and back.

He referred to clause 12 of the instructions which states: ''Numerical age group category tags must be clearly displayed. An athlete will not be eligible for any age category prize unless he/she is wearing an official numerical age category tag on the front and back of their vest or crop-top ... Except for the senior-open age category, all other age categories will be printed on the race number-bib."

The tag requirement is repeated in clause 14, which is aimed specifically at international runners, including Budd.

"International runners must be aware that the South African domestic rule requires runners to wear an age category tag on both the front and back of their running vest in order to qualify for any age category prize."

The rule was in accordance with the rules of both the world and SA governing bodies, James said.

"This is not a 'once-off' rule, only applicable to the Comrades Marathon, but has in fact governed the sport of road running in South Africa for over 20 years and is applied at every weekend road race." - David Isaacson