On Saturday, October 19, the Kowie Striders running club hosted the popular Buco Pineapple Run, attracting an impressive 292 finishers. The 27km route started at the iconic Big Pineapple in Bathurst, while the 10km runners began at the Port Alfred Country Club, where everyone finished.
This long-standing event, sponsored by Buco, drew both licensed and non-licensed runners. Pineapple Race Chairperson Mike Nunan praised the event, saying: “Excellent race, well-organised with impressive winning times in both the 27km and 10km categories.”
Andile Motwana, a humble and talented 27-year-old athlete, claimed the top spot in the Men’s Open category with an impressive time of 1 hour, 28 minutes, and 10 seconds.
When asked about his victory, Motwana’s words were as efficient as his running, “I’m very proud of myself, and I hope to do even better next year,” with a smile on his face.
There was a total of 40 clubs running in the Buco Pineapple Run from both 27km and 10km. Participants came from Gqeberha, Makhanda, East London and the Border region.
What stood out the most with this year’s race, Nunan said, was the number of runners.
“A lot of people in the province are running the 10km,” Nunan said. “There were so many non-club members they ran out of temporary numbers. Which is a good thing because it means more people are running: this is the biggest number of finishers the Pineapple Race has seen in a few years.”
The Pineapple Run has introduced its own “green number”: when a runner has completed 10 Pineapple Runs, they receive a permanent (“green”) number for future races. This year, Attie Williams was the inaugural green number recipient.
- This article was first published in Talk of the Town, October 24, 2024. The newspaper serving the communities of Ndlambe and the Sunshine Coast, with a weekly wrap of Makhanda news, is available at stores from early on Thursdays.
