Athletes have received a cautionary reminder to remain vigilant during their training for the Two Oceans Marathon, prompted by an unfortunate event where two women were mugged while running in Imizamo Yethu, Hout Bay.
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According to IOL, the duo had been preparing for the annual ultra marathon and half marathon, spanning 56km and 21km respectively, scheduled to take place in Cape Town on Saturday.
As per a Facebook post by the chairman of the Fish Hoek Athletics Club (FHAC), Russell Mackintosh, two women fell victim to a robbery carried out by three assailants, who made off with their possessions.
‘I am deeply saddened to have to advise of an unfortunate and concerning incident that occurred during a recent Two Oceans club training run. Two of our members were attacked by three men in Hout Bay just past the circle at Imizamo Yethu.’
‘One of them had her backpack and cellphone stolen during the incident, but both ladies fortunately escaped the harrowing incident without injury,’ Mackintosh said.
He reiterated that the safety of each runner is their personal responsibility; however, during race days, clubs take on the responsibility of ensuring security for all participants.
‘Going forward FHAC will assess our training routes to avoid crime hotspots and will also regroup when entering areas that may be of concern.’
‘It is a sad indictment on our society that we have to make this appeal, but we urge all our members to avoid crime hot spots when planning your training routes, to be vigilant at all times, and (if possible) to train in groups to mitigate the potential risks,’ Mackintosh concluded.
According to Mike Russell, chairman of the Atlantic Athletic Club, similar incidents have occurred previously.
‘We have had some incidents in Camps Bay, where some of our lady runners were confronted and they were a group. If there were about two of them, they probably would have been in trouble.’
‘It is an unwritten rule that when you run you have to be in a group of about six people, you must never run early in the morning or in the evenings alone even if it is two people,’ Russell explained.
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Picture: Totalsports Two Oceans Marathon / X