Run in Testimony: Durban Runners Hazel & Linda Take On the Cape Vaal Marathon
From Durban's sea-level streets to the high-altitude roads of the Vaal Triangle — two seasoned Comrades veterans landed in Sharpeville with one goal: conquer new terrain, qualify for the Ultimate Human Race, and prove that the road always has more to teach you.
It was one of those unexpected moments of grace that make outside broadcasting so rewarding. JustGospel Radio was on the ground at the Sharpeville Exhibition Centre for our Healing Begins Here outside broadcast — a landmark community event in the heart of the Vaal Triangle — when we crossed paths with two remarkable women from Durban who had made the journey to the Vaal for an entirely different reason. Hazel and Linda were not there for the event. They were there for the road.
The pair, both seasoned long-distance runners preparing for their fourth Comrades Marathon, had entered the Cape Vaal Marathon as the first of their qualifying races for the 2026 edition of the ultimate human race. What brought them from the coastal warmth of Durban to the highveld of the Vaal Triangle? Three words: altitude, adventure, and ambition.
Why Leave Durban?
"We just wanted to explore and try different races," Hazel explained with a broad smile when JustGospel Radio's Carlett Badenhorst stopped them for a chat. "We want to try the altitude in Joburg. It's a challenge for us to come here from Durban to the Vaal." Linda nodded in agreement — they had run virtually every major race that Durban had to offer, and the time had come to push beyond the familiar. New weather. New terrain. New altitude. A whole new test of their mettle.
For coastal runners, the move from sea-level Durban to the Vaal's highveld is not merely a change of scenery — it is a physiological challenge. The reduced oxygen availability at higher altitude means the body works harder for the same effort, and pacing strategies that work perfectly on flat coastal roads can unravel quickly on the highveld. Hazel and Linda knew this coming in, and they came prepared.
"It's different races, different weather, different altitudes — totally different. We've done all our races in Durban. Now we have to run outside of Durban."
— Hazel, Cape Vaal Marathon 2026A Comrades Qualifier With a Bigger Purpose
This was not a race run purely for the thrill of it. The Cape Vaal Marathon doubles as a Comrades Marathon qualifier — a critical stepping stone for any runner hoping to line up on the start line of either the Two Oceans (56km) or the Comrades (90km) later in the year. For Hazel and Linda, both veterans of three previous Comrades, the qualification process is well understood. The earlier you qualify, the more time you have to improve your seed and refine your race strategy.
"This is our first marathon of the year," Linda explained. "We're going to take it easy so that we acclimatise to the different area and we are hoping for just a good qualifier for Comrades." The plan was deliberate and strategic — treat the Cape Vaal as a training run, bank the qualifier, and continue building toward June.
The Ultimate Race: Comrades vs Two Oceans
When Carlett put the question to them — which is tougher, the Two Oceans or the Comrades? — the answer came without hesitation. "Comrades," said Hazel. "The Two Oceans is 56 kilometres and your Comrades is 90 kilometres. You're literally running from Joburg to Pretoria. So the Two Oceans is almost halfway to Comrades. That's why they call it the Ultimate Race."
Linda took the analogy further, in a way that stopped Carlett in her tracks. "It's like your whole life," she said. "You are born, you experience all the challenges of life until you cross the finish line. You cross it and you die on the other side. So it's like you spend your whole life on the road — from waking up at the start to the finish." It was the kind of insight that only someone who has lived every kilometre of a 90km race can offer — and it landed with the weight of hard-won wisdom.
"It's like your whole life — you are born, you experience all the challenges of life until you cross the finish line. You cross it and you die on the other side."
— Linda, on running the Comrades MarathonA Moment of Connection at the Sharpeville Heritage Site
The meeting itself held a quiet significance. Hazel and Linda had come to the Sharpeville area not only to race but to visit the heritage site — one of South Africa's most historically important landmarks, where the events of 21 March 1960 changed the course of the nation. They found themselves at the Exhibition Centre on the same day as JustGospel Radio's outside broadcast, and what followed was a warm, spontaneous conversation about running, faith, and the joy of stepping beyond the boundaries of the familiar.
"We are grateful to see you guys here because we wanted to explore the heritage site and we came and bumped into you," Hazel said in her closing remarks. "It's a beautiful day and we wish you all the best for your event today." The feeling was entirely mutual.
The Biblical Thread: Run in Testimony
JustGospel Radio's Tandi, co-hosting the outside broadcast, perhaps said it best when she signed off the interview. Bruzo and KMJ Souls' song Walk in Testimony was next on the playlist — but in honour of Hazel and Linda, she renamed it. "Our version of the song today," she declared, "would be Run in Testimony." Because whether you are running 42 kilometres through an unfamiliar city or walking through an unfamiliar season of life, the testimony comes not from arriving easily — but from finishing faithfully.
JustGospel Radio will be watching for Hazel and Linda's result. The girls promised to respond via social media and the app once the race was done — with the full story of how their first highveld marathon unfolded. Watch this space.