04 Jun Jack edges Damons in thrilling UWC Fast and Flat 10km
By Adnaan Mohamed
Featured Photo Courtesy of Keith Linderoth Photography
Edward Jack’s purple patch continued when he won the 32nd UWC Fast and Flat 10kmin Bellville South on Sunday, holding off former University of the Western Cape athlete Bruce-Lynn Damons in a closely contested finish.
The 23-year-old crossed the line in 29:42 after a tactical battle with Damons, who finished three seconds behind in 29:45. Go TymeBank teammate Yanga Malusi secured third place in 30:15.
The victory follows Jack’s win at the Easterns Kraaifontein 15km two weeks ago and marks another significant milestone in his return from injury.
“I feel quite good because last year I came in third place. So this year I am happy to take the win,” said Jack.
“The guy who was with me, Bruce-Lynn Damons, I know he’s a very good sprinter, but then I thought let me hang in there. The last kilometre we’re going to go together and see who’s going to win it and at the end of the day, I took it.
“29:41 I’m very proud of it. I’ve just come back from an injury. UWC is always the best course to come and race. You always get a fast time here.”
Damons, a former UWC student and athlete, was making his first race appearance in a month and was pleased with his performance despite narrowly missing out on victory.
“Today the race was nice. It was fine. It was a little bit cold out there,” he said.
“I stuck with the pace. I tried to win the race because I am a former UWC athlete, but at the end of the race I got beaten by Jack.
“But I came into the race with a lot of base training. I didn’t come with a lot of speed, but I really enjoyed the race. Well done to Jack.”
Damons also praised the event and course.
“It’s my first race in a month, so I could race UWC. Well organised, the route was perfect, the conditions were perfect. If you want to come and run fast next year, come to UWC. It’s one of the best courses in the Western Province.”
Behind the leading trio, Rico van der Horst of Casurina AC finished fourth in 30:16, one second ahead of Boxer AC’s Duwayne Mouries.
In the women’s race, Nedbank Running Club’s Elme Middlemost claimed victory in 38:48. Durbanville’s Kungawa Dlongwana was second in 39:55, while Go TymeBank’s Anene Bosman completed the podium in 40:08.
Race director Glen Bentley said the event had received overwhelmingly positive feedback from runners and officials.
“We just concluded the hosting of the 32nd edition of the UWC Fast and Flat 10-kilometre race. From a runner’s perspective and officials’ perspective, we’ve received positive feedback that the event was a huge success,” said Bentley.
He thanked sponsors, volunteers, officials and participants for contributing to the event’s success and revealed plans to further grow running participation on campus.
“We’ve got a lot of people that showed interest in joining the UWC Athletics Club. Our social running club is going to grow, so please let the momentum grow and we can have a very good running fraternity, running community on the UWC campus.
“What we’re also planning is we’re going to have campus runs on Saturday mornings, every alternative Saturday on campus where our UWC staff and our UWC students can join in. From there they can participate in major races similar to these.”
With another successful edition completed, the UWC Fast and Flat 10km once again lived up to its reputation as one of the Western Cape’s quickest road races, providing the perfect stage for Jack to continue his rich vein of form.
