Nine runners of the renowned Tswelopele Kaapsehoop 3-in-1 Marathon were admitted to hospital for medical attention related to heat exhaustion on Saturday, November 2.

This was confirmed by the Nelspruit Marathon Club’s PR officer, Peter Smit, on Monday, November 4. “All except one have been discharged and are safe and in good health. Management paid them visits twice during their stay in hospital and communicated with them when they got back to their homes. One runner is still in hospital, but should be discharged today [Monday]. On his own account, this runner admitted to being ill before the race, but needed to participate to qualify for the 2025 Comrades Marathon,” Smit said.

This race is a qualifier for the Comrades and Two Oceans marathons. The marathon attracted 5 561 runners to the luscious Lowveld. The total runners per distance were 2 895 for the 42.2km, 1 776 for the 21.1km and 890 for the 10km.

While the sky opened up after a few days of heavy storms prior to the marathon, the heatwave experienced over the weekend proved to be somewhat of a hurdle in the runners’ route from Kaapsehoop to the Mbombela Stadium.

“We had three ambulances on standby. Two were placed at the finish line and one was a roaming ambulance on the road. Due to the unforeseen heatwave, the two stationary ambulances had to be dispatched to attend to calls for medical assistance on the road,” Smit continued.

He said another emergency medical service provider’s assistance was requested, but they were only able to provide it 40 minutes later.

Runners taking breaks under shade and some requiring minor medical assistance just to continue the route caused some uproar on social media. Some posts reported that a runner had suffered a heart attack on the route.

When asked to confirm this particular incident, Smit indicated that no one was hospitalised or treated for a heart attack. “One runner had an asthma attack, which was worsened by the heat,” he said.