The Nedbank Green Mile has entrenched itself as the place to be on Comrades day, according to the thousands of friends, fans and families that lined the green road today to support runners. Inspired by Nedbank team runner Caroline Wostmann’s win in the ladies race, fans at the Nedbank Green Mile exploded in a showcase of true camaraderie for over 8 hours in Camperdown.  

“Nedbank is extremely thankful to the thousands of runners, supporters, artists and crew that made the #NedbankGreenMile a fitting and proudly South African tribute to the 90th Comrades Marathon; an event that celebrates the spirit of human endurance and camaraderie,” said Patrick Baransky, Sponsorship Manager at Nedbank.

By winning the Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon, followed by the Comrades Marathon, Caroline Wostmann has achieved the much sought-after rare double victory by winning these two iconic races in the same year.

“The support of Nedbank Sport made this possible. Nedbank has shown incredible corporate citizenship and I’m proud to be associated with them,” said Wostmann on Twitter following the race.

In an amazing show of strength for South African women, Nedbank runners dominated the women’s rankings, claiming first, second, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth and eleventh in the women’s category, with Charne Bosman finishing second in a time of 6:33:24, ahead of Russian twin superstars Elena and Olesya Nurgalieva, who finished third and fourth respectively.

“Nedbank is extremely proud of Wostmann and Bosman. It is encouraging for the development of sport that Nedbank Club Women Runners claimed seven of the top 10 positions and the men claimed three. It’s a fitting tribute to the 90th Comrades Marathon,” said Baransky.

Taking the green mile beyond the marathon in a commitment to sports development, Nedbank’s green eco-friendly turf strip used on the Nedbank Green Mile today is already packed and on route to its new home at a school in Johannesburg, where it will become a multipurpose sport course for hundreds of children at the school and surrounds.

“The “strip” is packed and on route to Johannesburg to the Ivory Park School, where it will continue its legacy in promoting sports development as a Multipurpose Sport Course, supporting multiple sporting codes such as futsal, 5-1-side soccer, basketball, netball and volleyball!” he said.