World Record
During the first Long Run (2002), a Guinness World Record was achieved by a team of 10 top professional South African runners, running under the Business Trust colours. The team set a new world record for running 1000 miles (1609.3km) in 99 hours 3 minutes and 27 seconds, climbing a 1700m altitude in extreme weather conditions. The grueling distance from Cape Town to Johannesburg was covered by a team that included Willie Mtolo, John Tjale and Graham Meyer managed by Nick Bester. Starting on Wednesday, 14 August 2002, the team caught up to the corporate runners along the Long Run route, and arrived in the heart of Johannesburg during the early stages of the World Summit event on Sunday, 18 August 2002. The world record was entered into the Guinness Book of World Records in 2003.
- The 10 man crew before the start of the attempt in Cape Town, with Brian Whittaker (CE Business Trust)
World Record Team:
Team Manager - Nick Bester
- Daniel Radebe
- Graham Meyer
- John September
- Willie Mtolo
- Pio Zacharia Mpolokeng
- Sam Molokomme
- Oliver Kandiero
- Frans Moyo
- Simon Mele
- John Tjale
In order to set the record, each runner had to achieve 3 minutes 23 seconds per kilometer, day and night for 91 hours 20 minutes. Unbelievably, each runner ran the equivalent of a 2 hour 23 minutes marathon each day. They repeated this feat for 4 consecutive days over hilly terrain, facing a start to finish altitude change of over 1 700m.
Minister Balfour said at the opening of the run: "Just thinking about ten athletes collectively covering 1000 miles is breathtaking enough. That it includes ten of our country's top marathon runners, is a good reason to believe and accept that South Africans do not regard any challenge as being out of our reach." He went on to say "While this is a serious attempt at breaking the current World Relay Record, it is also an innovation to promote our country as a major role player in global business. The partnership between business and government as represented by the Business Trust is an important initiative in promoting South African business both at home and abroad."
