45 years of Varsity Kudus

Established in 1979, Varsity Kudus has always been big on Comrades, with numerous winners over the years. Janet Mallen (BA 1972, UDipEd 1980) won Comrades in 1979, with a new record time of 8hr 22min 41sec. The club offers a wealth of advice and support for ultramarathon runners. It also encourages runners at all levels to participate in the annual Varsity Kudus race.

This year’s Varsity Kudus race took place on 6 January 2024 in the Wits/Braamfontein-Westcliff area and 1 974 runners participated. The race, billed as “Your New Year’s Wake-up Call”, is the first on the Gauteng running calendar. For over 10 years it has served as a platform to raise funds for runners who cannot afford to get to Comrades, assisting with the qualifying fees, transport and accommodation.

“We partner with SANParks Honorary Rangers to raise the money. They manage a water table and, combined with donations from the runners and a contribution from Varsity Kudus, this year R19 504 was raised,” says Varsity Kudus race director and organiser, IT business analyst Thomas Hope (PDM 2008). He calls himself “an average runner” despite having completed four Two Oceans and 12 Comrades.

The club has a wide range of runners, including former Comrades winners such as Caroline Cherry (MCom 2021), runners who finish with silver medals and runners who finish at the last minute or who don’t make the clock, as well as runners who simply enjoy running any distance. “The club wants to nurture the running talent of students at Wits and a community of runners,” says Hope. “The club’s numbers were knocked during COVID-19 and currently stand at 88 members, and we are building up again.”

The club does Wednesday late afternoon runs, around 5.30pm, starting from the Wits Club, as well as weekend runs. “We encourage all Witsies, alumni and non-Witsies to join. It’s an open club and we have a reduced annual fee for students.” Contact: thomas.adrian.hope@gmail.com