The Breaking Barriers 50km (also known as the Nedbank Runified Breaking Barriers 50km for sponsorship reasons) is an annual road-based ultramarathon hosted by Gqeberha, South Africa, since 2021.[7][8] The ultramarathon is a World Athletics Elite Label Road Race.[9] As of the 2023 race, a new 50K world record has been set every year the race has been held.[3][10][11][12][13]
| Breaking Barriers 50km | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Marine Drive along Hobie Beach in Summerstrand, part of the northwest leg of the race course | |
| Date | February or March[1][2] |
| Location | Gqeberha, South Africa |
| Event type | Road |
| Distance | 50K ultramarathon |
| Primary sponsor | Nedbank |
| Established | 2021[3] |
| Course records |
|
| Official site | About Us Nedbank Runified 50km |
| Participants | |
History
The inaugural race was held on Sunday 23 May 2021.[3] The 50K was won by Ethiopian runner Ketema Negasa and South African runner Irvette van Zyl, with finish times of 2:42:07 and 3:04:24, respectively.[3][11] Negasa set the 50K world record for men, while van Zyl set the 50K world record for women in a women-only race.[14][3][11]
On 6 March 2022, the second running of the race, South African runner Stephen Mokoka broke the world record with a finish time of 2:40:13 in his 50K debut, while Ethiopian runner Amelework Fekadu, with her winning time of 3:04:58, missed breaking the record van Zyl set the previous year by about half a minute.[1][15][16][17]
The third running of the race was held on 26 February 2023.[8][4] Ethiopian runner Emane Seifu Hayile set a new 50K world record for a women-only race with her finish time of 3:00:30, beating van Zyl's time by nearly four minutes.[4][13] South African runner Tete Dijana, winner of the 2022 Comrades Marathon, also set a new course record, and a new South African 50K record, with his winning time of 2:39:04.[18][19][20][a]
Course
| External image | |
|---|---|
 Course map of 50K in 2021[26] |
The ultramarathon is run on a loop course along the M4 freeway in Gqeberha on Marine Drive and Beach Road.[26][27] The course runs largely along the coast.[26] The loop is 10 km (6.2 mi) long and is run five times.[26]
The race begins and ends in front of the Piet Retief Monument in Summerstrand, near Pollock Beach.[26][27] Runners first head southeast along Marine Drive for about 2 km (1.2 mi) before turning around.[26] The course then heads northwest for about 5 km (3.1 mi), reaching another turnaround point on Beach Road.[26] Runners then head back southeast to the starting point for the final 3 km (1.9 mi) of the loop.[26]
Winners
.jpg)
Key: Course record (in bold)
| Ed. | Date | Male Winner | Time | Female Winner | Time | Rf. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2021.05.23 |  Ketema Negasa (ETH) | 2:42:07 WR |  Irvette van Zyl (ZAF) | 3:04:24 WR | [3][11] |
| 2 | 2022.03.06 | Stephen Mokoka (ZAF) | 2:40:13 WR | Amelework Fekadu (ETH) | 3:04:58 | [1][16][12] |
| 3 | 2023.02.26 | Tete Dijana (ZAF) | 2:39:04 NR | Emane Seifu Hayile (ETH) | 3:00:30 WR | [2][18][4][13] |