Murray & Roberts Running Club closes its door due to financial constraints

The club, which was established on 19 January 2019, has decided to cease its operations. 

Ed Jardim, the club chairman, explained to SABC Sport that the construction giants were unable to recover from the severe impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic, ultimately forcing them to close their doors and leaving renowned athletes without a home. 

Jardim expressed the challenges faced due to the Covid-19 pandemic, mentioning the closure of their business in Australia, loss of revenue and profits, and subsequent staff retrenchment. “The burden of marketing costs became too much, making it impossible to run the running club.

It’s hard for everyone because of the Covid-19 pandemic, and we had to close our business in Australia. We lost a lot of revenue and profits, leading to the retrenchment of workers. We could no longer carry the big costs of marketing.

We no longer have the funds to run the running club.

The financial impact of running the club hit us hard and was painful for everyone.

The truth is there is no money and funding to keep the club aloft,” Jardim told SABC Sport.

Jardim openly admitted there were no funds available to keep the club running, leaving them no choice but to shut down.

As a result, big-name runners such as Yolande Maclean, Charne Bosman, Kesa Molotsane, Benedict Moeng, Christine Kalmer, David Manja, Kyla Jacobs, Kabelo Melamu, Nolene Conrad, Sibusiso Nzima, Salome Cooper, Rufus Photo, Tayla Kavanagh, and Vuyisile Tshola among others, are now in search of a new athletics home.

Jardim explained how the club’s closure had caused stress for everyone involved, including the runners, and admitted that it could affect their performance in the upcoming races.

He added that the athletes would receive their monthly retainers until June. “The good news is that we are paying the athletes, their monthly retainers until June. They get a small monthly fee to put food on the table. We are working hard to find a new sponsor, and the discussion is promising.

But the current economic development, including load shedding, is making matters difficult, “he said.  

Comrades Marathon runners Charne Bosman and Yolande Maclean must dig deep into their pockets to travel to the Ultra-Marathon in Durban on Sunday, 11 June.

Jardim said the club would not pay for their traveling costs and accommodation for the Comrades Marathon. “If we do it for Charne and Yolande, we have to do it for everyone, and the unfortunate part is that we do not have the money.

The only money we have is to pay the athletes monthly retainers. 

All athletes have no choice but to pay for their traveling and accommodation costs,” added Jardim.

After June, runners such as Kesa Molotsane and Tayla Kavanagh can continue to run in the Spar Ladies Women’s 10km challenge in the colours of Murray & Roberts until the end of the series in October because the club has already paid for the affiliation fee for 2023.