Nick Bester slams running clubs for not developing talent

Speaking to SABC Sport, Bester expressed concern over how some major clubs are signing elite athletes solely to boost their chances of winning high-profile marathons and ultra-marathons.

Known as the "Dream Team" in running circles, Nedbank has long dominated both the men's and women’s events but is now facing stronger competition and losing ground in major races like the Two Oceans and Comrades Marathons.

Bester believes that clubs should focus on developing talent rather than poaching established stars.

“We don’t buy athletes—some clubs do, and I believe that’s damaging to the sport,” Nick Bester told SABC Sport.

“For the past 25 years, since our days with Harmony Gold Mines, we’ve focused on developing our own runners. If they become top athletes and get picked up by other clubs, that’s fine. If they’re not loyal, we let them go.

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But there are clubs in South Africa that don’t develop athletes at all—they just buy them.

"I won’t mention names, but we all know who they are. On the other hand, Boxer Running Club, Rhyn Swanepoel and Comrades Marathon coach John Hamlett are a great example of doing it right. Like us, they develop their own talent.

We invest in proper coaching structures, with development coaches guiding athletes from school level all the way to the elite stage,” Bester explained.

Bester says they invest years of effort developing athletes from school level to the elite stage, only to see them poached by other clubs once they become successful. “They win races, gain recognition, and sometimes get bought by other clubs.

In some cases, it’s not entirely negative because it allows the athletes to earn more money.

But I don’t support the practice of buying runners. Still, there’s nothing we can do to stop it. 

We don’t buy ready-made athletes — we build them ourselves. For us, money is not a shortcut. We believe in developing our own talent,” he explained.

Nick Bester highlighted the late David Manja, who passed away last month due to heart-related complications, as a prime example of a runner they nurtured from a young age