Surprise package set for the Washie
THE ELB Washie 100 Miler is but days away and entries continue to trickle in. Still there remains no clear way of identifying a favourite to win.
Last year’s winner Mcebisi Yose has been one of the late entries received and will certainly be well worth a favourite tag. The All Stars runner, who lives and works in Kidds Beach, operates pretty much under the radar, so little is known of his preparation at this stage. The same applied last year and he won.
It was only when we delved into the list of 35 novice runners that a possible surprise result was identified.
The quite astounding fact is that the majority of the novices are between 10- and 11-hour Comrades runners. Some are slower and still others do not even run Comrades.
The latter category incidentally includes Yose. He at least did once run Comrades though and has a 7:22 silver medal best time finish back in 2003.
The one runner among the novices who stands out quite clearly is Asics Running Club member, Wandisile Nongodlwana.
He is also highly rated by four times Washie winner and race record holder, Johan van der Merwe.
Unlike most of the entrants who are running Washie because it is something they really want to do, Nongodlwana, who lives in Johannesburg but hails from Mooiplaas, about 35km North-East of East London does not have that calling.
He has this to say on social media: “Running the Washie 100 Miler was never in my dreams... like never!” He goes on to explain: “In April I went home to Soto Location. During my stay I visited the Great Kei Disability Multipurpose Centre, which serves people from six different nearby villages as well as from farms of Kei Mouth, Morgan Bay and Haga-Haga.”
Nongodlwana goes on to speak from the heart about the hurdles these folk need to overcome just to get to the centre each day. He will be running a distance way out of his comfort zone to raise funds for the centre.
None of which affords him the label of a race favourite. What does is his impressive running pedigree at Comrades and to a lesser extent Two Oceans. This year he has run his 10th at both races, receiving permanent numbers 24678 and 5303 respectively.
At Comrades Nongodlwana has five silver medals, with a best of 6:50:03 in 2016.
This year he ran 7:05:54 and was exactly one minute behind Van der Merwe, who recorded 7:04:54. The latter man will not be in the race, having participated in an ultra event in Ireland last weekend.
That makes the man from Mooiplaas the fastest ultra runner in the field by some way.
Reflecting again on social media this week he seems to lament the enormity of the task he has signed up for, saying: “Right about now the only reason I am still in it is because of the commitment I made and you friends for the amazing support you are giving.”
There has been rumour of a top marathoner and 6:25 Comrades runner coming down to East London, the “City of Rivers”, but no such entry has been advanced as yet.