Kuphel' amaphupho ngeComrades
Ungoti ucubungula abangase banqobe lo mjaho
IGABE ngabasubathi abasebancane iKwaZulu-Natal kwiComrades Marathon yanonyaka ezokuba ngeSonto isukela eCity Hall yaseMgungundlovu isongwe eMoses Mabhida Stadium, eThekwini.
Umjaho wanonyaka uyibanga lika93km kanti umsubathi othwelwe ngeqoma nguBongumusa Mthembu waseBulwer okulindeleke ukuba asivikele ngempumelelo isicoco salo mjaho awunqobe ubheke eMgungundlovu nyakenye.
Umqeqeshi kaMthembu, uXolani Mabhida, uthi yize ethwele ngeqoma uMthembu kodwa kunabasubathi abane abasha abangase baguqule amatafula.
Kulaba basubathi kukhona ababili baKwaZulu-Natal, uNkosinathi Duma oziqeqesha noMthembu, kube nguThobile Mbolekwa weHollywoodbets kube ngophuma kwiRockies ezinze eGauteng kanti owokugcina uthe ngoweNtshika kaJohn Hamlett.
Uthi kula makilabhu kunabasubathi abayingozi abangafika bazakhele igama.
Yize kunjalo kodwa uMabhida uthipha uMthembu ukuthi uzokwazi ukusivikela ngempumelelo isicoco sakhe.
“Sesikwenze konke ukulungiselela lo mjaho. Kangingabazi ukuthi uMthembu uzokuphinda akwenze nyakenye yinqobo nje uma isimo sezulu sisihle futhi ezokwenza ikhilomitha ngo-3:40 bese edlula ku-5km ngo-17:25, kube ngu-36:00 ku-10km kwehle njalo. Lapho-ke nakanjani uzokwazi ukwenza u-5:18.
“Uma ebe nenkinga ngingakujabulela uma ezokwenza u-5:28 ozomfaka kwabokuqala abalishumi.
"Siwulungiselele kahle lo mjaho. UMthembu ukwazile ukungena nabokuqala abayisihlanu kwiTwo Oceans okuyinto ebesivele siyihlelile.
"Uyigijime kahle iTwo Oceans kwazise imbangi yakhe enkulu uDavid Gatebe ubengaphambili kwakhe (uMthembu) ebubuka bonke ubuthakathaka bakhe.
“Ngaphandle kweTwo Oceans uMthembu wenze u-2:31 kwiMaritzburg Marathon.
"Lokho kukhombisa ngokusobala ukuthi unesivinini esanele ukunqoba lo mjaho njengoba engimangazile edlula kwi-42km ngo-2:19 kwiTwo Oceans,” kubeka uMabhida.
Uqhube wathi abafuni ukwenza iphutha elifana nelango-2016 lapho abayeka khona uGatebe ngoba bezitshela ukuthi uzophela endleleni wagcina ebamangazile enqoba lo mjaho waphinda waqopha irekhodi lawo. Uthi nonyaka umsubathi abazokube bemqaphe ngeso lokhozi nguMbolekwa.
Uthi uMbolekwa uma engaphazanyiswanga yilutho angaba yingozi kubona kanti ukwenza kahle kukaDuma nyakenye engena unombolo 16 ekubeni abeyi- pace setter kaMthembu, kumenza enye yezimfivilithi.
“Ngingakujabulela ukubona sikhula isibalo sabaKwaZulu-Natal abazokwenza kahle emjahweni wanonyaka,” kusho uMabhida.
Phakathi kwabasubathi abali-10 acabanga ukuthi ozonqoba uzophuma kubona kukhona uMthembu, uDuma, uMbolekwa, Hatiwande Nyamande ongene isibili nyakenye, uProdigal Khumalo, uMarko Mambo bonke baseZimbabwe, uMncedisi Mkhize waseMthwalume, uGatebe, Ludwick Mamabolo, noTebogo Sello waseLesotho.
Uthi uMkhize uyingozi njengoba bungaziwa ubuthaka bakhe kwazise uzocija yedwa.
Ubona uStephen Way wase-Great Britain noFritjot Fagerlund waseSweden bengase badlisele abakuleli ogageni uma bebayekile bazenzela umathanda.