My father’s day
SA runner lauds ‘rural talent’
Sisanda Mthembu congratulates his father Bongumusa Mthembu after he won the Comrades Marathon in Maritzburg yesterday. Mthembu Snr, a local hero, is a second-time winner of the popular ultra marathon, regarded as the Ultimate Human Race.
If sense of occasion was an examinable subject, Bong’musa Mthembu and Camille Herron used yesterday’s 93rd edition of the Comrades Marathon to exhibit their excellence.
With his second title – following his 2014 down-run win – Mthembu (5:35:34) became the first South African athlete to complete the Comrades Marathon up-run and downrun double since Bruce Fordyce in 1987.
Herron (6:27:35) became the first American since Ann Trason in 1997 to win the race.
Mthembu also became the first black South African athlete to win the up-run and down-run double.
Mthembu did not have it all his own way as Hatiwande Nyamande (5:38:48) and Gift Kelehe (5:41:48) asked questions of his desire.
Having failed dismally by his high standards in the 2015 edition, where he couldn’t even finish in the top 10 – Mthembu paced his race perfectly, while watching the likes of early pace-maker Thobani Chagwe and Charles Tijane fade in the unseasonably fierce Midlands heat.
Nyamande, who improved on his 2015 third-place finish by more than 10 minutes, and Kelehe probed until the crucial Polly Shortts point, from where Mthembu shifted into high gear.
Mthembu, who was greeted at the finish line by his nine- year-old son Sisanda, said his win was a triumph for not only his family, but the rural athletes.
“It doesn’t matter where you come from and I’m trying by all means to be my son’s role model. My whole family was here – even one of my staunch church-going family members was here,” he said.
“One thing we must know is that most of South Africa’s running talent is from the rural areas and that talent needs to be properly cultivated.”
The myth of South African athletes not being able to hold their own in the up-run has now been debunked. Across
‘‘ Most of South Africa’s running talent is from the rural areas
the men’s and the women’s races, 10 of the top 20 finishers were South African, with an equal split across the sexes.