Heroes winner rich in Madiba connections
Mhlakwana too smart for Ethiopian rival
The Heroes Marathon which ends at the village home of Nelson Mandela in Qunu, Eastern Cape, was won by a man from Howick, KwaZulu-Natal, where the former president was captured by apartheid security police in 1962.
Nkhosikhona Mhlakwana, 24, put up a brave fight to snatch the race away from Ethiopian Kebede Aberra by a mere two seconds – winning the 42km race in 2:26:20.
Mhlakwana of Phuma club sprinted ahead with very few metre left, after he had stuck with Kebede who had taken the lead with 600m to go, to score a memorable victory.
The pair had broken away from a group of 12 at the 38km mark, after they had been running together since since the halfway mark.
But Mhlakwana outfoxed Kebede at the end, and took home the first prize of R50 000.
Mhlakwana is coached by Zimbabwean-born Prodigal Khumalo, a former Comrades gold medallist who on Saturday won the Cape Town 100k Ultra-Trail race.
“I knew the Ethiopian (Kebede) was a strong runner, so I decided to stick with him. He was my only threat in the race. I do a lot of track, so I knew I have speed and used it to beat him in the end,” Mhlakwana said.
In the women’s yesterday, the difference was a daylight as Ethiopian Asefa Chelitu Bogale romped home in 2:50:13, ahead of second placed Lineo Chaka (3:00:07) from Lesotho. Third was Zimbabwean Olivia Chitate.
The first South African woman was Vuyokazi Gebe in fourth place.
This year’s Soweto Marathon men's winner Tsepo Mathibelle raced in the 21km marathon where he came third. The race was won by Tebello Ramakongoana with Ntsindiso Mahakathi taking second place
The fourth edition of the race which celebrates the legacy of Mandela started at Mthatha Airport and finished at the Nelson Mandela Museum which overlooks the home of the former stateman, who died this week in 2013, in Qunu.