SA’s marathon men

Lusapho April, right, Sibusiso Nzima, below left, and Lungile Gongqa weekly workload increased from 160km to as much as 220km.

“I’ve worked so hard for the past four years I am going for a podium finish,” April said.

“I need to be focused and make sure I don’t lose contact with the guys in front. It’s a matter of staying in the zone.”

The South African runners have personal bests slower than the prerace favourites — April’s 2:08.32 is the quickest — but that doesn’t faze him.

“They run those times in big city marathons where there’s a pacemaker,” said April.

“At the Olympics here it takes a big heart. It’s not about racing fast, it’s about being totally aware,” said April, a three-time winner of the Hanover marathon.

Nzima and Gongqa hardly had the best trip over here, taking 40 hours when their flight was diverted to Cape Town after a passenger fell.

The men’s marathon has produced more medals for South Africa than any other athletics event, with four, three more than a century ago.

Charles Hefferon took silver in London 1908, and Kennedy McArthur and Christian Gitsham made it a onetwo finish at Stockholm 1912.

The men’s 800m and women’s high jump have three medals each.

Mountain-bikers James Reid and Alan Hatherly will be the last South Africans in action at the Rio Games (5.30pm), but they’re unlikely to get close to the podium.

Reid, ranked 40th in the world, is in the fourth of the six main start lines, and Hatherly, 95th, is in the sixth.

Yesterday Mari Rabie challenged strongly in the swimming and cycling legs of the women’s triathlon.

She finished 11th overall. Gillian Sanders was 23rd.

Golfer Paula Reto ended tied for 16th on four-under-par 280 and Ashleigh Simon 50th on 12-over 96.