Running elite eye Legends success
ALL eyes will be on Ludwick Mamabolo, Stephen Muzhingi, Collen Makaza, Bongmusa Mthembu and Marko Mambo today as frontrunners for the lucrative Legends Marathon ultra first prize.
The five elite runners, who were paraded at a press conference yesterday amid much fanfare, have decorated CVs in road-running and, if their track records are anything to go by, one of them should be crowned champion by 11am this morning – unless an unknown rocks up out of nowhere to steal the show.
Makaza and Mambo are the only pair to have won this particular race in the previous two years but in Mamabolo, Muzhingi and Mthembu, they face serious competition, as this trio are former champions of the longer and more challenging, Comrades Marathon.
From the historic Bhisho stadium to East London’s Jan Smuts stadium, SABC cameras are likely to be fixed on the aforementioned athletes and rightly so, as they are the most recognisable faces of the approximately 400-bunch of runners registered for the ultra.
However, in the history of long distance road-running in SA, foreign athletes have proved to be a force to be reckoned with. This bodes well for Makaza, Mambo and Muzhingi (all Zimbabwean) and several all runners on behalf of the provincial government and praised Legends organisers. “Feel our hospitality in the Eastern Cape, please see our beauty of this province and receive our warmth,” Majodina said.
“We as the province, on behalf of Premier Phumulo Masualle, would like to thank the organisers and everyone who has made this event grow bigger. We are saying we are committed to making sure that Legends become one of our signature events and it must grow in leaps and bounds.
“We will do everything in our power to make it a point that the Legends Marathon grows.”
Majodina also took advantage of the platform to wish the Spingboks luck ahead of their all-important Rugby World Cup game against Scotland this evening. “Our gathering here also sends a clear message to the Springboks that they must just win, it is non-negotiable,” an upbeat Majodina said.
“The beauty about this particular game is that in South Africa men wear the pants but in Scotland they wear skirts, so the Springbok must just undress the Scots and win.”
Fired-up by Majodina’s enthusiasm, Athletics SA’s James Moloi announced that the federation was bringing the SA Marathon Champs to this province early next year where the SA team for the Rio Olympics will be selected. — mawandem@dispatch.co.za