Striders do well at Comrades
KwaThema – For some it was their first attempt at the Comrades Marathon and for some local athletes it was their ninth attempt at the 89km race.
Last Sunday athletes of KwaThema Striders Athletic Club along with thousands other athletes from across the country made their way for the down race from Pietermaritzburg’s City Hall to Kingsmead Cricket Stadium in Durban.
Twenty eight athletes from KwaThema Striders participated in the race, bringing back home Bill Rowans (time below nine hours) and 18 bronze medals.
Sibusiso Mlengetwa topped his fellow club mates by finishing the race with a time of seven hours and 37 minutes.
Five Vic Copman were awarded to Strider athletes for finishing in a time of 12 hours, which is the cut-off time for the race.
Mandla Hlatswayo, club member says they are very proud of the team’s performance because this year they had the most number of athletes participating in the race.
“We had five novice athletes of which four completed the race and the one couldn’t due to an injury,” says Hlatswayo.
The athletes say they are satisfied with their times and plan on beating their personal times for the next Comrades race.
They will be preparing and training for the Cape Town Marathon to take place in September and also urge interested community members to be a part of the club.
People may contact Maruping Kodisang on 072 454 6028 or Hlatswayo on 079 040 0224 for more information.
