KwaThema athlete gets bronze medal
Bronze medalist encourages community to take up running.
KwaThema – Sbongiseni Skosana (28) wants to encourage people to take up running as part of a healthy lifestyle.
“I think most people think that running is really tough on the body, but you would be surprised how quickly your body adjusts to it.”
Sbongiseni started running after he retired from professional soccer due to an injury.
“I played for Jomo Cosmos Junior for about a year before I was injured,” he explains.
He says that Maroping Kodisang, chairman of KwaThema Striders, then invited him to join the team in 2010.
“Once I started competing in long runs I fell in love with the sport and have never looked back since.”
Sbongiseni says it took him five years to prepare for the Comrades Marathon.
“I just left it up to Maroping to tell me when he thought I was ready.
“And I ran my first Comrades last year.”
He finished the downhill run (Pietermaritzburg to Durban) in 10 hours, for which he received a bronze medal.
Sbongiseni received another bronze medal this year for the uphill run.
“It’s all about consistency.
“We keep training and doing shorter races throughout the year.
“And most of all running keeps my body fit and healthy.”
He says he is certainly going to compete in the Comrades again next year.
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