This was the slogan of the 2016 version of the Comrades Marathon, an 89km down run from Pietermaritzburg’s City Hall to the Kingsmead Cricket Stadium in Durban on Sunday, May 29.
Runners from Benoni’s clubs were among thousands who hit the road and who were left more than humbled by the extreme challenge posed by the world’s oldest ultra marathon.
Some runners, however, could not handle the demanding nature of this year’s Comrades and either fell out of the race, or missed the 12-hour cut-off.
Paul Pitco of Benoni Northerns Athletics Club (BNAC) was the first local runner home with a gross finish time of six hours, 52 minutes and 28 seconds.
The 37-year-old stormed home to claim one of six silver medals for BNAC.
Pitco placed in 190th position out of 16 807 starters.
Shaun Winkler of BNAC was the second-best placed Benonian runner with a finish time of six hours, 56 minutes and 19 seconds followed by the experienced Johnny Mokgoko of Daveyton Hearts Athletic Club who won silver with a time of six hours, 57 minutes and 23 seconds.
Winston Smith, Sanyana Buda, Paseka Taolane and Dieter Stapel also achieved silver medals for BNAC.
Benoni Harriers Athletics Club’s Mosongo Mokoatsi was the first runner home from the club.
He won one of two silver medals for Harriers in a time of seven hours, nine minutes and four seconds while Fanie Mphuthi claimed the second silver in a time of seven hours, 23 minutes and nine seconds.
Bill Rowan medals (seven hours and 30 minutes to sub-nine hours) were won by BNAC’s Mpho Pilusa, Norman Baloyi, Segole Pond Tsoka, Enock Mohodi, Norman Milne, Klaas Masedsane, Mark Dingle, Eric Ladbrooke, Jeffery Llewellyn and Grant Wright.
Harriers’ Philimon Mbokazi and Solomon Mngomezulu also claimed Bill Rowans while Elijah Nkosi and Edward Kodisang brought home the same medals for Daveyton Hearts.
Lauren Fisher (28) of BNAC was the first local woman runner home in a time of nine hours, 31 minutes and 33 seconds to claim a bronze medal.
The Northerns and Harriers runners who came together as Team Old Mutual Shongololo managed to overcome trying circumstances to achieve their sub-11 hour goal to bring the 15m-long shongololo home in a gross time of 10 hours 52 minutes and 37 seconds.
CLICK HERE for a GALLERY of Benoni Northerns runners
CLICK HERE for a GALLERY of Benoni Harriers runners
