Comrades: Lubisi leads the charge for Gauteng SAPS at race
The 39-year-old shared that it’s important as a police officer to stay fit to help cope physically and mentally.
Hard work and determination paid off for Sergeant Skhumbuzo Lubisi of Putfontein SAPS when he achieved a silver medal at the Comrades Marathon.
Lubisi was part of the 356 SAPS men and women who took part in the marathon.
Crossing the finishing line in 07:21, Lubisi was the first officer from Gauteng to reach the finish line, while nationally he was sixth.
The National Commissioner of the SAPS, General Fannie Masemola, congratulated the group and Lubisi received a trophy.Besides this year’s race, he has earned back-to-back victories with a track record of about five Comrades Marathons.
The Daveyton resident said he was part of the SkhindiGang Coaching group, which consists of coaches who coach athletes.
“To qualify for the Comrades, I participated in the Sanlam Marathon earlier this year where I clocked 02:54.
“When I started training for Comrades in April, the process was hard. I learnt that without dedication as an athlete, you won’t succeed.
”As part of his weekly programme, he had to do easy runs, hill repeats, long runs and progression runs.From April he clocked 200km per week.
“I woke up around 03:00 daily and at around 04:30 I would rush to Edenvale for training and after that go to work.
“In the afternoon after knocking off, I would return to Edenvale. Fortunately, this year, I didn’t suffer any injuries, unlike last year, everything went smoothly. My only challenge was to balance work and training.”
Lubisi said his happy and content with his run from Durban to Pietermaritzburg.
“My target was to get a silver and I’m glad I did. The day before the actual event, I had mixed emotions. The atmosphere on the day of the race was electrifying.
”The father of two said his love for running was fueled by his late uncle who was still a phenomenal athlete at the age of 50.
“I remember my first professional race was a fun run organised by Pick ‘n Pay in Bedfordview. From there I never looked back. I have since participated in over 10 marathons.”The 39-year-old shared that a police officer needs to stay fit to help cope physically and mentally.
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