MANOR GARDENS resident and member of Savages Athletics Club, Busie Xulu, will be running her third Comrades Marathon on June 9 with her heart set on getting a medal and crossing the finish line before the official cut-off time at 12 hours.
Xulu said she moved from Pietermaritzburg and joined Stamford Hill-based running club, Savages Athletics Club, in 2016. She ran her first Comrades Marathon in 2018, a Down Run, and the second one in 2019, an Up Run.
“This year will be my second Up Run, and I have some unfinished business because the cut-off time to receive a medal is 12 hours, and I crossed the finish line after the cut-off time, unfortunately, at 12 hours and 21 minutes. This year, I have to get my medal,” said Xulu.
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The local resident says that the marathon is not only physically challenging but it can be mentally challenging, too. “The Comrades is a mental game. When you are out there on the road, you have to deal with the demons within yourself, and you just have to be strong. The run is also painful, but you have to keep going and not stop. The person who is at the start line is not the person who finishes – it changes you totally, and you won’t be the same person after running Comrades. It’s a great challenge to overcome,” said Xulu.
Xulu says she’s always been an athletic person, and when she was eight years old, her father would take her to the park to run. “He would take us out, just to show us something positive to do, and because it’s something that’s tied to my father, it’s also something I love. He may not have known it at the time, but he sparked something in me and started my passion for running.”
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Xulu says that this year, her training has been intense in preparation for the Up Run. “I have a coach and a programme, and I train five days a week. I stay hydrated, as well, drinking 2 litres of water a day.”
She offered her advice to first-time runners: “My advice to people running Comrades for the first time is to just enjoy. Do not take anything to boost yourself, do the hard work and training, make sure you give yourself rest days, and when the time comes, savour the moment.”
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