Dream come true for Durban gardener at London marathon
"We are all so proud to be able to make his dream come true."
FLORIDA Road gardener Michael Ndlovu, achieved an astonishing 14th place in the 39th London Virgin Money Marathon, in the United Kingdom.
The 52-year-old Ndlovu achieved a time of 2 hours, 42 minutes and 45 seconds in his 50-54 year old age-group, with an overall place of 570 in the largest and most prestigious marathon in the world with over 40 000 runners.
Ndlovu’s lifelong ambition to run an international marathon was made possible by his employers Urban Lime Properties, which employs him as a groundsman on their Florida Road properties and teamed up with a UK charity, Fields in Trust, dedicated to preserving green areas for public use to secure a much sought after place in the marathon.
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An overwhelmed, but jubilant Ndlovu was greeted at the finish line by Urban Lime CEO Jonny Friedman. “My Zulu headband brings me luck when I run; it was a good race, but it is cold, I miss Durban weather,” said a thrilled Ndlovu after crossing the finish line.
The winner of the men’s race was Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge, the world’s most decorated marathon runner, who not only won for a record fourth time, but set a new London Marathon record achieving the second fastest marathon time ever, at a punishing 2 hours, 2 minutes and 37 seconds.
Jonny Friedman, CEO of Urban Lime said: “Michael did South Africa and Durban proud, coming 14th in his group, in the most elite marathon in the world. What a true champion. This entire experience has been quite challenging for him but his humble determination shines through and his result today is a true reflection of his extraordinary character. We are all so proud to be able to make his dream come true.”
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