Taking to the line on Sunday 6 November at 07h30 will be amongst others the Trailblazer, Matthews Batswadi, 17 time SA Champion, Matthews Temane and Prostrate Cancer and Race Ambassador, Thulani Sibisi.
Batswadi became the first black athlete to be awarded Springbok colours in 1977 when the then-federation SAAAU (South African Amateur Athletics Union) deracialised its constitution, opening up the sport to all ethnicities.
Known for his front running tactics, Batswadi earned nine national titles between 1975 and 1980, the first being the SA Cross Country title in 1975 when he was working underground in the deepest mine in the world, the Western Deep Levels Gold Mine. His 28:46.8 time in the 10 000m run in Germiston in 1978 is to this day still the Stadium record.
In many respects, Batswadi blazed the trail for another Matthews, Matthews Temane who was a force to be reckoned with in the 80’s. Temane’s range was simply incredible. Lethal over 1500, destructive over 5000m and world class in half marathon, Temane was crowned National Champion 17 times in a career in the seven years from 1982 to 1989.
As a school boy Temane dreamed of player soccer, but the 15km daily trek to school and back built up an incredible endurance base in one so young, and encouraged by his mother, herself a promising young athlete in her youth, Temane took to running.
At the age of 18 he stunned the South African athletics community when he was triumphant over Matthews Batswadi in a 5000m race. Held in the then Bophuthatswana City of Mmabatho, the event also saw the best school and mine athletes compete in and was in fact used by the mines.
For years it was the backbone of South African middle distance athletics, used as a trial to see which athletes to recruit. Temane joined Gold Kloof mine in 1981 after leaving school and it was there that he met Richard Turnbull who would mould the youngster into the lethal athlete with one of the most devastating kicks.
Temane would go onto claim 17 South African titles but amongst his most famous victories was over arguably South Africa’s greatest ever miler, Johan Fourie. Temane’s devastating finishing kick was too much for Fourie when they met for the first time in March 1983 in Potchefstroom.
He would go on to beat Fourie in one of the popular street miles of the 80’s. This one in Port Elizabeth. His most impressive win over Fourie came on his birthday in 1986 (14 December) where Temane ran a scintillating 3:46.
But Temane will arguably be best known for his duel with the late Zithulele Sinqe (Soweto Marathon winner in 1995). Zinqe was renowned for his Half Marathon and Marathon prowess. Sinqe had in 1986 at the SA Marathon Championships run 2:08.04 to win the title, running then the 5th fastest time ever in the Marathon.
So when the king of 5000m met the King of the Marathon in 1987 over the half marathon in East London in 1987, the athletics fans of South Africa were literally drooling over the prospect of seeing two of the best middle-distance athletes in the world, battle it out.
And they were not disappointed. Stride for stride the two legends matched each other until the race came down to a sprint finish. Temane was awarded the win, both were accredited with the same time 60:11 the then-fastest time in the world ever. However, due to political isolation the result was never internationally recognized. The recognized fastest time in the world was then 60:32 held by Kenya’s Mike Musyoki.
Say it with me! We only have 3 days to go till the People's race hits the streets of Soweto! Are you ready for the 27th edition, number collection opens today! #sowetomarathon #laceup #riseabove pic.twitter.com/yIJCZMi5J3
— Soweto Marathon (@SowetoMarathon) November 3, 2022
Year’s after that race, Sinqe would joke that Temane only won because “he had a bigger nose than me.”
Thulani Sibisi is an athlete synonymous with overcoming obstacles. He, like many other black athletes, was racing during the isolation years of the 70’s and 80’s and thus was also denied international opportunities. His resilience born of years of racing is what has helped him in his decade-long battle with prostate cancer.
Sibisi will forever be known as the man who defeated the great Mark Page in the 1986 Two Oceans Marathon, by a whopping four minutes. No one had given him a chance in 1986 and some even laughed when he said he was going to win. But win he did. And in emphatic style.
His tenacity and passion for the sport saw him become instrumental in the formation of the Soweto Marathon when the race was held for the first time in 1991. Since then, he has been a proud ambassador for the People’s race.
In 2012 he collapsed at work after going for his usual morning training run. He was diagnosed then with prostate cancer. It was a shock to a still fit athlete. The cancer was diagnosed as stage three and was rapidly spreading throughout his body. Yet Sibisi still continues to fight the scourge and has made it his mission in life to spread word of the disease, particularly in Soweto.
Having turned 69 on 29 October this year, Sibisi has fought and battled the cancer now for a decade – and is still fighting. He will run walk the 10km on Sunday in his quest to raise awareness and funds in battling the dreaded disease.
