Samuel Mothemane from Clayville Ext 76 recently ran in the Comrades Marathon.
He was among the 22 000 athletes who participated in this highly contested marathon and finished in 10:36:08.
He said it felt great being at the finishing line of that gruesome marathon, especially as a first-time Comrades Marathon runner.
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“It was a huge achievement,” he said.
His training for the marathon was based on strength, road running and cardio exercises.
“During the week I would do a 10km run, cardio session, 5km speed run and 10km hill repeat run. On weekends it was mainly a long run, anything above 21km.”
His training sessions took place weekly at Clayville Ext 76 and on weekends, training was in Thembisa or Pretoria.
Mothemane is a member of the Mogalakwena Athletics Club and says running is a passion he developed at a young age.
“I started running at a young age. Growing up, I only ran short distances to keep fit and healthy.
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“In 2018, my cousin invited me to an official marathon, and I opted to complete the 5km event. That was my first marathon, and I fell in love.
“In 2019, my cousin introduced me to Mogalakwena AC, and I joined the club.”
Mothemane spoke about the challenges encountered during the marathon.
“Around 60km, my legs started cramping, so I ran slower to avoid more cramps. I walked when necessary, whether it was a hill or down run.
“There was support from club members along the road and marathon volunteers. They helped a lot in terms of massages.
“After 80km it got tougher and my legs started feeling heavier and tired. That was when two members from the club joined me and started running together,“ he said.
“Their encouragement to keep pushing helped me a lot. Towards the end of the marathon, the adrenaline kicked in,” he said.
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“There is a video where you can see me at the end of the marathon doing Clive Barker’s celebration move. The cheering from the supporters along the finish line brought me back to life.”
Mothemane said he now hopes to do the Comrades Marathon again next year.
“It will be an honour to have back-to-back Comrades Marathon medals in 2025 and then to do more marathons in the future,” he said.
