Madiba’s Rainbow Nation is still alive… although it took Comrades Marathon to see it

The Comrades Marathon is a national treasure deeply embedded into our society. Its reputation is of such magnitude that few other events – let alone sporting occasions – in Mzansi can rival it.

The cancellation of the 2020 and 2021 races and a move to a later date in 2022, due to the Covid pandemic, meant that the onus on the first Comrades in over 38 months was going to be as big as it could ever be.

What better way to celebrate post-Covid humanity than at “The Ultimate Human Race”?

Even by its own lofty standards, what transpired between Pietermaritzburg and Durban on 28 August, 2022 was as magical as any of the 13 213 runners could ever have imagined.

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It was not only the perfect showcase for humanity, but also served as a reminder of what a special place South Africa can be if we put our differences aside.

While it is the runners who are paraded as the heroes on the day, the Comrades could never be what it is without unwavering support.

I have been star-struck by the fanatical crowds and volunteers in every one of my four races prior to this year’s Comrades.

But this year there was just that little bit extra.

It was almost if the KwaZulu-Natal faithful was as eager as the runners for the race to happen again in order to celebrate life.

Volunteers manning the 40-odd official water tables didn’t get paid to stand around for hours at a time to hand out cups and bananas.

Neither did the cleaners raking up afterwards.

Spectators were not incentivised for getting up at the crack of dawn, making their way through hectic traffic and singing the national anthem and Shosholoza along with the runners on the starting line.

The thousands and thousands of jovial fans lining the streets for large parts of the route sacrificed their own weekend time to be part of the festivities.

Those providing additional aid in the form of water, ice, cooldrinks, boiled potatoes, salt, Vaseline and even the odd sip of beer between official water points did so out of their own pockets and expected nothing in return.

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The pride these unsung heroes displayed to be part of a race in urging on every single runner regardless of their ability or mood is truly a humbling experience.

Especially taking into consideration that many of their lives were heavily affected by the recent devastating floods in KZN.

And yet the true gist of this special day was our extraordinary ability to stand together as a nation.

There were no black, white, Indian or Coloured runners making their way through the scenic KwaZulu-Natal Midlands.

Just thousands of runners sharing each other’s joy and pain on the way the finish line at the Moses Mabhida Stadium like a band of brothers … and sisters.

On the side of the road people from different walks of life bonded in sharing every runner’s trials and tribulations.

Nobody knew who had taken a Mercedes or a minibus taxi to the event and nobody cared.

Nobody knew who was having ribeye steak for dinner and who had to settle for pap en sous and yet there was no animosity towards each other.

For a whole day runners and supporters shared respect and gratitude.

The hardship brought about by Covid was a distant memory, as was the cost of living, load shedding, the mismanagement of public funds and politicians not taking accountability.

It was the model Rainbow Nation Madiba had envisioned. Why do we have to wait for Comrades to see it?

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