‘I want to make SA proud’: Eric Ngubane

THE recent IAU Trail World Championships in Annecy, France, covers an 85km circuitous course, which included a 5 300m vertical drop and gain, and was not for the faint hearted. One man brave enough to take on the incredibly tough course as well as the cold temperatures was Durban North’s Eric Ngubane. The 32-year-old crossed the finish line in Annecy-le-Vieux in a time of 10:37 and finished 71st overall.

Ngubane, though disappointed with the final result, said his goal was to make South Africa proud. He qualified for the world champs after finishing second in the South African Ultra Trail Championship earlier this year.

“I enjoyed every minute of the race and I savoured the feeling of competing in my first international event ever. I was a little disappointed with my result but the conditions were incredibly tough. I also feel I didn’t give myself enough time to acclimatise. Prior to the world champs I trained in the Drakensburg to get used to altitude training but it was much tougher out on the course.

“There were lots of hills and one climb in particular was 17km, which was very challenging. The locals seemed at ease with the course and they knew at which point in the race to attack. Overall this gave me a good platform to see where I am compared to the European competitors,” he said.

Ngubane also praised his fellow South African teammates, three of whom finished ahead of him

“We were a very tight-knit group and we encouraged each other throughout the race which is a great morale boost,” he said.

The local trail runner now faces a few upcoming events but is also gearing up for his second European adventure in October.

“There is another world champs event in October in France. And I’m definitely going. Having experienced some of the conditions and knowing a little more about the country and the courses, I’m looking forward to it. I’m going to be fully prepared and I will give it my all,” he said.

Ngubane also said he was humbled by the support back home.

“I am so humbled and grateful for everyone’s support and making my dream come true. To compete on an international stage is a dream. I’d like to thank the Durban North community for their help and support. I still want to bring the gold medal home for them,” he said.