The University of the Witwatersrand made news headlines when one of its lecturers, Caroline Wostmann who is an accounting lecturer, made history by becoming the first South African woman to win the Comrades since 1998. What made this feat incredible is that Wostmann paused for a toilet break while the Nurgalieva twins from Russia were close on her heels.
She explained that long hours of training had gone into preparing for the Comrades Ultra Marathon. “This year alone from January till May, I ran about 3 000km to keep fit and to stay in shape for the race.”
Wostmann also took part in the Two Oceans Marathon on 5 May where she won the race and finished the 56km in a time of 03:41:00.
“What made the Comrades extra difficult is the fact that if you are in the lead, you don’t know how far behind the second and third place runners are, so it’s a guessing game and you have to keep up your pace.”
Wostmann explained that the build-up to the Comrades win, has been in the making for the last seven years as she took part in her first Comrades in 2009. She started with running in order to lose weight.
“It all changed when I started running on a frequent basis, as it became part of my morning regime and a day felt incomplete if I couldn’t start it off with a run,” added Wostmann.
She is now also part of a handful of elite runners who have won both the Two Oceans and Comrades marathons in the same year.
“It’s a great feeling but I can’t relax as the hard work still continues. If I have to give one tip to aspiring runners it’s to get out there and to train and to just try and compete in a race like the Comrades,” concluded Wostmann.
Follow Caroline Wostmann on twitter @11Caz11
Related story: Comrades Marathon route extended
