Local athlete strives for Comrades glory
He said joining a running club assisted him in being able to train for Comrades.
It has been a long journey for local athlete, 35-year-old Sandile Mthembu, who has a good story to tell about the endurance needed to survive the Comrades Marathon.
Mthembu has participated in the Comrades twice, and said every race had its own challenges.
It is known as ‘The Ultimate Human Race’, as some don’t finish even after more than 80 kilometres.
For Mthembu however, it was putting into practice his years of running since high school.
“In high school I took part in 800 metre and 1 500m races, which helped in some way, although I stopped running for a while after high school to focus on soccer. In around 2011 or 2012, I started jogging and pushing to finish 10km races, and from there I went up to do more. In 2014, many people said I should be entering the Comrades, I guess because they used to see me train all the time on the road. I don’t think I was quite ready then.”
He said joining a running club assisted him in being able to train for Comrades.
“In 2017, when we started the Harambe 2040 Running Club, I felt I could be able to run the Comrades because you had a team of people who supported you and everyone had the same goal, to finish that ultimate human race. In 2018, I eventually had the courage to participate in the Comrades Marathon.”
Mthembu elaborated on his first Comrades experience last year: “They don’t call it the ultimate human race for nothing – that’s the best way I can describe it. When you reach 60km, your body almost gives up on you and you start functioning out of your body. Your body starts reacting, regardless of what exact plan you had for that race. You then have to make your mind support your body; you must tell yourself you will get to that finish line. It’s truly an out of body experience, nothing can explain that feeling until you actually do it. This year was also challenging, just as much but a bit better. Supporters on the sidelines always lift up your spirits. Probably most people wouldn’t complete the race if those people weren’t cheering on the sidelines.”
He said there’s never quite enough training to prepare you for the Comrades Marathon.
“With my running team, we make sure we train and watch our diets leading up to the Comrades. You have to believe in some higher power to carry you when the pain becomes unbearable.
“I was pushing my team of five guys at this year’s Comrades, the one guy wanted to give up – he literally couldn’t properly move his legs, but I had to motivate him to finish because he was so close to the finish line. By that time, I had to support his body while I was also running and that’s how hectic the race can be. People can give up even 10km before finishing. It’s a naturally hard but very doable and rewarding race. After completing that race, you feel like you can do anything in this world.”
Mthembu added you needed God’s strength for this sort of race: “We always pray with my running team when we participate in races, but with Comrades you need incredible mind power. When you look back, you even ask yourself ‘how in the world did I pass that place?’ because you don’t even remember passing it. That’s when maybe we can believe in God’s grace and how you are carried by the spirit in your toughest battles.”
Mayor of the Amajuba District, Dr Musa Ngubane honoured all Comrades athletes who participated in this year’s Comrades Marathon, at a special function held on July 25.
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