Obed Motjale (60) has running on the mind.
In the early 1980s, Obed started playing soccer. His dream at that stage was to play for the Kaizer Chiefs Football Club. However, his life took an unsuspected turn. After finding out he did not have the Section 10 stamp to join the football club, his soccer dreams quickly faded. As he started running down the streets to keep fit, a few men noticed Obed’s love for athletics and invited him to join RandMark. Consequently, Obed started running for the club in 1999.
His first race was a distance of 15km where he placed seventh. His second race was a distance of 21km where he won.
“I then decided I was ready to finally let go of my soccer dream and pursue a new sport, athletics,” he said.
In the year 2000, Obed took on his first Comrades Marathon along with 23 000 other participants. The race was 87.3km from Durban to Pietermaritzburg. Since then, Obed has been crossing the finish line in a time of seven hours.
“I always push and fight for silver or gold,” he claimed.
He currently has more than 15 trophies to showcase and has won more than 10 first places.
“When I go to sleep, I dream about running. Running is my food. I still run every morning,” he said.
Participating in sports has made Obed not only physically but mentally stronger throughout the years.
“A few years ago my daughter was murdered. My wife also passed away a while back. Running has since made me a stronger person. Whenever I would feel sad about what happened, running would comfort me,” he explained.
Obed advises the youth to jump into their running shoes and avoid getting involved in criminal activities on the streets. He also encourages adults to be more active and involved in physical activities.
