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Ready, set, go: Polokwane’s runners speak about pre-Comrades rituals

The Polokwane Athletics Club Goodie Bag breakfast took place at Retsini Nursery on Saturday morning, ahead of the 2019 Comrades marathon on 9 June.

POLOKWANE – With the 2019 Comrades only a week away, Review asked several runners at the Polokwane Athletics Club Goodie Bag breakfast, what their rituals are before the race and how many Comrades races they have participated in.

Elneth Thulare: I don’t really have a pre-race ritual, but I jump up and down as well as sideways. Sometimes I will wear something like balloons. I’ve participated in 11 races and finished seven.
Isaiah Magobe: I do stretches and warm up before I run. I’ve participated in three Comrades Marathons and finished all three.
Jakemie Ohlenschläger: Before all my races I pray and just become calm. This will be my first Comrades and I am a bit nervous.
Gustav Grobler: I pray before a race and get my head right. I’ve participated in three races and completed one.
Mboni Maumela: I have no ritual. I get there and go straight to the starting line. This is my second race.
Lerato Molomo: I prepare and drink my favourite shake and I cover my feet with lots of vaseline. I also make sure to take extra vaseline. This is my first comrades and I am starting to get nervous now.
Faan Roos: I do not have a strange or weird ritual. I just hope that nothing will go wrong during the race. I participated in two and finished both.
Julie Pierce: I don’t really have a ritual, but I do remember the five P’s: Proper Preparation Prevents Poor Performance.

maretha@nmgroup.co.za

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Raeesa Sempe

Raeesa Sempe is a Caxton Award-winning Digital Editor with nine years’ experience in the industry. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Media Studies from the University of the Witwatersrand and started her journey as a community journalist for the Polokwane Review in 2015. She then became the online journalist for the Review in 2016 where she excelled in solidifying the Review’s digital footprint through Facebook lives, content creation and marketing campaigns. Raeesa then moved on to become the News Editor of the Bonus Review in 2019 and scooped up the Editorial Employee of the Year award in the same year. She is the current Digital Editor of the Polokwane Review-Observer, a position she takes pride in. Raeesa is married with one child and enjoys spending time with friends, listening to music and baking – when she has the time. “I still believe that if your aim is to change the world, journalism is a more immediate short-term weapon." – Tom Stoppard

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