Pietersburg Road Runners (PRR) have high expectations of a number of its members who have entered the 2018 Comrades Marathon that will take place between Pietermaritzburg and Durban on Sunday.
Twenty-four club members have entered with Calvin Malatji, Lucky Maahlo, Lutendo Mapoto and Timothy Munzhelele expected to excel and even going for gold. The four formed the Comrades Gunga Din team who were announced the best amateur club during last year’s race. Malatji hopes to complete the race in a time of 5:50 compared to his time of 06:20.31 last year. Maahlo ran 6:50.50 last year and aims for a 20 minute improvement, Mapoto ran his best time of 6:00.02 last year and strives to make it in 5:30 this year while Munzhehele hopes to improve his previous time of 5:58.43 to 5:30. All eyes will be on female runner Geneva Raphahla who will be chasing her personal best time of 8:09.16 and hoping to finish her fourth race within seven hours.
Club member Colinda Potgieter is the female athlete with the most completed Comrades, 18, behind her name. Potgieter said running Comrades is like the road of life. “It is about you, your day, nobody can run the race for you. It is about the bigger picture – the suffering, commitment and crying together. PRR Chairperson Jacques van Blerk, a novice entrant, wished his fellow runners well.
Story and photos: RC Myburgh
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