Matome tackles grueling 160km ultra-marathon
Mzanzi Athletics Club's, Matome Rasekgala, recently completed his first grueling Washie 100 Miler race from Cathcart to East London on Saturday 28 July.
POLOKWANE – He completed the 42nd, 160km ultra-marathon in 23 hours and finished in 62nd position out of 123 athletes who completed the race.
He told Review he started running in 200o and completed his first Comrades Marathon in 2001 in a time of 9 hours 34 minutes. Thereafter he took sabbatical leave until 2011.
You may also want to read: Mzansi Athletics Club’s Comrades glory
“My love for running dates way back to when I ran cross country as a young boy. I have always been fascinated by endurance sports versus the capabilities of the human body and have always challenged myself to run longer distances faster.”
He added that his training usually involves what is know in the running fraternity as ‘back to back’, a running style which requires dedication.
Matome said that the benefits of running includes self discipline, patience, perseverance and resilience. “For runners to wake up in the wee hours of most mornings requires a positive attitude as the long distances can become tiresome and tough,” he said.
Once such race was the Washie 100 Miler which required athletes to run through the night. I participated in the ultra-marathon as a way for me to prove to myself that my mind and body are strong.”
“We began the race at about 17:00 on a Friday afternoon and ran throughput the night until 19:00 the following day. The cold evening temperatures in East London made the race more tiresome. I can remember at around 02:00 that morning, I was so sleepy and my body felt like it was shutting down. The race also has no water points so I had to go prepared with a change of clothes (my clothes got wet) and water supply,” he explained to Review.
Matome wished to thank all runners in Polokwane for their support throughout the race and urged residents to get out of their comfort zones and start running as there are lots of benefits that come with running.
“It was indeed an honour for me to cross the finish line at the Washie 100 Miler in my Mzansi Athletics Club attire,” he concluded.
More about the Washie 100 ultra-marathon
Washie has been alive and active in East London for the past 42 years. Originally, the cut off time for the race was 24 hours until recently when it was extended to 26 hours. The race had over 180 runners participating this year and 123 runners completed the race within the cut off time of 26 hours.
The last runner to arrive receives a tortoise trophy. Lowie Malan Pietersburg Club got position 80. And then flying the Limpopo flag high Matome got position 64. The oldest runner of Washie, with 27 Washies competed is Mr Erick White whose first Washie was in 1985.
