POLOKWANE – Local athletes are counting down to the biggest day on a runner’s calendar.
The 96th Comrades Marathon is taking place on Sunday (June 11) and the send off’s have been done, the checklists have been ticked off and the athletes are deep in their final preparations both physically and mentally.
It is a long road to qualify for the Comrades Marathon and the runners have put in the hard work throughout the year to get to this point.
The Polokwane Observer spoke to runners who will be taking on ‘the ultimate human race’ from Pietermaritzburg City Hall to the Hollywoodbets Kingsmead Cricket Stadium in Durban to find out how they prepared and if they have any personal goals set.
Silver Sebati who is a double green number has run the Comrades Marathon 23 times. He started running in 1997 and hasn’t looked back. “I am prepared as usual and in all the marathons I have run, I have never bailed. This year, the aim is to break my own record, particularly last year’s record.
Betty Mashitisho also has a green number with 21 races under her belt. She is looking forward to the race, however, she is not expecting much due to an injury.
“I am confident, but I am feeling ill. I hope it clears in time because there is no way I am not taking part in the comrades because I love it so much. It something I look forward to every year,” she said.
Jeffrey Sibiya has run eight Comrades Marathons and he is more than ready for the race. “I have been doing a lot of work because I am aiming for silver this year, that will beat my personal record from last year,” he said.
Pholosho Phaladi said he is confident that he will bring home a gold medal as this is his second time running the race. “I am not nervous at all. I believe that I have done all that I can and now, all I need to do is believe in myself,” he said.
Charles Selowa said that time management has been a big factor in preparing for the race because of the work he does. “I travel a lot and had to use weekends to catch up on training and running long distance. During the week, I would run short distances to keep the body on form,” he said.
