Runner conquers Comrades in unlikely footwear
Tshilidzi Madzhie traded his running shoes for sandals and not only completed the race but also beat his previous time by almost an hour.
LIMPOPO – What do you do if you train for a gruelling race such as the Comrades Ultramarathon and lose a toenail? With only a few weeks to go, you cannot wear your normal running shoes because the pain is too excruciating. Do you simply give up on your dreams, or do you make a plan?
Runner Tshilidzi Madzhie from Maramanzhi village found himself in such a position. On 27 April this year, he took part in the Polokwane City Marathon, but it ended in pain as his running shoes destroyed one of his toenails.
For Tshilidzi, this was a terrible blow because he knew he had to train hard for the upcoming Comrades. He would definitely not be able to tackle the uprun from Durban to Pietermaritzburg wearing shoes that caused pain every time they rubbed against his toes.
Then the idea popped into his head of running with sandals. He did a bit of research and found that some international athletes also competed while wearing sandals.
“Maria Ramirez from Mexico stood out as a notable figure who had achieved success in trail runs while wearing sandals. I decided to give it a try,” he said.
When Tshilidzi started training wearing sandals, he found that this was actually not too difficult, and he enjoyed the freedom the sandals allowed his feet.
He embarked on some training runs over 40km and also compared his times over 21km and 32km distances. Much to his surprise, his times were better than his previous personal bests.
The real test, however, came with the gruelling Comrades. In 2023, he finished the race in 09:17:18, that he was hoping to better this time.
The best time that he had achieved was in 2017, when he completed it in 08:06:46, earning himself a coveted Bill Rowan medal.
On 9 June, Tshilidzi lined up along with more than 20 000 other runners in Durban to start the race. His colourful pink sandals, he said, made a lot of people stare, but this did not deter him.
The race went smoothly, and he was pacing himself well when disaster struck at the 72km mark. The strap of one of his sandals snapped, leaving him hobbling around with one shoe.
“Luckily, I saw some spectators along the road and asked for help. One of them quickly fixed the strap with a cable tie. I continued until the finish line, thanks to them,” he said.
Tshilidzi not only finished the race but also beat last year’s time by almost an hour. He finished in 08:22:39 and earned another Bill Rowan medal.
He said he realised now that you do not need expensive running shoes to compete in long-distance races. Sandals may be a good option for athletes who experience pain while wearing normal running shoes.
This is also a lesson to young athletes from underprivileged societies that they can compete wearing cheaper products and do not have to buy the top brands.
Tshilidzi currently resides in Northam, and he is also a writer known for his Tshivenda novel, ‘Vusiwana’.
