Isaac Mbele came back triumphant from the Comrades Marathon which took place on 10 June, the day before his birthday.
After all the training and strict healthy diets which had become a daily part of Mbele’s life, he was excited to go and compete in the ultra-marathon event in Pietermaritzburg.
Mbele managed to finish his race in 10:14:21 and took home a bronze medal. “This year I sustained a calf and knee injury which slowed me down,” he said. He compared his finish time this year to the shorter times he took in previous years which were an average of eight hours.
Mbele described his exciting journey to Pietermaritzburg which included a trip to Lamontville in his niece’s car with whom they left on Friday at 3am. On the following day he went to the Expo and booked the bus ticket to travel to the race starting point, and then collected a goody bag and thereafter went to relax on the beach.
“I couldn’t sleep in the night as I spoke about the match. I woke up at 1.30am and went to catch the bus to the starting point and then prayed before the race started,” he said.
He described the first 56km as enjoyable and with 76km more to go he pushed himself and put in more effort. The last 3km were tough according to the athlete but he pushed all the way to Mabhida Stadium and reached the finish line.
Looking forward, Mbele said he would be taking a break for now and then start training slowly in mid-August in order to compete again next year. “Before next year’s marathon, I want to partake in the Two Oceans Marathon in Cape Town which takes place before Good Friday.”
The athlete also expressed his objective to raise funds for his former school in North West as that was where his passion for running was ignited. With the ongoing help and support from his sponsor, Tharina Gordon, he thinks this objective will be achieved. Every year Gordon donates towards cancer awareness in Emmarentia.
Mbele recalled his first marathon in 2014 where he had been stabbed in the head during a robbery while training prior to the event. He had surgery done and had healed by the time he went for competitions.
“If you love something, run for it,” Mbele concluded.
Share your extra-ordinary extra-curricular activities by emailing naidines@caxton.co.za
Related articles:
