Comrades Marathon: Four Mamelodi Sundowns team members complete the race
Four Mamelodi Sundowns technical members were among the runners who completed Sunday’s Comrades Marathon.
Just weeks after securing their seventh consecutive – and 14th overall – DStv Premiership title, four Mamelodi Sundowns technical members were among the runners who completed Sunday’s Comrades Marathon.
Known as ‘The Ultimate Human Race’ over 20 500 runners qualified to attempt the 85.91km course which this year saw runners tackle the ‘up’ run from Durban to Pietermaritzburg.
RECORD RUN BY GERDA STEYN
This year’s men’s race was won by Piet Wiersma from the Netherlands who crossed the finish line at Hollywoodbets Scottsville Racecourse in a time of 5:25:00.
Meanwhile, South Africa’s ultra-marathon queen Gerda Steyn won the women’s race, breaking her own course record in stopping the clock at 5:49:46.
It was 34-year-old Steyn’s third Comrades Marathon title – and second ‘up’ run win.
She picked up R2 075 000 for her win, courtesy of R825 000 for winning, R500 000 for the new record, R500 000 for a fastest ever average pace, R200 000 for being a South African winner and R50 000 for the Cell C Hot Spot incentive.
According to the FARPost website, the football fraternity was also well represented with several football writers and officials also participating.
Four of them who completed their race – and made the 12-hour cut-off time – are current Masandawana technical members.
They are Performance Analyst Dayle Solomon, physiotherapist Godfrey Sepuru, team doctor Paul Maphoto and Head of Medical Carl Tabane.
Tabane completed his seventh Comrades Marathon, Maphoto his fifth, while Solomon and Sepuru now both have three finishes under their belts.
In terms of times, Solomon crossed the line in 10:15:43, Sepuru snuck in just before the cut-off in 11:57:16, Maphoto finished in 11:43:44 and Tabane posted 10:37:58.
‘WINNING MENTALITY’
“It was very difficult. It was literally just backing everything that you have. Your cycling shoes, your running shoes and your equipment,” Solomon told SuperSport TV post-race.
“In every country you land, you try to spend time [training]. That’s the only way possible. It’s very difficult to follow a programme because you are always at the airport, always on the plane or in the hotel watching the opposition.
“So it gives you minimal time to focus on your training. So it’s difficult but I really want to get a coach for next season because this thing is brutal, we have to be honest.”
He says the winning mentality at his club pushed him to achieve his personal best time at the Comrades Marathon.
“I think it’s a championship mentality that we have every season. You have to keep going. Today honestly has been a difficult year for me all around. But today I just had to dig deep considering all the circumstances.
“So it’s just the Sundowns’ success that rubs on you as a human. The other guys also push you through the right to the end. So there is no holding back because if those guys do it week in and week out, there is no reason you can’t do it.”