Ntimane completed his 13th Comrade Marathon

Local sport enthusiast, Patrick Ntimane (40) was among over 18 000 athletes from across the world who participated in the Comrades Marathon.

Ntimane, a Mpumalanga hockey development officer, along with other athletes of Barberton Gijimas participated in the ultramarathon over hilly, unrelenting terrain from Pietermaritzburg to Durban on June 1.

Despite claiming that he did not have adequate time to prepare for the event due to hockey commitments, Ntimane said he managed to put one foot in front of the other, and after 10:37:30, with just one hour and 23 minutes before the 12-hour deadline, he completed the gruelling 89km race.

“I didn’t prepare well for this year’s event as I was hectically busy attending squash events almost every weekend. I only managed to do a few hours of long-distance running. But I did managed to finish the race and earned a bronze medal. I have finished 13 Comrades Marathons and it’s my goal to complete it every year,” he said.

Ntimane described himself as an addict of this race. “Running the Comrades has taught me that through patience I can achieve anything. It is a physical event hence you need to be mentally strong throughout it. It is not easy to run 90km in 12 hours.”

He said at the finishing line, people were crying with happiness, others were elated, but all were completely exhausted.

“I was able to attend this event with the help of my employer, the Mpumalanga Department of Agriculture, as it financed everything from my accommodation to running shoes. I would also like to thank Barberton Gijimas for maintaining the team,” said Ntimane.

Other local athletes who completed the race included Joram Sayiya (47) with 9:32:38 and Mathew Ngwenya (62) with 11:50:03.