Locals shine in a grueling Comrades

The legs of Jairzinho Mokoena (senior) conquered the deceptively tricky 91st Comrades Marathon in 06:36:46. He completed the 89-kilometre route for the fifth time and also this year he was the fastest runner of the local clubs. He ranked overall 90 of 16 807 participants and was the 88th man to finish.

Comrades is the world’s greatest ultramarathon run between the capital of Kwazulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, and the coastal city of Durban.

The race is known for the body-sapping challenge it poses and the camaraderie it fosters among the almost 20 000 participants.

Ansa Strydom of Nedbank LVCC was one of the star performers and claimed ninth place in the women masters’ category. She was the 227th women to finish overall in just under nine hours. Moven Sikwambane (senior), also in the signature green colours, ran the second fastest time of the local athletes in 06:47:13 and herewith he received his first green number. Skukuza Marathon Club’s Witness Ndhlovo, aged 24, was the youngest of almost 150 local runners, completing it after 09:18:07.

Julius March’s (LVCC) dreams of reaching Durban by the cut-off 12 hours later was almost not reached as he just made it in 11:56:50.

This was the first time he completed the Comrades.

Unfortunately for Nelspruit Marathon Clubs’ Sibongile Qwabe (62), who has participated in four Comrades before and hoped to finish her first-ever this year, again did not see the finish line.

NMC’s Lawrence Ngobeni (master), who was the only member in the club who was hoping to get his first green number, completed the race in 10:11;30.

Barbare Hare and Thulani Mkhabela of Legogote crossed the finish line hand-in-hand after 10:22:31.

For the complete results: Results: Comrades Marathon 2016