PHOTOS AND RESULTS: Manda, Moris the best among local Comrades athletes
Here is the full results results of all local runners who finished and photos supplied.
On Sunday, 285 hopeful runners belonging to clubs from across the Lowveld, did what most of us would never even consider – running close on 90 kilometres, uphill, from Durban to Pietermaritzburg.
This annual event isn’t dubbed the World’s Greatest Ultra Marathon for nothing. Only 65 per cent of the local runners who went to the East Coast managed conquer this monster.
The legs of Moris Maiga from Legogote Villagers (45) conquered the deceptively tricky 94th Comrades Marathon in sub seven hours, almost 10 minutes quicker than last year’s time of 7:05,14. Maiga, also ran his fourth Two Oceans this year:
Maiga runs his personal best at Two Oceans
He completed the 86.83-kilometre Comrades uphill route for the fourth time and, by a huge margin became the fastest runner of the local clubs for the second consecutive year.
It is, however, far from his dream of running sub-six hours. Maiga, who competed in the men 40-49 years category, ranked 172nd overall of 19 070 starters, 162nd of 15 288 starters in his age group and 44th in his category of 6 057 runners. He is now the only Legogote Runner in the past 81 years to not bag one but two silver medals for his club.
Zinabu Chemme of LVCC (07:34:56), Sikhulile Mavuso of Nelspruit Marathon Club (07:39:42) and Petrus Ndlovu of Onderberg (07:59:17), all managed finish the race in under eight hours.
Ramps-to-Runway coach, Manda Gomes of Nedbank LVCC, was the fastest local woman out of all the clubs.
Setting off at 05:29 in the morning, she was the 106th of 3 780 ladies to cross the finish line, and in the Open Female category she ranked 69th out of 1 747 starters. She crossed the finish line in a time of 08:32:39 to receive a Bill Rowan medal.
Madeleine Whitehair, last year’s fastest woman nationally for Run/Walk For Life, ran her 12th Comrades. “The up-run was incredibly tough. Despite aching feet, nausea and stomach cramps, I still managed to complete the run in a good time, considering I have basically walked the second. I ran with Marthinus Kelder of Onderberg Club (who did his 17th Comrades), who was also struggling,” she said. Kelder and Whitehair finished together in a time of 10:29:07.
“He dedicated his run to a friend that passed away two weeks ago. He had cancer and dreamed about running the Comrades.” Earlier this year, Whitehair was the fastest female runner among the local clubs, despite running her first Two Oceans this year. Of the 3 484 women who ran the ultra, Whitehair took the 187th spot, and came 61st in her category, 40-49, with a time of 5:09.
