Gardener guns for London marathon – Mandeni
The Mandeni resident had all but given up on his dream of competing internationally when his employers offered him this once in a lifetime opportunity.
Humble gardener by day and avid road runner all the hours in between – Comrades veteran Michael Ndlovu (50) will jet off to the United Kingdom for the 39th Virgin Money London Marathon at the end of the month.
The Mandeni resident, who works for Urban Lime Properties in Morningside, had all but given up on his dream of competing internationally when his employers offered him this once in a lifetime opportunity.
Ndlovu said he was excited and a bit nervous as the race draws nearer.
“I cannot believe that I will be boarding a plane out of the country for the first time. I am really thrilled and I am currently busy with preparations for the race,” he said.
This includes his daily 17km run to work every morning from his accommodation in Ntuzuma, which he does in a breezy 1 hour and 30 minutes.
Also read: Dolphin Coast Striders pound the Durban tar at City Marathon
Ndlovu travels home to Mandeni once or twice a month, to visit his parents.
The father of two boys said he began running in 1997 when he first started working in Durban and was quickly hooked on the sport.
Loving the thrill of the race has taken him to the Comrades Marathon more than ten times and he has also competed in the Cape Town Sanlam Marathon, among others.
The Virgin Money London Marathon is one of the top six international marathons run over 42.195 km and holds the 2009 Guinness world record as the largest annual fundraising event in the world. Entries are highly sought after: a record 386,050 runners applied for just 38,000 spots this year.
Ndlovu is running for Fields In Trust, a British charity dedicated to preserving green areas for public use, something that both Ndlovu and Urban Lime feel strongly about.
Urban Lime CEO Jonny Friedman said Ndlovu’s passion for running was an inspiration and they were very proud to have him representing Durban and South Africa in one of the elite marathons.
Ndlovu has an impressive track record, competing in the local Comrades Marathon for the last 20 years and in 2017 placed top in his age 50+ category with a personal best time of 06:49:41.
To support Michael and donate: uk.virginmoneygiving.com/MichaelNdlovu
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