Comrades runner plans to raise R200 000 for charity

The 96th edition of the iconic Comrades Marathon is coming up on Sunday, June 11, starting at the Pietermaritzburg City Hall and ending at the Hollywoodbets Kingsmead Cricket Stadium in Durban. The Comrades Marathon Association has revealed their official route distance to be 87.701km, making this, the 48th Comrades Down Run, almost 2.2km shorter than last year’s race. In the build-up to the much-loved event, some of the local Caxton newspapers will run a weekly series. This week, we chat to a Glenmore resident running for charity. 

THIS year, Glenmore resident Mac Khoza will be taking on the Comrades Marathon for the second time in an effort to fundraise for local non-profit organisation Community Chest. Khoza says that although the Comrades was challenging for him as a first-time Comrades runner, he was able to make it to the finish line, and more importantly, he was able to raise over R50 000 for Community Chest that went towards the Early Childhood Development Centres that the non-profit organisation supports.

Also read: 2023 Comrades Marathon route distance revealed

“Although I was left with a great deal of body pain and exhaustion, what motivated me to take on the Comrades Marathon again was the fundraising aspect. My initial goal was to raise R20 000, and I was able to raise more than triple that amount, raising R63 000 for ECD centres and children who benefit from them,” said Khoza. This year, the 37-year-old will be fundraising for Community Chest again and hopes to raise R200 000 for the cause.

“I’m looking forward to reaching my goal. I made the decision last year to run four more Comrades, or however many more it takes, to raise R1 million for ECD centres. This is a cause that is very close to my heart, and I know I can count on my community, who was very supportive of me last year to help me reach my goal,” said Khoza.

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The marathon runner says his training consists of running 60km a week. “I started training in January and worked my way up to running 60km every week, splitting it between 4 to 5 days. For example, I’ll run a 5km on one day, a 3km on another day and then end the week off with two 25km long-distance runs.” Having run the Comrades before, his advice to new Comrades runners is: “Get the right shoes! Your body will be impacted with a concrete road for a very long distance, so the right shoes are essential. It’s better to spend the money on highly protective shoes than to deal with the physical consequences and the pain.

“Also, it is important to give yourself a break between the marathon and your training for your next marathon because the Comrades is still very physically taxing even with the training. But the pain is all worth it.”

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