Running the Comrades for the seventh time
She has been training for long-distance running and ran her first Comrades in 2007
Bathokozile Gwala completed her seventh Comrades Marathon on Sunday in a time of 10:09.
She says she has been running since she was at school and later joined Emnambithi Striders in 2002. From there, she has been training for long-distance running and ran her first Comrades in 2007. She has also taken part in the Two Oceans Marathon, the Mandela Day Marathon and the Bergville Marathon. Bathokozile says that, “The run de-stresses me, I love it! It’s like being addicted to something because whenever I feel down or stressed, I go for a run and always feel better afterwards. Your mind is only on the road when you run.”
She is currently training teenage girls from Ezakheni E-Section who also love to run. “We are in contact every day and normally run on Saturdays. It’s a great way to keep fit and stay healthy, and also keep them away from trouble. As women, we carry a lot on our shoulders and life can get very stressful. This is such a great way to find relief.”
However, she says it can be dangerous to run alone, especially as a woman. “When you train, you try to run when it is cooler, which is in the early morning and in the evenings. whenAt these times, it is quiet and dark and criminals prowl the streets. So it’s much better to run with someone else or in a group, not only for safety but also for a sense of companionship.”
Bathokozile prepares for a long race like the Comrades by eating lots of fresh veggies, boiling all her food and drinking lots of water. “It is also important to carbo-load before the race and I usually eat salty peanuts. Breakfast is also very important as, after about 60km of running, you start to feel hungry again. But if finishing the race is something you really want, you won’t feel the pain.”
Now she is taking a short two-week break before running a 15km race in Potchefstroom. The next ‘big one’ will be the Mandela Day Marathon in August. “My dream is to one day run in a marathon overseas such as the Boston Marathon.” Bathokozile certainly shows you can do anything you put your mind to!
