Victory for Two Oceans ‘brothers in blue’
Ndabenhle hopes to achieve his permanent green number at this race, for completing 20 ultra marathons, an accomplishment Thulani already has to his name.
Thulani Msane and Ndabenhle Ndaba have joined the famed Two Oceans Blue Number elite.
The 54-year-old friends and running buddies completed a 10th Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon on April 20, despite a last-minute change to the route.
Thulani and Ndabenhle agree conditions were good on the day.
Due to possible protest action in the Imizamo Yethu settlement of Hout Bay, organisers altered the race route at short notice, to detour to the steep and hilly Ou Kaapse Weg.
For some novice athletes, it was a race-changing moment.
For Thulani and Ndabenhle, both seasoned athletes, the route change did little to prevent them from finishing in respectable times.
Thulani even earned himself a bronze medal.
The ‘brothers in blue’ qualified for the Two Oceans Marathon by completing a 42-kilometre event in under four hours, 50 minutes.
“We train in the mornings across short distances, and do long distance on the weekends.”
Both men believe Newcastle athletes are blessed with a number of routes of varying grades to train on, and a tightly-knit group encompassing many athletic clubs.
They also feel motorists show them respect on the road.
“We thank the Newcastle road runners for their support. We particularly thank Gail Stroebel, who coached, mentored and counselled us. She always motivates us when we train.”
Next on the running calendar is the Comrades Marathon in June.
Ndabenhle hopes to achieve his permanent green number at this race, for completing 20 ultra marathons, an accomplishment Thulani already has to his name.
“It’s an up-run from Durban to Pietermaritzburg and our target is to finish. If all goes well, we hope to earn bronze medals (sub-11 hours). We normally finish the Comrades and we want to do so again this year.”
What were the challenges, and conversely the best parts of your Two Oceans experience?
Ndabenhle – “Just before the halfway point, I enjoyed the route because it was familiar to me, and I knew how to use my energy well. The challenge was the downhills around the Ou Kaapse Weg, because I tend to get hurt on the descents. Around Southern Cross, I got left behind by Thulani and ran low on energy.”
Thulani – “It’s all about mindset – we heard about the route change and needed to be motivated even with a new route. There were lots of hills, but once the detour was past, I really felt I would make it and pushed on. The challenge is that there were so many people, which makes it difficult to pace yourself and avoid being bumped or getting caught up in a group of runners.”
ALSO READ: Newcastillian, Thulani Msane reaches a Comrades milestone
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