Local hero completes his first Comrades
Community hero Sipho Mlangeni ran his first Comrades Marathon this year and completed the race with inspiring results.
Sipho Mlangeni (40), who is also a firefighter at the Randfontein Fire Department, has completed his first Comrades Marathon with outstanding results and aims to motivate the community to achieve their dreams.
For Sipho, it was resilience and determination that inspired him to participate in the Comrades.
He added that the Comrades is a symbol of the South African heart and unity, which pushes runners across the globe to test their limits and showcase their strengths.
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Of course, he also wanted to focus on his personal growth since, according to him, completing the Comrades is a remarkable achievement.
Being an avid runner in primary school, Sipho only started taking running seriously because his job required him to be fit.
He began with 2.4km runs, then 5km and finally the 10km. Ever since, he has been longing to participate in the marathon.
Sipho trained for two and a half months for the Comrades. Although he was injured in January, his unwavering determination allowed him to recover quickly.
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His biggest challenges during training were maintaining his speed while climbing hills and running for long periods of time.
“I started the Comrades’ race good and continued with good speed until I reached 71km. I fell and I started to experience cramps, but I managed to keep my pace until I recovered.
“I remember wanting to give up at 74km because of a serious cramp in my right leg.
“However, I heard someone calling me by my clan surname ‘Bawula’. It was my wife. After that, I never looked back until I reached the finish line,” he explained.
Finally, Sipho finished, for the Hollywood AC, with a time of 10:43:14 and received a medal.
He was most proud of the unity of South Africans and the amount of support the runners received. He is already chasing his green number, which you receive after finishing 10 Comrades.
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He is now continuing his training for the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon as well as the Soweto Marathon.
Furthermore, Sipho gave advice to runners who would like to participate in their first Comrades Marathon.
“Don’t start fast. Manage your pace and make sure you rehydrate and drink your electrolytes.”
