Wayne’s World: A tiger on the road
The club wishes Tiger Gono well in his preparation for his milestone run.
WITH Comrades Marathon 2016 less than seven weeks away, I have the great pleasure to report on one of the most humble, incredible and dedicated runners in Comrades history.
He belongs to an elite group of 14 runners who have obtained 39 Comrades medals or more, and he will be attempting his 40th Comrades, at the age of 63.
His permanent race number is 1180 and he ran his first Comrades at the age of 21. He is my own personal hero, namely Zwelitsha ‘Tiger’ Gono.
Tiger, as he is known by his South Coast Strider clubmates, was born in 1951 and ran his first Comrades in 1973.
His fastest time was six hours and 13 minutes which earned him 20th position overall and a silver medal.
He has achieved 14 silver medals, one Bill Rowan medal, 21 bronze medals and three Vic Clapham medals. Once he completes his 40th race he will become the first black athlete to obtain 40 Comrades medals.
In 2005 Tiger received the Old Mutual Spirit of Comrades award which is awarded to a maximum of three individuals per year for embodying the true spirit of the Comrades Marathon, and for being an inspiration to humanity.
He is a kind and friendly man who sits after the races answering hundreds of questions from fellow runners longing to obtain some of his vital running advice and knowledge.
He always tells us stories about our club and founder members and inspires each one of us to dig deeper and try harder in everything we do.
He once told me that he joined South Coast Striders because it was one of the first five clubs in South Africa to open its doors to black athletes, thus recognising their abilities.
For that reason he says he will never leave this club for any other.
I hope that we do him proud in the way we run our club today and wish him every ounce of success in every step he takes towards this momentous achievement.
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