eMalahleni’s own Joseph Nkosi ready to tackle his 5th Comrades Marathon
With 17 years of racing under his belt, Joseph aims to add another 6 years before he gets off the streets.
Joseph Mzikayifani Nkosi is preparing to celebrate his 60th birthday in a special way by running his fifth Comrades Marathon.
The marathon is set to take place on June 14, with this year’s edition being the grueling 87km “Up Run,” starting at Durban City Hall and finishing in Pietermaritzburg, with a strict 12-hour cut-off time.
For Joseph, the race is a personal milestone and a continuation of a journey that began in 2009 when he first fell in love with running after accompanying athletes to the Two Oceans Marathon in Cape Town.
Watching them run in the early morning inspired him to join, though he was told he had to qualify first. That challenge set him on the path to becoming a seasoned Comrades runner.
His target for this year is the Bill Rowan medal, which requires finishing under nine hours but over seven hours and thirty minutes. Joseph has set his personal goal at 10 hours, a time he believes is achievable with the preparation he has put in.
To get ready, he has completed several marathons and ultras, including the Jacaranda City Challenge, the Johnson Crane Marathon, the TRACN4 Elands Marathon, and the Loskop Marathon series, which is an ultra. He described Loskop as his toughest training run, starting at the dam and finishing in Middelburg, with punishing hills that tested his endurance. He believes those hills were excellent preparation for the even greater challenge of the Comrades. Confident in his training, Joseph says he is 90% ready.
“Comrades Marathon is 12 hours; plan carefully, stop chatting with everyone you meet along the way,” he said.
Unlike many runners who join pacing buses, he intends to run solo, sticking to his own plan. He cautions against eating food offered along the route, insisting that runners should only take nutrition from official water stations. His plan is to reach halfway in five hours and maintain his pace to the finish line.
READ MORE: NAA continues impressive performances at MMK 5-in-1 Marathon
Looking beyond this year, Joseph hopes to continue running for another six years.
“I once met a runner who is more than 75, and that made me believe that there’s no age barrier,” he said.
Thungela Athletics Club athlete aims to improve on last year’s time as she prepares for her third Comrades Marathon
— WitbankNews (@WitbankN) June 8, 2026
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