Online Reporter
Ellina Mhlanga-Zimpapers Sports Hub
HIS participation at the BMW Berlin Marathon was surrounded by uncertainty.
On several occasions, Moses Tarakinyu was tempted to abort the mission and return to competing in local races to chase the money instead of launching his World Athletics Championships qualification campaign.
He had two main reasons for doing so. He was not sure if he would get the visa to travel to Germany for one of the prestigious marathons in the world.
There was also the issue of sponsorship.
His personal best (PB) going into the race was 2 hours 13 minutes 11 seconds, making it difficult for him to get an entry.
“At first, when we tried to get an entry, because of my time which was 2 hours 13 minutes, it was difficult,” said Tarakinyu.
“We only got an entry later, with the race drawing closer, I think with just two-and-a-half months before the race. That’s when we started running around to get the visa and we only got an appointment in August.
“So, it affected my preparations because I was not sure if I was going to get the visa. Also, looking at my past experiences, I failed to get a visa two years ago when I wanted to go for the Enschede Marathon in Netherlands.”
Tarakinyu said he sometimes felt like giving up, but his coach kept encouraging him to train.
“Sometimes I would get frustrated and tell him that we are not getting the appointment and we keep on having long runs and stuff, I would rather go back to my 21km programme,” he said.
“But he kept insisting and encouraging me to keep pushing, so you know such training, you are not motivated because you are not sure if you are going to make it for the race; it doesn’t really come out as you would want.
“So, yes, we did the preparation, but I was doubting, and I thought we could face the same situation we faced two years back, so it was difficult.”
With all the financial burden falling on him, self-funding his preparations and a family to take care of, Tarakinyu admits several times he would feel like going back into competition instead of focusing on his training programme for the Berlin Marathon.
“Even the preparation, things were not okay because you are training to get to a world standard yet you are sponsoring yourself,” said Tarakinyu.
“Long runs, sometimes you have to hire a car to go for those sessions so that you have someone providing the water at different points during the long runs and supplements. It was tough because, on the other hand, you cannot compete in other races to try and raise money; you have to strictly focus on training and be dedicated to training.
“We had a lot of things that were pushing us back, but eventually we got there.”
The National Athletics Association of Zimbabwe then chipped in with the air ticket as they are also considering him as part of the few targeted athletes to qualify for the World Athletics Championships to be hosted by China in Beijing next year.
From feeling down and tempted to focus on his half marathon programme, Tarakinyu rose to the occasion to produce a vintage performance that saw him shedding close to five minutes on his previous personal best to his current 2 hours 8 minutes 26 seconds.
“Obviously, I think I could have done better because part of the training programme I was being given by my coach I didn’t do it because of the uncertainty and doubt,” he said.
“Sometimes, I was tempted to go for local races just to get some money. I would tell myself that, maybe, I should have gone for local races so I could take care of my family.
“But when I got onto the starting line, I told myself that I just have to improve my personal best no matter what time I get. If I ran 2:13 in my first marathon race in South Africa, I think this is my opportunity, and I cannot fail to run a personal best, whether it’s 2:10 or 2:11. I just knew that I had to improve my personal best I posted in Africa.”
The Black Rhinos Athletics Club runner credits his progress to coach Cuthbert Nyasango, a former top marathon runner himself.
Tarakinyu believes Nyasango’s experience from being an athlete has also been key in shaping him.
With a PB of 2 hours 8 minutes 26 seconds placing him as the country’s second fastest marathon runner behind national record holder Isaac Mpofu, Tarakinyu now believes the global meet is within reach.
