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Instead Marko Mambo ran a brilliant race to finish fourth and gave Zimbabwe something to smile about after South Africa returned to the podium for the first time since 2005 to pick up gold in the men’s event through Ludick Mamabolo. Prodigal Khumalo, Bulawayo’s leading ultra-marathon runner managed a top 15 finish.
The South African scooped the R300 000 first prize and was due to receive some more money for being the first local home and also from Mr Price his club after they dominated the race.
Bongumusa Mthembu was second to collect the R145 000 cheque with Mambo getting R55 000 with Muzhingi settling for R20 000.
Muzhingi was seeking to be a history maker by bidding to be the second man to hold both the Two Oceans and the Comrades Marathon in the same athletics season.
The three-time Comrades Marathon winner won the Two Oceans event in March which he used to prepare for yesterday’s event. He did not seem to have recovered from the energy sapping Cape Town race and the New York Marathon he ran late last year.
Mamabolo broke the foreign stranglehold on the Comrades Marathon to win the 89km “down” run in Durban yesterday.
Mamabolo, who finished second in 2010, secured victory in five hours, 31 minutes, three seconds (5:31:03).
Lebohang Monyele took the early lead in the 87th edition of the race, but was caught by fellow novice Gert Thys shortly before the halfway mark.
Thys, the SA record holder in the standard marathon, had said before the race he was confident of setting a new course record.
He blew up spectacularly, however, after going through the halfway stage at Drummond with a lead of more than seven minutes over the other real contenders.
Mamabolo took the lead after four hours of running and tore clear to bag the first local victory in the race since Sipho Ngomane won in 2005.
Fellow South African Mthembu was second in 5:32.40, with five local athletes finishing among the top 10.
Elena Nurgalieva secured her seventh victory in the women’s race, and her third in succession, despite the absence of twin sister Olesya, who skipped the race after giving birth to her first child.
Nurgalieva, who won in 6:07.12, brushed off challenges from other foreign athletes, including fellow Russian Natalia Volgina and British ultra-marathon specialist Eleanor Greenwood.
Having gone through the halfway stage with a narrow lead, Greenwood eventually fell back as Nurgalieva strengthened her decade-long grip on the race.
Greenwood held on to finish second in 6:08.24.
Kerry Koen was the first SA woman home, taking sixth position in 6:45:44, with three local athletes securing gold medals.
Gold medal winners in the 2012 Comrades Marathon, a “down” run from Pietermaritzburg to Durban, on Sunday:
Results
Men: 1 Ludwick Mamabolo (RSA) 5:31:03, 2 Bongumusa Mthembu (RSA) 5:32:40, 3 Leboka Noto (LES) 5:33:07, 4 Marko Mambo (ZIM) 5:33:44, 5 Leonid Shvetsov (RUS) 5:35:12, 6 Stephen Muzhingi (ZIM) 5:38:02, 7 Lephetesang Adoro (LES) 5:38:05, 8 Gift Kehele (RSA) 5:38:39, 9 Claude Moshiywa (RSA) 5:39:10, 10 Petros Sosibo (RSA) 5:40:13
Women: 1 Elena Nurgalieva (RUS) 6:07:12, 2. Eleanor Greenwook (UK) 6:08:24, 3 Marina Zhalybina (RUS) 6:30:54, 4 Joasia Zakrzewski (UK) 6:33:41, 5 Devon Crosby-Helms (US) 6:39:59, 6 Kerry Koen (RSA) 6:45:44, 7 Irina Vishneyskaya (RUS) 6:47:19, 8 Natalia Volgina (RUS) 6:51:06, 9 Melanie van Rooyen (RSA) 6:52:36, 10 Julanie Basson (RSA) 7:00:45. — Sports Editor/news24.co.za.
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