adminMuzhingi has won the race from 2009 and is eyeing a historic quad that could make him the second athlete to hold the Comrades and the Two Oceans Marathon titles at the same time.
The event, run between Durban and Maritzburg, is associated with fanfare and offers good exposure to winning athletes.
From the race, the publicity blitz has helped athletes get sponsorships and national recognition.
Muzhingi is one good example as that has enabled him to gun for top sports awards in his country and the honour of meeting President Robert Mugabe.
On Sunday Zimbabweans both at home and abroad are expected to tune into their television sets for more than five hours to watch the athlete seek to write himself into the history books.
He has had a good warm-up. He goes into the race with his confidence high following the Two Oceans win at the end of March.
Last year, he finished fifth in the Two Oceans as he prepared for his second win. His training base has been Harare and Durban and his vast knowledge of the course is one advantage he will ride on as he takes on athletes from all over the world.
The Comrades Marathon, run on a treacherous route between Durban and Maritzburg, has several escarpments that have proven difficult to deal with for many athletes. In 2010, Collin Makaza, another Zimbabwean, led for most of the opening 50km, only to burn out and looked pathetic when he ate rolls taken from fans on the roadside.
Athletes from all over the world will take part in the event which will attract over 16 000.
With Derek Preiss, the only other athlete to be champion in the same calendar over the two marathons in the same year, said Muzhingi has all the reasons to go for gold. He would certainly have written himself a page in ultra-marathon running folklore.
Top Zimbabwe marathon runners Sipho Ncube, Themba Phulu, Prodigal Khumalo, Samukeliso Moyo, Thabitha Tsatsa, Makaza and Moses Njodzi are also expected to take part in the race.
In the absence of the Matopos 33-Miler and the Peter Gradwell 65km race, most athletes have used competitions in South Africa to qualify for the Comrades.
Zimbabweans will have to fend off the Russian charge. Former champion in the men’s category Leonid Shvetsov will be among the favourites as will Elena Nurgalieva in the women’s.
For this one she will be without twin sister Olesya who recently had a baby.
A notable participant at this year’s event will be Zola Budd, the former 3 000m specialist. Her decision to run for the UK in 1984 instead of her country of birth South Africa, drew worldwide condemnation.
If Muzhingi wins again, he will be the first runner since Bruce Fordyce in 1988 to take four titles in a row.
Online Reporter