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Tinashe Kusema
Zimpapers Sports Hub
WHAT a difference a couple of pictures can make!
The Totalsports Two Oceans Marathon is fast becoming one of Africa’s biggest events by economic impact, contributing R672 million annually to the Western Cape economy.
It has earned a reputation as one of the world’s most beautiful marathons, with the first race having been held way back in 1970 and saw 26 runners line up to face the unknown challenge.
The 2023 edition has been described as one of the competition’s best events ever, with the edition’s ultra-marathon winners Gerda Steyn and Givemore Mudzinganyama emerging from the contest as social media sensations owing to two contrasting pictures.
In the case of South Africa’s Steyn, she was pictured drinking a beer in celebration of her fourth straight title on the sidelines of the event.
The 34-year-old had just broken the women’s record after crossing home with a time of three hours, 29 minutes and six seconds.
By contrast, Mudzinganyama was pictured during the race as a woman with a baby strapped on her back, erroneously captioned as his wife, ran to hand him a bottle of water.
The runner has since come out to put the record straight.
“Yes, I am aware of the picture,” said the Zimbabwean long-distance runner. “However, that was not my wife. In fact, that was Rutendo Nyahora with her baby. She is a close friend and she was running to hand me a bottle of water.”
Ironically, Mudzinganyama’s actual wife, Nobunkosi Tshuma, is an athlete too, and a long-distance runner, to be exact.
The two met on the track back in 2013, tying the knot the following year, and are the living embodiment of the saying that a family that works together stays together.
“We met by accident during a meet back in 2013 and got married the following year,” he said. “She is also an active runner and took part in the Two Oceans NR 50-kilometre race last year.
“Being runners, the two of us, has made our relationship and marriage even better as we support each other, train together and it helps when it comes to things like schedules and planning for events.”
Steyn and Mudzinganyama were again in the news at this year’s event held in Cape Town, South Africa, recently.
The two, however, had opposing fortunes; they both came in as defending champions, but only one came out with a title in hand.
Steyn, who took part in the Two Oceans and Comrades Marathon double last year, raced home with a time of three hours, 26 minutes and 54 seconds, smashing her 2023 record.
It was her fifth successive Two Oceans win, becoming the first athlete to achieve this feat.
Mudzinganyama, on the other hand, could only achieve a third-place finish as South Africa’s Onalenna Khonkhobe took his crown away and finished with a time of three hours, nine minutes and 30 seconds.
Still, the Zimbabwean runner was happy with his podium finish, a feat he achieved with a time of three hours, 11 minutes and 13 seconds.
Khonkhobe and Lloyd Bosman (03:09:58) came first and second, respectively.
“I am very happy with my performance,” Mudzinganyama said from his base in South Africa. “The Two Oceans race is one of the top marathon races in the world and a top 10 finish is something to be proud of.
“The mere fact that I went on to finish in the top three is way better and I am indeed happy.”
He could have possibly performed better, but had a shoddy run-up to the event and preparations that were hampered by injury.
“Preparations for this event were a bit difficult as I had a late start owing to an injury I sustained last year,” he said.
“I only started to train properly in January as I had to sit out due to problems I encountered back in October last year.
“I think it was after the Sandton Marathon that I started to experience some pain and had to sit out for about two to three weeks. I was struggling to walk and went to my psychotherapists to seek their guidance.”
Mudzinganyama leaned on his years of experience as a long-distance runner and also rehabbed after it was discovered that he did not need any surgery.
By January, he was up and about, and resumed training for his title defence.
With the Two Oceans done and dusted, the runner has closed the door on any Olympic dreams, at least for the foreseeable future, as his aspirations lie elsewhere.
“I am not interested in the Olympics right now,” said the 34-year-old. “I still have a lot of goals and things I want to achieve in the ultra-marathon, and that is my main focus right now.”
While he did not go into specifics, Mudzinganyama did reveal that he had set his sights on the Soweto and Cape Town marathons as short-term goals.
Online Reporter