Online Reporter
Takudzwa Chitsiga-Zimpapers Sports Hub
FOR the fourth time, Kudzai “Great Khalister” Pasipanodya will be part of over 100 Zimbabweans who will take part in the Comrades Marathon in South Africa on Sunday.
Pasipanodya, an ardent fitness enthusiast, will be part of the world’s oldest and largest ultra-marathon race along with Musabvunda fitness and lifestyle athletes Nyasha Marira, Christopher Tavaziva and Komborero Mwenyendiyani.
This year’s edition, the 98th running of the Comrades Marathon, will be a down run starting in Pietermaritzburg and finishing in Durban.
The race distance is approximately 89km.
“The good thing about the Comrades Marathon is that it can tell you nothing is impossible. You can actually face any challenge,” he says.
“With the Comrades Marathon, you can actually say, I don’t have any limits,” he said.
“You cannot have any challenge that you will say you cannot face. If competition is coming, you will say, we are ready.”
Hundreds of athletes from Zimbabwe, including renowned long-distance runners Mike Fokorani and Jonathan Chinyoka, will compete in the race, which attracts over 20 000 participants.
Stephen Muzhingi, who has retired, is a former winner of the 90km race and remains the only Zimbabwean to do so.
He was even honoured by the State for his exploits.
“Muzhingi remains an inspiration; he did the unthinkable,” remarked Pasipanodya. Pasipanodya is a top executive at a giant local battery manufacturer.
He is also a fitness enthusiast who runs the popular fitness outfit Musabvunda, and this will be his fourth Comrades Marathon in a row.
“A marathon helps me tackle a number of corporate issues,” he said. “If there are challenges in the economy, challenges in the processes, in the production, challenges in the product and everything, you will always be thinking that we can always find a solution,” he said.
A number of athletes are coming from the Musabvunda Academy. However, all Zimbabwean participants will be branded by the academy.
“The preparations for this year were different from the previous year because of the experience,” said Pasipanodya. “It was far much better. We started in January, so for the past five or six months, we have been training.
“Now, we are no longer doing vigorous training. We are just tapering so that we don’t get any injuries or get any torn ligaments.”
