dyton mupawaenda
Sports Reporter
ESTABLISHED over 100 years ago, the Comrades Marathon is the world’s oldest and largest ultra-marathon race.
Run over 90km, mostly uphill, the Comrades Marathon is, to some, not just a sporting competition but a test of mental strength.
“The good thing about the Comrades Marathon is that it can tell you nothing is impossible. You can actually face any challenge,” Kudzai “Great Khalister” Pasipanodya says. He is one of hundreds of Zimbabweans who will compete at this weekend’s Comrades Marathon in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
“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.”
About 332 athletes from Zimbabwe, including renowned long-distance runners Mike Fokorani and Jonathan Chinyoka, will compete in the race, which attracts over 20 000 participants.
Zimbabwe has the second largest contingent after hosts South Africa.
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. Uniquely, 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 third 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.” A number of athletes are coming from the Musabvunda Academy. However, all Zimbabwean participants will be branded by the academy.
The Comrades Marathon was established in 1921 and is run over a distance that is almost similar to that between Harare and Chegutu.
Rigorous preparations usually precede the Durban marathon.
But now is the time for athletes to tone down their drills ahead of departure for South Africa. “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, 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.” Many still cherish Muzhingi, who won the Comrades Marathon race for three consecutive years — 2009, 2010 and 2012.
PRIZE MONEY (both men and women)
Position 1 R 550 000,00
Position 2 R 300 000,00
Position 3 R 180 000,00
Position 4 R 90 000,00
Position 5 R 70 000,00
Position 6 R 40 000,00
Position 7 R 35 000,00
Position 8 R 30 000,00
Position 9 R 25 000,00
Position 10 R 20 000,00
Online Reporter