Mohau Maretele
Schweizer reneke – The 96th Comrades Marathon will be held on 11 of June 2023. The starting point will be at the Pietermaritzburg City Hall at 05h30, ending 12 hours later at the Kingsmead Cricket Stadium in Durban. The Comrades Marathon, which is the largest and longest running Ultramarathon race in the world, is approximately an 89-Kilometres Ultramarathon that takes place each year in the province of KwaZulu-Natal between the cities of Durban and Pietermaritzburg.As the country prepares for this thrilling entertainment of sport, MORONGWA got to sit down with one of the participants for this upcoming Comrades Marathon, Tumisang Moemi, who hails from Schweizer Reneke in the province of North West.To be able to compete in the Comrades Marathon, one must meet certain requirements. One of those is to run a qualifying marathon of 42.2 kilometers in less than 4 hours and 50 minutes.: In this case, Moemi ran two qualifying ultramarathon races, which were the Irene Running Festival and the Two Oceans Marathon. “I completed the Irene Running Festival race, which is a 48-KM race, in 4 hours 51 minutes, and the Two Oceans Marathon, which is a 56-KM race, in 5 hours 58 minutes”, Moemi explained.Having been a runner for a very long time, which includes running for various purposes, including raising aid for charity organisations, this will not be Moemi’s first participation in the marathon. He has already participated three times, and this will be his fourth feature. “I think every feeling is different with every race, but I am happy and looking forward to my fourth comrade. If it comes with a medal, it will be a cherry on top.” When asked about how he has prepared himself, he told MORONGWA that he had to strike a balance across all his life activities, especially being a part-time student, a full-time employee, and a family man.“I normally train five days a week, with short runs of 10 to 15 kilometers throughout the week and long runs of 20 to 42 kilometers on weekends. Preparing for this race requires a lot of work, and not only requires strong muscles but also mental fitness.” Tumisang says he’s not expecting to win the race but is looking forward to having the time of his life. Irrespective of his finishing position, he regards finishing the race as a win on its own. However, it would be his greatest achievement to finish the race in under 10 hours, and he is positive that he would do so. Moemi pleaded with road users—runners, cyclists, and motorists—to give each other spaces and share the road. He also condemned the high level of criminality most runners face every day on the roads. “Allow yourself to safeguard the runners and share the road and streets with them. It is called Botho.”
