UMtolo ubona kungowoHlanga ozonqoba iComrade
Konke sekumi ngohlelo sekulindwe olungaliyo lwangeSonto lapho abagijimi bezokhiphana inkani emgwaqeni
Umakadebona kwezokusubatha uBhekiziwe William Mtolo, uthi ozoshaya intambo kwabesilisa emjahweni iComrades Marathon ngowoHlanga.
Lo mjaho ojwayele ukuba ekuqaleni kukaNtulikazi, kulo nyaka uzoba ngeSonto, usukela eCity Hall, eMgungundlovu, uphelele eMoses Mabhida Stadium, eThekwini. Bangaphezu kwezinkulungwa ezili-15 000 abasubathi abangele umjaho. UMtolo owaziwa ngelika uWillie, uthe ngokwakhe uthipha uNkosikhona “Pitbull” Mhlakwana kanye no-Edward Mothibi.
“UMhlakwana noMothibi angingabazi ukuthi oyedwa wabo uyena ozoshaya intambo kuqala eMoses Mabhida ngeSonto. Ngiyabathemba kakhulu, umuntu ongahlula laba bobabili shuthe uyena oyoba umphetha weComrades Marathon yakulo nyaka. Kodwa ngingasho ngaphandle kokungabaza ukuthi ayi akekho ongama endleleni yalaba bobabili” kusho uMtolo.
UMhlakanwa koweTwo Oceans 56 Ultra Marathon waphuma endaweni yesibili ngesikhathi esiwu-03:09:07. Egcina ukugijima iComrades Marathon ngowezi-2019, wayephume endaweni ye-11 (05:53:00).
Kanti uMothibi engakwenza akwenza ngonyaka wezi-2019 ngokuthi awunqobe lo mqhudelwano waminyaka yonke. Washaya intambo ngesikhathi esiwu-5:31:33. IComrades Marathon ikhuza ibuya kulo nyaka kwazise yagcina ukuba khona ngonyaka wezi-2019, ayibanga khona iminyaka emibili ngenhla yokhuvethe.
Ebuzwa elaboHlanga ukuthi izinga lakulo nyaka lalo mqhudelwano ulibona linjani uthe: “Ngeke libe phezulu izinga lakulo nyaka, okwenza ngisho njalo ukuthi uzoqala eMgungundlovu kuzobe kubanda kakhulu bethi befika eThekwini sekushisa lokho kuzodlala indima ukuthi kwehle ukuncintisana. Okunye lo mqhudelwano ujwayele ukuba ngoNtulikazi, kulonyaka ungoNcwaba abantu abaningi kade bagcina ukugijima. Ukhuvethe ngilubona kuyilo oludale umthelela wayo yonke lento” kubeka uMtolo.
Ngonyaka we-1992 le ngwevu yangena endaweni yesibili kwiComrades, kwathi ngonyaka we-1996 yanqoba iNew York Marathon. UMtolo oneminyaka yobudala engama-57 uthe ngenxa yothando analo ngalo mdlalo ingakho namanje esazibandakanya kuwona ngokuthi aqeqeshi i-Ensika Athletics Club okuyiqembu eliseGoli. Ngaphandle kokuba ngumqeqeshi uphinde abe nepulazi elise-Underberg.
ElaboHlanga liphinde lakhululuma noXolani Mabhida. Lo mqeqeshi onamagalelo akadingi kuchazwa kwiComrades Marathon, ukholwa wukuthi emjahweni walo nyaka, kwabali-10, kuzokhonya abasubathi abaqhamuka esifundazweni iKwaZulu-Natal, iNorth West naseGoli. “Lezi zifundazwe zontathu, abantu balapha eNingizimu Afrika abanqoba iComrades Marathon baqhamuka kuzona. Nakulo nyaka ngikholwa ukuthi owoHlanga uyena ozodla umhlanganiso, uzobe eqhamuka khona KwaZulu-Natal, iNorth West naseGoli” kusho uMabhida. Uyena owayeqeqesha uBongumusa Mthembu ngesikhathi enqoba iComrades Marathon kulandelana ngoyaka wezi-2017 nangowezi-2018.
Engeza uthe: “Wona lo mqhudelwano uyamangazana, eminyakeni edlule lokho kwenzekile ukuthi laba abalindelwe ukuthi banqobe benganqobi kuvele kuqhamuke umuntu oseceleni. USipho Ngomane, uMthembu (uBongumusa) bakwenzile lokho eminyakeni edlule. Kodwa kulaba abangenhla ngibona oyedwa wabo ezonqoba” usho kanje uMabhida.
Ebuzwa ngokuthi ulibona lizoba njani izinga kulo nyaka uthe: “Lizoba phezulu kakhulu ngeke ngaqamba amanga. Abantu kade bayilambela iComrades Marathon, lokho bazokukhombisa ngeSonto wonke umuntu uzofuna ukunqoba. Isimo sezulu sizobe sikahle, ukuthi bonke abasubathi bengabi nenkinga yokuqeda lo mjaho” kusho uMabhida. Yize engafunanga ukuveza amagama abantu abathwele ngeqoma uMabhida, kodwa bayaziveza uma ekhuluma ngezifundazwe.
KwaZulu-Natal bakhona oMhlakwana noSikhumbuzo Duma abagijima ngaphansi kweHollywoodbets AC. Omunye wale kilabh uSikhumbuzo Seme ongowaseGoli.
UDuma kwiTwo Oceans uphume endaweni ye-13 (03:17:14). Uphinde walala isibili kwiBest of the Best Marathon.
Nakuba uSeme ozalwa umqeqeshi uMichael “Spongy” Seme, ezobe eqala ukugijima iComrades kodwa igama lakhe liyavela kwabazokwenza kahle.
KwabaseNorth West, uMothibi okwiNedbank Running Club angakuphinda akwenza ngonyaka wezi-2019. Kube uTete Dijana olale isibili ( 2:44:08) kwiNedbank Runfield Breaking Barriers 50km ,ekuqaleni konyaka. Emjahweni ofanayo, uMothibi walala isithathu (2:45:27).
Umlando uyakuveza ukuthi eminyakeni eli-10 kusukela ngowezi-2010 kuya kowezi-2019, lo mqhudelwano unqotshwe umsubathi waseNingizimu Afrika kayi-7. Akhona amagama oMthembu, Mothibi, uGift Kelehe, uLudwick Mamabolo, uDavid Gatebe. Eminye uStephen Muzhingi odabuka eZimbabwe. Kwabesifazane owokugcina wagcina unqotshwe uGerda Steyn walapha eNingizimu Afrika ngesikhathi esiwu-5:58:54. UGerda ngeke akwazi ukuvikela isicoco sakhe njengoba engeke abe yingxenye yalo mqhudelwano.
Umqhudelwano wokuqala weComrades Marathon waba ngonyaka we-1921 mhla zingama-24 kuNhlaba. Yasungulwa uVic Clapham. Umjaho wokuqala wanqontshwa uBill Rowan kwabesilisa, kwabesifazane wanqontshwa uFrances Hayward.