3 days ago
Eastern Cape novices ready for Comrades contest
Hollywood Athletics Club ' s Dolly Ndude said she had been loading mileage into her legs as part of preparations for her first Comrades.
'I have been loading throughout,' she said.
'I even went to Cape Town for 56km [Two Oceans], which I ran in 6:09:09. I was satisfied with that time.
'I don ' t have any target time, but I want to finish. But through my training, I promise to finish before the 12-hour mark.'
Nedbank Running Club ' s Zuks Tokwe said he planned to get a Bill Rowan bronze medal ( 7:30 to sub-9:00 ) from his first Comrades.
'The Buffalo City Marathon was my tempo run to check if I would be able to run the pace I want during Comrades,' he said.
'I am 100% sure I will run sub-10 hours in my first Comrades.'
Having participated in previous Comrades as a seconder, Aliwal Top runner Ncedo Mkhundlu said he was excited to be going to his first Comrades, which he thinks is an important global race for any person to run.
'There isn ' t much I can say about the race because I am doing it for the first time, but I tell myself that if others can run the race, I can also run it.
'Our training, which started in January, has been very tough.
'We have been focusing on the ultra-marathon distances, running 50-60km. Now we are tapering our preparations.'
Stutterheim Athletics Club ' s Ludumo Sobe has qualified for his first race and will line up with the hope of a good result in his debut.
'I ran my last marathon distance to test my fitness for Comrades,' he said
'I ran longer distances in preparation. I am happy with my qualifying time.
'I will not say what people must expect from me, but I am sure I will finish.'
Buffalo Runners Club athlete Ntombi Mbane ran 04:09:17 in her last marathon, which she says was a result of the hard training she put into her preparations.
'My race target is a secret,' she said. I don't want to announce it yet.
'I have been running Comrades for six years.
'My best time is 11:07:56, but now I want to run sub-11:00, and sub-10:00 will be a bonus. — Champions News Agency
