KUBUYISE ukuzethemba kuFikile Mbuthuma ukulala indawo yesithathu kwiBhekizizwe Joseph Shabalala Marathon ebingeledlule, eMnambithi.
Kulo mjaho obekuhlonishwa ngawo uJoseph Shabalala ongumsunguli weqembu lesicathamiya, iLadysmith Black Mambazo, kwabesifazane intambo ishaywe nguDikeledi Majara (02:56.45).
Isibili kube ngu-Adele Broodryk (02:59.05) kwathi uMbuthuma wenza (03:08.00). Kwabesilisa kunqobe uNkosikhona Mhlakwana (18:18.53).
Abashaye intambo kwi-42km baklonyeliswe ngoR35 000. Kwi-21km kube uR15 000 kwathi kwi-10km kwaba uR10 000.
UMbuthuma, ogijimela iNedbank Running Club, uke wahlala isikhathi eside engagijimi ngenxa yokukhulelwa.
Nokho unyaka odlule uphele esebuyele emgwaqweni kangangoba uyigijimile neComrades Marathon. Uye kulo mjaho ephuma ekunqobeni i-PDAC 25km ngesikhathi esiwu-1:44.
“Kungijabulise kakhulu ukuphuma indawo yesithathu kwiBhekizizwe Joseph Shabalala Marathon. Kungithokozisile nokuba yingxenye ekuhlonipheni iqhawe elingubaba uShabalala,” kusho uMbuthuma.
"Ngizizwa ngikhethekile. Ngemuva kokuhlala isikhathi eside ngingagijimi, manje ngiyawuzwa umzimba wami usubuyele kulo kaFikile engiwaziyo wokunqoba imijaho."
Uveze ukuthi nakulo nyaka uzoyigijima iComrades, ezosukela eCity Hall, eMgungundlovu, iphelele eMoses Mabhida Stadium, eThekwini, ngoJuni 11.
“Iminyaka seyihambile, angifuni ukuzethwesa ingcindezi kwiComrades. Ngifuna ukwenza isikhathi esingaphansi kwamahora ayisikhombisa. Lesi sikhathi singangifaka kwi-top 10,” kusho uMbuthuma, ngeComrades yakhe ka-15.
Kuzokhumbuleka ukuthi ngo-2016, le ntokazi ebuye ibe ngumsebenzi wasePrime Human Performance Institute, eMoses Mabhida Stadium, ilale indawo yesishiyagalombili kulo mjaho.
Abahleli beBS Marathon (uVuyo noSibongiseni Shabalala), babonge abasubathi abangu-3200 ababambe iqhaza baze bathembisa ukubahlabela inkomo nokunyusa imiklomelo ngokuzayo.
"Ngibonga kakhulu kwiMeya kaMasipala i-Alfred Duma, uZama Sibisi, umengameli weKZNA, uSteve Mkasi, owayeyisekela mengameli uPhumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, imiNyango wezeMidlalo nakwabanye,“ kusho uVuyo.
“Ngonyaka ozayo, sizoqinisekisa ukuthi abagijimi abawasweli amanzi emgwaqweni. Sihlela nokubahlinzeka ngezipontshi zokulala.”
Kulo mjaho bekusubatha noSihle Zakalala owayengundunankulu KwaZulu-Natal.