NAKUBA insephe yamabanga amande, uBongumusa Mthembu, ingathandi ukuphumela obala ngokuyogijima emjahweni, iTotalsports Two Oceans Marathon yakulo nyaka kodwa ayinakho nokuncane ukungabaza ukuthi izoyibamba kwiComrades Marathon.
ITwo Oceans yakulo nyaka abagijmi abaningi abayithatha njengesendlalelo seComrades, izogijinywa ngo-Ephreli 6, eKapa. IComrades ezogijinywa kwehliwa kusukwa eMgungundlovu kubhekwe eThekwini, izoba ngoJuni 8.
UMthembu (41) we-Arthur Ford Athletics Club oseyinqobe amahlandla amathathu iComrades, uzobe eyigijima okwehlandla lika-17 njengoba aqala ukuyigijima ngo-2006.
ITwo Oceans aseyigijime amahlandla ayisikhombisa, uyinqobe ngo-2019 kuphela.
“IComrades isenhliziyweni yami, ngisazoyigijima isikhathi eside inqobo nje uma amadolo esavuma. Baningi abagijimi asebekhulile kunami abasawugijima lo mjaho, ngakho-ke nami ngisazoqhubeka ngiyibambe,” kusho uMthembu.
“Kunohlelo esiba nalo njengekilabhu njalo ngasekupheleni konyaka ukuthi ngonyaka olandelayo ngesizimisele ukukwenza, ngakho kufanele uhlelo lwethu lushintshashintshe. Imvamisa kuba abangalwazi abanye (abagijimi) kodwa ngendlela enhle yomdlalo wethu.
“I-Two Oceans yinhle ngokuthi usheshe ubone ukuthi amalungiselelo akho ahamba kanjani uma sikhuluma ngeComrades Marathon. Yiwona kuphela umjaho esinawo lapha eNingizimu Afrika okwazi ukuletha abagijimi abanohlonze abazosheshe bakukhombise ukuthi uma uya kwiComrades ngezinga eliphezulu ukuphi ngamalungiselelo akho ngaleso sikhathi.
“Ngakho uma kuwukuthi kuyenzeka ngiyigijima iTwo Oceans yakulo nyaka, kuyobe kuwuhlelo lwangaleso sikhathi. Uma kwenzekile kuyobe kwenzekile, uma kungenzekanga futhi kuyobe kungenzekanga ngoba sisuke sazi ukuthi yikuphi esisuke sikufuna emjahweni othile ngaleso sikhathi,” usho kanje.
Nyakenye, le nsephe ayilibonanga elidlalayo kwiTwo Oceans njengoba ilale endaweni ka-18, kanti ngo-2023 yaqeda endaweni ka-61. Lokhu kwenza kungamangazi ukungabaza kwayo ukuyogijima lo mjaho waseKapa. UMthembu uyinxusa lomjaho i-Best of the Best Marathon webanga lika-42km ozogijinywa ngoMashi 2. Lo mjaho uzowusebenzisa ukuzikala emalungiselelweni eComrades. Nyakenye ulale isithupha kwiComrades enqotshwe nguPiet Wiersma waseNertherlands. Ngo-2023 waqeda endaweni ka-16.