UZOTHENGA umuzi eKenya, uPiet Wiersma (26) waseNetherlands ongumpetha omusha weComrades Marathon ebisuka eThekwini yaphelela eHollywoodbets Scottville Racecourse, eMgungundlovu.
Lo msubathi ogijimela iNedbank Running Club, ushaye intambo ngesikhathi esiwu-5:25.00 emjahweni obuyibanga elingu-85.9km. Kwale kancane aphule irekhodi likaLeonid Shvetsov waseRussia lesikhathi esiwu-5:24.39 asenza kunyukwa ngo-2008. Kuzokhumbuleka ukuthi ngonyaka odlule, kwehliwa, uWiersma wayelale isibili ngesiwu-5:14.01.
Uzokhala amuke nesamba sika-R825 000. Kukhonye iNedbank kwabane bokuqala kulaba abagcine benze iTop 10.
Endaweni yesibili kungene uDan Moselakwe (5:25.45), kweyesithathu kwaba uDegefa Yohannese Lafebo wase-Ethiopia (5:27.48). Uphume isine uJoseph Manyedi (5:28:33) ojima noMoselakwe noTete Dijana.
UDijana ongumpetha wango-2022 nanyakenye akalibonanga elidlalayo, ulale kweka-14 (5:42.50). Ngemuva kokunqoba, uWiersma ubebukeka engakhathele. Ubehambe ubingelela aphinde axhawule abantu abebembongela. Utshele abezindaba ukuthi lo mjaho awubanga lukhuni njengoba ebecabanga.
Uveze ukuthi uhlale isikhathi esingamasonto ayisithupha eKenya eziqeqesha. IKenya yizwe elizakhele igama emhlabeni ngokukhiqiza abagijimi abenza kahle emabangeni amade.
Uthe ukujimela khona kwenze walithanda leliya lizwe. Uthe ngemali ayinqobile uzothenga umuzi khona nase-Italy lapho ezinze khona njengoba efunda.
"Ngibonga kakhulu kumngani wami ebengihlala emzini wakhe eKenya. Sesizobonana njalo ngoba ngemali engiyithole kwiComrades ngizothenga umuzi khona. Ngiwumuntu othanda ukuthenga umhlaba nemizi. Ngihlela nokuthenga umhlaba nase-Italy. Ngibonga kakhulu nakubazali bami ngokuhlale bengeseka ngayoyonke indlela. Ngibonga kakhulu nakuNick Bester ohlale enginika amaqhinga okunqoba lo mjaho. Ukudla umhlanganiso kulo mjaho kuzoyishintsha kakhulu impilo yami," kubeka uWiersma.
Ngaphambi komjaho ubeveze ukuthi bekulokhu kuyisilonda kuyena ukuthi wasala ngemizuzwana emithathu kuDijana nyakenye. Ubuye wathi ukunqoba iComrades kuzofeza iphupho lakhe lokuthi angene agxile kwezokugijima njengoba ebesamusha kulo mdlalo.
Echaza ngembangela yokuhluleka ukuphula irekhodi, uveze ukuthi ubanjezelwe amajaqamba maphakathi nomzila. "Ngesikhathi ngibona ukuthi ayangixaka ngizitshelile ukuthi ngingabe ngisajaha ukulephula ngoba ngizolimala kakhulu. Ngizitshele ukuthi angigxile ekufuneni ukunqoba kuphela. Ngeke ngiphele amandla, nangonyaka ozayo ngizobuya ngizozama ukulephula.“
UWiersma uthe kuhambe njengokuhlela kwabo. Le nsizwa esencane ibilokhu ihleli nabanye ozakwabo beNedbank eqoqweni ebelijaha labo abamane baqhashisa okwenhlamvu umjaho usaqala. Omunye abebehamba phambili umpetha weTwo Oceans Marathon, u-Onalenna Khonkhobe okhathale kusephansi, waphuma. UJobo Khatoane waseLesotho naye ukhathale endleleni ngemuva kokusuka ngejubane.
Ngemuva kwalokho uWiersema ubesondela nabehambisana nabo, amane wabaqathaza sekunyukwa i-Little Polly Shortts. Bekucaca ukuthi unamandla uma kwenyukwa. Zithe sezingena emqanseni wokugcina ePolly Shortts waphinde wanwantela ngaphandle kwenkinga, wazihola njalo waze wayongena eScottsville.
"Nakuba kuke kwaba nezindawo ezinzima ezifana naseNchanga kodwa angibuzwanga ubunzima kulo mjaho. Bengazi ukuthi kumele ngenzeni ngasikhathi sini. Ngisuke eThekwini ngaze ngawuqeda umjaho ngingazange ngiphelelwe umoya. Ngisizwe ukuthi ngiwaqeqeshele kahle amagquma. Yingakho noma bekuthi ozakwethu uma bengimisa kabi kodwa ngikwazi ukubehlula. Engikuqaphelile ukuthi lo mjaho bewungandile ngejubane. Nami bengenza isiqiniseko sokonga umoya. Ngiqale ukwenyusa ijubane sengibona ukuthi akhona amathuba okushaya intambo," kusho uWiersma.
Bami kanje abayishumi bokuqala kwabesilisa: Piet Wiersma (5:25.00); Dan Moselakwe (5:25.45); Degefa Lafebo (5:27.48); Joseph Manyedi (5:28.33); Andrew Davies (5:30.46); Bongumusa Mthembu (5:34.45); Elov Olsson (5:35.24); Teboho Sello (5:36.11); Alex Milne (5:36.51) noGivemore Madzinganyama (5:37.09).