Comrades in arms journey to finish line

28 May 2017 - 02:00 By KHANYISO TSHWAKU
subscribe Just R20 for the first month. Support independent journalism by subscribing to our digital news package.
Subscribe now
David Gatebe wants to win the up-run.
David Gatebe wants to win the up-run.
Image: Gallo Images / Sowetan / Vathiswa Ruselo

Hamlett wary of the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune

Through the successes of Gift Kelehe and David Gatebe, John Hamlett has enjoyed the view of the Comrades Marathon summit.

However, he seems to think like a Liverpool supporter at the height of their powers: everyone's trying to knock you from your perch.

Being the coach behind the two previous winners, he has the magic formula. Kelehe will be defending his 2015 up-run title while Gatebe will be out to show he's not a one-trick pony after his record-breaking down-run last year.

Hamlett though is aware of the unpredictable nature of the ultra-marathon, especially the up-run.

The race has produced a different winner since Stephen Muzhingi did the double in 2010 and 2011.

"There's things like injuries, flu viruses and so on and you have to limit some of those things. You also can't avoid those things, but at least Gift and David are looking very competent this year. They're looking ready for war," Hamlett said.

"You can end up meeting someone who has flu two days before the race or have a bad injury day. These sort of things can pop up unexpectedly, but you have to deal with them.

"You can't control the uncontrollables. You have to let the one above deal with them as they come and look at the controllables."

While the other teams like Maxed Elite, KPMG and Nedbank also pack formidable distance running power, Hamlett last year alluded to the fact internal pressure is tougher to deal with than external issues.

Samancor's Kelehe and Gatebe ran the perfect up- and down-runs but the strength the latter showed when he smashed Leonid Shvetzov's 2007 down-run record of 5:20.39 by two minutes and 20 seconds marks him out as a clear danger.

Shvetzov's 2008 up-run record of 5:24.49 is a tougher ask and Kelehe's 2015 winning time of 5:38.36 was the slowest up-run winning time since Shvetzov overhauled Vladimir Kotov's 2000 record of 5:25.33.

Hamlett is cognisant of the dangers posed by the likes of Muzhingi, Ludwick Mamabolo, Claude Moshiywa and Bongmusa Mthembu but feels his runners have the ability to boss the 92nd edition of the iconic race.

"I do believe Gift is capable of winning the race and so is David. I believe it's going to be an interesting fight between the two of them," said Hamlett. "Gift hasn't got the injuries he had on the down-run so he could be the man to watch. Gatebe ran almost 40 minutes faster on the down-run and he can do the same on the up-run. There's a chance of the record falling.

"We have to look at the opposition but we're not too scared. David did say the guys they're scared of are in their camps and they know what they do. You also have the Lesotho guys who can spring a surprise."

When will a black woman rise to the challenge of winning the race?

Until the emergence of Charne Bosman and Caroline Wostmann in the past two editions, Farwa Mentoor was South Africa's sole flag-bearer at the Comrades Marathon.

At the height of the Nurgalieva twins hegemony, Mentoor at times would be the only South African in the top 10.

That has changed significantly in the past two races, but a black female athlete has not yet won the race.

Mentoor sidestepped the question of why black women have not made the mark their male counterparts have consistently done in the past seven years, but said women face challenges unique to them.

"If you are married and you have kids, it makes your life very difficult because you have to split your focus on your running career and your family," Mentoor said.

"You find that you don't have much time to spend with your family, especially with the kids. That's the problem women face.

"Also when I ran the Comrades, there was a lot more international competition and we faced the Russians. At times, they'd all finish in the top 10, but we can see South African women have improved significantly."

While last year's gripping down-run was highlighted by Wostmann's painful, but equally spectacular, breakdown in the last 10km, 37-year-old Fikile Mbutuma neatly placed herself in eighth position.

Having improved from the silver medal placing in the 2015 up-run to a gold medal position in the down-run, it is expected of her to push for a top-five place in Wostmann's injury-enforced absence.

"She can still improve, but the fact she finished in the top 10 is testament to how much better she has become. I hope to see much more of her in this year's race even though I suspect it's going to be tough. She's a very strong runner," Mentoor said.

Bosman served notice of her impending breakthrough with her second place in the face of Wostmann's ground-breaking 2015 win. That was the first win by a South African since Rae Bischoff's 1998 triumph.

Last year's women's top-10 included eight South Africans, a marked improvement from the disappointing up-run showing where only four South Africans finished in the gold medal positions. Bosman is not weighed down by the burden of expectation in Wostmann's absence and she needs to show her competitor's win wasn't a fluke.

"It was interesting to measure myself against Wostmann on the up-run but in her absence there will be a lot of other athletes to fight for the crown," Bosman said. "It's also very important for me to be focused on my own race. That's what happened last year and you can't be worried about what happens in front of you.

"Even if Caroline is not in the race, I'll still think she's there."

sports@timesmedia.co.za

subscribe Just R20 for the first month. Support independent journalism by subscribing to our digital news package.
Subscribe now