‘I could not breathe’: Soweto Marathon runner on treading through human waste along 21km route

Service delivery challenges were laid bare in front of thousands of international and local runners during the Soweto Marathon at the weekend as athletes had to dive about gushing raw sewage on a strip of road on the 21km route.

A video of marathon runners trying to navigate the sewage went viral on social media.

The marathon attracted more than 24,000 runners, including athletes from other African countries.

Lindiwe Mtolo, who participated in the 21km run, told TimesLIVE Premium she struggled to breathe when she came across the sewage spillage close to the Soweto Towers. 

“It was a shock for runners to come across that much sewage on the official route. It was not just a small stream. It was gushing down the street. It caused so much commotion. It slowed us down. I could not breathe for three minutes when I had to run past the sewer.

“I asked myself how much more for the people that wake up, eat and sleep with that,” she said. 

Mtolo said this was her fourth Soweto Marathon but her first time experiencing sewage on the runner’s route.

“It was wet and dirty, one could get an infection on their foot. You just wonder if the people who were doing this route saw the sewer and did something about it.” 

Soweto Marathon Trust spokesperson Thokozani Mazibuko told TimesLIVE Premium the organisers reported pipe bursts cases to the municipality about two days before the marathon.

“Two days before the race, our officials drove on the route, and they reported each and everything. We had one or two running water issues that were reported to the relevant authorities to sort out before the race.

“I was under the impression that some of those service delivery issues would have been dealt with by the time the race took place,” Mazibuko said.

Mazibuko apologised to the runners about the sewage spillage on the route.

“We apologise that it happened. It was not our intention for the pipes to burst. If a pipe bursts, we cannot change the route in a short space of time. The rules do not permit us to change the routes.” 

Another 21km race participant, who asked not to be named, told TimesLIVE Premium though the sewage spill did not have a negative impact on some participants who are used to the site of bubbling sewers, it discouraged international runners.

“I was worried about stepping on the sewage debris and potentially getting sick. Sometimes during your run you find that you adjust your laces and you end up touching your face,” she said.

“I grew up in a township, so seeing sewage was not foreign to me, but township races suffer because people have issues with safety and now you have health hazard issues. About 2km after the sewage there was another burst pipe on the route. I think such things discourages people from participating and might be one of the reasons the marathon doesn’t fill up.” 

The runner said she loved the Soweto Marathon and would not stop participating.

“There was enough water [for consumption]. I enjoyed the scenery, aside from the sewage spillage, and in the majority of the race I felt safe. I believe if there was better service delivery from our municipalities the marathon can attract more people.” 

Marathon runners who took part in the 10km route told TimesLIVE Premium they did not experience the same challenges as those in the 21km. Mazibuko said the marathon organisers were working with different stakeholders to address different challenges to ensure the race ran smoothly.

Meanwhile, another runner took to social media to share why he would not take part in the Soweto Marathon.

He spoke of challenges of having the race in the township, saying at times, residents left their cars out in the street or pitched tents for events along the route, suggesting they were not adequately informed about the race.