Nkosikhona Mhlakwana has come a long way since that dreadful Sunday in June 2019 when his legs gave up on him as he was approaching the Comrades Marathon finish line at Scottsville Racecourse in Pietermaritzburg. Then, running in the red and white colours of Maxed Elite, novice Mhlakwana lost out on a top 10 finish, having been in ninth spot before he crumbled to the ground — allowing Entsika Athletic Club’s duo of Gordon Lesetedi and Siya Mqambeli to overtake him.
Such an experience could have destroyed the confidence of many athletes, but Mhlakwana grew stronger from it. What followed was some fantastic running in different disciplines — cross country, half-marathons, full marathons and ultras — where he reigned victorious.
He suddenly became a household name, helped in no small part by his activities on social media, where he shares details about his training and running.
This Sunday, when he lines up for the start of the 95th edition of the Comrades Marathon at the Pietermaritzburg City Hall, Mhlakwana will be among the favourites for the title — not just for fans wishing him well but given his running strength.
It is, however, a tag he is reluctant to accept. The lad from Howick, just outside Pietermaritzburg, feels he is but a baby at Comrades.
“To be honest I don’t want to put myself under the favourites umbrella,” said the man who now runs for Hollywoodbets. “My goal is straightforward: I want to go there and improve on my position from that last race and my time (5:53:22) in 2019.
Mhlakwana is still young at this event, and he knows he must learn from running alongside the experienced guys such as Bongmusa Mthembu, the three-time champion who are legends of this race. “I want to be like them one day and I know I need to be patient to get to where they are.”
Patience, the 28-year-old says, will be key on Sunday if he is to achieve his goal.
“My coach Prodigal Khumalo [the multiple Comrades gold medallist] and I have done our training and preparation. We were in camp for eight weeks. I must be patient on Sunday. No need to rush things. I must just stick to the plan and follow it to the end,” said the runner.
Mhlakwana’s second-place finish at the Two Oceans Marathon in April, where he lost out to Ethiopian Edndale Belachew in a sprint finish, must have built his confidence for Comrades.
“Comrades Marathon is very different from Two Oceans,” he said. “Of course I got some confidence from that second place at Two Oceans — it said to me I can challenge for honours at big events. I can’t deny that I did well and people will be expecting me to be there. It is experience that is within me — I didn’t buy it and I can’t shy away from it, so I will use that experience on Sunday. But the reality is the two races are not the same.”
That fact notwithstanding, Mhlakwana does have other experience that is sure to prove valuable on Sunday. When the race was cancelled in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Comrades Marathon Association (CMA) organised a virtual run that saw runners the world over taking part. For the first time there were different distances participants could run.
Mhlakwana and many others did the full 90km and he did it on a huge segment of the actual down run route, starting in his hometown of Merrivale in Howick and finishing at the Lahee Park in Pinetown. He completed the 90km distance in the same time of 5:53 that he did in the 2019 up run.
“Officially this will be my first down run, but the reality is I know the route, I ran it in 2020. That experience has given me confidence. To be the winner of the virtual 90km was great for me. I was very proud of my achievement.
“I know some people will say I ran that route alone and it will be different on race day with other competitors, but I believe that experience will help me on Sunday because it has given me the belief that I can tackle the down run.”
The fact that there has not been any official race for two years has got many believing Sunday’s race will be wide open, leaving a chance for the likes of novices Mhlakwana to be victorious. After all, when Edward Mothibi won in 2019, he was a novice in the up run, wasn’t he?
Mhlakwana, though, is not allowing himself to get carried away by the fact he has beaten Mthembu, down run record-holder David Gatebe and other top 10 contenders such as Joseph Manyedi at races such as the Mangosuthu ultra.
“I am happy people appreciate the work I’ve done since that first Comrades when my legs went jelly on me. Coming into this race, I am aware that a lot of eyes will be looking at what I will be doing. I can never ignore that people are looking at my previous results. But this is my first down run. It is my first race and I need to do my best on the day. I’ve done all the work, thanks to my coach.
“The word ‘winning’ is a big word. As a youngster, I cannot be thinking like that. On the day anything can happen. Of course, I know how to win. But Comrades is not a race you can say you are going to win. But you can be ready to run your best and I am prepared to run my best based on how I’ve trained.
“Winning though, comes with an opportunity. You cannot just go to the race and say I am going to win the race. It all comes down to how the race unfolds.”
Such has been his rise since that dreadful June Sunday in 2019 that Mhlakwana can be trusted to find a way to ensure the race unfolds in his favour. He has the talent, speed, endurance and mental fortitude to not only achieve his goal of a better time than the 5:53:22 but to be the first man into Moses Mabhida Stadium on Sunday.
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