Editor’s Note

Celebration of the human spirit

THOUSANDS of road running enthusiasts, professional athletes and those running for different causes made the annual trek between Pietermaritzburg and Durban when the 95th edition of the Comrades Marathon took place on Sunday, August 28.

Once again the 90-plus kilometre race proved it is not called the Ultimate Human Race without a reason as witnessed by residents of the villages and suburbs along the challenging route. Sadly, two runners, Mzameleni Mthembu and Phakamile Ntshiza lost their lives due to health complications during the race.

Tete Dijana, who was the ultimate champion on that Sunday, may have won the race but the two deceased heroes deserve the honours as they departed from this world participating in an event that has become a symbol of the Rainbow Nation, unity and equality.

According to the Comrades Marathon Association (CMA), 13 213 runners from over 70 nations were on the starting line when the race began in Pietermaritzburg at 5.30am.

A whopping 11 709 made it to Durban’s Moses Mabhida Stadium.

Those who followed the race on television and the thousands that lined up the streets between the two KwaZulu-Natal cities, would have seen

the camaraderie among the runners, family support at various points and runners encouraging each other to stay on course. But what made the 2022 Comrades Marathon special to many is that in 2020 and 2021 no one had imagined Comrades will return this year as the country was dealing with the killer pandemic Covid-19.

While other sporting codes with limited number of participants were allowed back with stringent restrictions and no fans, events such as the Comrades became impossible to organise.

Its return to the road running calendar after a two-year hiatus was a celebration of the human spirit and, in a way, marked the conquering of Covid-19 by the many runners who were training by themselves on their streets and even inside their yards.

Old friends met again on August 28, new relationships were created, a marriage proposal was made, new champions like Dijana emerged and lots of love was shared by volunteers offering water and energy boosters to the runners. This special edition has sought to capture some of those Touching Moments of the 2022 Down Run and we hope readers and runners alike will enjoy it. Thulani Mbatha

Alexandra Morozova wins the women’s race of the 2022 Comrades Marathon at Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban in a time of 6 hrs 12 min 42 sec to improve on her previous two runners-up positions.

Tete Morena Dijana (C) wins the men’s race of the 2022 Comrades Marathon at Moses Mabhida Stadium in a time of 5 hrs 30 min 38 sec on August 28 2022.