“After finishing the Comrades, I felt like a bubble floating in wonderland”

Published in June 2016

Tlhalefang Mtombeni didn’t always envision running Comrades. He came from a small primary school where he participated in track. He then moved to a bigger high school where he was introduced to contact sport, his favourite being rugby. Tlhalefang says he enjoyed the fact that rugby required enormous strength, agility and determination, all of which are important skills to learn at a young age.

When he got to varsity though, he found there was less time for sport and fitness as his days were spent in a laboratory and class. In 2007 however, Tlhalefang realised the importance of living a healthy, active lifestyle, and so he joined a gym. It was there that he became a fitness instructor.

And then … his running journey began

In 2016, Tlhalefang planned a trip down to Cape Town. His trip coincided with the Two Oceans Marathon and he decided it would be a good idea to enter since it would give him something to do. He registered in January and recalls that that’s where his “running journey began”. After competing in the Two Oceans Marathon he decided to take on something bigger … the Comrades Marathon. His decision to compete was again decided last minute – when a friend offered him a substitution race entry.

After finishing in a time of 10:09:59 and being a little disappointed that he missed his sub 10 target, Tlhalefang says “I suppose that provided me with an opportunity to want to beat it next year”.

Balancing training and studying

Tlhalefang is currently studying towards a degree in mechanical engineering and says “to be honest it wasn’t really tough to juggle the two”. He says during training he didn’t spend much time on the road but rather spent his time in the gym, since he is also a part-time fitness instructor/personal trainer. He did, however, participate in marathons over the weekend and used that as part of his training. The below is a training schedule that Tlhalefang followed for Comrades:

Tlhalefang’s Comrades experience

Tlhalefang says looking back now, his physical ability got him from Pietermaritzburg to Pinetown. From that point onwards he says it was “pure mental and spiritual ability”.

“I never prayed so much in my entire life … I felt myself fade into an entire dimension”. Tlhalefang says he had to take his mind off running for a bit and “thought about anything good in this world and my life – not to mention what’s waiting for me at the end”. He says he kept saying to himself “I cannot stop now, mom and dad are waiting for me, so you better run a little faster”. “I was numb for a day or two, like in a bubble floating in wonderland”, he recalls post-Comrades. He says he felt such a sense of accomplishment and jokingly recalls how hungry he felt towards the end. “Next year, I am packing some meatballs and biltong for Team Vitality to give me at the 70km mark”.

So what makes Comrades such an experience?

“The people, the runners” he suggests. “They become real comrades.”

Before the race started he says “I was mortified at the thought of running, it was freezing cold dark and I was overwhelmed”. He says “a lady must have seen the horror in my eyes, came up to me and gave me a huge hug and said you’ll be fine, just enjoy the race”. From that point on he picked himself up and joined the sub-10 hour bus. Whenever he saw another team member he would say “go team member, let’s get those Vitality points”. This spurred him on and gave him a sense of pride.

His advice for others thinking of taking part? “Do it. Challenge yourself. Growing is advancing, I need to advance. I can’t be stagnant. That’s a bore.”

We look forward to seeing Tlhalefang competiting at the next Comrades Marathon.