Tete Morena Dijana, a Comrades Marathon rookie, accomplished a fantastic performance to win the 95th running of The Ultimate Human Race this morning in 5 hours, 30 minutes.
Just before the 45th cutting, the Nedbank Running Club athlete pulled away from up-run champion Edward Mothibi to record a triumph that would undoubtedly improve his life.
The 34-year-old, who works as a security guard at North West University, was one of the favorites after finishing second to world record holder Stephen Mokoka in the Nedbank Runified 50km event in Gqeberha.
In the competition, Mothibi came in third.
But it wasn’t certain that his lack of expertise would work against him. In 2019, Dijana competed in his first Comrades and placed 50th. But he allayed those worries with a well planned run in which he stayed with the group until it was time to strike.
At the base of Fields Hill, Mothibi and Dijana grabbed the lead from Onalenna Khonkhobe, a colleague from the Nedbank Running Club.
The two shook hands with the young person who, according to team manager Nick Bester, was trying out Comrades before making a serious go at it the following year.
The guys from Mahikeng in the North West province then seemed to be on a Sunday morning long run as they strolled towards the finish line after passing the remainder of the group.
They scarcely appeared like guys engaged in competition as they shared beverages at the water stations, making it difficult to predict who would prevail.
However, the race was declared finished when Dijana gave it her all at Westwood Mall shortly before the 45th cutting.
Because he had previously beaten him in Gqeberha, he was aware that he had his buddy defeated.
Mothibi finished in a distant second place, while Dan Moselakwe finished third.