UZanda Mkile waseMthatha ukulungele ukuya kwiComrades Marathon!
UZanda Mkile phambi kokubaleka iComrades Marathon yakhe yesithathu kunyaka ophelileyo KwaZulu-Natal.
Image: Uthunyelwe
Iimbaleki zehlabathi zixakekile ngoba zilungiselela olona gqatso olubalulekileyo eMzantsi Afrika. Ngomhla wesibhozo kwinyanga yeSilimela, iimbaleki eziphuma macala onke eMzantsi Afrika nakwamanye amazwe, ziza kudibana ePietermaritzburg - apho ziza kuqala khona ukubaleka umdyarho omkhulu ekuthiwa yiComrades Marathon oza kuya kuqhina eThekwini kwiphondo laKwaZulu-Natal.
Zonke iimbaleki ziza kube zibalekela ukufika ekugqibeleni. Phakathi kweembaleki eziza kube zithatha inxaxheba kugqatso lalo unyaka kukho uZanda Mkile. Le mbaleki yaseMthatha iza kube ibaleka iComrades Marathon ityeli lesine. Akululanga ukubaleka umgama ongamashumi asibhozo anethoba eekhilomitha (89km) ngoba kukho iindawo ezihlayo nezinyukayo.
Noxa kunzima kunjalo - kodwa iimbaleki ezihlawulwayo nezingahlawulwayo ziyithanda kakhulu Comrades Marathon ngoba ukubaleka kuyo kuqinisa ubomi babantu ngendlela emangalisayo. UMkile, 39, wayengenawo umnqweno wokuba yimbaleki esemncinane - kodwa ukubaleka komntana wakowabo kwamxhokonxa wangena naye ngo2019.
Ukusukela ngoko, sele ethathe inxaxheba kwimidyarho yeembaleki apha kwiphondo leMpuma Koloni nakwamanye amaphondo. Kwiminyaka emithandathu, uZanda uzigxame kwiTwo Oceans Marathon yaseKapa izihlandlo ezithathu nakwiNelson Mandela Bay Ultra Marathon phakathi kweminye imidyarho yeembaleki.
I'solezwe lesiXhosa lincokole nayo imbaleki yelali yaseMaqhinebeni ngelizama ukuva ukuba ahamba njani amalungiselelo eComrades Marathona yalo nyaka. "Amalungiselelo wam asahamba kakuhle kakhulu," utshilo uMkile oza kusebenzela ukwenza bhetele kugqatso oluzayo ngaphezulu kuneminyaka edlulileyo.
"Umgama endizimisele ukuwubaleka kumalungiselelo wam ndiwugqibile. Ndiphilile emzimbeni futhi kuhle ngoba khange kubekho konzakala okundiphazamisileyo. Kwezi iintsuku ezimbalwa ezishiyekileyo, ndibaleka nje imigama emifutshane ukuze umzimba wam uhlale ukwisimo esilungileyo.
"Ndiza kulwela ukuphucula ixesha endilibaleke kwiminyaka edlulileyo," utshilo uMkile ojonge ukubaleka izihlandlo ezilishumi ukuze iComrades imnike imbeko emfaneleyo (Green Number).