A runner who helps others achieve their goals in the race (pacesetter), Siyanda Gebashe, who is one of the participants in this year’s race, is making a comeback by winning the seventh medal in the Comrades Marathon.
Gebashe (42) of the Hollywood Athletics Club is among 26 pacesetters nicknamed “bus drivers” who have been selected to lead runners in this year’s Comrades climb of a distance of 85.777km to be run on Sunday, from Durban to Pietermaritzburg.
“It is a great pleasure for me to be among the 26 pacesetters selected out of 144 applicants.
“Although I have been a pacesetter in three races, it will be the first time that I will be a part of this huge Comrades race. That’s why I am happy and motivated,” said Gebashe who hails from Sikhaleni, Mpangeni.
“Our work as pacesetters is very important in helping runners to be able to focus on the race and stay motivated until the end of it.
“A race like Comrades is long, it requires patience and mental strength, which is where the role of pacesetters is needed to encourage them.
“The time goal I set for myself is to finish the race, 7.28, so that I don’t reach the finish line crawling on my knees. And I’m looking for a seventh medal and a fourth silver in the Comrades.”
Gebashe who works asmaintanance technician in one of the engineering companies, in Durban, he has won six awards from Comrades, including three silver, and another three from Bill Rowan.
The best time he has done in this race is 6:59:36 indown runand 7:22:30 inup run.
“Since I started running in 2017, apart from Comrades, I have run five major races in the world, including the Berlin Marathon, the Boston Marathon, the Chicago Marathon, the New York Marathon and the London Marathon.
“Now I’m missing the Tokyo Marathon to get the Six Star Medal, which is awarded to a runner who has run six of the biggest races in the world.”