UHLULEKE wancama uDavid Gatebe ukuphula irekhodi labesilisa kwiComrades Marathon ebinyuka ngesikhathi egcina eqede endaweni ka-18 emjahweni wangeSonto.
UGatebe nguyena kuphela umgijimi owaphumela obala ngokuthi ufuna ukulishaya irekhodi elinyukayo ngesikhathi kunesithangami nabezindaba ngoLwesihlanu olwandulela umjaho.
Kodwa izolo amathe abuyele kwasifuba kulo mpetha ka-2016 owadla ubhedu kuyiwa eThekwini lapho enza * -5.18.19 okuyirekhodi elisamile.
Irekhodi elinyukayo labesilisa limi ku-5.24.29 elenziwa uLeonid Shvetsov waseRussia ngo-2006.
Uthe lo mjaho ubunzima kakhulu kuyena futhi umhlulile nje.
“Ngizamile kodwa namhlanje bekungelona usuku lwami nhlobo. Ngibone bengishiya endleleni, kwangicacela ukuthi akulona usuku lwami. Okungijabulisile ukuthi umkhaya wami (* -Edward Mothibi) esijima naye wuyena odle umhlanganiso. Bekuvele kungumuntu ebengibhekile ukuthi angenza kahle ngenxa yendlela esijima ngayo,”’ kusho uGatebe.
Basebenza ndawonye e-Impala Platinum noMothibi okunguyena onqobe lo mjaho ongu-86.83km obekungoka-94 ngeSonto.
Kudlulwe ku-half way uGatebe kunguyena ozihola phambili. Kufikwa eCamperdown waqala wahlungeka. Uthe ngokwakhe ubejime ngendlela efanele.
“Okungijabulisayo ukuthi ngiwuqedile umjaho wanamhlanje (ngeSonto). Bengizilungiselele ngendlela ngiza kuwo. Ngiziqeqeshile neqembu lami kodwa ngizwe amandla ami ephela endleleni,” kusho uGatebe.
Uthe yize kungamhambelanga kahle kodwa ngonyaka ozayo uzobuya azozimisela.
“Sekuphelile ngeComrades yalo nyaka. Sesibheke elandelayo. Okwamanje ngiyozipholisa, ngibuyele ekujimeni uma sengikahle. Ngizobuya ngonyaka ozayo,” esho ehleka uGatebe.
Uthe yize lo mjaho umthwalise kanzima kodwa azikho izingqinamba abhekane nazo, ugijimile nje ngaphandle kwezinkinga.
Omunye umsubathi obethembise ukwenza kahle uGift Kelehe owanqoba ngo-2015. Naye ubehamba nesixhanti esiphambili lapho bekukhona uBongmusa Mthembu ophume endaweni yesibili, noMothibi. Kodwa kuthe kungadlulwa eDrummond wahlungeka. Ngemuva komjaho uveze ukuthi ubambeke umsipha, okumenze wangakwazi ukugijima ngendlela abehlele ngayo.