Johannesburg - Nkosikhona Mhlakwana is ready to make an impressive TotalSports Two Oceans Marathon debut on Sunday.
The Hollywodbets Running Club ace has his sights set on a top-10 finish although he does not rule out the possibility of becoming a champion the first time around.
“I may be new to the race, but I’ve been training for Two Oceans since December, and I am ready for Sunday. My goal is straightforward, to finish in the top-10. But if a win is there for the taking, I will take it.”
And the rest of the elite men who are favourites for the race will know only too well not to let Mhlakwana run ahead of them. This after all, is a man who has previously beaten Bongmusa Mthembu and Peter Mothubi in the same 56km distance as the Mother City ultra.
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“I may not have run Two Oceans before, but I have won 52km and 56 km races where I beat the likes of Bongmusa and Edward, so I am confident going to Cape Town that I can do well. I’ve trained hard for this race and my coach Prodigal Khumalo has all the experience and has got me ready.”
Mhlakwana is renowned for his spectacular Comrades Marathon debut in 2019 when he lost out on a top-10 finish just a few metres from the finish as his legs gave in on him when he was in ninth place. He finished 11th after Entsika AC athletes Gordon Lesetedi and Siya Mqambeli overtook him as he struggled to stay on his feet, balancing on the perimeter advertising boards.
He has done well to get over that mishap and has since established himself as a fantastic long-distance runner, the 28-year-old from Howick in KwaZulu/Natal running the fastest time in the 2020 virtual Comrades Marathon on the actual race route.
He goes into Sunday’s race carrying the title of KwaZulu/Natal marathon champion after winning the Best of the Best Marathon which also served as the provincial championships in an impressive time of 2:16:37.
“When I joined Hollywoodbets we agreed that the goal is for me to improve on all my times. I narrowly missed out on my marathon PB because I ran it just four seconds slower. But it was great to win the KZN Championships. I also had a great run in the PDAC 25km, arguably the toughest 25km race in the country, which I won in 1:15. Those runs show that I am on the right track, and they give me confidence that I will really do well at Two Oceans.”
Big Congratulations to Nkosikhona Mhlakwana who won the Prince Mangosuthu Ultra Marathon, 2021! pic.twitter.com/y0StfOpiWd
— Ayanda Nyuswa🔴 (@atnyuswa) September 5, 2021
The care and support he is receiving at his new club, Mhlakwana says, are making it easy for him to dream big.
“I’m very happy here at Hollywood Bets because they are a very ambitious club who support their athletes. They’ve given me the opportunity to camp and prepare for Two Oceans and my coach Prodigal Khumalo has been with me for ages and continues to open great doors for me.
“I have good sponsors, 32GI, Threshold, Orange Grove, Shamin Khan Physiotherapy as well as Prime (the Sports High Performance and Medical Institute) who always make it easier for me to focus on my training and give me everything I need to perform to the best of my abilities. So, it is always with the intention of making them proud that I line up for races. And it will be the same on Sunday when I make my Two Oceans debut.”
He has no doubt it will be an impressive debut.
The Cape Times is an official sponsor and media partner of the TotalSports Two OCeans Marathon
NOTE: In Sunday's article we erroneously stated that no runner has ever won the Two OCeans and the Comrades Marathons in the same year. Derek Preis did so in 1974
IOL Sport