The Running Mann

17th June 202517th June 2025

From Gunshot to Glory: Prince’s Brave Comrades Journey

On a Tuesday evening in Ivory Park, Tembisa just two weeks before Comrades, aspirant novice runner Prince Nemutamzhela was relaxing with his family at home. Comrades training is hard work and Prince had trained hard. It was now time to taper and get the body and mind ready for a first journey between Pietermaritzburg and Durban.

Prince was chatting to a friend while his wife Asnath was getting their two young children, a 12-year-old son and 4-year-old-daughter, ready for bed. Their eldest, a 19-year-old daughter, was also in the house. The relaxed atmosphere was shattered when two men with guns burst into the living room and started making demands.

Prince and his friend froze in shock and the armed robbers responded by shooting both men. Prince was shot through the right arm. He was lucky, the bullet went through his arm missing bone and arteries. His friend was not so lucky and was killed.

7th June 2025

Not your average grandmom (the Malie van der Walt story)

The history of the Comrades Marathon is full of unlikely legends. No one who knew Malie van der Walt growing up thought that she’d ever run Comrades one day, let alone be lining up for her 30^th medal in 2025. As a youngster she showed no inclination for athletics of any kind and was not able to participate in sport at school as she suffered from rheumatic fever which affected her heart.

6th June 2025

The Stellar Stella Ladies (Gina Hinchliffe & Helen Mann)

When it comes to the females with the most Comrades medals, there is one club that completely dominates with four names on the Top 10 list: Stella Athletics Club. What is even more incredible is that there are currently just nine women who’ve run 30 or more Comrades. Two of our Stella Four, Pat Fisher and Pat Freeman, have already notched up their Triple Greens whilst the other two, Gina Hinchliffe and Helen Mann, will be aiming to add a third laurel to their impressive Comrades records this Sunday. This article focuses on the two ladies who will be lining up in Pietermaritzburg on 29 not out.

Funnily enough, both Gina and Helen have been on my radar – together with their other halves Shane and Garry – on the list of husbands and wives with the most Comrades medals. The two couples have a combined total of 123 medals which should increase to 127 this weekend. The Hinchliffes (with 61) are also just behind the Margolins (with 62) on the most married medals at Two Oceans list.

The Hinchlliffes and the Menn: 123 Comrades medals in one photo

5th June 202514th June 2025

Comrades 2025: Startline Stats

NOTE: I will be adding additional statistics to this article on a daily basis up to the Sunday 8 June.

Average Age

The average age of the class of 2025 is 44.5 – exactly the same as in 2024. Therefore, this is the joint oldest group of starters at any Comrades Marathon where age records exist. The average age of the Comrades runner has steadily increased since 1990 from 35 to over 44 post-Covid. This is going to be a problem for the future of the race if the trend continues.

3rd June 20253rd June 2025

True Comrades Heroes: Why Warren wears a blue tutu

Warren Jordaan is a gregarious character on the Free State roads and easily noticeable with his distinctive dreadlocks and bright orange and green Kroonstad Running Club kit. I was recently in the ‘States’ to run the Lemo Mall Marathon and noticed that he was accessorising his regular running kit with a blue tutu and asked him “Why?”. It is a sad but inspirational story.

Warren and his blue tutu at the Lemo Mall Marathon in Bloemfontein

29th May 202529th May 2025

Paws for a Cause: Kevin Balfour’s Camino Canine Caper

One of the silver linings that has come with covering the various Two Oceans issues and dramas is getting to meet and chat with many fellow Blue Numbers. One of these was Kevin Balfour who completed his 13^th Oceans voyage this year.

After last year’s Two Oceans, Kevin and his partner popped over to Portugal to walk the Camino trail. He reminisced, “We loved the whole experience – the local people, the friendship of fellow walkers, the natural beauty and quaint towns along the route.” Everything was perfect but Kevin realised that there was an improvement opportunity – to come back and run it!

16th May 202516th May 2025

Chartering an Accountant: An Interview with Two Oceans Legend Lucille Damon

Lucille Damon was the first woman to earn a triple Blue Number at the Two Oceans ultra marathon and she did so in style with 30 consecutive finishes from 1990 to 2019. Lucille thought she was done with the ultra after Covid but, after running the half marathon post-Covid in 2022, she realised that she preferred the longer Two Oceans route (which includes some actual views of the ocean) and has added another two voyages to her count.

A full audit of Lucille’s Two Oceans general ledger shows that she’s accrued 32 ultra marathon medals (with a best time of 4:27:56 on her 10^th run in 1999) and the solitary 2022 half marathon. After the 2025 event, Lucille and Sharon Bosch jointly hold the ladies record Two Oceans ultra finishes – and just like her record, Lucille proved difficult to track down.

14th May 202514th May 2025

TOM 2025 Reader Letters: Once Bitten, Twice Shy

I remember my first Two Oceans back in 2002. It was special. It was fantastic. It was brilliantly organised. Sadly a first Two Oceans is no longer what is used to be. Here is Tsholo’s experience of his first Two Oceans.

Good day Stuart,

My name is Tsholo.
I started running in 2014, and since then, I’ve completed Comrades five times and do about 3 – 4 Ultras per year. This year, I took on the Two Oceans Ultra — a race I had long admired — but I left feeling bitterly disappointed by the experience, especially the handling of water stations and half marathon short medals.

12th May 202512th May 2025

TOM 2025 Reader Letters: The Kindness of Strangers

We’ve heard a lot from the runners about the diabolical water situation in the Two Oceans ultra marathon but here’s a different perspective from one of the supporters on the day, Lungi Khambule.

Good day,

I was privileged to support runners at 26km and just before 47km during the Two Oceans Ultra — and what I witnessed left me deeply moved.

At 26km, runners were asking for food, salt, and spray etc. All was relatively good.

But at 47km, the sight was heartbreaking. Runners were desperate for water – pleading at every supporter they saw. Even the supporters adjacent to us were asking us for water, as runners were desperately also asking them for water.

11th May 202511th May 2025

TOM 2025 Reader Letters: Water Woes Ignored in 2024, Worse in 2025

Despite issuing ‘Heatwave’ warnings, Two Oceans failed to provide sufficient water to participants. Both the ultra and half marathons had long stretches of 6km or more with no support tables where runners had to rely on the goodwill of strangers to keep hydrated. In addition, some tables ran out of water and they could not handle the volume of runners. What is very alarming is that these issues have been raised by various participants like Kerryne Krause but have seem to have been completely ignored by the organisers.