MATSHELANE MAMABOLO
GLADWIN Mzazi is aware of the City2City Marathon’s reputation as a legendary road race in South Africa. The Boxer Athletic Club star does not, however, have any particular memory of the race having been a too young during the heyday of the 50km ultra marathon ran between Gauteng’s biggest cities of Pretoria and Johannesburg.
It is for that reason that he plans to create personal memories of his own when the race makes a welcome return to the calendar tomorrow after many years of absence.
“I could tell by the excitement in the running community when it was announced that it is returning that the City2City is one of the country’s iconic races. Everyone was excited that it is back. I don’t have any memories of it but I want to make my own.”
Mzazi, renowned more as a track and half marathon athlete having represented the country at international level in those disciplines over the years, will toe the line outside the Gautrain Station in Centurion tomorrow morning aiming to be the first to arrive at the Wanderers Club in Johannesburg in a little under three hours.
It is a highly ambitious goal, one that could be deemed unrealistic by some given that the 35-year-old will only be running the second ultra marathon of his career. He ran the N12 50km race last year and finished in fourth place, though after having gotten lost on the road and ended up running a little over a kilometre more than the allotted distance.
Why then does he fancy his chances against some seasoned ultra runners who will be contesting the big paying race that will see the champions in both the men and women’s race swelling their bank balances by a cool R200 000 each?
“I think the ultra pace is much more relaxed than in the standard marathon. I am comfortable running at 3:20/3:30 (minutes per kilometre) and I believe I can hold it for a long distance (ultra),” he said during the interview at the New Balance store at the Mall of Africa in Waterfall.
Mzazi was picking up his new kit having teamed up with the popular sports brand as their sponsored athlete, ambassador and a member of the New Balance Speedsters.
“I have prepared well and I am aiming for a top three finish if a win does not materialise. My plan is to hold a 3:30 pace and then see what is happening at the halfway mark. The intention is to stick with the lead bunch and not rush into trying to lead lest I burn out.”
That he is now venturing into ultras is because Mzazi has come to accept that his dreams of adding the Olympic Games appearance to the impressive ones he made at the Universiade (World Student Championships) and World Half Marathon Championships and the African Championships are long gone.
“I had dreams of going to the Olympics. I had a 61 minutes half marathon and because of that I believed I could run a sub 2:10 marathon. But it just did not happen even when I tried running at the so-called fast marathons like – like Fukuoka and Dubai. I’ve had way too many disappointments in the standard marathon and I’ve fallen short of the 2:10. But I believe I can do well in the ultras because the pace will be comfortable for me.”
To be successful in ultras such as the City2City, Two Oceans and Comrades Marathons, elite runners need to be able to hold a 3:30 per kilometre pace, Mzazi believes.
“I think the ultra pace is much more relaxed than in the standard marathon. I am comfortable running at 3:20/3:30 (minutes per kilometre) and I believe I can hold it for a long distance (ultra)”
While he is anticipating a competitive race tomorrow even though he is not aware of the competition, Mzazi believes he will be among the prize winners to launch the next chapter of his storied running career which has seen him impress on the track, in cross country as well as in the half marathon.
“City2City is the start and build up towards Two Oceans and Comrades. But I know that running that extra six kilometre, one will get at Two Oceans (56km Mother City race) is a lot hence I am staying with the basics of the ultras. I would like to go and do those big two in future but first let me get used to running the ultra distance,” he says, that contented smile adorning his face again – as he bounces up and down in the springy New Balance trainers he has just acquired.
He hopes they will be good to help him speed his way to City2City glory as he leaves the opposition in his wake on the undulating tough Old Pretoria Road (R101 south) from Centurion to Johannesburg.