Bongmusa Mthembu might not have plans for the R425 000 he won at this year’s Comrades Marathon, but his son does.
Asked on Sunday what he would do with his winnings, Mthembu said simply that “it is not about the money” but his son, Sisanda, told The Mercury he hoped his father would “do nice things” for him.
And first priority for the 12-year-old was education.
“I hope I get to go to a good school,” he said.
The first man to cross the finish line in Pietermaritzburg on Sunday, Mthembu completed this year’s Comrades Marathon in an impressive time of 5:35:34.
The crowds roared as the KwaZulu-Natal local came bolting towards the arch, but his gaze was firmly fixed on one among them – his son.
As soon as he was through, Mthembu opened his arms up wide and a beaming Sisanda leapt up into them.
In years to come, we might see the roles reversed.
Sisanda said he hoped to follow in his father’s footsteps.
“One day I’m going to run the Comrades just like him,” he said. “And I hope to win”.
Mthembu said after the race that Sisanda was his first- born.
“And I’m trying by all means to be his role model,” he said.
Sisanda was not on his own yesterday. Mthembu’s whole family came out to support him.
“And I come from a big family, about 15 of us – my father was a man,” he laughed.
Hailing from Bulwer, in rural KZN, the 33-year-old also won the Comrades in 2014.
That year it was a down run and he is now the first black South African to have won both an up and a down run.
Mthembu said he wanted to promote rural athletes.
“The talent is there,” he said.
Of the race yesterday, he said he had “a plan”.
As for celebrations, Mthembu was just looking forward to spending some time with his family.
Fellow first place winner Camille Herron – 35 and from the US – had other plans though.
“I have my husband here, Connor. I love a party. I’m a home brewer. I like my beer. I’m sure we’ll definitely have a good time – my husband’s Irish,” she laughed.
A moment later Connor produced a bottle of local craft beer, and Herron revealed she had actually been drinking beers during the race.
“Ginger beer,” Connor quickly added.
Herron first attempted the Comrades in 2014, but had to pull out because she was sick.
After the race, an emotional Herron said she simply had to pick herself up again.
“I told myself that I was just going to try again,” she said, “I went on to win two world titles – the 50km and the 100km – and I just knew from that point that I was born to run ultras”.
Herron was in visible pain for much of yesterday’s race but in an awe-inspiring show of perseverance she pushed through to be the first woman home in a time of 6.27:35.
She said her hamstrings were bothering her during the race.
“But I fought with all my heart,” she said.
And fight, she did – right up to the end.
Believing she was already finished, Herron started walking 200 metres from the finish line.
It was not until a fellow runner tapped her on the shoulder and told her she had to carry on that she realised she was not done.
“I crossed that first mat and it was very emotional.
“I saw the people around cheering for me so I went over and I was high-fiving them but I don’t know why – I thought that was the finish line,” she said.
“So thank you to whoever that was who told me to keep going. I just sprinted. I was like ‘Gosh darn it, I’m not going to lose in these last 200 metres’. I’m glad I kept going.”
The second man home yesterday was Hatiwande Nyamande, from Zimbabwe, and the third man was South Africa’s Gift Kelehe.
The second woman home was Alexandra Morozova, from Russia, and the third woman was South Africa’s Charne Bosman.
As the close of the 92nd Comrades Marathon drew nearer in the afternoon, those still on the fields of Scottsville made a beeline for the green and white archway that marked the end.
Some stuck their necks out a little further, many winced as they tried to push through the pain. After almost 12 hours on the road, no-one wanted the title of “first not to make it”.
But someone had to take it and this year, it was Tlou Mokoka.
Medical director of the Comrades Dr Jeremy Boulter said that everything had been under control.
“There was nothing major that we noted. Everything has gone smoothly.”
He said dehydration and exhaustion were two of the most common ailments.
“There was nothing out of the ordinary, and it was pretty much the same as last year.”