THE youngsters of today would describe Fikile Mbuthuma as having “a lot of giggle gas”. She laughs that much.
“Me winning Comrades? Are you kidding me?” she laughs, “Gosh I wish!”
With Caroline Wostmann out of the race, I’d put it to KwaZulu-Natal’s best female Comrades runner for the past three years that this was her chance at the Holy Grail of local road running. She met the suggestion with serious mirth.
“A lot of people have called me telling me about Caroline pulling out and they are all telling me I should go and win it. But there’s my teammate (Nedbank Athletics Club) Charne Bosman who won it last year and there are many other very good runners,” she says before breaking into yet another piercing laugh.
Having initially thought she didn’t believe in herself, it soon became evident that laughter is a significant part of the woman who finished eighth in last year’s race. She broke into a laugh before answering just about every question. Laughter, after all, is the best medicine – don’t they say?
And perhaps it’s this ability to have a giggle which has helped her do so well in the notoriously difficult Comrades Marathon.
“Of course I can try to win. But Comrades is very tough,” she says.
Not that you would say so looking at her results. Her eighth position last year was preceded by two silver medals in 2014 and 2015. Since her Comrades debut in 2006, Mbuthuma has generally been improving and it is because of this that Comrades Marathon Association has included her in their list of the top contenders for honours on Sunday.
As appealing as that is for the 36-year-old, Mbuthuma is not putting herself under undue pressure.
“This year all I want to do is break my seven hour, 18 minutes time from 2015, which got me into position 15.” The laugh is a little subdued this time. “I will be happy if I improve on that time. The key for me will be to control my pace and not run too fast in the first half like I did in that last up-run.”
Mbuthuma recently recovered from a hip injury after winning the Zululand Ultra Marathon in March, but says she’s fit to go.
“I didn’t train for three weeks because of it, but I am back to full fitness now and I am looking forward to the race.”
She took to running Comrades because she grew up listening to the race on radio in her home town in Harding.
“I used to sit near the radio all day and it was like I was on the road. The great Zithulele Sinqe brought the Comrades to life for me and made me want to be a part of it one day.”
It was hearing how the likes of Farwa Mentoor and Riana Van Niekerk were doing that got a young Fikile – pretty good in track running at school by the time – determined to some day do the big race. After matric she ran a few 10km races and then completed the Maritzburg Marathon.
“I knew after that marathon that I was ready for Comrades.”
Is she ready to win it this year?
“Maybe it’s about time,” she laughed.