JOHANNESBURG - Late afternoon at the end of Day One of last weekend’s Three Cranes Challenge - the first of Old Mutual’s Four Wild Series events - when the last of the competitors were still trickling past the finish line at the Bushwillow Camp in the Karkloof Nature Reserve, the front runners were animatedly discussing the day’s course and results.
While some were full of praise for the young runners (three young men in their early 20s) who blitzed the field in what everyone agreed was a very difficult 32km trail run, Solicitor Manduwa said very little.
Not that he did not have any views, on the contrary the 41-year-old from Pietermaritzburg had a lot to contribute. But he decided to keep it to himself, until the final third day.
Having taken the overall lead of 10 minutes on Day 2, a 42km event ran in hot conditions through the Mbona Nature Reserve and the beautiful Benvie Botanical Garden, Manduwa did enough on Day 3 to finish as winner of the event that spans roughly 100km in a time of 7hr 53mins 25sec.
Ruan van der Merwe was second, 18 minutes behind Manduwa while Nomore Mandivengerei came in third.
Holly Page came fifth overall to win the women’s race ahead of Chantel Nienaber and Tracy Zunkel.
“If you know your strengths and weaknesses, you don’t bother much with what the other competitors do,” Manduwa said, clutching his trophy after the race.
“I knew on the first day that I shouldn’t let the boys be too far ahead. I knew they would be too fast, but come the second day they’d be losing steam. So I went with them from the beginning on Day 2 knowing they would struggle on the uphill.”
That the youngsters from Cato Ridge didn’t feature in the top three spoke volumes of the event’s difficulty, with the very different weather conditions on the three days - cold first day, hot second day and wet third day - testing the competitors to the limit.
But Manduwa coped well on all three days.
“This is a great experience and I am happy with my results,” said the Malawian. “It is all about training and putting your plan into practice.”
Having finished third at last year’s Golden Gate Challenge - another of the Old Mutual Wild Series - Manduwa will be keen to improve on that placing. First, though, there is the Mont-Aux-Sources Challenge in September.
“I am more of an uphill runner, and the Mont-Aux-Sources has this very downhill finish, it is tough. So I’m going to have to work hard on the mental side if I am to do well there.”
Women’s race winner Page was just too excited with her victory, the fact she is accustomed to success - having won the Mont-Aux-Sources last year - notwithstanding.
“I am really happy. I never expect to win anything, so it always comes as a nice surprise and you can’t take anything for granted. I am just super happy - it’s been a wonderful three days and I have met some lovely people and seen amazing places - it’s so diverse.”
By participating in the Three Cranes Challenge, runners help to conserve KZN’s endangered cranes - the Blue, Grey-Crowned and Wattled Cranes - through the work of the Karkloof Conservancy.