Durban -For the third time in four years, the Comrades Marathon had a strong South African flavour with local favourites Bongmusa Mthembu, from the Midlands, and Howick-born Ann Ashworth winning the 2018 men’s and women’s races.
The double wins were the cherry on the top of a proudly South African weekend.
After crossing the finish at Moses Mabhida Stadium, Mthembu dropped to the grass on both knees to pray before lying on his stomach quietly, as he grasped the enormity of the moment.
The hero from Bulwer became the first South African runner since Bruce Fordyce in 1988 to win back-to-back Comrades titles, winning his third in the process.
His emotional reaction to the victory was an ode to his friend, Siphiwe Ndlela, who died three months before the race.
It was a dominant performance by Mthembu, finishing in five hours, 26 minutes, 34 seconds (5:26:34), more than eight minutes ahead of nearest rival and fellow South African Joseph Maphuti.
Maphuti followed Mthembu with a time of 5:35:09, with Britain’s Steven Way finishing third in 5:35:27.
“When I crossed the finish line, I was very emotional; to win the Comrades is not easy, it took a lot of kilometres (of training),” Mthembu said.
“It means a lot to me and I am looking forward to seeing what is going to happen after this win.
“I am lucky because I do it for the love of the sport, so that is the main driving force.”
Field’s Hill took its toll on the race’s initial leader, three-times Two Oceans champion Marko Mambo of Zimbabwe.
Mthembu made his move on the approach to Cowies Hill, leaving the rest of the field in his wake.
The women’s race produced the most twists in one of the best tussles seen in years.
It was far from the one-sided affair Ashworth’s five-minute lead over second-placed Gerda Steyn might suggest. The race produced all the intrigue one expects from Comrades with the women’s lead changing three times.
But it was ultimately Ashworth’s cool, calm and collected approach that saw her race to her maiden victory. She was denied an opportunity to win last year when she withdrew a kilometre into the 2017 race after a fall at the start.
Ashworth ran a composed race, taking the lead for the first time with 41km to go, winning in a time of 6:10.04.
It was a one-two finish for South Africa in the women’s race with pre-race favourite Gerda Steyn entering the stadium in second place with 6:15.34.
Ashworth was the personification of composure as she reeled in 2017 runner-up Alexandra Morozova and Two Oceans winner Steyn.
Steyn managed to move past the Russian in the dying moments of the race, clocking 6:15:34, with Morozova finishing third in 6:20:21.
“It was an interesting race. I had no idea how it would turn out. There seemed to be a lot of fighting at the front and hot pace,” Ashworth said.
“I didn’t want to get sucked into that so I just ran my own race. I know that sounds like a cliche, but I just did what I was supposed to do. It seems to have worked for me and I am truly blessed and grateful. I don’t think anything could have gone any better for me.”