Durban - Despite a massive windfall after winning this year’s Comrades Marathon, the men’s champion says he plans to keep his day job as a security guard.
Tete Dijana, 34, from Mafikeng in North West, won the 95th edition of the race, on his second attempt.
His first attempt was in 2019 where he ran for a different running club and finished outside the top 10.
He now runs for the Nedbank Running Club.
He secured the R260 000 prize money and a gold medal with his time of 5:30:38.
The men’s and women’s races have an equal prize value of R260 000 for the winners.
In a brief interview with The Mercury yesterday, he said he did not anticipate winning this year’s marathon, a down run from Pietermaritzburg to Durban.
The popular ultra-marathon returned after a two-year hiatus because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“I had that confidence (I could win), but I knew that sometimes things don’t always go according to plan. My aim and target, I was hoping to come in the top 10,” he said.
He later said during a media briefing that he still could not believe “that it’s me who won the Comrades Marathon”.
Speaking of the run, he said he started to believe that he might win the race when he was leading at the last 10km, and his confidence and belief escalated as he entered the stadium and heard the cheering crowd.
“When I entered the last 10km, I started to believe that I could win the Comrades, and I kept looking behind me for Edward Mothibi who came second place because I know him.
“We train together, so I know that he is very strong and could come back (and overtake me at the death),” he said.
Speaking on his plans for the future, he said he planned to balance his current job with his running career and commitments.
He has been working as a security guard since 2014.
“I do not plan to quit my job, having a job is very important,” he told The Mercury.
“I will have to balance my job and the talent that God gave me,” he said during the media briefing.
He said the money would change his life, and that of his children (he has a 2-year-old and a 6-year-old).
“I plan to build a house with a portion of the money,” he said, later adding that he would also be seeking the help of an adviser on managing the money.
In the women’s category, winner Alexandra Morozova of Russia said that she was so thrilled that she was allowed to participate in the race, and had no negative feelings towards the Comrades Marathon Association (CMA) after she was initially banned.
Elite runner Morozova was allowed to compete after she won her urgent court application at the Pietermaritzburg High Court to be allowed to run in the race.
This was after her registration was withdrawn as the CMA said it was acting on the instructions of World Athletics which called for Russian elite athletes who would win prize money to be barred from entering any of its affiliated races due to the conflict in Ukraine.
This was Morozova’s fourth Comrades and her first win, and she said she received a lot of support from South Africans.
“I waited for the victory for a very long time, and this year was my year to win.”
Her time was 06:17:48.
The second-place holder in the women’s race was Poland’s Domenika Stelmach. She was “a little sad not to have won” as she had promised herself that she would.
“I enjoyed the race even though the last 10km were tough for me.”
Comrades novice Adele Broodryk said running the race and placing in the top three was a dream come true as she grew up with the Comrades as part of her family’s tradition.
“We used to watch and cheer runners on from our living room, and we would cry if runners faced difficulty during the race,” she said.
The South African mother of two, who was welcomed by her family at the finish line, said she felt really strong for the first 60km.
“I wish I could be an athlete full time but I am a mom and wife first. Comrades will always be a part of my life, and I will do it again,” she said.