Cape trail runner takes home first place

Joshua Chigome won first place in the K-way Maxirace Cape Winelands ultramarathon. Picture: Supplied

Joshua Chigome won first place in the K-way Maxirace Cape Winelands ultramarathon. Picture: Supplied

Published Nov 18, 2021

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Joshua Chigome won first place in the K-Way Maxirace Cape Winelands trail running competition, completing 75k kilometres in just over eight hours.

Chigome came first in the men’s category, finishing the ultramarathon in 8 hours, 14 minutes and 10 seconds in October.

On winning, Chigome said it felt like a bonus because it was such a great day to be on the trails.

“I had no idea that I would come in first place. I intended to run my race and see how things play out. I guess things played out better than I expected.”

Chigome only decided to enter the race six weeks ago, as preparation for the Ultra-trail marathon at the end of the year.

“We figured it would be excellent preparation for my goal race at the end of the year, of 100 kilometres,” he said.

The trail runner said the most challenging part about taking part in a race like this is having to consolidate weeks of training without any setbacks.

“One of my biggest challenges is managing my training load whilst dealing with the stress that comes with work and life.”

Even so, he still enjoys every part of the run, especially sharing trails with like-minded individuals.

“It’s always a comforting feeling knowing that every other runner on the route is dealing with the same struggles that come with finishing an ultramarathon,” he said.

Chigome said he has his coach, Linda Doke to thank for helping him train for the race.

“She sets up my training schedule monthly. We also try to include strength and conditioning to my training, which has been critical to ensuring that I remain injury-free.”

When he’s not training, Chigome works as the spokesperson for the minister of social development, Sharna Fernandez.

“Doing big weeks of training while managing work is probably my biggest challenge,” he said.

He added: “Thankfully, my coach includes weekly long runs that mimic the races that I am training for. This ensures that my body is well-conditioned for the competition at hand.”

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