Nhlapo takes Comrades 2003
Brad Morgan
18 June 2003
Just two days short of his 33rd birthday, Fusi Nhlapo gave himself the best possible present by taking victory in the Comrades Marathon, run from Pietermaritzburg to Durban, over a testing 89.9-kilometre route.
It was a win that highlighted a fine performance by South Africa's male athletes, but European athletes dominated the women's race, which was won by Russia's Elena Nurgalieva, with her twin Oelysa taking second place.
Nhlapo, who won gold medals in his three previous Comrades runs, with a best of fifth in the down run in 2001, won comfortably in a time of five hours, 28 minutes and 52 seconds, which was almost three minutes clear of second-placed Oleg Kharitonov. Third place went to Joseph Molaba, only 13 seconds behind the Russian.
It appeared that the international challenge in the 2003 race would be the strongest ever, with the Mr Price team presenting an especially tough challenge, loaded as it was with runners boasting fine
credentials, numerous titles, and first-class pedigrees.
However, it proved to be an excellent year for South African athletes, one of their best in years, as seven of the first 10 finishers came from South Africa. Despite the depth of the Mr Price team, they also failed to lift the team trophy, the Gunga Din, which went to the Liberty Nike team led by the winner, Nhlapo.
The slightly built Nhlapo proved a popular champion, more so went it was learnt that he had been retrenched towards the end of 2002. His wife and daughter were on hand to watch him claim the R160 000 first prize, as well a number of other prizes that would take his haul to close to half-a-million rand in value.
Nhlapo said it had been God’s will that he win the race. "I couldn't have done it without him", he said with a broad smile on his face.
"I ran the first half slowly and then speeded up in the second half", he said, adding that he didn't have the speed that some of the foreign athletes
had, meaning he had to be patient before making his move. He said that added attention to hills had aided his effort and paid off on the day.
Kharitonov, when discussing the race afterwards, said he had to let Nhlapo go when he made his move because he was simply too strong.
Russian twins dominate women's race
27-year old Russian twins Elena and Oelysa Nurgalieva, who turned to ultra-distance running from cross-country skiing, dominated the women's race. They went through the halfway mark in fourth and fifth before turning on the power in the second half to take the event by the scruff of the neck.
Elena then found an extra gear with about 15 kilometres left to run, leaving her sister behind, to win by a comfortable four-and-a-half minute margin.
Afterwards, she described the support she experienced on the roads as "overwhelming", adding that it was her first event outside of Russia. Asked about her run, Oelysa said her
sister's win felt like a win for her too. "It means the same. I am not jealous at all", she said.
South Africa's top female performer was Farwa Mentoor, who followed up her fourth-place finish in 2002 with an eighth-place finish in 2003.
Mentoor was somewhat disappointed by that result, until she was told that her time was the second-fastest yet by a South African woman, behind only Comrades' legend Frith van der Merwe, whose 5:54:43 in 1989 earned her 15th place overall. That brought quite a smile to her fatigued face.
Rookie Yolande McLean made her first ever Comrades run worth remembering by finishing ninth.
The winner of the Founders Trophy, awarded to the oldest finisher, was also the winner of the Geraldine Watson trophy, which goes to the last finisher. Zeb Luhabe, in a result so fitting for the Comrades Marathon, finished the race in 11:59:59 in his very first effort in the race at the age of 76!
An ecstatic Luhabe said after the race: "I'll
definitely be back next year because I love Comrades, love ultra-marathons, and I've got to give it a go."
There could be no better advertisement for the Comrades' spirit than Zeb Luhabe.
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