UL Athletics Club glows at the 2022 Comrades Marathon

The University of Limpopo (UL) is immensely proud of the outstanding performance by members of its Athletics Club during the 95th Comrades Marathon on Sunday, 28 August 2022. Twenty – three of them women – out of 22 entrants completed the 89.9km Down Run from Pietermaritzburg to Durban.

Running the Comrades within 12 hours is worth celebrating, which makes Phaladi Pholosho’s finish among the top 100 out of 9,329 even more special. Pholosho took the 60th position overall to earn himself the coveted Silver Medal. This is a special medal awarded to all runners who cross the line after the 6-hour mark but under 7 hours and 30 minutes. Pholosho describes finishing 60th on the list and taking home a silver medal as a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Of the UL finishers, ten got to the finish line in less than ten hours. This feat earned them Silver, Bill Rowan, and Robert Mtshali Medals. The ten included a female runner, Anna Mamala Maponya, who received the Robert Mtshali Medal, for those whose finishing time is between nine and ten hours. Robert Mtshali was the first black finisher of the Comrades in 1935 but was not awarded a medal.

Alas, two of the runners did not complete the marathon, one failing to make the halfway mark cut-off and the other one only got to the finish line after the 12-hour limit.Director of Sport and Recreation at UL, Kakata Maponyane, congratulated team UL, stating that they represented the university admirably. “We are appreciative of them because they made us proud,” he said. Mr Maponyane commended UL for its investment in the sport of running, adding that the university was on the right track in its quest to produce the best athletes capable of competing in any marathon.

“We will not, however, rest on our laurels but continue to push them to improve runningtime in the near future,” Maponyane pledged. He also recalled how the UL Athletics Club began modestly in 2008, with only one athlete competing in the Comrades Marathon, but now has 22. “Although we are not concerned with quantity, but with quality, having 22 athletes in the competition shows that we are on the right track and can build from here,” he concluded confidently. Meanwhile, Dean of Student Affairs at UL, Dr Mochaki Masipa, commended the athletes for participating in a competition of such calibre, stating that it is for their well-being.

“We would also like to thank UL staff member Sister Seponono Mampa, as well as a few students such as Merriam Mabotja, Sekedi Mabatha, Phakisho Phasha, and Nomonde Kase, for providing the athletes with the necessary support during the race,” she appreciated, adding that their assistance has contributed to the success of the athletes.

 

Comrades 2022 Finishers – UL Athletics Club