UKZN Westville Athletics Club members to run Comrades

From left Sanele Gumede, Mbali Cele, Robert
Cibane and Gcino Ngcobo.

Two UKZN Westville Athletics Club members will fly the UKZN flag at the 2014 Comrades Marathon on 1 June. Gcino Ngcobo, 23 and Sanele Gumede 25 qualified for the Comrades batch seeding Class C at the 42.2Km eThekwini Township to Township Marathon from KwaMashu to Umlazi.

Ngcobo is a final year Master’s in Pharmacology student. His qualifying time was three hours and 30 minutes. He will be participating in the race for the first time and has a black belt in Karate – kyokushin kan kai.

Gumede from KwaMaphumulo in Northern KwaZulu-Natal is a PhD Maritime Economics student. He will be running the Comrades for the first time and his qualifying time was three hours and 35 minutes. His running history includes obtaining a Silver Medal at Chesterville 10Km (2013) and a Bronze Medal at Merewent 10Km (2013).  He is also involved in Dance, Karate and Soccer.

Ngcobo said: ‘Comrades Marathon is a very difficult competition, it requires physical and mental fitness. As the Club we have been working so hard preparing for this coming international event.’

Last year the Club did well when it participated in the 42Km eThekwini Township to Township Marathon qualifying competition, putting themselves in Class C in the Comrades Marathon. They have also demonstrated their physical and mental fitness earlier this year in short distance competitions.

‘Again in this coming competition we want to wave the UKZN flag as we are aiming to get Silver medals,’ added Ngcobo.

 Westville Athletics Club chairperson, Robert Cibane said, ‘I would like to thank UKZN Sport and our current Westville Sport Union for the support they have given us, working with us in preparation for this coming event. I’m urging the University and students to give the participants support from the start until the end of the race on the 1^st of June. Your support will be highly appreciated. We also encourage students to join the Club since we have a number of different competitions throughout the year.’

 Sport Union’s Mbali Cele said, ‘The Comrades Marathon is rich in history and was established as one of the post-war activities in order to rekindle the camaraderie shared on the battlefield by soldiers and also bring comfort to the families torn apart by the cruelties of the war. It is pleasing to see young educated men embracing this rich history as they take part in the Comrades Marathon. As the Sports Union of UKZN Westville campus I would like to wish Gcino Ngcobo and Sanele Gumede the best of luck in their debut in the Comrades Marathon. Thank you for flying the UKZN flag high.’