'I prefer the race with many contenders' - Mudzinganyama eyes third straight Two Oceans podium

With a mouthwatering assembly of male contenders all looking to emerge victorious, even the most seasoned pundit would be hard pressed to predict the winner of the 2025 Totalsports Two Oceans Marathon. Lining up alongside defending champion Onnalenna Khonkhobe, former 50km world record holder Stephen Mokoka, two-time podium finisher Nkosikhona Mhlakwana and 2024 runner-up Lloyd Bosman is Givemore Mudzinganyama. Yet the man who won the 56km race around the Cape peninsula on debut in 2023 is unperturbed.

"It doesn't affect me. I think it makes it even more interesting. The preparations have gone well. I think I've trained smarter than the previous two years. I know the route and I think I’ve mastered the nutrition over the years, which is an advantage for me. I'm ready," He told #TheTopRunner reflecting on his memorable 3:09:54 victory and third place finish (3:11:13) last yer.

Mudzinganyama winning the Totalsports Two Oceans Marathon in 2023. Photo Credit: Two Oceans Media.

In the lead up to this year's edition of The World’s Most Beautiful Ultra Marathon, the man who also won a Comrades Marathon gold medal on debut when he took tenth place in 5:37:09 during the 2024 Up Run, raced the FNB Kazungula Bridge Marathon in Botswana in February, returning with fourth position in 2:21:29. Mudzinganyama then, has developed - like his coach Hendrick Ramaala a generation before him -  a real knack of producing his best results when it matters most.

As the most successful ultra marathon athlete in the history of the club, the members of the Entsika Athletic Club will be looking to the 35-year-old Zimbabwean who lives and trains in Thembisa, to upset the more established ultra clubs such as the Nedbank Running Club, the Hollywood Athletic Club and the Maxed Elite Running Club. Mudzinganyama says the more top runners there are, the easier it is for me him to have a good race.

Mudzinganyama poses with with coach Ramaala and wife Nobuhle Nobukhosi Tshuma after both won gold medals at the 2023 edition of the Totalsports Two Oceans Marathon. Photo Credit: Supplied.

"I look at the weather first because the weather decides if we are gonna run fast or not. Then from there I just position myself in the right place during the race. Sometimes I prefer the race to be a bit faster with many contenders. Because then I'm able to relax. Imagine if there are only two strong guys and you are one of them. Then the two of you are just looking at each other. So when there are ten or fifteen strong guys, the race becomes interesting. There's no one to target. I'll just run my race freely and be more confident in myself."