'Running can change your life' - Tshuma and Mudziganyama testify on 2024 season
It was former Athletics South Africa President Aleck Skhosana who set tongues wagging when he declared during a press conference that athletics in South Africa remains an amateur sport. His comments led to heated social media debates where some former athletes agreed with him, while others including the likes of four-time Olympian and 21km national record holder Stephen Mokoka disagreed. Mokoka, like 2004 New York Marathon champion Hendrick Ramaala, has made a comfortable life for himself as a professional road runner.
And while a few correctly point out the Mokokas and Ramaalas of this world represent a very small percentage of SA top runners who have cracked it at the highest level and made most of their money running overseas, 2024 taught us that even without the ability to qualify for the Olympic Games, road running in particular remains a lucrative occupation for those that are willing to work hard and be selective with their races. Buhle Nobukhosi Tshuma and Givemore Mudzinganyama are such examples. The married couple from Thembisa who run under the Zimbabwean flag but live and train in SA, represent the most successful running romance competing on the local road running circuit.
"It’s all about how your plan your things with your coach," she told #TheTopRunner. "Because sometimes you can decided to focus on 10km races and then go to races like the Absa RUN YOUR CITY Series 10km where you aim to run 33 minutes but then you fail to finish inside the top 10 because those races are very fast. You com back empty handed. I moved to ultra because I don’t have much speed. My coach told me that I have power and that mind to do well in ultras, so I took that decision."
The decision paid off handsomely. With just a modest personal best of 2:39, the Entsika Athletic Club ultramarathon specialist enjoyed a successful 2024 season as she produced wins at the TNU 50km, the MiWay Wally Hayward 46km, fourth place at the Kazungula Bridge Marathon in Botswana and delivered an impressive 6:12 on debut to claim fifth place at the Comrades Marathon.
Mudzinganyama who won Totalsports Two Oceans Marathon in 2023 and then took third place there in 2024 before earning tenth place at Comrades on debut echoed his wife's sentiments. "I tried to run very fast time many times but I ended up running my fastest marathon of 2:14. That's when I decided to focus on things that will change my life. Now it's not about time, it’s about winning races which can change your life."
"It changed our lives," said Tshuma who also joined New Balance as one of their ambassadors. "Coming to Zoo Lake and having a coach like Ramaala changed our lives. Coach told me that if you focus things can change. Running can change your life. You know where we come from. We are making money. Now we have our own home and our own car. It’s a big achievement for 2024."
Coach Ramaala says their success has given him joy. "I've always believed that sports or running in our case is away of life and that if you keep the focus you will make it like the professional workers. It doesn’t mean you have to go to Europe. South Africa these days also has money. Clubs and race organisers are pumping money into the sport and sponsors are coming back. The Zoo guys are trying with that belief that they can make something out of this. I’m so proud of my guys. I’m proud of Buhle because we know where she is coming from. She came here and she had a dream and now she is achieving that dream."
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