One of the country's leading long-distance runners, Mushoni Nyamande, has already started preparing for the 2023 Comrades Marathon.
Limpopo Mirror found him running on the Tshipise tsha Dambale road towards Ha-Mutele on Tuesday morning (24 January).
After stopping by the roadside for a brief interview, the lanky runner from Tshirunzini village, situated deep in the mountains of Niani, about 40 kilometres from Musina, said he had participated in nearly every marathon in the country. He has run the Comrades 17 times and has won eight silver medals.
Nyamande used to be a member of the Manoni Athletics Club, one of the well-known running clubs in the country. When asked whether he trained youngsters to follow in his footsteps, he said a lot of challenges existed with the youth today. "They are very lazy and spend too much time in taverns and pubs. They don't want to train hard," he said.
Nyamande said that training for a marathon took a tremendous amount of sacrifice and dedication. He trains three days a week. "When I prepare for the Comrades, I run 20 kilometres, three days a week, and 50 kilometres every Saturday. It is not easy to run a marathon. You have to work very hard," he said.
He has vowed to bring the title as winner of the Comrades back to Vhembe one day.