2019 Comrades Marathon winner and Nedbank running club superstar Edward Mothibi surely must rate 2019 as one of his best years ever.
The lightweight athlete who goes by the nickname ‘slender’ won the Comrades Marathon in June in only his 2nd attempt at the distance, and this past weekend finished 5th overall and was part of the team gold medal for South Africa in the World 50km championships in Brasov, Romania. An amazing year of accolades which surely meant the season was over, right? Wrong!
Saying goodbye to the rest of the SA team in Romania alongside fellow SA team mate David Gatebe, the two boarded a plane heading for San Francisco. The reason? The annual JP Morgan business challenge Championships. Run over 5.6km, the series is run in 13 Cities in 7 Countries and 5 continents, with the winners of the various series qualifying for the Championship final.
Mothibi, who is employed at the Impala Platinum Mine in Rustenburg, qualified for the final along with fellow work colleagues Gatebe, Joseph Moeketsi and Samuel Matsepe after taking victory in the Johannesburg leg of the series which was held in March this year.
With Mothibi and Gatebe however completing the World 50km championships only 4 days previously and with long travel, the question was how they would be able to match the speed merchants who all came into the final with fresh legs.
It didn’t take long to find out. Mothibi shot into the lead and looked the world apart from the other athletes from around the World. Recording the 2nd fastest time ever in the history of the challenge, Mothibi crossed the line in victory in a time of 15:48, leading his Impala Plat work colleagues to a team gold medal and the 2nd fastest team in history. The entire team of 4 finished in the top 10 overall.
The Nedbank running club congratulates its green dream team athlete alongside his work colleagues for showcasing South Africa’s athletic talent.
Top 10 results with South Africans highlighted
1. Edward Mothibi 15:48 IMPLATS - JOHANNESBURG
2. James Hoad 16:03 BP PLC - LONDON
3. Tom Jervis 16:04 BP PLC - LONDON
4. Moeketsi Joseph Tseiso 16:31 IMPLATS - JOHANNESBURG
5. Andrew Dionne 16:34 LIVERPOOL CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT - SYRACUS
6. Michael Lederhouse 16:37 GOOGLE LLC - SAN FRANCISCO
7. Samuel Matsepe 16:41 IMPLATS - JOHANNESBURG
8. David Gatebe 16:42 IMPLATS - JOHANNESBURG
9. Sean Swift 16:43 J.P. MORGAN
10. Jack Green 16:48 ARUP - SYDNEY