With only 4 weeks to go to the annual Om Die Dam 50km, the Nedbank running club has assembled a strong team looking for nothing but victory on the day.
Spearheading the men’s team will be none other than defending Om Die Dam 50km champion, Joseph Manyedi who took the title last year in a time of 2:55:37 on what was a very warm day around the Hartbeespoort Dam.
Manyedi was part of the Nedbank running club development team last year and led home his fellow training partners who finished 2nd, 5th and 6th. Apart from his victory, Manyedi then went on to a 5th place finish at the Comrades Marathon and then an 11th place finish in the World 50km Championships where he represented South Africa for the first time.
“Last year was a very good year for me and I was happy with the way I performed,” said Manyedi. “I would like to defend my title again this year and I also want to win Comrades. That is my big goal.”
Joining him will be former Om Die Dam winner Marko Mambo from Nedbank running club Zimbabwe who despite turning 49 this year, is still a force to be reckoned with, bagging back to back Comrades gold medals in 2018 and last year. Mambo won the Om Die Dam in one of the rainiest years yet. A multiple winner of the Two Oceans Marathon, Mambo had chosen the Om Die Dam to have more time to recover for Comrades.
“I have won Two Oceans in the past, but I am also getting older, so Om Die Dam is not only slower than Two oceans, but there is more time to train for Comrades in between,” said Mambo from his training base in Zimbabwe. “It is still my dream that I have to win Comrades before I can put the running shoes away.”
Defending Comrades champion Edward Mothibi will also be out in action. Having run last years Om Die Dam and Two Oceans as training runs ahead of Comrades, it will remain to be seen if he will give this race a full go or keep something in reserve for Comrades.
Former 1500m Olympic Games finalist Juan Van Deventer will finally be making his ultra-marathon debut, with the hopes of Comrades gold on the horizon come June. Van Deventer, who was down to run Om Die Dam last year was stricken by injury and had to pull out before the race.
In the women’s race, Tanith Maxwell who has represented South Africa on multiple occasions including the Olympic Games, will be making her Om Die Dam 50km debut after numerous Two Oceans gold medals and a Comrades gold medal on debut in 2018 when she finished 4th. Maxwell is on the way back after surgery to an injury sidelined her for most of 2019. Cobie Smith who was part of the South African team who took part in the 2019 50km Africa Championships where she came in 5th will also look for top honors at this years Om die Dam