04 Jun 2019

BDF Athletics Club chairperson, Major Edward Joseph, will compete at the 94th  Comrades Marathon in Durban on June 9.

Joseph, who is also a qualified IAAF Level 1 Coach, specialising in long distance running, has pioneered a team of 25 Batswana from various social running clubs to train them for the marathon.

He said in an interview that it will be the first time for them to run the race, revealing that he would be competing in the 87km, which is from Durban to Pietermaritzburg and was the world’s largest ultra-marathon.

“This year is its 94th edition, as it started in 1921 and it is the ultimate human race. As the chairman for the BDF Athletics Club, I have taken the call to lead by example; to be the first Botswana Defence Force soldier to run this race,” he said.

Furthermore, he said he had fully prepared for the competition, starting in 2017, saying he ran another ultra-marathon, the Two Oceans in Cape Town three times.

“For you to run the race you need to qualify with a time of 4 hours and 50 minutes for the 42km. I used the Cape Town Sanlam marathon last year as my qualifier for Comrades,” he said.

Joseph said he was happy to be part of the historic race, given that it was a life challenge, adding that the race itself was also demanding, challenging one’s mental strength and physical endurance. 

“Generally, I am confident that I am prepared fully to undertake this race,” he said. He said he is a firm believer in the widely held belief that soldiers do not quit.

Since its inception in 1921, no Motswana won the Comrade Marathon and it was always dominated by South Africans in the men’s category.

It was only in 1962, 1965 and 1972 that John Smith, Bernard Gomersall and Mick Orton of United Kingdom managed to halt the South African’s dominance.

From there the South Africans continued with their dominance until 1993 when the marathon was won by Charly Doll of Germany.

The following year it was won by Alberto Salazar of United States of America, then in 1996 the title went to Dmitri Grishine of Russia.

However since then South Africa has been challenged by Zimbabwe and other countries, but from 2012 to 2018 it was once again won by South Africans. ENDS