Running the race of his life, Tete Dijana timed his performance perfectly on Sunday, breaking clear of defending champion Edward Mothibi in the latter stages to win the Comrades Marathon in KwaZulu-Natal.
Onalenna Khonkhobe took the early lead in the 90km race between Pietermaritzburg and Durban, opening a big gap before the sun came up in the morning, and he held on for most of the race.
After rocketing through halfway, however, in 2:25:51 – the fastest time any runner has ever reached Drummond – Khonkhobe’s wheels eventually came off and his brave attempt came to a close when he was passed by fellow South African athletes Mothibi and Dijana with less than 20km remaining.
With less than 10km left, Dijana put in a surge and dropped Mothibi, striding away to win the ‘down’ run in 5:30:38.
The former security guard earned R260 000 in prize money for his victory and an additional R100 000 as the first South African home.
Mothibi, who won the ‘up’ run in 2019, held on to finish second and Joseph Manyedi took third position.
