Comrades Marathon 2026 – Lessons Beyond the Finish Line

Thousands of runners took on the 85.7 km journey from Durban to Pietermaritzburg in the 99th Comrades Marathon, and I was one of them.

In this episode, we reflect on the highs and challenges of Comrades 2026, the lessons learned along the way, and the gratitude that comes with crossing the finish line. We explore resilience, adapting when things don’t go according to plan, the power of community, and why recovery is an essential part of performance.

This episode also features reflections from fellow runners from Adventist Athletics Club, sharing their unique experiences from the Ultimate Human Race.

Whether you’re a runner or someone pursuing a big goal in life, this episode is for you.

Transcript

SPEAKER_03 0:00

Welcome friends, welcome family. Thank you for tuning in to Move and Thrive. I am Sebon Agunene, your sports physiotherapist and coach. On the 14th of June, nearly about 21,000 runners lined up for one of the toughest and most iconic races in the world, the Comrades Marathon. An 85.7 kilometer journey from Durban to Pitama Rispec. This is the toughest race, a race that is testing not just fitness, but character. I was one of those who participated in this race this year. This was my fifth Comrades Marathon, my second uprun. And without a doubt, one of the most challenging experiences I've faced on the road as a runner. In this episode, I'm taking you inside that journey. The highs and lows, the struggles, the unexpected setbacks, and the lessons learned along the way. You know, for me, from chasing a sub-9 goal to dealing with race and day reality and still crossing the line with gratitude. In this episode, I am taking you inside that journey. The highs, the lows, the struggles, the unexpected setbacks, and the lessons learned along the way, from chasing a sub nine hour goal to dealing with race day reality and still crossing the finish line with gratitude. We will also talk about what Comrades Marathon teaches us about resilience, discipline, and the power of community. And why recovery after a race like this is just as important as the training before it. So whether you are a runner, an athlete, or somebody simply chasing a goal in life, this is for you. I hope you'll be motivated. I'll also be sharing people's stories as well. Other runners were able to send me their voice messages sharing their experiences of this race. Let's get into it. To everyone who took part in this ultimate human race, I want to say congratulations. I truly hope your experience was as meaningful and memorable as mine. A heartfelt thanks to the organizers of this event for delivering yet another successful event. The level of support along the route was extraordinary. From physiotherapist and physiotherapist students to medics to volunteers at water point stations and countless individuals offering their time and care, we want to say thank you. And of course, to the supporters along the way, this is one race where there is supporters every point you reach. We want to say thank you. Without you, this race simply wouldn't be what it is. The energy that you have helps us to push through. My race experience was good. Um overall, I enjoyed it. It went well, I must say. I approached the race with a clear strategy, as always, with a good pacing plan, good nutrition plan, and also a good mental plan. These are all essential elements in a race of this magnitude. And I tried my best to implement it the best way I could. But I must say without a doubt, this was a true test of courage, resilience and perseverance. I'm deeply grateful to God for the strength and health that carried me through. As I mentioned, my goal was to finish under 9 hours. While I didn't quite achieve that, I'm thankful and satisfied with my final time of 9.16. You know, sometimes you you don't get exactly what you want, but you still receive something meaningful. Of course, this race didn't just come easy. It was probably my toughest comrades yet. You know, at around 60km mark uh while running comfortably with the sub 9 hour pacing group, which we call them buses. I began experiencing stomach aches, you know, I've never experienced before. So I had to make three unscheduled toilet stops which significantly affected my rhythm and time. So, but that's part of distance running, eh? You can prepare as much as possible, but race day can still test you in unexpected ways. And here is an important principle. A wise runner will modify the plan, will adjust. Especially when circumstances change, you have to adapt your plan. That's what I did. So that's not failure, that's experience and intelligence in action. So the point is not to dwell on the setbacks and use them as excuses. That's not the whole point of this episode. There is far more to celebrate than to regret. Every challenge carries a lesson and every finish line is a privilege. So this podcast is to share an experience both good and bad, but overall we are thankful for the successful race we had. Yeah, comrades, Marathon is truly a special race from the very start to the very finish. You enjoy it. This year we had three groups which started one after the other, but no matter where you began, the atmosphere was unforgettable. The singing of the national anthem, the chariots of fire, and that iconic rooster crow, it all creates a moment that still gives me goosebumps. It's emotional, it's exciting. You stand there reflecting on months of hard training, sacrifices, discipline, and you remembered exactly why you do what you do. And you're just thankful to God. And then along the route, something even more powerful happens. People come together, different groups, different stories, but united in purpose. It reminds us of our shared humanity. Now that's over. Yo, I'm honestly glad it is over. Because training for comrades marathon is not easy. Months of preparation, those early mornings when the body resists, long runs when the legs ache, days when motivation is low, quiet sacrifices that nobody sees. It's gonna be over for now. But if you ask me whether I'll be back next year, the answer is a big yes. Someone asked me a question, what's next? For now I will say it's time to recover well and reset. I'm looking forward to returning to road cycling in the second half of the year as always. Embracing a different challenge and continuing to build fitness in a new way. But first, I must recover. I advise everyone who participated in this race to take time to recover, connect with family, connect with yourself, connect with God, and then think plan for your next training or your next race. I decided to invite a few runners, including my brother from an Adventist Athletics Club, to share their Comrades Marathon experiences. I've invited Peggy Ndiweni, Tandon Gwenya, Dindelan Gunene, and Pumz Lili Kali to tell us a bit about 2026 Comrades Marathon. Here are their stories.

SPEAKER_01 7:48

My name is Begging Diweni. I'm in my late 50s, and this is my seventh Comrades that I've completed this past Sunday. Why I decided to run Comrades this year, it's mainly mainly it was to support the Tenbeni School for Disability Children, which is an initiative that was uh done by Mkululi Jek, aka MJ, one of the bus drivers that I've uh run with a few times on the sub-9 buses. Um, it actually warmed my heart and when I was along the route seeing these children around Kato Ridge, where they were seated on the side of the roads, and I was glad to be part of those who contributed towards their cause. Um, I also ran because I am a survivor of DVT or deep vein thrombosis on my left uh leg. Actually, about 12 years ago or so, I was diagnosed with uh DVT, and because of a sedentary lifestyle that I was living, and I decided to keep alive, to keep healthy, let me start running. And little did I know that at one time I will end up running Comrades Marathon, it was not on my packet list of things to do. My Comrades 2026 um plan was mainly to do 10 kilometers every one hour, do 10 kilometers, and largely I would say it went well according to plan until around 70 kilometers. On average, I had spent seven hours over 70 kilometers, so I was on point and I was happy with that. I knew that uh subnine was in the back with 16 kilometers to go, I still had two hours to spare. Incidentally, around the same uh mileage of 70k, uh, that's when I started to also feel some cramps on both my legs, but uh I didn't give up. I continued and employed instead a round walk strategy, which worked very, very well. Knowing that I had about two hours to spare, I knew I could even walk um uh the big uh mountain that everyone doesn't want to walk, and it happened, and it was very easy for me to do it. And of course, I mean uh poly shorts. What prepared me for this um race was nutrition, which I did apply or use every 10 kilometers. Some strategy that I used even during training, as well as some short breaks of walks just before I reach uh the top of a mountain, I would walk a bit. I have in the past uh managed to do three three sub-9 times on the down run, but never for the up run. So, this is a special one in that this is my first sub-9 on an up run. And um, I would like to thank Coach Sia for his uh podcasts, which he's been sharing and I've been following regularly. And of course, I do listen widely to many experts in the running fruit, which helped a lot.

SPEAKER_00 11:17

Hello, coach. Hi, Dr. Sia, and all the listeners. My name is Pum Zilele Kale, affectionately known as Miss P. Upumi, who also lined up for the 2026 Uprun Comrades Marathon. Oh, what a huge challenge it was this year. I took a risk lining up for the Comrades Uprun 2026 with a knee injury, and I had already put in the work in terms of training. Um, you know, I had listened to the podcast, recovery, nutrition, and so forth. And so I decided, you know what, I might as well do it because, you know, I have been training for it, but I knew it was going to be a challenge, and it was a huge, huge challenge. I had to dig deep. I honestly would say that there was a time when I thought to myself, um, I don't think I'm gonna make it, I will get cut off, and uh especially in the first half of the race, because that's the most challenging one for me, and I think for everybody else, the number of heels. But then I remember when I consulted with the physio, yourself included, and you know, because I had been doing strength training uh some days when I couldn't go because of the pain on the injury, then I would invest. I invested a lot on strength training, and it's something that really paid off having to walk up all those hills. I did a power walk. I I you know, every time I see I saw a huge hill coming up, I knew that I'm going to walk and I'm going to make sure that I get to the top. And when I get to the top, I recover quickly and then I start running again. It was a beautiful experience. Challenging, yes. Um, mentally, you know, there were a lot of negotiations that took place, a lot of prayers, a lot of verses that carried me through. Um, but I'm I'm grateful that I was able to do it by the book. I listened to everybody. I mean, uh, for me, nutrition, you know, first half of the the race, I focused on my nutrition. I made sure that I, you know, I eat as much, um, I drink as much. But the second half, we were told and taught that you need to make sure that you focus on hydration because now the sun will be, you know, up and it's going to require much more from you. I didn't think I was gonna make it, especially in the first half. I started seeing the light, I started seeing the vision, the end goal after 60 kilometers. And then at I remember when the clock said, or when the timers said 25 kilometers to go, I said, girl, we've done 61 kilometers. There's no way, you know. And for me, it became much more than the medal itself. But to say, you know what, let's keep on going, even if we don't get a medal, but let us finish what we started. I was hugely challenged uh because I walked a lot. I walked a lot, and which means my pace was quite um low. And um by the time I got to the top of polishers, let me also say that you know what, I flattened polishers. I'm not scared of polishers because yay, been you wonder man. So by the time I got to the top of polishers, I looked at the time and I said, you know what, seven kilometers to go. I was uh it was 1600, 1600, 1626 in a few seconds. So I had to push as much, you know. I was renewed, I kept on going. I said, the worst is over, you know. You've you've managed to to escape, you know, the cutoffs, you've avoided the baila pass. Now take it home. You know, I was willing, I said to myself, it's okay, even if I get to the end and I see 1201, it's fine. But what I will not do, I won't stop running. I'm gonna continue. I'm gonna run all the way to the finish line because I know I gave it my all. I know that I fought a good fight. You know, I kept the faith. I went on, I went on. Obviously, um, you know, we get told that after poly shorts, then no, there are some few climbs there and there. And so the power walk worked for me, and then I continue, you know, I recover, then I continue walking. So it was a beautiful experience, and um, I'm glad that I did it. I had it, I had to do it by the book and not rely on my own wits. I'm grateful to God, I'm grateful that somehow I feel like the time was rigged for me to make it. What a dramatic finish! What a very dramatic finish to finish at 11 hours, 59 minutes, and nine seconds. I'm grateful, I'm happy. Thanks to all the coaches. Thank you also for your weekly, you know, doses, giving us um, you know, the tricks, you know, the trades on how to do this, you know, how to recover, you know, how to to eat well, how to, you know, sleep also. I remember one time I listened to one of your podcasts and you spoke about recovery and you spoke about the importance of sleep, that it's the king of recovery. It's it's not a lie, you know. And the the fact that you also mentioned, you know, um that yes, we get a lot of um our recovery from our complex carbs, you know, we get a lot also from protein, but you also mentioned something, amino acids, you know, and I had to find out what are those, how could how do I get them? And I I made a lot of consultations the few weeks before comrades because I knew that this one is going to challenge me. And if I'm not mentally prepared, or if I'm not physically, or if I have not been eating well and I don't know how to take my nutrition properly, then it means it's you know, so all these things I had to make sure that I follow to the T. Yes, there were some mistakes, there were some chances that I took. I mean, I I remember I took a caffeine short, which I've I've I've never taken at the top of poly shorts, uh, but I uh I knew that okay, it's safe, whatever that they're giving us, because I didn't have time to mix my own thing. So it was gonna give I already I didn't have time, so I took whatever and I, you know, just to complete, just to make sure that when I get to the finish, I'm not pulling my leg, I'm not as disorientated, you know, like yeah. So thank you so much. Um, and yes, let's we are now looking forward to the hundredth one. See you then.

SPEAKER_02 18:13

Hi everyone. Um, my name is Lindelani Kunene, and uh I would like to thank this opportunity to reflect on my first Comrades Marathon 2026. Why did I choose or decide to run Comrades this year? Um yeah, that's a very important question and a good one. Um because uh the very same person that is interview interviewing me here has really been a good inspir inspiration. Um my brother Siaw Magunene. Um has always been advocating for healthy living, fitness and um a lifestyle that is uh active physically. Um the Comrades Marathon to me became the ultimate goal, uh the rather the climax of my fitness journey. Um it was also an opportunity uh to just challenge myself um this body that God gave um to accomplish something um you know I once thought of as impossible. So yeah, I had to put it out of this challenge for myself. How did the race unfold? Uh yeah, the starting line experience was incredible. Um so for the previous two years I stood outside the starting area watching thousands and thousands of runners be prepared for the race, and I witnessed the emotions, the excitement, and uh the pride as the athletes sang the national anthem before the start. And this year being inside that starting line myself was both emotional and exciting. Um one moment that I will never forget was um when I reached Westview. Um I decided to take a risk. Uh I decided to push um with a sub-9 bus. Um as I saw it. Um rather I catched up with the bus and then I was like, okay, let me just take this risk. Um I always wanted uh to take this risk as I was doing my training, but I was doubting whether I was capable of achieving that um you know sub-9. Uh although I fell short by three minutes and fifty-eight seconds, uh the experience showed me that I'm incapable of running a sub-9 comrades marathon. And the most difficult moment came towards the end of the race uh when I realized I would miss my target. Which um you know I just only a few minutes. Uming that time was running out, I started um panicking and emotionally challenging. Um you know, when all my reserves were reserves were gone. I could see you know the finish line, but yeah. So that was a challenging moment for me to push when there was nothing left. Uh what challenged me the most um mentally I was in a very good space uh because of the excitement of running my comrades, my first one, and physically I felt prepared for the challenge as well. Um looking back, my biggest challenge was self belief, I think. Um estimated my ability. To achieve a sub-9 finish. Had I fully believed in that goal from the beginning of my training, I believe I could have achieved it comfortably. But I'm happy and excited with these results. And I'll challenge myself even further next time. Was there a point where I had to make a difficult decision to keep going? Yeah. The race was filled with uh so much excitement uh from the start, and most of my decisions were carefully planned based on the guidance I received um you know from various coaches. However, during the final 10 kilometers, um because I was so drained, I was gone, gone, gone. Um I had to push, you know, my limits. But um yeah, my gels were not giving me that boost, so I went for the caffeine shorts um because I I needed that boost. It's something normally I don't take, you know. Um I usually take the caffeine-free gels. Uh so this was the very significant decision in the closing stages of the race. Um, you know, uh to go for the caffeine shorts. What role did preparation play? Um yeah, so the preparations uh leading to this race, I remember I have only two marathons, one ultra, um, and then a 60 club run. Um so that played a massive role uh in my success. Um training was um so important. Uh I spent a lot of time doing heal sessions. Actually, where I live, there's a lot of heels, so when I leave my gate, it's heals. When I come back, it's heals. So that really helped me on this uh uprant. Um recovery was also important during these preparations. I made sure that I take enough time uh to recover. Um either be from you know, when I took my marathon, I would rest two days without doing anything, uh just stretching, you know, recovery, slight exercises. And um, you know, after the long Sunday runs as well, I rest enough. I sleep also, um you know, to ensure that I I am I'm ready. Even you know, before the races, I sleep just to make sure that the body is fully recovered. Uh nutrition also played a key role. Uh I made sure that I fuel my body correctly throughout the trainings, um, you know, and eat enough um, you know, that will get the food that will sustain the body and give it energy. So, in terms of support system, um it was so incredible. Um, I cannot compare it to anything. Um, having my younger brother Temba and my father, uh my dad seconding us uh along the route. Uh, and friends, there were a lot of friends that came out um to support us, and uh some of the family members also joined us, and that kept my spirit high um and made the experience even more enjoyable um uh to see um a lot of uh support and um also during the training sessions uh my wife and kids always encouraging me to keep going, um reminding me for the training sessions and all those um uh you know activities leading to comrades. Um did the race teach me anything about life? Uh beyond running, yes, a lot of lessons learned, seeing a lot of you know uh fans cheering, um you know, spectators cheering, uh not even choosing who they cheer for. That was the biggest lesson for me to support, uh, you know, be happy for people, uh no matter uh who they are, um because of the achievements, uh because of what they you know when they do things that they love, I should always cheer up people. Um so that taught me, you know, live to live a selfless life. You know, people came and supported they had to pay from their pockets and um there was no return for them, no money is given to any any one of them who came to support, but you know, that taught me a lot. And yeah, uh also not to give up. Um when it gets tough, when the going gets tough, I always need to rise up and keep moving uh because the price is set already, it's just for me to go and grab it. So in life, there's a lot of prices and uh wins, we just have to go up there and grab them. Um either be the business, um, you know, career, it's there, we just have to grab it. Uh, who would we like to thank? First of all, um I'd like to thank my brother Siaboma Punene for the constant advocating of the healthy living and for his guidance throughout my journey. I would also like to thank my family and friends for their unwavering support and the encouragement they always give um and they gave during the race. Uh, special thanks to my young brother Temba and my dad for seconding us. Um you know, every time you approach the sport that we had created, you look forward to it, and the energy just keeps rising. Um lastly, I would like to thank the Adventist Club family uh for all the amazing um things that they do in terms of ensuring that we are all in good spirit and we are you know part of the club. We are excited to be in the club by always being there to second us by always providing necessary support uh that is required for an athlete. Um we thank the uh friends, uh the families for joining us and for always supporting us.

SPEAKER_04 29:16

Greetings, family. My name is Tandong Gwenya, and this year I was doing my 10th Cumbrades. I decided to do it this year because number 10 was special for me since I have four DNFs and I did not get my back-to-back medal, so this year had to happen. Even when I'm doing my third year in my studies, I pushed myself to the limit. Knowing that the Lord is with me and is my strength, I made a vow to him that I can do this through him who will give me the strength, and I can say that we have made it together with the Lord. In the morning of the race, I reflected on how the Lord has taken me through the training. December, we normally do 12 by 12 with the Stalins training group, and there was another challenge as well, the 10 by 10, just immediately after the 12 by 12. I managed to do uh 300 kilometers, and there was another prompting that I must do 300 kilometers in January as well. So when February came and I went for my qualifying race, I qualified, and it was through the Lord's mercies that I managed to qualify early in February that made me to continue with my studies and including as well my my training for comrades and with my plant-based uh lifestyle. I think that actually prepared me to lose the weight and to be in a lighter weight. The weight that I was at in 5th March is actually weight, actual weight that I normally uh I'm at when I go to comrades in June. But that weight came early, and I think that made me to be mentally and physically, emotionally prepared for the race and for anything that can come. Well, the point where I had to make a difficult decision to keep going was when my my family wanted to come and support me for my 10th comebrade, but they couldn't come because of some reasons. I tried to keep going, knowing that this day was supposed to happen, the 14th was supposed to happen because of that green number that I was supposed to be getting. And that gave me so much peace that I'm going there knowing that there's no injuries. Visiting the Cara Praetam monthly, doing those alignments and the massages that helped me a lot to actually be encouraged to run as well. And the support that I got from my family, I did not do anything, any house tours at home because they knew that there was a lot on my plate. I would wake up very early in the morning, go run, go to work, come back home and do my studies and sleep very late. Sometimes I would sleep four hours, three hours at most, four hours, three hours, and then in the morning I would wake up again. But I just want to thank the Lord for the family that I have that supported me and gave me the courage to move on. On race day, most women, their bodies take a knock, and on that day I had some women's issues, and yeah, I think I spent most of the time running to the toilet, but that did not stop me to move on. I had some people that were encouraging me and telling me that go get your green number, Tando, go get your green number, and that actually encouraged me and made me to push and getting people along the way saying that I must stick with you because I know you're going to finish, and that actually made me to push even further. And I was able to assist my team members to make it to the finish line. Yeah, I just want to thank the Lord for everything that he has done for me, and getting to that 60, 70 kilometer mark. I can I would I I I only said thank you, Lord, for you have taken me through the most difficult moments. As I walked up that polish roads, my body could still move forward because I knew that the Lord had prepared me for this. I just want to thank my family, thank my friends, my coaches, and God mostly for giving me the ability to run.

SPEAKER_03 34:54

Thank you very much. It's always enriching to hear different journeys from the same race from different runners. Congratulations to Peggy, Tando, Lindelan, and Punzile for their achievements. Few runners have asked me, so coach, what do we do now? To give us some tips on what we do in the next few days, next few weeks. So let's touch briefly on something crucial, which is recovery. The finish line is not the end. In many ways, it's the beginning of another phase. So a race like Comrade's marathon places immense stress on the body. I know some people now feeling a bit better, they feel they must go back to run. Just know that this is a race that will stress your body, and muscles enjoy repeated impact, energy restores are depleted, and immune system is temporarily weakened. So you may feel heavy legs, some stiffness, deep fatigue, or even a drop in motivation. This is not weakness of the body responding to endurance stress. And and this leads to an important realization. You know, race participation breaks the body down, but recovery builds it. Recovery is not passive, it is intentional. Try and keep moving gently after ensure you hydrate, refuel properly. Prioritize sleep, it's your greatest recovery tool. Use supportive strategies like light massage, icepads, and all of that to recover. But above all, focus on the basics rest, nutrition, hydration, and mental reset. There's also an emotional side to recover. You know, after such a big goal, it's normal to feel a sense of emptiness. Allow yourself time to reflect and reset before chasing the next target. Don't rush it. So if there is one message to carry forward, it is this one. Recover is not separate from training, it is part of training. The athletes who last are not just the ones who train the hardest, but those who recover the smartest. So rest, refuel, and rebuild. I wanna tell you that we love what we do. We run because it keeps us healthy, it challenges us to grow, and it adds meaning to our lives. My encouragement to everyone is simple. Please find something that keeps your body moving because movement truly is medicine for both the body and the mind. Keep moving and keep thriving.