Latest news with #ComradesMarathon2025
The Citizen
05-07-2025
- Sport
- The Citizen
The General's decade of dedication in the Comrades Marathon
Midrand sportsman Victor 'The General' Malinga earned the prestigious legendary green number on June 8, after completing 10 consecutive Comrades Marathons over a decade. Read more: Midrand Striders celebrates 97% success rate at Comrades Marathon 2025 'I believe I was born unique with many talents, and I always wanted to do something major in my life of sports. Something that will be recognised in the world of sports, which will do justice to my God-given talents and inspire a lot of people in the process,' he stated. The 41-year-old member of the Chillie Running Club began his Comrades journey in 2014 with the Eskom Athletic Club, where he secured a bronze medal with an impressive time of 10:27:54. His personal best in the Comrades Marathon sits at 08:40:02, earning him the esteemed Bill Rowan Medal. As a proud KZN-born athlete, The General grew up immersed in the culture of the Comrades Marathon, a cornerstone of life's experiences in KZN. While soccer was his initial focus, and he achieved considerable success from junior through senior levels, his dream of running the Comrades Marathon was always in sight, officially realised in 2014. 'My wish was always to get to a point where I get crowned as the Legend of the Game, which eventually happened on June 8 during Comrades Marathon 2025,' he explained. Reflecting on his decade-long journey, Malinga acknowledges it was fraught with challenges – both good and bad. Over the years, he faced injuries, career-related relocations, and the loss of loved ones, including his parents. Nevertheless, he persevered and emerged victorious. For more inspiring insights into Victor Malinga's journey, read the Midrand Reporter. Follow us on our Whatsapp channel, Facebook, X, Instagram, and TikTok for the latest updates and inspiration! Have a story idea? We'd love to hear from you – join our WhatsApp group and share your thoughts! At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
The Citizen
08-06-2025
- Sport
- The Citizen
Watch: Comrades glory as Dijana makes it 3, Steyn 4
Tete Dijana has again won the men's Comrades Marathon, while multiple title holder Gerda Steyn took the women's title. Steyn has once again proven she's in a league of her own, claiming her fourth title with unmatched strength, grace and determination. Russia's Alexandra Morozova finished second to win her sixth gold medal. Shelmisth Muriuki became the first Kenyan woman to finish on the Comrades podium, placing third. Dijana crossed the finish line in a time of 05:25:28, seconds ahead of 'Flying Dutchman' Piet Wiersma, who won the race last year. Russian runner Nikolai Volkov came third. This is Dijana's third win. He triumphed in 2022 and 2023, but finished 14th last year. No DNA, ke RSA 🇿🇦 Her name is Gerda Steyn!!! 🇿🇦💪🏽 🔥FOUR-TIME Comrades Marathon winner! 🔥⁰ Gerda has once again proven she's in a league of her own, claiming her 4th title with unmatched strength, grace, and determination. 🥇🏆 Halala Gerda, Halala!🏃🏼♀️#ComradesMarathon2025… — South African Government (@GovernmentZA) June 8, 2025 Congratulatory posts for the winners are flooding social media: The Queen of the Comrades Marathon, the people's champion, Gerda Steyn did it in style at People's Park when she won the Comrades Marathon today. Steyn made herself a new piece of history when she became the first South African woman to win the Comrades Marathon four times. In… — The Witness (@WitnessKZN) June 8, 2025 'I just run on wings' Here's your 2025 Women's Comrades Marathon winner, Gerda Steyn. She was ecstatic to get a roar from Caster Semenya #ComradesMarathon @gerdarun @MightyCaster @ComradesRace — 𝙵𝚊𝚒𝚣𝚎𝚕 𝙿𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚕 ⚡️ (@FaizelPatel143) June 8, 2025 Sure @Vee41449940 remember our discussion regarding comrades marathon . Look at Tete holding a caduceus, two snakes entwined around a winged staff is itself a pagan symbol. It is a symbol of the Greek god Hermes. This cant be a coincidence 😭 #ComradesMarathon2025 — ReconcileWithGod (@Mickzo) June 8, 2025
The Citizen
07-06-2025
- Sport
- The Citizen
BLOGGING THE VIEW: Everything you need to know about the Comrades Marathon 2025
BLOGGING THE VIEW: Everything you need to know about the Comrades Marathon 2025 THE Comrades Marathon, dubbed the 'Ultimate Human Race', returns for its 98th edition this Sunday, 8 June. This iconic ultramarathon will follow the down run route, starting from Pietermaritzburg City Hall and concluding at Durban's People's Park. Fast Facts about Comrades 2025 1. Route The 2025 down run spans 89.98km, descending from Pietermaritzburg to Durban. The course includes notable landmarks such as Polly Shortts, Umlaas Road, Cato Ridge, Drummond (halfway point), Inchanga and Fields Hill. ALSO READ: 10 fun facts about the Comrades Marathon 2. Cut-off points To ensure runner safety and race integrity, specific cut-off times are enforced at various points along the route: · Cato Ridge (30.5km): 5:10:00 race time (11.10am) · Drummond (45km): 6:40:00 race time (12.40pm) · Winston Park (58.3km): 8:30:00 race time (2.30pm) · Pinetown (69.1km): 10:05:00 race time (4.05pm) · 45th Cutting (81.5km): 11:30:00 race time (5.30pm) · Finish (89.98km): 12:00:00 race time (6pm) 3. Qualification and entry Being such a gruelling race – almost double the traditional marathon length – Comrades has strict qualifying criteria to ensure the safety of all. This includes: · Qualifying period: 10 June 2024 to 5 May 2025 · Minimum age: 20 years · Qualifying criteria: Completion of an officially recognised standard marathon (42.2km) in under 4 hours and 50 minutes during the qualifying period. ALSO READ: Comrades Marathon 2025: Road closures and travel alerts for Zululand residents 4. Medal categories Completing the Comrades Marathon is an amazing accomplishment, and all race finishers will receive a medal based on their completion time. The categories include: · Gold: Top 10 finishers (men and women) · Wally Hayward: Men finishing 11th place to sub-6:00 · Isavel Roche-Kelly: Women finishing 11th place to sub-7:00 · Silver: Men finishing sub-7:30; women from 2024 onward · Bill Rowan: 7:30 to sub-9:00 · Robert Mtshali: 9:00 to sub-10:00 · Bronze: 10:00 to sub-11:00 · Vic Clapham: 11:00 to sub-12:00 · Back-to-Back: Awarded to novices who complete their second consecutive Comrades Marathon 5. Traditions and highlights With almost a century of history, the Comrades Marathon has a number of interesting race rituals and traditions that are followed. These include: · Start rituals: The race gets going with the South African national anthem, followed by Shosholoza, Chariots of Fire and Max Trimborn's iconic rooster crow. · Arthur's Seat: Located near Drummond (halfway point), runners often place flowers here as they believe it brings good luck for the remainder of the race. · Finish line: A 12-hour gun signals the official end of the race, followed by the Last Post to honour those who didn't finish in time. Support the runners along the Comrades route or from your couch this Sunday! Don't have the ZO app? Download it to your Android or Apple device here: HAVE YOUR SAY Like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter. For news straight to your phone invite us: WhatsApp – 060 784 2695 Instagram – zululand_observer At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
The Citizen
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Citizen
Local artist captures the spirit of the Comrades in vibrant mural
SIBUSISO Duma is the 43rd artist showcasing his work on the Woza Moya Artists' Wall. His work will be featured for the month of May to celebrate the Comrades Marathon 2025. The concept behind the Woza Moya Artists' Wall and Artists' Cards is to create and showcase the work of artists who have been hard-hit by Covid. Each month, a different artist is paid to paint a 1.2m x 1.2m wall panel which is displayed on the wall outside the Woza Moya Hillcrest Aids Centre shop. Woza Moya is the economic empowerment project of the Hillcrest Aids Centre Trust and assists the artist by marketing their work for the entire month. Also read: WATCH : Gogo Monica knits for a cause – and teaches you how to knit A greeting card is made of the painted wall panel and sold in their shops so the artists can earn an ongoing passive income. This has worked well with artists earning from R200 to R1000 a month from the sale of the cards. The Woza Moya Artists' wall thanked the 100% Foundation for their ongoing sponsorship and for making this a monthly event. About the artist Duma is an established artist and is represented in various galleries and collections locally and overseas. This painting titled 'Comrades Marathon', 59cm x 42cm, was painted with acrylic paint on a canvas. The painting celebrates the Comrades Marathon and was commissioned by Woza Moya to celebrate all Comrades runners. The Hillcrest Aids Centre Trust is a charity of the Comrades Marathon and has more than 60 runners running to raise money for the 24-bed respite unit. Duma was born in Mbumbulu, Durban, where he still works and resides. He started drawing with crayons and colour pencils from an early age. His talent was noticed and nourished by his school teachers and the late Trevor Makhoba through his Philange Art Project in Umlazi. Duma has built on his own style and visual language with his original vision and his sometimes challenging subject matter. He uses familiar iconography such as the human figure in a rural landscape. There are often contradictions between rural and urban themes but his passion and love for the rural landscape and tradition is always present. His paintings often use humour and satire, helping in the understanding of present social conditions. The use of personal iconography and metaphors harvested from everyday life manifests a fine balance between fantasy and reality. His work is typified by his treatment of the surface, subject matter, composition and the use of space and colour, which collectively create touches of mystery and intrigue. His work has been collected by multiple galleries and museums locally and worldwide. Duma said he loves and enjoys watching the race as he picks up on how all shapes and sizes of runners finish the 'ultimate human race'. The artwork is for sale and people can bid for the artwork online: htttps:// Bidding starts at R1000. The auction starts on May 10 and ends on June 10 after the Comrades Marathon. If anyone would like to sponsor one of the HACT runners and make a difference to the respite centre, you can do so via the Comrades Marathon website. Shop opening times: Woza Moya is based at the Hillcrest Aids Centre Trust, 26 Old Main Road, Hillcrest, and is open from Monday to Friday from 08:00 to 16:00, and from 09:00 to 17:00 at the Woza Moya Windermere Centre. On Saturdays, the HACT shop is open from 08:00 to 14:00 and from 09:00 to 14:00 at Windermere. For more from Berea Mail, follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram. You can also check out our videos on our YouTube channel or follow us on TikTok. Click to subscribe to our newsletter – here
The Citizen
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Citizen
Artist's painting celebrates the ultimate human race
SIBUSISO Duma is the 43rd artist showcasing his work on the Woza Moya Artists' Wall. His work will be featured for the month of May to celebrate the Comrades Marathon 2025. The concept behind the Woza Moya Artists' Wall and Artists' Cards is to create and showcase the work of artists who have been hard-hit by Covid. Each month, a different artist is paid to paint a 1.2m x 1.2m wall panel which is displayed on the wall outside the Woza Moya Hillcrest Aids Centre shop. Woza Moya is the economic empowerment project of the Hillcrest Aids Centre Trust and assists the artist by marketing their work for the entire month. Also read: WATCH : Gogo Monica knits for a cause – and teaches you how to knit A greeting card is made of the painted wall panel and sold in their shops so the artists can earn an ongoing passive income. This has worked well with artists earning from R200 to R1000 a month from the sale of the cards. The Woza Moya Artists' wall thanked the 100% Foundation for their ongoing sponsorship and for making this a monthly event. About the artist Duma is an established artist and is represented in various galleries and collections locally and overseas. This painting titled 'Comrades Marathon', 59cm x 42cm, was painted with acrylic paint on a canvas. The painting celebrates the Comrades Marathon and was commissioned by Woza Moya to celebrate all Comrades runners. The Hillcrest Aids Centre Trust is a charity of the Comrades Marathon and has more than 60 runners running to raise money for the 24-bed respite unit. Duma was born in Mbumbulu, Durban, where he still works and resides. He started drawing with crayons and colour pencils from an early age. His talent was noticed and nourished by his school teachers and the late Trevor Makhoba through his Philange Art Project in Umlazi. Duma has built on his own style and visual language with his original vision and his sometimes challenging subject matter. He uses familiar iconography such as the human figure in a rural landscape. There are often contradictions between rural and urban themes but his passion and love for the rural landscape and tradition is always present. His paintings often use humour and satire, helping in the understanding of present social conditions. The use of personal iconography and metaphors harvested from everyday life manifests a fine balance between fantasy and reality. His work is typified by his treatment of the surface, subject matter, composition and the use of space and colour, which collectively create touches of mystery and intrigue. His work has been collected by multiple galleries and museums locally and worldwide. Duma said he loves and enjoys watching the race as he picks up on how all shapes and sizes of runners finish the 'ultimate human race'. The artwork is for sale and people can bid for the artwork online: htttps:// Bidding starts at R1000. The auction starts on May 10 and ends on June 10 after the Comrades Marathon. If anyone would like to sponsor one of the HACT runners and make a difference to the respite centre, you can do so via the Comrades Marathon website. Shop opening times: Woza Moya is based at the Hillcrest Aids Centre Trust, 26 Old Main Road, Hillcrest, and is open from Monday to Friday from 08:00 to 16:00, and from 09:00 to 17:00 at the Woza Moya Windermere Centre. On Saturdays, the HACT shop is open from 08:00 to 14:00 and from 09:00 to 14:00 at Windermere. For more from the Highway Mail, follow us on Facebook , X and Instagram. You can also check out our videos on our YouTube channel or follow us on TikTok. Click to subscribe to our newsletter here
