THE RUNNING MANN
C o l u m n
The gently undulating route is mainly out-andback , with a couple of small loops thrown in
The route is mainly out-and-back , with a couple of small loops thrown in . Musenwa told me , “ We tried to keep the course as flat and interesting as possible ,” and with just 209 metres of climbing over the marathon , he definitely achieved the former . And after you ’ ve finished reading this report , I ’ ll expect you ’ ll concur with my assessment that he achieved the latter as well .
Local Sights & Cuisine
The first 6km is a loop through the Musina suburbs , which is pretty ( if a little dusty ) as the sun quickly rises . At the end of the loop , you find yourself back at the rugby club before running another 6km segment skirting the outside of Musina town and the airport . Before heading out into the open countryside , there is a loop of just over 4km through the local township . Although small in distance , this was an important segment in the route design , “ We wanted to take the race to the people , just like the Soweto Marathon , which aligned with our goal of inspiring more people to take up road running ,” said Musenwa .
Heading through the suburbs in the early stages of the race
The author was perplexed by all the chicken dust
Local is Lekker
The organising club of this race is Musina Top Runners , which was only recently founded , in April 2021 , “ to promote fitness and mental wellness for our members and the community we live in .” Musenwa explained , “ At the beginning of 2023 , as the Executive Committee , we decided to host a marathon to generate interest among community members and grow their love for running . Some of us had run the Soweto Marathon and never looked back , so we wanted to create the same experience for our community and also increase our membership , which was at 28 at the time .”
I ’ ll also claim a partial assist for getting the new marathon on the calendar . As several people have found out , you need to be careful about what you tell me during a marathon , because it might make it into the race report . In this case it was the creation of expectations during our conversation at the start of the Shikhumba Marathon that “ had to be lived up to .”
Here ’ s how Musenwa remembers it : “ Being a big fan of your blog , I was really happy we had that short conversation – I ’ ll definitely never forget it , and I really appreciated it . We had always talked about starting a marathon , but that moment was a significant turning point for what happened this September . When you published that article , it was truly a point of no return , because our commitment was now out there , an expectation was created , and we just had to deliver .” All I can say is that it ’ s a pleasure , Lufuno !
Passing the TV Tower on the outskirts of Musina
The township residents looked on curiously as the marathon runners plodded through their streets . Hopefully , this will result in more interest and support in future years , and will inspire more of the local community to participate . From a runner ’ s perspective , the good news is that you get all the township vibe of Soweto , but none of the raw sewage flowing through the streets .
Images : Stuart Mann
During this section I was intrigued by buildings labelled , “ Chicken Dust .” I figured that when life gives you lemons , you make lemonade , but when life gives you arid dirt in the sweltering heat , you obviously need to make some chicken dust ? Any thoughts that these shops were selling chicken and dust were corrected by the clarification that ‘ chicken dust ’ is the local Musina speciality and is basically very well braaied , slow-cooked whole chicken . ( This also seems to be a culinary option in Pinetown and East Rand townships .)
Another notable landmark over this section is the Lesley Manyathela Stadium , which is named after the local football star , Lesley ‘ Slow Poison ’ Manyathela . The striker earned his nickname because he looked slow and lethargic on the field , but would pounce on the ball and had an incredible goal-scoring record . Sadly , Manyathela died in 2003 at age 21 in a car crash just outside Musina , just as he was starting to dominate the local soccer scene in Orlando Pirates colours . At the time , he was the leading goal-scorer in the Premier Soccer League ( PSL ) for that season , and the Golden Boot Award for the PSL ’ s top scorer has subsequently been renamed to honour Manyathela ’ s legacy .
Brilliant Baobabs
After the township section , you head out into the countryside in a westerly direction along the R572 , towards the Mapungubwe National Park . The out section is a shade under 10km , but there is no actual shade along this section . This is where one appreciates the loneliness and beauty of running in rural Limpopo . The baobab trees are the most striking feature of the terrain , and they are perhaps the only type of tree that is more attractive and interesting when naked , rather than fully leafed .
The last marathon held in Musina was the 2018 Two Countries Marathon , ( which naturally both Julian and I ran ). Here is what I wrote about baobabs at the time : “ It is ironic that in a race with no shade , the highlight is the trees . I don ’ t normally get excited about foliage but the endemic baobab trees are simply stunning . The big
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