Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 123, October 2019 | Page 22

THE RUNNING MANN
The Dundee Do-Over
Prince Mangosuthu Ultra
Marathon #221 / Unique Marathon #125 / 11 August 2019
Local Nqutu runner, Phumowakhe Buthelezi,
ran in traditional Zulu headgear
race shirt emblazoned with the portrait of a 91-year
old Zulu prince. Scheduled for a 6am start, which
would have meant an hour of running in pitch-black
conditions, the race referees sensibly deemed it too
dangerous, lest they lose some of the 137 starters
down one of the local potholes, so we ended up
starting around 7am once the rising sun provided
enough natural light to run safely. The area is very dry at this time of the year, so I took a
quick stop to give something back to the community
by watering a thirsty tree. Whilst whistling in the
wind, I took the opportunity to look around, and to
my horror, realised that the cop car was in fact on
sweeping duty, and I was dead last... and was rapidly
getting ‘laster’ as my competition became smaller and
smaller specs on the horizon!
In July, Dundee’s Dorothy Nyembe Marathon tossed
me to the ground, her mountainous climbs almost
broke my back, and the rejection I suffered over
a meagre 42km severely dented my fragile male
ego. Although marathons are scarce at this time of
the year, as luck would have it, the next event on
the calendar presented the opportunity to return to
Dundee, and an attempt to tame an even larger horse,
the inaugural Prince Mangosuthu 52km Ultra. Fortunately, the sub-zero temperatures experienced
before the Dorothy Nyembe Marathon had disappeared,
but a stiff spring breeze still cut through the multiple
layers of clothing I was wearing. The athletes were raring
to go, but there was another delay as the local mayor
delivered a lengthy speech in Zulu before we were
finally sent on our way. However, we won’t begrudge
the mayor his moment on the mic, since the local
Umzinyathi District Municipality sponsored the race and
made available a very generous prize purse of R400,000.
With just over 100 finishers, I make this the richest “per
runner” race in the country! I did manage to claw a few positions back over the
next 50 kilometres. Julian had run another 52km ultra
just 48 hours previously, so I managed to overtake
him as well, and was good for the win in the First
Mlungu category. Unfortunately, there was no prize
money for this not so impressive feat, but I’ll claim the
title anyway.
Recommencing Battle Left Behind
Named after the Scottish city, Dundee was originally
a coal mining town and forms the nucleus of the
Battlefields Tourist Route. Over 50 battles have been
fought in the town and surrounding area, including
the Battle of Ncome/Blood River between the
Voortrekkers and Zulus, Isandlwana and Rorke’s Drift
(the latter made into a movie starring Michael Caine)
during the Anglo-Zulu War, and many skirmishes
during both Anglo-Boer Wars.
Therefore, it was highly appropriate to return to the
scene of a past battle, since battle re-enactments
are a popular pastime in Dundee. The town’s social
and cultural diary revolves around an annual calendar
of battle re-enactments organised by a local group
called the Dundee Diehards, who get up to 5000
spectators at times.
With a small field, big prize money and a genetic
disadvantage – not for the first time this year, my
friend Julian Karp and I were the only melanin-
deprived athletes in the field – I saw dust clouds
disappearing into the distance as most of the field
shot off towards Dundee. As I was leaving Nqutu, I
became rather perturbed when I realised that I was
being stalked by a police vehicle, but put this down to
small town hospitality and diligence. They just wanted
to ensure that no harm came to the lonely mlungu
(white dude) within their jurisdiction.
Dead last and getting ‘laster’ – the sweeper
car rode on, oblivious to my plight
The race finishes at the Kallis Stadium in Dundee and
your entry fee of just R130 includes taxi transport
to the start in the township of Nqutu, as well as a
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ISSUE 124 OCTOBER 2019 / www.modernathlete.co.za
Packed & Prepared
After the Dorothy Nyembe debacle, I came to Nqutu
well stocked and fully prepared. My pants were
weighed down heavily with bags of sweets and I
tucked into the supply early, as I was concerned
whether the elastic in my shorts would hold out for
the full 52km. However, I am pleased to report that the
water tables in this race did in fact have tables – and
enthusiastic volunteers – and were fully stocked with
Coke, potatoes, oranges, apples, bananas and mageu
(a fermented mielie pap drink).
If you manage to avoid missteps into the potholes, the
race is run 100% on tar. The first 18km are an easy
Energetic volunteers – a nice change from the
Dorothy Nyembe Marathon
W
hen a horse throws you off its back, we’re
told to be brave, laugh it off and get back
on as quickly as possible. Using this line of
reasoning, I figured that if a marathon tosses you to
the tar, the appropriate response is to write a detailed
blog post bemoaning poor race organisation and the
toughness of the route, drink a few beers, and then
pick another marathon to run as quickly as possible.
(I guess the modern-day equivalent of falling off your
horse is riding your bicycle into some rugby posts and
then milking it for all it’s worth on social media!)