MULTISPORT
Chasing
the Dream
A proud Kura Mazongo wears his IRONMAN finisher ’ s medal while at work at the Engen petrol station in Gqeberha
Kura comes out of the water after a tough swim in challenging conditions
On the morning of 21 November , the triathletes entered in the 2021 IRONMAN African Championship awoke to find that Gqeberha ( formerly known as Port Elizabeth ) was very much living up to its name , The Windy City . The event organisers were left with no choice but to shorten the 3.8km swim course to just 700 metres , due to the strong currents and choppy sea conditions , in order to ensure the safety of the competitors , but the 180km bike course and 42.2km run course remained the same .
This meant it was still a brutal day out for all the triathletes taking part , as they had to contend with rough seas and then strong wind conditions on the bike and run courses . But the athletes took in their stride , including 46-year-old Kura , who finished in a time of 14:01:44 . What impressed most , however , was not that he finished the race , but the manner in which he did it , considering his lack of financial stability and sporting resources .
Time after time , IRONMAN athletes prove that anything is possible , and this was once again proven when local Nelson Mandela Bay petrol attendant Kura Mazongo finished the IRONMAN African Championship in his home city in November , in spite of all the odds being heavily stacked against him . – BY SIYA NDZIMANDE
Born in Zimbabwe , Kura moved to South Africa in 2007 and has resided in Nelson Mandela Bay ever since , where he stays with his wife and three kids , and works as a petrol attendant at a local Engen station . Becoming an IRONMAN has been a dream of his for several years , and after taking part in the Comrades and Two Oceans ultra-marathon four times each , he decided to chase that dream of finishing on the IRONMAN red carpet .
Remarkably , after finishing the event in just over 14 hours , Kura got a lift home with one of his fellow athletes , arriving home after 10pm , and then he had to be at work at 6am the following morning ! “ I was so tired , but I was excited to show my colleagues , employers and customers my IRONMAN finisher ’ s medal ,” he says . “ This was not to show off , I was just very proud to have reached my dream , and I wanted to show everyone that supported me that I did it .”
Catching Up with the IRONMAN
Kura ’ s story is one that inspires , so we did a Q & A with him after one of his work shifts . Here what he had to say .
Images : FinisherPix for IRONMAN
62 ISSUE 148 JANUARY 2021 | www . modernathlete . co . za