THE RUNNING MANN
C o l u m n running in crowds and silencing the thoughts that I would get hurt again . The start was filled with anxiety , but after 3km , I settled into the race , and there was no pain ! I finished under an hour , and crossing that line felt like a victory . I had won the battle with my mind and overcome my fears .”
Ready to Go Again
In January , Chanelle started thinking about Comrades again , and whether a return to the start line was possible in 2024 . She knew she was way behind schedule in training , but her coach , Sithembele Sihunuza , reassured her that she had nothing to worry about . He put together a marathon programmme for her , Channelle put in the work , and the Balwin Sport Dolphin Coast Marathon in the middle of March was targeted as a qualifier . Well , not only did Channelle manage to qualify for Comrades , but she also came away with a new personal best time of 3:44:22 !
She managed to meet up and run much of the way with one of her fellow SkhindiGang members , Nqabisa Ndodana . However , this year was Channelle ’ s opportunity to nurse an injured friend , Pemmy Matsunyane , and they walkjogged the final few kilometres together . Hand in hand , they finished in 9:28:20 , a remarkable PB for Channelle just one year after the devastation of her DNF . Asked whether she would change anything about this year ’ s race , “ Absolutely nothing ” was her short and simple answer .
Sithembele prescribed two weeks of rest after the marathon and then Channelle joined his SkhindiGang Comrades programme , focusing on long runs and quality time on the road . She duly lined up at the Comrades start on 9 June with about half the mileage that she ’ d done in preparation for Comrades 2023 , but she says her 2024 run was not about time or medals , “ It was about gratitude , celebrating the simple yet profound ability to run again .”
Reason to Persevere
Channelle is a single mother of two , and this lioness prides herself in giving back to the community . She has her own heart project called Creating Smiles – which you can follow on Instagram here – that uses running to raise funds to buy school shoes and uniforms for underprivileged children . After someone in her network noticed that Childline KZN was one of the official Comrades charities , they suggested Channelle raise funds for them , so Channelle signed up to the Childline KZN # Run4Charity team and , after having to throw in the towel in 2023 , she donned the Childline banner she was given in 2024 and ran with it from start to finish .
Channelle threw on a Childline banner for inspiration ( and a good cause ) in 2024
A PB at the Balwin Sport Dolphin Coast Marathon – not bad for a comeback marathon !
Everyone who has run Comrades will tell you that the mental challenge is as big as the physical challenge . Going into the 2024 race , for Channelle , it was getting past the mental block of the 24km mark , where it all ended for her the previous year . However , she was taking off her gloves and jacket at the first Fat Cats table – and had already conquered two of the Big Five hills – when she realised that she was already 6km past her 2023 “ Game Over ” marker . After that , she says it was a smooth run . “ The second half was a dream . I was moving well , more present in the race , greeting people along the route , smiling , and genuinely enjoying every stride .”
Channelle and Pemmy Matsunyane conquered the last few kays together
More to Come …
When she lined up at the start of the ill-fated 2023 race , Channelle was targeting a Bill Rowan medal for a sub-9:00 finish , having run a 9:55 the year before . Whilst this Fat Cat may have lost one of her nine lives in Pietermaritzburg in that race , she made a triumphant return in 2024 . This Comrades tested Channelle ’ s mettle , but she came out tops , and I am looking forward to seeing what she achieves in 2025 . As they say in the classics , this is a breaking story …
Pound for Pound the
Fastest Comrade ?
If you think running a negative split at Comrades is tough , you should have tried to achieve this feat in 2022 , when the second ‘ half ’ of the race was 2.2km longer than the first , due to the placement of the timing mats . In fact , there was just one person who finished under 7:30 in that race , to earn a silver medal , having managed a negative split , Lindt De La Port .
What is even more impressive is that he weighs in at 90 kilograms , and bears a physique that resembles fortified wine ( port ), rather than fine wine ! In fact , Lindt is the heaviest person to achieve a silver medal that I know of , but it ’ s one thing to earn a silver on the Down Run when you ’ ve got gravity on your side . What about carrying all that ‘ cargo ’ up to Pietermaritzburg ? In my 2022 stats report , I called Lindt the ‘ prince of pacing ,’ but could he upgrade to ‘ crown prince ’ status in 2024 ?
Meticulous Planning
When you ’ ve got your eyes on a silver medal but go through Drummond in 3:55:41 , that ’ s game over for most people , but this was all part of the plan for Lindt . I ’ ve actually seen his plan , and the Comrades route was quite literally broken down kilometre by kilometre into different zones based on elevation . As a “ rock up and run ” type of guy myself , most of it went straight over my head , but I did note that there was even time worked in for a few “ possible walk zones ,” and two definite walk zones on sections of Field ’ s Hill and Inchanga .
Lindt is a disciple of the 80 / 20 training method ( 80 % low intensity / 20 % high intensity ), but suffered an injury in March that hindered his training plans . His
21