Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 97, August 2017 | Page 16

THE
INDOMITABLE
SPIRIT OF
GIFT
KELEHE
followed that up with another third place at the 2017 Comrades, giving him
a fifth gold medal in his 10 Comrades runs and making him one of the most
decorated Comrades Marathon runners.
“The Comrades Marathon has changed my life. It means a lot to be
recognised, I feel special and honoured. I am no longer the Gift I was, but I
am still humble and focused,” says Gift, who tackles 250km to 270km in the
peak weeks of training preparation before the big races. “There is nothing
different to the training programme, we do speed, quality work, strength
and mileage.”
“It’s like a house… work on making the foundation strong and you have to
be very patient,” says the TomTom Athletics Club runner about making
his move to ultra-running. “You need a good base from athletics: short
distances, then 10km, 21km, 42km and then 56km.” Thus, when his older
brother Andrew won the Comrades Marathon in 2001, Gift was still focused
on track and field as well as cross country running. Fast forward 10 years to
2011 and Gift made a bold statement by finishing fifth in his fifth Comrades
run, earning his first gold medal in the race and proving he had the talent
and the motivation to build further on the Kelehe legacy.
Interestingly, it is the basics done on a daily basis under the watchful eye
of TomTom Athletics Club coach John Hamlett that brought him to where
he is. “I am privileged to work with John, who has been working with my
brother since 1989. He brought me up in Comrades Marathon running. He is
strict and honest, calls a spade a spade, and I feel honoured, like he is part
of my family,” says Gift.
John’s holistic approach to coaching is focused on discipline, commitment
and dedication, and this has seen him deliver many great athletes over the
years, including three Comrades winners – the Kelehe bothers in 2001 and
2015 as well as 2016 ‘Down Run’ winner and record holder David Gatebe.
Little wonder John is now referred to as a “Comrades kingmaker.”
After an eighth place finish in 2012, a bail in 2013 and third place finish in 2014,
Gift knew he had something special in the bag in 2015 after an intense eight-
week training camp at altitude in Dullstroom, Mpumalanga. Starting that year’s
‘Up Run’ Comrades as one of the favourites boosted his confidence still further,
and it showed when he took the lead with 25km to go and surged away from
the chasing pack. Clocking 5:38:35, he made Comrades history as he joined
Andrew as the only set of brothers to have both won the race. Meanwhile, after 13 years of police service, Gift was promoted to Sergeant
in 2017, further reward for his dedicated service. Until recently he was based
at the Tactical Response Team in Rustenburg, before joining the SAPS
Tshwane Academy under the Human Resource Development Division. His
commitment to both his work and running can be seen in the fact that
he is on the road at 4am to train and then heads straight to work, and as
soon as he clocks out of work, it is training time again. He admits that it
is sometimes difficult to stay motivated to train so hard, but he remains
committed, because he knows the rewards are potentially great.
The highlight of 2016 for Gift was being part of the star-studded SA team
that won the team gold medal at the World 100km Championships, and he From Sekhing Village in Taung to conquering the world, Gift has shown that
anything is possible if you are willing to put in the work.
Gift
Kelehe is a TomTom Ambassador. Join the team.
16
ISSUE 97 AUGUST 2017 / www.modernathlete.co.za
G
rowing up in Sekhing Village, Taung in the North West Province,
Gift Kelehe was taught the art of discipline, and that would pay
dividends later when he became a policeman, a runner, a Comrades
Marathon winner and World 100km Champion.