Wesley Ngcobo, a Team Leader at the Durban University of Technology (DUT) Human Capital Services, excitedly shared his forthcoming goal of finishing the gruelling 89 kilometre Comrades Marathon 2025 race, one of the world’s oldest and most prestigious ultramarathons.
For Ngcobo, a first time participant in the Comrades Marathon, his ultimate goal is to finish the Comrades Marathon which will be a huge milestone for him. “I don’t want to set targets and be hard on myself as long as I finish the ultramarathon my aim will be fulfilled,” he shared.
Sharing his preparations for this particular race, Ngcobo indicated that with running there is always possibilities of enduring injuries, which were some that he had experienced whilst training for the epic down run.
“It is very unfortunate that during preparations one can incur an injury which disturbs the training schedule and even sometimes more. I had couple of injuries during my intense training and I had to rest for a couple of weeks to heal properly for the upcoming race,” said the marathoner.
For Ngcobo, his passion for such a race stems from immense love for long distance running. He also excitedly emphasised that running often leaves a smile on one’s face, and also its a great stress and anxiety reliever.
“Before the start of the race the feeling is amazing, every runner is excited, however, during the race it’s a bittersweet feeling because of the fear of experiencing injuries and fatigue whilst running. When I finish the race, the feeling will be amazing and I will look forward to competing in the next race hopefully,” he expressed.
Ngcobo shared that his training regime entails building endurance, focusing on both his physical and mental preparation. This includes consistent running, and strength training four times a week and targeting a specific number of kilometres.
However, if his body feels more than normally super-charged, he continues with his consistent training, more than the planned four times a week.
Preparing one’s body and mind requires strength food for such a race, which is crucial for Ngcobo.
“I usually eat avocados, eggs, sugar beans and phutu, sweet potatoes and amadumbe, pasta with chicken, variety of peanuts, and Powerade, to keep me powered up,” he explained.
He started preparing for the Comrades Marathon in February 2025. He did three 42 kilometres respectively which all gave him a good qualifying time to start with the first group (elites) in the much-anticipated Comrades Marathon.
Ngcobo expresses his vote of thanks to his colleagues who helped nurture his way to the upcoming run.
“I would like to appreciate my DUT colleague, Dudu Tshabalala for encouraging and showing me support since my very first race, the Best of Best 42 kilometre, DUT Sports Department which is under the leadership of Mqeqeshi Bongani Yengwa, for the amazing job and everyone who has been involved, thank you so much,” he shared.
Pictured: Wesley Ngcobo
Waheeda Peters
