A teacher and housemaster at the prestigious Hilton College at Pietermaritzburg, 33-year-old Kwanda Sibiya, will be running a double Comrades this weekend to raise money to pay for all the schooling needs of two children from eManguzi in the north of KwaZulu-Natal.
The 96th Comrades will be a ‘Down-Run’ from Pietermaritzburg to Durban. Over 17 000 athletes will be participating this year.
Sibiya formed a foundation for educational needs of children in this part of the province where he grew up.
One project was to establish a library and encourage reading. Another is to raise money for a career expo.
Sibiya will be setting off from Durban on Saturday and run along the Comrades route to Pietermaritzburg, where he will join thousands of other runners at the official start line on Sunday morning. Sibiya says while it is only his second Comrades, he has been doing ultra-running for 8 years.
“I have done longer running expeditions before, I just have not done Comrades. So I have done a 500 kilometres run in 8 days. I have done 150 kilometers in about 33 hours non-stop. So I love ultra-running and I use it to tell stories and to raise money in some cases.”
Road closures
Several roads will be closed in Durban City due to the ultimate human race the Comrade Marathon. Durban Metro Police spokesperson Boycie Zungu is urging motorists to use alternative routes.
“Affected roads will be R103, M13, Josia Gumede Road, Western Freeway, David Webstar Street, Braamfisher Road, Masabalalayengwa Avenue until Kings Park Cricket Stadium.”
