Nhosikhona “The Pitbull” Mhlakwana earned his nickname from his coach Prodigal PK Khumalo for the tenacity he has shown when he is in race mode.
In 2019, Mhlakwana made headlines when he stumbled near the finish line and lost his ninth place position and completed his first Comrades Marathon in 11th place – just shy of a gold medal finish. Despite his struggle in the last leg, Mhlakwana completed the 87km up-run in an impressive time of 05:53:00. Last year he ran a magnificent 5:43:27 for his sixth-place finish.
The 29-year old from Howick, who is also a qualified teacher, will be looking to improve on his previous two efforts. His chances of running a faster time are improved by the fact that the distance will be slightly shorter than last year.
He shared the following thoughts on his third attempt at Comrades:
- How ready are you for Comrades and how has your training gone?
I’ve been in a training camp since after the Two Oceans Marathon with my coach Mr Prodigal Khumalo. I want to thank him for being the man driving me to get through my training and motivating me to stay positive. Other than that I would like to thank my sponsors Hollywood Bets, 32 GI as well as Puma for being part of my athletics journey. Wthout them I am nothing. The training has gone well. I am so happy that I injury free and I am feeling positive for Sunday.
2. Is this the year you will become champion at Comrades?
Honestly, I’ll have to say no. I am not becoming a champion, but I would like to be champion of myself by running a good race on the day.
3. What is your race strategy?
I don’t have a race strategy. I was 11th in my first Comrades Marathon. Last year I was sixth. My mind is not yet into winning the race. I just want to improve and have a good race at the end of the day.
4. The official race distance 87.7 km is a bit shorter this year. Can the record be broken and are you thinking about it?
Whether the distance is shorter or longer Comrades wil remain Comrades. I don’t know about breaking the record. There are guys training for that. I have just trained to cover the distance in the Down Run from Pietermaritzburg to Durban.
5. How much confidence do you get from finishing third at Two Oceans?
Finishing Two Oceans in third place shows that I am improving. I finished on the podium in my second year motivates and inspires me. It gives me confidence to do my beste at Comrades.
6. It is often said that racing the Two Oceans Marathon kills off your chances of winning Comrades. What is your view on this?
I respect others people’s views. However, I had a good Two Oceans. Comrades is a different story and all my focus is on that now.
7. What are your hopes on race day?
All I want to do is to run a better time that my 5 hours and 43 minutes of last year and finished 6th. If I can improve my time by one second it will be a dream come true.
8. Who do you see as your main competition for Comrades?
I respect all the guys that I am running against. In fact I am not running against anyone. I am running against myself. I think there is healthy competition and I wish all the runners that have entered the best of luck. It’s something that everyone has worked hard for.