Rustenburger 
wins Comrades

Rustenburg – For the third time in five years, a Rustenburger won the world-renowned 86km Comrades Marathon on Sunday 9 June. 

Edward Mothibi took first place in the 94th annual Comrades Marathon and demonstrated his strong mental will and unyielding determination to succeed. 

The Comrades is considered by many to be the apex of marathon challenges in the world. It sees many of the world’s athletes compete for the opportunity to raise the coveted trophy. 

Competing for the first time in 2018, the 34-year old marathon runner works for Impala Platinum Mine in Rustenburg, and runs for the Nedbank-team. 

Edward ran a remarkable victory in the men’s category and finished in a time of five hours, 31 minutes and 33 seconds.  

The women’s race was won by a fellow South African athlete, Gerda Steyn, who also made history by becoming the first woman to break through the six-hour barrier in the Comrades Marathon with a time of five hours, 58 minutes and 53 seconds. 

Edward’s victory against top class competitors from across the world, is inspiring, especially to many sports enthusiasts in Rustenburg.   

Edward is now the fourth Rustenburger to finish first in this prestigious marathon, following Andrew Kelehe (2001), Gift Kelehe (2015), and David Gatebe (2016). 

There must be something in the water! 

The race started at the Durban City Hall at 05:30 and ended 12 hours later at the Scottsville Race Course. This was the 48th Up Run in Comrades history.