2018 THE THREE-HORSE RACE

KZN's Bongmusa Mthembu is more than just a multiple Comrades champion; he's a local legend. Here's how he won his third title in 2018, against a top-class field.

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BONGMUSA MTHEMBU HAS ALWAYS STAYED TRUE TO HIS ROOTS.

The 42-year-old is the most successful South African at the Comrades Marathon since Bruce Fordyce, with wins in 2014, 2017 and 2018, 10 golds (only Fordyce with 11 and Alan Robb with 12 have done better), two Wally Haywards (sub-6 hours) and four silvers. But his legacy lies in his loyalty to his home province of KwaZulu-Natal and to his Arthur Ford club, which has sponsored him since 2016.

A father of four, Mthembu is not just a Comrades legend but a local folk hero, and has worked with many of the province's brightest young talents to build strong marathon and ultra runners capable of emulating his legendary feats.

In 2018, Mthembu lined up for the 'Down' run as the defending Comrades champion. Only Russian Leonid Shvetsov and Zimbabwean Stephen Muzhingi had won successive Comrades since the Fordyce era, and Mthembu also had the 2014 victory under his belt.

All the talk was about defending 'Down' run champion David Gatebe, who had blitzed the route from Pietermaritzburg to Durban in an astonishing 5:18.19 two years previously. The pundits suggested Gatebe was the odds-on favourite to win again, with Mthembu his only likely challenger.