Nene targets Comrades success after winning Orcas Academy 50km

As the final ultra-distance race in KwaZulu-Natal before the Comrades Marathon, the Orcas Academy 50km event which took place on Monday, 27 April, served as the last preparatory competition for participants to assess their readiness for the main event on 14 June. Sphesihle Nene was the first man across the finish line at the King’s Park Stadium in Durban in a time of 3:11:58 on a cool and windy day.

Nene dominated the race from the outset to win the the race by more than ten minutes ahed of the second-place finisher, Phumlani Dludlu, who completed the course in 3:23:16. Letshepa Phohlo secured third place with a time of 3:25:04. Speaking to #TheTopRunner during his post-race interview, Nene, a member of the Maxed Elite Running Club, expressed satisfaction with his victory, particularly given his recent recovery from injury.

Nene is ready for the comrades Marathon after winning the Orcas Academy 50km which had been initially scheduled to take place on 12 April but was then postponed. Photo Credit: Thathe Msimango.

"I'm very happy by winning the race. I came here to test my legs as I'm coming from the injury. The race was well organised and it serves as good preparation if you want to run Comrades Marathon. The time I did today was good especially with the windy conditions especially in the second half of the race," explains Nene, who is coached by renowned Comrades coach Xolani Mabhida.

The holder of a 2:22:23 personal best over the standard marathon, the 38-year-old is increasingly more focused on the Comrades Marathon. Nene, who will be running The Ultimate Human Race for the 12th time this year, says he wants to improve on his Comrades best of 5:57:20 achieved during the 2023 Down Run.

"I'm done with everything now and I'm looking forward to Comrades Marathon with the aim of breaking Sub 6 hours."

Race Director Prodigal Khumalo was happy with the turnout. Photo Credit: SMacPix.

In the women's category, Stella Athletics Club athlete Jadi Davy emerged victorious, recording a time of 3:57:01, despite having finished sixth overall in the Zululand Ultra Marathon 56km last weekend. Lauren Snell-Hillermann finished second in 4:02:36, while Sandra Nkiwane of Orcas Academy secured third place in 4:06:03.

Meanwhile, the race director and founder Prodigal Khumalo who is himself a multiple Comrades gold medalist, was pleased with the turnout of over 600 runners across 50km, 25km and the 10km. Khumalo predicts great success for future editions of the race which was run for the first time in 2025.

"The race went well. Some mistakes do happen but its part of the learning curve as we are new in terms of organizing this race. The wind was there but never affected most of the runners. The event has great potential to be one of the best in the future," said Khumalo.