IT was a good outing for Zimbabwe long-distance runners at the Cdes Marathon 97th Edition this Sunday with Nobukhosi Tshuma finishing 5th in the women’s race, while Givemore Madzinganyama was 10th in the men’s category.

Tshuma was the best-seeded Zimbabwean crossing the finishing line of the 85 km race in 6 hours 12 minutes 18 seconds, which was 22 minutes 31 seconds off the winner Gerda Steyn out of the 3 000 female participants.

Loveness Madziva also made the top 15 in the ladies category, completing the run in just 6 hours 34 minutes and 27 seconds, while ZBC Cameraperson Nyasha Marira completed her race in 9 hours 57 minutes 54 seconds.

Madzinganyama was the pick of the male runners for Zimbabwe clocking 5 hours, 37 minutes and 9 seconds, some 12 minutes 9 seconds short of the race winner from Netherlands Piet Wiersma who clocked the fastest time to become the first Dutch runner to win the annual marathon.

Leno Muchenwa and Liberty Malabwa also impressed finishing in the men’s top 50, while Prince Chiposiwa, Brenden Tshuma and Philani Nkomo made the top 100 out of more than 14 thousand athletes.

For years Zimbabweans have tussled with the world’s best at the annual marathon race with Stephen Muzhingi being the only Zimbabwean to win the largest and oldest ultramarathon in the world which attracts over 18 thousand athletes from around the globe.

Muzhingi also has another record to his name as he won the race for three consecutive years between 2009 and 2011.

This year’s edition attracted 332 Zimbabweans, a significant improvement from just more than 200 who participated at the event last year.

ZBC News