Mhlakwana aims to go one better at Two Oceans

For someone who “did nothing wrong” in finishing a close second in his maiden Totalspots Two Oceans Marathon, Nkosikhona Mhlakwana has gone to great lengths and serious heights in his quest to occupy top of the podium this time around.

The Hollywood Athletics Club runner, beaten into second place by just 3sec in a sprint finish with Ethiopian Edndale Belachew, is eager to “do better than last year” during Saturday’s running of the 56km Mother City ultra.

And while he and his coach Prodigal Khumalo have said they did not change much from last year’s training, the reality is they have put in a huge effort into ensuring Mhlakwana is in tip-top  shape to improve on his 3hr 09min 08sec of a year ago.

Mhlakwana has spent six weeks training in the high altitude mountains of his mother’s native country, Lesotho, before completing his preparations with a two week camp in Underberg.

Coach and athlete say the training was intense and they are now just counting down to Saturday.

But neither Mhlakwana nor Khumalo was willing to talk about victory as the main goal.

“He is much stronger than last year,” Khumalo said. “He ran a 2:18 marathon on a very tough course [in Ladysmith] at the beginning of the year and he did it with less effort. Our plan is definitely to build on last year’s performance.

“We did not change much from last year because he did nothing wrong then. For us last year was as good as a win because he was doing the race for the first time and for him to finish in the position he did the way he did, we were delighted.”

They will surely be more delighted if they won though?

“Last year I was beaten by just three seconds. I have improved my training and I am blessed because I am coached by the best coach in Prodigal Khumalo. And this time I had a longer time in camp out in the mountains. All that is left is for me to go out there and do the best I can,” Mhlakwana explained.

His coach chimes in: “He is very confident going into the weekend’s race and he will take everything as it comes according to what we have planned. If there are any athletes who are stronger than us, then there is nothing we can do. But we know we have to be flexible depending on how the race tactics and the competition pans out.”

Mhlakwana was careful not to say anything that would put him under undue pressure — the fact that his showing last year makes him a firm favourite for victory notwithstanding.

“I am not actually saying I will win the race,” he responded when asked what it will take for him to be victorious on Saturday. “But when you have worked hard and prepared you need to expect that anything is possible. I have no injuries and I am ready to do my best and improve my time and be happy with the result.”

The qualified teacher who has chosen to focus on his running instead of standing in front of students in a class, says he is “not focusing on the win, but just on myself and to improve and be happy after the finish line”.

“There are going to be lots of good runners from here, Kenya Ethiopia and Lesotho. So the focus cannot only be on me. There are always going to be surprises in a race like this, and I know I also want to spring a surprise of my own. I am ready to challenge them just as much as I know they will be challenging me.”