TRIBUTE TO A PACESETTER: WHAT IS YOUR WHY?

We received this tribute piece by Fiona Braithwaite (11:58:21), who crossed the finish line as a passenger on the sub-12:00 bus driven by Official Comrades Pacesetter Shahieda ‘Makhi’ Thungo. As Fiona describes her, Makhi is the Soul of the 12-Hour Bus.

I joined Makhi’s 12-hour bus in Westville, tired, emotional and unsure if I had enough left to make it. She looked at me with calm determination and asked, “What is your why? Why are you here?” Choked with emotion, I answered, “For my family. For my children.” Makhi smiled, nodded, and said, “let’s go get your back-to-back medal.”

That question cut through all the noise. In that moment, she reminded me that this race is about more than time, it’s about heart, purpose, and the journey that brought us to the start line.

Running with Makhi’s bus was a turning point. I no longer had to stress about the clock, or do mental maths every few kilometres. I didn’t have to wonder if I was too slow or falling behind. I just had to run. Trust the plan. Follow her rhythm. Let go of the panic. She led with grace, strength, and a deep respect for every runner on the road. She managed the bus with precision, calling out to those beside us to “move left” or “move right” to allow others to pass. Always with kindness. Always with purpose.

Makhi didn’t just help me finish, she gave me the space to believe I could. She carried the mental load so that we could carry on running. Every year, she shows up to lead this bus, not for herself, but for all of us. And in doing so, she reminds us why we started and why we’ll keep coming back.

Thank you, Makhi. For the pace. For the purpose. And for asking us our why.

#ComradesMarathon #12HourBus #MakhiTheLeader #MyWhy #ComradesSpirit #RunWithHeart #TrustTheBus

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Please Send Help, my Peopleship!

This is a tongue-in-cheek social media post by Makhi herself, after a somewhat one-sided conversation with her daughter a few days after the race...

Makhi's daughter: “Mommy, can you not do this 11h58 business, please, my poor little heart nearly stopped, and you would’ve been daughterless. I also hate that app that comes here with 12h17 and 12h30 things. Like, not my Momma! I nearly broke your TV. Blame that app.”

Makhi: “Mara Nana, the predicted time is like that at first every year, mos.”

Makhi's daughter: “I know, but it doesn't make the stress any less. Plus, wena, you now decided to drive a train without informing me. I was thinking, Jirrie, all those people will riot, my poor mother is in deep trouble. I wanted to phone uncle Themba and tell him to tell you to move, because he was there on the side of the road, and he will definitely see you after I tried calling you and your phone was off. Mara, this woman… how is her phone off in such crucial times, when her child is trying to reach her?”

Makhi: “Askies Nana.”

Makhi's daughter: “Don't Askies Nana, me. Say askies Mamlotshwa, Mambokazi, green stone in the water with an eWallet for pain and suffering!”

Makhi: …………… (rendered speechless).

Please send help, my peopleship!

#rebuildingmakhi #ThePhoenixHasRisen #sub12busdrivers #IsikoMpilo #6to6gang #medaltour

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The Official Comrades Pacesetters

The Official Comrades Marathon Pacesetters are often referred to as ‘bus drivers.’ All are unpaid volunteers who carry flags denoting their target time so that runners can easily spot them, hop on the ‘bus’ of their choice, and rely on the Pacesetters to guide them home on time. These buses have been an official part of the Comrades Marathon since the early 2000s, i.e. run with the official sanction of the Comrades Marathon Association (CMA), and in the past the buses have helped bring thousands of runners home, with the sub-12:00 buses in particular often growing to a huge size.

This year’s Comrades Marathon featured 38 official Pacesetters divided amongst 10 official pacing buses from sub-9:00 to sub-12:00. All of the selected pacesetters either had substantial experience running the Comrades Marathon, or in the case of a few international guest pacesetters, had proven their pacesetting credentials in other races around the world. The pacesetting group thus included:

• 14 returning Comrades Marathon Pacesetters, including vastly experienced Bus Drivers such as Jeff Ramokoka (9 times as a Sub-11:00 Driver) and Shahieda Thungo (6 times as a Sub-12:00 Driver).
• 14 Green Number holders, including Joe Faber and Abraham Mahlangu (both on 26 medals), Ramokoka (24 medals), and Petrus Ndlovu and Sagren Moodley (both on 23 medals).
• 29 South Africans from 8 different athletic provinces.
• 9 International pacesetters from 8 countries.
• 32 male and six female pacesetters.
• A combined total of 359 Comrades Marathon medals between all the Pacesetters!

These 38 Pacesetters were carefully selected from a list of more than 180 applicants. In the past, Comrades Marathon Pacesetters were all drawn from the ranks of a number of voluntary provincial pacing associations, such as KwaZulu-Natal Pacesetters, Gauteng Pace Setters and Western Province Pace Setters, and the selection was done by a leadership group drawn from these organisations. This year, for the first time, the application process for pacing at Comrades was opened to the entire field, and then a selection was made by this leadership group in conjunction with the CMA, with an emphasis on growing the Comrades Marathon pacing pool and also giving some international pacesetters the opportunity to carry a flag in the race, just as many South African pacesetters are currently being entrusted to do in races all over the world.