When Johannes Mosehla walked into the packed hall at the Boeketlo Lodge in Jane Furse, Limpopo, a few heads turned his way, a cloud of disbelief hung in the air, and whispers and murmurs abounded.
“Is that really him?” someone asked.
“He looks younger than his age,” said another.
“I want to take a picture with him,” a colleague whispered.
Mosehla, clad in a somewhat oversized jacket over a golf shirt, took his seat among the rank and file, the fact that the occasion was hosted in part to honour him for his recent achievement notwithstanding.
Such is his humility that the man who broke what had hitherto been viewed as an unbreakable record by becoming the oldest finisher of the Comrades Marathon did not consider himself important enough to join the dignitaries at the top table. He waited to be invited.
There is an invitation the 81-year-old who completed the world-famous ultra in an impressive time of 9:26:10 to unseat the legendary Wally Hayward wishes could come his way now that he has become a running superstar.
“I’ve done it all here in South Africa. I remember running at Sanlam Cape Town Marathon in 2016 and (then-western Cape premier) Helen Zille asking me why I’d travel so far just for a race. I told her I am the bull of Limpopo and I’d come there to compete with the other bulls from all over the country. Now I know that the world is aware of me because of what I did at Comrades. The next step is to go out there and compete in the world. My big dream is to go and run New York Marathon and also London Marathon, to challenge the bulls from all over the world.”
We were speaking after he had been honoured by the SA Run4cancer Ultra Marathon organisers who decided to name the medals of this year’s race after him and Mosehle couldn’t hide his delight at the recognition.
“Of course I am delighted and proud, and I accept this big honour from SA Run4cancer. They’ve not just done it for me but for the children of this country because I am encouraging the younger ones to get to where I have. This is not about me. This medal is for all the runners of South Africa because it is they who will be receiving them at the race,” he said.
Mosehle’s Comrades Marathon time was remarkable. But what is more remarkable is that the Polokwane Athletic Club athlete runs without the use of a watch or even supplements.
“I don’t take those things because I don’t understand them. For me, I know that whatever you eat normally you must just continue eating. Why should I drink something that I might have today and then not have another day? Those things (supplements) run for you and then it means if you don’t have them you can’t really run. Before the race I usually eat two or three slices of dry brown bread and maybe a few eggs and then I drink water on the road and mageu (fermented mealie-meal porridge) and whatever cold drinks they provide in the race.”
And how does he time his runs, seeing that Mosehle went into the Comrades with three goals?
“My first aim was to finish the race because it was my tenth one and I wanted to just earn the green number. Secondly, I wanted to become the oldest finisher and I did that. I also wanted to run a faster time than what Wally Hayward ran. Yes, I don’t use a watch but I ran a lot of races and I know from feel that if I run at a certain pace, I will finish in what time. With Comrades I knew that being in the D-seeding I could run the sub-10 if I maintained a particular pace.”
Mosehle is signed up to run the Foskor Marathon in Phalaborwa later this month, the Knysna Forest Marathon in August and both the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon and the SA Run4cancer Marathon in October.
But his dream is to run internationally and as he left Boeketlong Lodge, having obliged requests for photos from admirers as well as MECS, CEOS and race ambassadors, Mosehle did so with the hope that those capable would help make it a reality.
“I am still hopeful that I will get a sponsorship. I’ve been speaking to the local mines because they are on our grandparents’ land, they have taken over our grandparents’ graves. When I spoke to them they asked me to write a proposal but I did not have any good records then. Now that I’ve done this (Comrades record), they should help me.” Indeed they should.
@Tshiliboy