David Mantsha, from Setlagole outside Mahikeng in the North West, is the winner of the 2023 N12 Ultra Marathon. He was one of over 2 000 runners who took part in a 50-kilometer race from Klerksdorp to Potchefstroom held on Saturday.
The marathon, in its second year, is the third Comrade Marathon qualifier in the North West in addition to the Om Die Dam Marathon and Ottosdal Marathon. Mantsha was the first South African to win the race and the first winner from the North West province. Last year’s Marathon was won by an Ethopian, Sintayehu Yinesu.
An excited Mantsha said it was his first 50-kilometer race victory. “I am happy, I was unsure that I would cross the finishing line, but after seeing the runner in front of me slowing down, I saw this as an opportunity to pass him, and here I am, the first South African to win this marathon,” he beamed.
Mantsha, who comes from humble beginnings, said he was inspired when he saw Edward Mothibi and Tete Dijana, both from Mahikeng in the North West, win the Comrades Marathon in 2019 and 2022, respectively.
“We have talent, and I wanted to demonstrate to the world that many of us in the North West can still make the province and the nation proud, as the first winner of this marathon was from Ethiopia,” he said.
As the first champions in the men’s and women’s categories, Mantsha and Nobuhle Chuma, a 29-year-old Zimbabwean, received R100,000 each. Chuma said today’s race was a tough one.
“It was not an easy race because a woman was 35 kilometers ahead of me, but I managed to catch up and from that point on I was determined to win. I focused my entire attention on the finish line, and I succeeded,” she said.
Chuma, a hairdresser who lives in Tembisa, has participated in multiple marathons in South Africa. She hopes she will one day be able to participate in the Comrades Marathon.
“I will need to train hard, but this is the beginning and I am proud of my accomplishment,” she said.
The North West Department of Arts, Culture, Sports, and Recreation and the Matlosana local municipality were the event’s main sponsors.
