Buhle the Runner Confident of a Golden Comrades Debut

The Entsika AC novice believes she will finish in the top ten and even challenge for glory.

Nobuhle Tshuma oozes confidence, the kind that would irk seasoned Comrades Marathon runners comfortable with the status quo.

It is exciting for us neutrals.

In a sport where black women have been known to be content with playing second fiddle, accepting that they are mere also-rans, Tshuma’s readiness to ruffle feathers is a welcome deviation.

Of course, many are going to dismiss her as a ‘loud-mouthed novice’ for declaring herself ready to try and win the Comrades Marathon. But why line up for a race if you don’t believe you can win it, right?

“I am ready, it is time to deliver now,” she tells me “I am excited because I know I have been working so hard.  I am excited that the top ten is already there. The rest will come.”

Her decision to run the Comrades makes her all the more exciting.

“When I checked Comrades, it always looked like there were no black females competing (for honours) and I asked myself, why is there no black women? It looked like a European race. And I told myself, let me try and train for it. If I can last for five hours of training, then I am sure I can finish Comrades.”

Such is her competitive spirit and go-getter attitude that Thsuma – who runs for Entsika Athletic Club – believes black women can win Comrades if only they have the support enjoyed by their white counterparts. And she is of the view there will be more than just one of them in the top ten on Sunday and even a champion in the near future should the support be equal.

“We are not getting proper support as black people.  The likes of Gerda (Steyn) can go to Europe and train. They get the sponsors that we struggle to get and people need to understand that thing. Also, as a mother, I cannot be like her (Gerda) because when I wake up and my son is not feeling well, then my training session does not go well or does not happen.”

Besides being a mom, she – like most other black female runners –has a job as she is not a full—time running professional.

“I am a hairdresser as well. So, when I am not running I have to attend to my clients at the salon because if I don’t go to the salon there will be little income to go by. And then you come back home tired and it is hard to train.”

Lest you think she is making excuses for black women not winning Comrades, she is not. Far from it, for she is aware that black women can be lazy at times.

“Sometimes, the problem is that we black people like to give excuses. I think we can try to do better as black female athletes. We need to stop being soft on ourselves and realise we have to push ourselves much more. And hopefully through doing well, people and corporate can see that ‘Buhle is a black mother but she’s doing very well in her running spite of all her challenges and then come on board and support.”

She considers herself blessed to be running for a club as caring as Entsika.

“Being at Entsika is good. When Bab’ Mkhize (Zakhele, the Entsika Consulting owner) says to us ‘If you go and place in the top ten I have already signed your cheque’  it is very encouraging. I know that if I win R200k then I already have R400k because he matches whatever amount I make. They really do everything for us to make sure that we just focus on being successful on the road.”

And she has been pretty successful alright, Tshuma having announced her arrival in ultra running with a top ten finish at last year’s Two Oceans Marathon before she won the 50km N12 ultra in Klerksdorp, This year she was runner up at the City to City 50km that was making its return to the calendar after a long hiatus.

Now she is going for the big one.

“In December we did a 50km training run organised by Ashinthwela (a popular runner in Gauteng) and I also did Om Die Dam and when I finished those 50kms I was still feeling strong and some guy said to me ‘Buhle why don’t  you do Comrades?’ I considered it and decided to give it a go.

She knew from 2023 that she had it in her to hold her own against the likes of Styen.

“Last year when I ran Two Oceans, it was my first ultra and I got advice from many people who said I should not start too fast. I wanted a top ten, but I heeded their fast and ran conservatively. But when I got to the finish, I realised I still had a lot of energy and I knew I could have done better if I’d run my way and just went for broke. So, I went to the N12 later on to take out my anger from that Two Oceans mistake and I ran it very hard. I finished it in 3:15 and at Two Oceans I’d got to 50km in 3:20 – that’s five minutes slower.”

She is aware Comrades Up-Run is a different beast, but she has no intentions of treading too carefully.

“My pace was under four minutes at the N12. I’ve been training at fast paces and I going to go hard at Comrades and will try to maintain a 4:05-4:10/km. I know that at 70km everyone will be struggling. But I don’t want to lie, I don’t die easily at races. I am a fighter. I am going to run Comrades and I am not going to give up. I am going to give it my all and I am sure the top ten is there already.”

It is a winning attitude. And that, is perhaps, the only way we are ever going to have a black female Comrades Marathon champion. If not this Sunday then definitely sometime soon and Nobuhle Tshuma would love to be the one.