Johannes Mosehla breaks Wally Hayward’s 34 year old record as the oldest person to Complete Comrades Marathon.
81-year-old Johannes Maros Mosehla from Limpopo, Sekhukhune district, has broken the legendary Wally Hayward’s record as the oldest person to complete the race.
Mosehla, who represents the Polokwane Athletic Club, completed his 10th Comrades Marathon on Sunday, June 11.
He crossed the finish line at Hollywoodbets Kingsmead and surpassed Hayward’s record as the oldest competitor to finish the iconic ultra-marathon.
In a conversation with Polokwane Mayor John Mpe before the race, Mosehla confirmed that he was in much better shape this year.
“I train on my own three times a week. Sometimes I embark on long runs ranging from 32 to 42 kilometers. I feel fit, so I believe running contributes to my well-being,” he said.
Exceeded Expectations
Mosehla exceeded expectations by completing the race in 9 hours, 26 minutes, and 10 seconds. His time was faster than over half of the participants.
Having run a 3:51 qualifying marathon, Mosehla started in ‘D’ batch and set a ‘modest’ target of stopping the clock in under 10 hours.
Hayward completed the race in 10 hours, 58 minutes, and 3 seconds in 1989 when he was 80 years old. That same year, Frith van der Merwe set the long-standing women’s ‘down’ record of 5 hours, 54 minutes, and 43 seconds.
Hayward’s record remained unbroken for an astonishing 34 years, and many still remember his triumphant finish.
Johannes Mosehla will be back again in 2024 to show off his Green Number – and break his own ‘oldest ever Comrades finisher’ record.
The 96th Comrades Marathon took place on Sunday, 11 June 2023, starting at the Pietermaritzburg City Hall at 05:30 and ended at 12 hours later at the Hollywoodbets Kingsmead Stadium in Durban.
The race was the 48th Comrades ‘down’ run.