Comrades Marathon 2015 Results: Men and Women's Top Finishers
Fourteen years after his brother Andrew pulled off a Comrades Marathon victory, Gift Kelehe did the same. The South African finished Sunday's race in 5:38:36, pushing himself to the men's title and becoming part of the first brother tandem to take a Comrades Marathon.
“I’m really happy and excited. My brother won it in 2001 and now I have won it ... he was also 33 when he won,” Kelehe said, per Sport24.
Caroline Wostmann, also of South Africa, won on the women's side in 6:12:22. According to ENCA.com, it's the first time two South Africans have won their home country's most notable marathon in 23 years.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
| 1 | Gift Kelehe | 5:38:36 | |
| 2 | Mohammed Husien | 5:46:14 | + 7:39 |
| 3 | Hatiwande Nyamande | 5:48:19 | + 9:44 |
| 4 | Lebohang Monyele | 5:52:32 | + 13:57 |
| 5 | Teboho Sello | 5:54:03 | + 15:28 |
| 6 | Joseph Mphuthi | 5:54:29 | + 15:54 |
| 7 | Claude Moshiywa | 5:55:17 | + 16:42 |
| 8 | Stephen Muzhingi | 5:56:36 | + 18:01 |
| 9 | Sandile Ngunuza | 5:57:08 | + 18:33 |
| 10 | Thuso Mosiea | 5:59:08 | + 20:33 |
Neither race was particularly close. Wostmann captured her triumph over countrywoman Charne Bosman by more than 20 minutes, while Kelehe was nearly eight minutes removed from Ethiopian Mohammed Husien. South African Hatiwande Nyamande and Russian Elena Nurgalieva finished third in the men's and women's division, respectively.
Kelehe ran a steady pace throughout, hanging behind the leaders before overtaking Husien with 25 kilometers left.
“I was not too worried,” Kelehe said, per Sport 24. "I could see the man from Ethiopia (second placed Mohammed Husien) in front of me. He was about two minutes ahead but I ran at my own pace."
He then built up a lead as the race progressed into the stretch run, picking up his pace while his competition faltered. When he crossed the finish line, Kelehe did pushups in celebration—an odd but fitting choice given the feat of endurance he'd just accomplished.
First run in 1921, the Comrades Marathon is an ultramarathon (90 kilometers) that features runners from all over the world. The race is a true test of endurance, more than doubling the distance of a typical marathon and forcing the runners to contend with the South African sun. The grueling track sees runners make their way from Durban to Pietermaritzburg.
| 1 | Caroline Wostmann | 6:12:22 | -- |
| 2 | Charne Bosman | 6:33:24 | + 21:02 |
| 3 | Elena Nurgalieva | 6:40:36 | + 28:14 |
| 4 | Olesya Nurgalieva | 6:41:18 | + 28:56 |
| 5 | Nina Podnebesnova | 6:41:48 | + 29:27 |
| 6 | Eleanor Greenwood | 6:44:03 | + 31:42 |
| 7 | Emmerentia Rautenbach | 6:45:22 | + 33:00 |
| 8 | Joasia Zakrzewski | 7:00:45 | + 48:23 |
| 9 | Simona Staicu | 7:01:14 | + 48:52 |
| 10 | Yolande Maclean | 7:01:49 | + 49:27 |
Leonid Shvetsov of Russia set the course records in 2007 and 2008, running a good bit ahead of Kelehe's time. Wostmann's time was also not particularly close to setting a course record.
Wostmann was the first South African winner on the women's side since 1998. She also won the Two Oceans marathon earlier this year.
“It’s an incredible feeling, it’s absolutely amazing,” Wostmann said, per Sport24. "There was a bit of pressure. Two Oceans was almost an accident, but Comrades was the one I wanted to win so, so badly.”
The pair receive winning purses of 375,000 rand, which is a little under $31,000 using current conversion rates. Given what they just went through, it wouldn't be surprising if a good amount of that money went to rehydration.
Or, at the very least, a new pair of running shoes.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
