Comrades crown stays in SA hands as Mthembu defends title

Cape Town - South Africa's Bongmusa Mthembu has defended his Comrades Marathon title, winning the 93rd edition of the race from Pietermaritzburg to Durban in commanding fashion on Sunday.

It was Mthembu's third victory in the “Ultimate Human Race” having previously won the 'Down' run in 2014, in addition to last year's 'Up' run.

Local hero Mthembu, 34, who hails from Bulwer in KwaZulu-Natal's Midlands, finished in an unofficial time of 5:26:39.

Fellow South African Joseph Mphuthi finished second in a distant 5:35:14, while Great Britain's Steven Way stormed through the field to take the final podium spot in 5:35:31.

Running for the Arthur Ford Running Club, Mthembu crossed the finish line at the Moses Mabhida Stadium with his arms raised as 90.184km of agony quickly turned to joy.