Lost race kit fuel, not failure

Despite losing his luggage, including his precious kit, Welkom marathon runner Nkhetheni Masupa surpassed all odds and beat his own personal best time during the Berlin Marathon on 24 September.

“This was my first major international marathon, and my anticipation levels were high. But what a trip this became, and certainly one I will forever remember. I topped off the ‘disaster’ with a cherry on the top with my personal best, and what a brilliant performance I displayed on the day of the race,” says Masupa.

He says all went well on the trip to Berlin until they arrived there two days before the big day, only to find out that their luggage was missing.

“We immediately reported this to the authorities, who promised us that we would get our bags back within two days at the most. Then there was no further communication from the Turkish airline, and we were getting closer to the start of the race.”

He says all of his running attire and supplements were inside the missing bag, and he had no choice but to start buying essentials for the big day.

“This was frustrating, and I was also overwhelmed by being at my first international marathon,” he says.

In running there is a tenet: “Nothing new on a race day”, but Masupa was forced to break that rule.

So R6 700 later, and a brand new vest sponsored by the running agency, he was geared for take-off.

“I had new running shoes, new tights, new socks, a new vest, but no supplements. With all of this and my trepidation, I managed to outdo my best time to date. I am proud of myself when looking at my statistics for the race, and I will continue competing with myself and training hard.”

With this impressive time, Masupa has been invited to take part in the 50th Berlin marathon in 2024.

Masupa also has his aspirations on the 2024 Boston and Chicago marathons.

And what happened to the elusive luggage? When checking out of his hotel on 25 September it was neatly stacked at reception. Masupa was not given an explanation as to where his luggage had been, and why it could not be timeously traced.