Annie Bothma fights back to reclaim national marathon title
· Citizen
Long-distance runner Annie Bothma capped an incredible comeback on Sunday, reclaiming the national 42km title at the Durban International Marathon.
Bothma took second position in the open women’s race in 2:27:45, and though she was beaten by Ethiopian athlete Alemitu Lema who set a course record of 2:26:44, the 30-year-old South African secured victory in the SA Championships.
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With bonuses and incentives, Lema pocketed R150 000 and Bothma earned R100 000.
After winning the national title in 2023, also in Durban, a recurring back injury sidelined Bothma from competitive running, and she had a spinal fusion less than two years ago.
She was forced to take six months off from training, and then she fell ill due to an apparent incorrect dosage of prescribed medication she was taking. Again she found her career teetering on the edge of an abyss.
“I got severely sick and ended up in ICU for two weeks, fighting for my life, and I lost about seven kilograms. It took me months to dig myself out of that hole,” she said.
Regaining her form
A born fighter, however, she clawed her way back into shape and ran 2:33:35 in her comeback race at the Durban City Marathon last month (despite taking a wrong turn along the route which extended the race distance), and that result qualified her for the KwaZulu-Natal Athletics team to compete at the national championships.
And her performance at the Durban International Marathon on Sunday proved she had regained her best form in a career which had faced repeated knocks due to physical health issues caused by complications after she was diagnosed with Scarlet fever as a child and Celiac disease as a teenager.
“Even though I didn’t win the open race today – she (Lema) was better than me – walking away with the South African title is still something I will cherish for the rest of my life,” Bothma said.
Magwai wins men’s race
Meanwhile, in the men’s event on Sunday, Reghen Magwai ran the race of his life.
Maghwai dug deep in the closing stages to win the open contest in 2:11:20 in the colours of Athletics Gauteng North, securing his first SA title in a personal best 2:11:20 and taking home R110 000 in prize money.
Though Samuel Moloi took second place in 2:11:31, he did not qualify for a national championship medal, as he was representing his club (Phantane Athletics Club) and not his province.
“I’ve been looking forward to winning the national championships and finally I got the win,” said Magwai, who is coached by Violet and Caster Semenya in Pretoria.
“I’ve got bronze and silver at the national championships before, but gold was missing, so I’m happy to finally get it. And it’s a personal best. I wanted to run under 2:11:00 but hopefully next time I will get it.”