Givemore Mudzinganyama storms to victory in the men's section of the Two Oceans marathon

Givemore Mudzinganyama came from left field to score a surprise TotalSports Two Oceans Marathon victory on debut on Saturday morning in Cape Town.

The Entsika Athletics Club runner stormed to victory in a time of 3:09:42, beating Nedbank Club's Dan Moselakwe to second spot while pre-race favourite Nkosikhona Mhlakwana of Hollywood Running Club completed the podium spots.

Debutant Mudzinganyama was understandably not among the men listed as favourites, the Zimbabwean venturing into the ultras for the first time.

And while he was with the main bunch throughout the race, the Asics Frontrunner athlete only came into the reckoning after the marathon mark at the tough Constantia Nek.

Before then it had appeared that another debutant Lebello Mopenyana of Maxed Elite would reign victorious as he led up Chapmans Peak into Hout Bay.

Though he had Moselakwe on his heels, Mopenyana looked comfortable until the wheels came off in Constantia Nek.

Mudzibganyama, coached by the revered Hendrick Ramaala, waited for no second invitation to go for glory and it was then just him and Moselakwe contesting for the leadership.

The Nedbank athlete though had seemed to be struggling with his left quad earlier on and that seemed to slow him down.

Mudzinganyama went ahead and while he seemed to struggle up the hills, there was just no catching the runner who had struggled for years to secure a professional contract until Entsika came along.

He duly punched the air with joy on entering the UCT upper campus grounds , delighted with his biggest pay check (R260,000) of his running career on his ultra marathon debut.