Bosman will take it slow, hopes for top 10 Comrades finish

Former champ believes she's picked up pieces after collapsing at 60km mark last year

Neville Khoza Journalist
Charne Bosman is satisfied with her preparation for the 2023 Comrades marathon next month.
Charne Bosman is satisfied with her preparation for the 2023 Comrades marathon next month.
Image: Reg Caldecott

After failing to complete the Comrades Marathon "down run" last year as she collapsed during the race, former champion Charne Bosman will not try to put pressure on herself this year for any podium finish.

Bosman, the winner of the down run in 2016, collapsed after the 60km mark and was taken to hospital in Durban.

The 96th Comrades Marathon will be run on June 11, starting at the Pietermaritzburg City Hall at 5.30am and finishing at the Kingsmead Cricket Stadium in Durban after 87.7km.

I dont want to put any pressure on myself. All I want is to go out and have fun after what happened last year. I just want a top 10 finish, thats my main focus, Bosman told the media during the launch of the Spar Womens Challenge Tshwane race on Wednesday in Pretoria.

I will see how the day goes; my training has suddenly picked up with five weeks to go and Im hungry to come back to run and Im enjoying my running again.

The last couple of months were tough for me with injuries and also health problems. I just wish we could have more time and I cant believe it is under five weeks to go, so Im just looking forward.

While the long distance runner was disappointed that she didnt finish last year because of the Covid-19 virus, Bosman hopes she wont have any difficulties this year.

I ran the Loskop Marathon at the weekend and I can feel the injury is not there anymore. I did 182km this week. I must say Im hungry and looking forward to Comrades. Sometimes things happen for a reason, I was supposed to run Om die Dam and Two Oceans quite hard, but I couldnt, she said.

So, I just want a top 10 finish at Comrades and just to come back again this is my favourite race. Im looking forward to that.

With four weeks to go, Bosman also gave some advice to runners who may also experience difficulties during their preparations like her.

Just stay healthy, injury free and look after yourself. This is going to be the last high week of mileage, then it is going into tampering. So runners, please dont try to catch up if you lost training, I also lost training. Im just thinking about the race.

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