A Pretoria woman will run her own symbolic 21km race after overcoming an abusive marriage, her son drowning in front of her, two attempted rapes and her father stabbing her mother.
Nontombi Luthuli, the assistant director of the civilian secretariat for police service, has the endurance race to thank for saving her from a mental breakdown and suicide after experiencing several traumatic events.
“I am going for 21km for now. However, I am striving to go for 89km, that’s my dream and it will come true. I am still on the journey to run a full-length Comrades ...” Luthuli said.“When I am running, I meditate, I gain strength to conquer all the obstacles in my life — aligning the challenging hills with the trials and tribulations I have faced and still face in my life.
“As though this was not disturbing enough, in 2018 I watched helplessly as my son drowned at the Blue Rock Dam while I was taking a video of him having a lovely time that ended in his untimely death at the age of 21.” “The Comrades Marathon has given me hope that there is life after each and every challenge in my life. Holding my 10km Comrades Marathon medal was the best thing ever. I started being positive and gained confidence again that I lost in the midst of my collapsed marriage.