In an exclusive interview with two-times Comrades winner, Stephen Muzhingi’s coach, Cliff Chinnasamy, we get inside his head and find out exactly what makes a Comrades winner.
In a trancription of the interview Chinasammy describes the race itself.
Were you and Muzhingi confident on winning the race?
I was 100% confident that we were going to win it. I was planning on keeping my eye on the American Josh Cox, and had told my guys to keep an eye on him but unfortunately he was never in it – so Stephen Muzhingi had the all clear.
Talk us through the race
Well Muzhingi went out quite slowly but that was always the plan, and then in the second half I got an emergecy call that Muzhingi was running out of steam, so I changed his energy drink, which sorted out his energy levels and that’s when he got back into the race. And then I was with him all the way to the finish.
What was his nutrition plan for during the race?
During the race, he doesn’t eat at all. In the morning before the race, he had some normal bread and tea and some energy drinks an hour before the race. And then during the race he gets his energy supplements along the way.
Did he stop at all during the race?
Being under pressure, everything he did, everyone else did too – so when he stopped, everyone else stopped too. Just before Inchanga, Muzhingi stopped and I rubbed his legs with some deap heat.
What mistakes did Muzhingi make that cost him the record?
We trained for a 5h10 record, and I was 200% sure we could run a 5h10, but we said we would go for a 5h19 because if we wanted to go for the record again, it would be very difficult to break a 5h10 so we thought we would keep it closer to 5h20. During the race itself, he was overpowered by the other athletes, bumping into him and following his every move, so he lost about 7 minutes in the early stages of the race. When he stopped in Inchanga I could see in his running style, that he had no rhythm at all – there was nothing in him.
Will he be back to try and break the record next year?
We are starting training in three weeks time for next year’s up run. So yes, the plan is to break the record next year. There is no pressure on us for next year’s record. I will train him accordingly to break the record next year – but no drugs!
What does he eat after the race?
He likes to eat something very hot, like a curry.
How did he feel after the race? Was he sore?
Stephen Muzhingi can run any race, and he won’t feel any pain or cramp, but after the 2010 Comrades, he was in a lot of pain. But he was fine – no need for additional massages etc, it was just his ankles that were sore from having to criss-cross the road the whole way, trying to shake off the other runners. Muzhingi is like superman!
For the rest of the interview, we have separated the interview into five different audio files for your convenience. Simply, select the file you want to listen to, click on the link, save it to your computer and click play.
Chinnasamy explains why he is known as “The Terminator” and talks about his other athletes that took part in Comrades, a number of whom got very ill on the route. Did anyone else have the same problem?
Click here to listen
What does a Comrades winner’s training programme consist of? Did you know Muzhingi was a barefoot runner?
Click here to listen
When did the love affair with Comrades begin?
Click here to listen
Chinnasamy talks us through what makes a Comrades champion.
Click here to listen
Chinasammy on what Muzhingi does with his winnings and what makes the Comrades so unique.
Click here to listen
Click here for a clip from the press conference after the race
Loading ...
No comments yet.