The 39-year-old ultra-marathoner signed an agreement with an American-based trainer to help him win his fourth Ultimate Human Race title.

The Comrades Marathon Down Run 90km, starting in Pietermaritzburg and finishing at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban, will take place on Sunday, 11 June 2023.

The last coach, he worked with was Xolani Mabhida in 2019, and he completed two Comrades Marathon races without a coach.

“I will announce a new coach next week, and he is not South African. He is from America, and we have been negotiating with him for a few months. Local coaches are scared to work with Bongmusa Mthembu because he knows what he wants. He takes his running career seriously, and he is disciplined. I will reveal the new coach soon after signing on the dotted line.

He is the best coach who worked with many athletes in Kenya.

He has a device that monitors my performance, and we have our meetings via zoom.

He was in Durban in November, and he will come down here once in a while,” said Mthembu.

Speaking at a training camp in Mokhotlong, Lesotho, Mthembu told the national broadcaster that he set his sights on his fourth Comrades gong.

“I have started with my plans to win my fourth Comrades Marathon title. I start my preparations as early as February, and now I am in Lesotho and will move to Mpumalanga soon. I will be busy until June and often go home to test the route. I do not want to train in Durban because of my comfort zone. I have started camping in February for 15 years, and it is not easy,” He told SABC Sport.

The father of three kids will use the Pirates 21km half-marathon in North Cliff on 19 February as part of his preparations for the Comrades Marathon.

“I will run in my third Pirates 21km race, and I did a virtual race in 2020 and finished eighth in the 2021 edition.

I have never won this half-marathon and hope to win it for the first time, and I am looking forward to running against the runners specializing in the 21km races. I will use the Pirates race purely for speed. It is a hard race, and I want to use it to build my confidence,” said Mthembu.

Other prominent road runners that completed the Pirates half-marathon are Sibusiso Nzima, Lebo Phalula, and Gladwin Mzazi, to mention a few.

Mthembu did not confirm his availability for the Two Oceans 56km ultra-marathon over the Easter Holidays and the Nedbank Runifield Breaking Barriers 50km ultra-marathon in Gqeberha on 26 February.

“You might see me in the Two Oceans and the 50km race or not, and what I hate is being targeted at the big races, and I do not like to confirm my availability,” concluded Mthembu, who runs in the colours of the Arthur Ford Running Club since 2009.

By Charles Baloyi

Teams	M	W	L	D	PTS	NET RR
South Africa	5	3	2	0	0
Australia	5	2	3	0	0

Finished Australia in South Africa ODI Series