Isle of Man resident Nhlanhla ‘Fortune’ Nzama took part in the Comrades Marathon in his native South Africa last weekend.

He completed the ‘down’ race from Pietermaritzburg to the coast at Durban, a distance of around 90 kilometres (55 miles) in a superb time of 6hr 50min 41sec, which placed him 252nd out of 11,927 in the men’s race.

This time took something like half an hour off his previous best for the race, earning him a coveted silver medal. These are based on time, with silver medals in the men’s race going to competitors that completed the course between six hours and seven-and-a-half hours.

Fortune’s pacing was spot-on, as it usually is, and his splits were remarkably consistent all through the race.

PARISH WALK NEXT WEEK

The Manx Telecom Parish Walk takes place on Saturday, June 24, starting 8am from the National Sports Centre.

l Entries for the Altenar Isle of Man Marathon and Half-Marathon remain open at: http://www.iomvac.co.uk

The event will be held in the north of the island as usual on Sunday, August 13.