ayabonga.maqashu@ictchoice.com

A few months after a shoulder operation Mr. Menzi Ndaba was amongst thousands who completed the 85.91km Comrades Marathon race on Sunday, 09 June 2024.

The Marathon, known as ‘The Ultimate Human Race’, is the world’s oldest ultra-marathon. Over 20, 500 runners grab the up run challenging 85.91km course from Durban to Pietermaritzburg in KZN and according to him “this was an opportunity not to be missed despite my shoulder operation prior to the race” as he confidently alludes to his participation this year. The gentleman joined the Comrades Marathon for the 5^th consecutive time, and this was his second up run from 2019.

He asked himself a question “Do I need to stop running?”  “By the next morning it was clear that all the anti-inflammatory in the world were not going to make it better. A lengthy visit to the doctor followed by some radiology at the hospital left me with no doubt that I was injured. Over the next few weeks with the help of some good (strong) medication and regular visits to the physio the pain and swelling started to ease. The rehabilitation dragged on for months. I found myself really missing my runs with my friends and weekend excursions up the Mountains as this was going to be an up run. Social media became something I avoided as I didn’t want to see photos of friends with their finishers medals. With the rehabilitation dragging on against the advice of my physio I started to push too hard to soon and that has helped me to participate during this year’s Marathon”

Known as “Intshebe” at his 2019 debut Comrades Marathon, Menzi won the hearts of many Sharks Board’s employees, the spectators who lined up along the route to cheer up the runners and keep them motivated and hydrated throughout the marathon, everyone would cheer and say “Yadlintshebe”

From the 2019 up run race when he set up the record of 6:52 he did most of his training in the mountains, Menzi came back hungry to do better in the next up run, specifically focused on added hill training for this year’s up run, this years record has been an evident that, indeed hard work pays off as he brakes his own record by recording 06:49 finish time. “I am pleased that I did better than the previous up run, which I am not a fan of, I prefer down run and I am looking forward to also participating in the upcoming race.”

Intshebe has been immensely appreciative of the help/support Sharks Board has displayed now and, in the past, he further mentioned that friends, relatives, family, his club and general members of the public support during before the race made a big difference in his morale and confidence. “I can’t thank you enough.”

The Sharks Board on the other side, appreciate the volunteers who have worked tirelessly to ensure the success of this event. Definitely, the Comrades Marathon is not just a race, it is a memorial of human potential and community made possible by unwavering commitment and hard work. This race remains to be a beacon of hope and a symbol of what is possible when we come together in the spirit of unity and perseverance. United, we remain Sharks Board.

Sharks Board remains the partners to the Comrade Marathon and continues making the Comrades Marathon a global iconic event by manning and maintaining refreshments stand number 04 situated at Westville on M13, we are fully aware that much of what we achieved would not have been possible without the support and lucrative collaboration with Msinsi Holdings.

We are elated to extend our heartfelt congratulations to the winners of the 2024 Comrades Marathon.  We congratulate over 20 600 runners from different countries of the world who came to KwaZulu-Natal to participate in this grueling 86km up run marathon from Durban to Pietermaritzburg. Sharks Board as a supporting Government structure to the Provincial Economic Development, will endure support employee’s wellness and much-needed economic boost to the province’s economy as Pietermaritzburg and Durban expected high accommodation occupancy rates.

This spirit has been exploited by utilizing the exhibition opportunity offered by the 3-day Comrades Marathon Expo which occurs every year before the Comrades Marathon run and it is attended not only by Durban community but also runners and their families from all over the world. The KZN Sharks Board was honored to attend the exhibition as it is one of the tourism destinations. The exhibition was a method to advertise, persuade and educate the public of the services and products that we offer such as (Curio Shop, Audio Visual, Museum, Boat Trips and Venue Facilities) offered by the KZN Sharks Board team with an aim to increase the client turn up rate at the KZN Sharks Board and to enlighten the public about the wonderful experiences they can experience and learn when visiting the organization.

This year’s race was won by Piet Wiersma from the Netherlands who finished in a time of 5:25:00 seconds. South African Gerda Steyn won the Women’s Comrades Marathon, setting a new course record of 5:49:46.

Africa’s Travel Indaba is a prominent African leisure trade show, owned by South African Tourism, aimed at establishing market access for our vast array of African leisure tourism products.

The 3-day trade show took place in the host province of KwaZulu-Natal at the Durban ICC, synonymous with its warm and inviting coastline and friendly beaches. Thirty-seven of these beaches have become visitors’ favorites because there have been no shark-related fatal incidents reported since the Sharks Board implemented safety measures through shark nets and drumlines.

This year’s show has provided a supreme platform for the Sharks Board to showcase their offerings to international and local buyers, destination marketing companies, and leisure tourism services partners. The show has been the most formidable platform on the continent for the Sharks Board to meet face-to-face with the most influential buyers in the world and to gain access to Africa’s excellence and its endless possibilities. These are the business opportunities and quality connections that will shape the Sharks Board’s tomorrow.

The show was preceded by a dedicated business opportunity networking day through Speed Marketing aimed at providing the Sharks Board with a platform to promote our edutainment product offerings such as Boat Tours, Shark Dissection Shows, Museum, Curio Shop, and Venue hire to over 150 hosted and non-hosted buyers and media attending the show. The Sharks Board exploited this opportunity under the Marine Adventures session.

This year’s Africa Travel Indaba has afforded research students face-to-face interaction with the in-house genetic laboratory, which was established in 2015 and continues to apply various genetic techniques such as demography, phylogeny, phytogeography, population genetics, feeding ecology, and DNA Barcoding to advance the scientific study of sharks and rays. The laboratory plays a critical role in not only promoting internal research projects but more importantly in transferring research skills to interns and postgraduate students.

We are thrilled to be part of the 2024 Africa Travel Indaba. Throughout the three-day event from May 14-16, 2024, an array of business engagements was set to unfold aimed at enticing more travelers to explore KZN as the safest bathing coastline. The show has provided us with an opportunity to interact with members of the media who have displayed interest in the information we provide to the International Shark File and more.