Zoe Mbiko “aka Our Gerda Steyn”, 38-year-old teacher from Ntabankulu Senior Secondary School in Ntabankulu says she can’t imagine her life without running marathons.
Born and bred in Tholeni Emacwerheni Ntabankulu, Mbiko joined XJ Athletic club in 2024 and the following year she was a novice in Comrades Marathon.
“I can’t wait for the back-to-back up run from Durban to Pietermaritzburg. Running has assisted me to avert depression as in rural areas we have less activities. Last year I finished comrades Marathon at 10H01 and this year my target time is sub 9 hours. I don’t want to put myself under unnecessary pressure I just want to enjoy the marathon,” said Mbiko.
She said her highlight in running 42 Kilometres marathon is the Capital City in Pietermaritzburg recently where she attained a personal best of 3H20 minutes. She was the only female runner in the batch that consisted of about 50 male runners. Mostly she is a solo runner running in the rural areas with less activities and appealed for support from business fraternity.
“As a solo runner I would wake up very early in the morning on the weekends doing long runs. My mother would call, checking how I am doing on the route and my whereabouts but support I get from her is immeasurable. Even my siblings too are very supportive, my sister Khanya has also joined me in running and I really enjoy running with her,” said Mbiko.
She concluded by saying that the support from her colleagues and students is also amazing. Her school principal Sipho Flathela has also joined XJ runners and other colleagues promised to follow the suite.