With only 16 days remaining before the 2026 Comrades Marathon, Tsetsa Dingalo, a Correctional Services official from Bizzah Makhate Management in Kroonstad in the Free State and Northern Cape (FS & NC) region, has wrapped up her preparations. She completed the 2026 Sanlam Cape Town Marathon (42.2km) on 24 May 2026, clocking 4:06.
Her passion for running began to grow while she still worked at Pollsmoor, where she became more active and committed to the sport. Around 2022, she formed part of a dynamic trio alongside Masonwabe Bosiki and Sithembiso Ngono, and together they played a key role in revitalising what has since become one of the top-performing athletics clubs within the Department of Correctional Services nationwide.
Dingalo finished the 2024 Comrades Marathon in 11:20. She reflects on the challenges she faced after missing the official cut-off by six minutes in the 2025 edition.
“I was fit and reached the 70km mark in about eight hours, which meant I still had four hours to complete the remaining 19 kilometres. I felt hot, so I poured cold water over my back to cool down, even though the weather conditions were fairly normal. My body couldn’t handle the sudden cold, and I began to react. Suddenly, everything changed – my back cramped up, and the pain was intense,” Dingalo revealed.
Despite the setback, which forced her to slow down, she pushed on. “I couldn’t run properly and had to bend slightly, but my legs were still strong enough to carry me forward. Fellow runners strongly advised me to stop completely, but I chose to persevere,” she added.
As she battled through the final stretch, a live SuperSport broadcast captured her determination on camera. “My video went viral across digital platforms. A runner from the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) supported and steadied me all the way while my back was still in pain. I managed to finish at 12:06,” Dingalo stated.
Dingalo juggles her running with work and family commitments and says she makes the most of the little time she has. “I only ran three marathons: Soweto, Cape Town and Two Oceans, to test my stamina and assess my readiness for the Comrades Marathon. As a Maintenance Manager, my knock-off times are unpredictable. Sometimes I get home around 8pm, and at times as late as midnight. I mostly rely on early morning training whenever I can,” she remarked.
Still recovering from a knee injury she sustained during the Two Oceans, Dingalo expressed satisfaction at completing the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon. “This injury really affects my performance because I have to adjust my running tactics. It becomes more difficult when it’s cold, as I struggle to stretch properly,” she explained.
She explained that Comrades is a feeling words can hardly describe. “When you line up at the starting point with over 20 000 runners from across the country, the continent, and the globe, and the South African national anthem begins to play, it brings immense joy and a deep sense of unity. I wish everyone could experience it,” Dingalo summed up.
Watch her interview on YouTube (DCS_ZA) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQBZL8yOr0g