Ms Makhosazana Mdladla.Fourth Comrades Marathon Nailed by UKZN Runner
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Ms Makhosazana (Khosi) Mdladla, a research assistant at the Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa (CAPRISA), says she was overjoyed to have completed her fourth Comrades Marathon in a personal best time.
No stranger to long-distance running with races such as Om Die Dam, Two Oceans and Sanlam Cape Town Marathon under her belt, Mdladla said after undergoing a difficult time in her life, running was the cheapest therapy for her.
She loves the feeling of achieving new distances with time to reflect on life, and soon fell in love with running at a competitive level.
Mdladla says running gives her the opportunity to travel to South Africa’s various provinces, where, with like-minded people, she ties her laces ready to contest.
A widow, mother of four and born-again Christian, Mdladla recently joined CAPRISA’s Socio-behavioural Department where her work allows her to interact with people and understand why they behave in the manner they do, especially from a public health perspective. She is fascinated by the field of psychology, which she aspires to qualify in one day.
Born in Richmond but living most of her life up to now in Pietermaritzburg, she believes if people can be taught to hate, then they most certainly can learn to love.
Citing Nelson Mandela, Mdladla says her life’s motto is: “It always seems impossible until it’s done.”
Words: Lunga Memela
Photograph: Supplied