Bongmusa Mthembu (born 27 June 1983) is a South Africa ultramarathon runner. He was born in Bulwer, a village near Pietermaritzburg, Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa. After

matriculation Matriculation is the formal process of entering a university, or of becoming eligible to enter by fulfilling certain academic requirements such as a matriculation examination. Australia In Australia, the term ''matriculation'' is seldom used no ...

he left Bulwer for Pietermaritzburg. He was hired as a bricklayer. At that time he was running only for fitness. In 2004 he started to enter races then in 2005 he won the Maritzburg Marathon. He is known for his achievements at the

Comrades Marathon The Comrades Marathon is an ultramarathon of approximately which is run annually in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa between the cities of Durban and Pietermaritzburg. It is the world's largest and oldest ultramarathon race. The dire ...

, run annually between Durban and Pietermaritzburg in South Africa, where he is a 3-time winner (2014, 2017 and 2018) and an 8-time gold medal winner, finishing in the top 10 between 2009 and 2019. In 2019 he added to his racing honours by winning the 56 km

Two Oceans Marathon The Two Oceans Marathon is a ultramarathon and half-marathon held annually in Cape Town, South Africa with the ultramarathon held on a Saturday in April and the half marathon held the next day on the Sunday. It was previously held on Easter w ...

in Cape Town. He has also represented South Africa on the global stage. Mthembu finished 2nd and 3rd at the

IAU 100km World Championships The IAU 100 km World Championships have been held annually since 1987, at different locations, and is organized by the International Association of Ultrarunners (IAU). Due to lack of sponsorship, the 2013 event, planned for Jeju Island, South ...

in 2016 and 2018 respectively. In 2019 Mthembu represented South Africa at the IAU 50km World Championships in Brasov, Romania where he finished 7th place individually. The South African team took home the Gold Medal in team scoring.

Major Race Results

Family

Mthembu is the fourth child in a family of seven children—four boys and three girls. His father died in 1997 and they were raised by his mother. He has a son by the name of Sisanda Mthembu.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mthembu, Bongmusa South African runners Living people 1983 births 21st-century South African sportsmen