When pushed to its limits, the human spirit can achieve the seemingly impossible. Two seniors have not only proven this but have humbly shattered expectations and inspired a nation by making history as the oldest finisher and most completed races, respectively, at the Comrades Marathon on Sunday!
Durban, South Africa (09 June 2025) – Two seniors have left us all feeling inspired following their triumphs at the 98th Comrades Marathon held yesterday.
Among the thousands of excited runners gathered at the starting line, awaiting the sound of Sunday’s starting gun, were two men from vastly different parts of South Africa who not only gave the race their all but both made major history for elder runners.
Hailing from Sekhukhune in Limpopo, is 83-year-old Johannes Mosehla, who yesterday broke his own record of being the oldest Comrades Marathon finisher after completing the 89.98km race from Pietermaritzburg to Durban at 11:47:27, the Limpopo Chronicle reports.
𝗝𝗢𝗛𝗔𝗡𝗡𝗘𝗦 𝗠𝗢𝗦𝗘𝗛𝗟𝗔 [𝟴𝟯] 𝗕𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗞𝗦 𝗢𝗪𝗡 𝗥𝗘𝗖𝗢𝗥𝗗 𝗔𝗧 𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗥𝗔𝗗𝗘𝗦 𝗠𝗔𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗛𝗢𝗡
83-year-old Johannes Mosehla from Sekhukhune, Limpopo, has broken his own record of being the oldest Comrades Marathon finisher after completing the 89.98km… pic.twitter.com/lnGyqhpDkJ
— Limpopo Chronicle (@LimChronicle) June 8, 2025
In 2023, Mosehla broke the record held by Wally Hayward, who finished the Comrades Marathon at 80 in 1989. This marked his 12th Comrades, a journey he began at the sprightly age of 63, consistently proving that age is no barrier to athletic achievement.
And while we’re still wrapping our heads around Mosehla’s incredibly age-defying feat, we have been left utterly and beautifully astounded by an Outeniqua Harriers senior athlete, Louis Massyn, who became the first athlete to complete 50 Comrades Marathons!
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The 74-year-old completed his first Comrades in 1973 and has earned 10 silver medals in the race.
“It was absolutely more than tough today,” shared Massyn in an interview with SuperSport.
“What a blessing for me to be the first athlete ever to have finished this iconic world’s greatest ultra-marathon,” he said, admitting that it was a gruelling yet enjoyable day, and that he couldn’t feel any pain in his muscles at that moment.
We applaud all the runners who participated in the race, which tests human endurance right to its very core. In this piece, we particularly celebrate and salute Johannes Mosehla and Louis Massyn.
They have not only made their mark in the history of one of the nation’s largest athletic events, but they have also done so with immense heart, grit and determination. Their efforts prove that we are capable of achieving just about anything when we give it our all. Congratulations to these legends!
Sources: Linked Above
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