BARE-FOOTED NKULULEKO FASTEST IN PARKRUN

MBABANE – The Mbabane Parkrun has become his favourite hunting ground.  This time around, he outpaced them all bare-footed.
That was Umbutfo Eswatini Defence Force (UEDF) athlete Nkululeko Gama.

He was the fastest in the 96th Mbabane Parkrun, but his official finishing time was not recorded as he could not bring his bar code for scanning at the winning point. According to his watch, he finished the 5km run in 16:27 minutes ahead of over 100 runners. With the advent of modern footwear, running bare-footed is less common but not for Gama, who feels it has health benefits.
“I was comfortable throughout the race but most importantly, it was a way of massaging my feet and exercising how to plot the feet in each stride, which is totally different when compared to running with sneakers,” said the champion.

This perception has prompted companies to manufacture thin-soled shoes such as moccasins. Some scientific researchers argue that running bare-footed reduces the risk of chronic injuries, notably repeated stress injuries caused by heel striking in padded shoes. Gama, who also participated in last week’s ‘Tuff One’ marathon, said he wanted to relax his feet from the trap of sneakers and to exercise his strides.
He encouraged other runners to practise it but to be cautious in their steps to avoid cuts and bruises. He further advised them to give their bodies time to rest.

second

Finishing second was Mduduzi Dlamini, who clocked 17:23minutes and breathing down his neck was Sifiso Vilakati. The latter reached the winning point after 17:56minutes.
The first lady to cross the finish line was Swazi Slojos’ Gugu Mthembu who clocked 23:51minutes. Her training partner, Dotty Dlamini, was the second, scanning her bar code in 27:59 minutes.
The two ladies said they walked for 21km early in the morning before joining the 107 runners in yesterday’s parkrun.

Mthembu said the competition was tough for her because she had not fully recovered from last week’s marathon but highlighted that walking helped her relax the muscles.
“We normally walk from Lobamba to Mbabane when coming for the parkrun and by the time we start running, our muscles are already warm and ready for take-off,” she said.

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