Durban — When 64-year-old brothers Komalan and Kovalan Moodley reach the starting line for their 37th and 40th runs respectively, they will aim to achieve times below the 10-hour mark.
And they plan to “keep running for as long as the good Lord gives us strength”.
They both married on the same day, spent most of their early years in Pietermaritzburg and have almost identical personal best times.
Komalan’s best effort was 6 hours and 41 minutes.
“My brother finished about 10 seconds behind me, we sprinted for the finish line on that occasion.”
Komalan believes they could have been gold medal contenders when they were younger had they received proper coaching and been more knowledgeable about the scientific side of the sport.
“Nowadays, there’s technology and modern trends available. We didn’t even know about supplements. Just plain old sugared water did the trick back then.”
Komalan thinks he has more official finishes than the 37 to his name, but believes administration glitches counted against him.
He remembered how he missed out on a medal in his first Comrades in 1979. As a member of the Spartan Athletic Club, he completed his application form and paid the fees before submitting his entry but was not aware that the club’s secretary also had to sign the form.
At the finish line, he was pulled aside by a race official who informed him that he was disqualified.
“The official used racist language against me and didn’t want to accept my explanation. I pleaded, but he wouldn’t listen to me.”
Komalan said it required a huge effort to complete the race, but the outcome was devastating.
Both Komalan and Kovalan were also excellent footballers who represented Natal in a national tournament in Cape Town in their younger years.
Komalan said sport was in their genes as their parents Thungavelloo Moonsamany (football and boxing) and mother Kanagambal (athletics) excelled at sport.
Another disappointing sporting moment for Komalan came after he completed a marathon in 1978.
Komalan ran the race after he was challenged by a rugby player. He thought he would beat the burly runner and accepted.
“I led most of the way but he caught me near the end.”
Someone had taken a picture of Komalan running with the rugby player.
The same picture was used to have him removed from his amateur Young Manchester FC team’s starting line-up, as they were about to take the field against Havenside FC from Chatsworth, in the prestigious Easter Tournament cup final at the Northdale Stadium, Pietermaritzburg.
The host football association was an affiliate of the SA Council on Sport (Sacos), which was the “sports wing” of the liberation struggle in that era.
“I was very disillusioned and never played football again.”
Komalan was made of sterner stuff and has enjoyed running for many years along with Kovalan, who participated in some well-known ultra-distance races alongside prominent runners.
Komalan, who has since relocated to Durban, has also headed various sporting bodies, including the Daxina Striders Athletic Club.
He said the Comrades was “all about your drive and determination”.
Sunday Tribune