George Kusche draws inspiration from Springbok coach after historic Comrades victory

Speaking to SABC Sport after his remarkable victory, Kusche explained that Erasmus views coaching the Springboks as a privilege rather than a burden, and he intends to approach future Comrades Marathons in the very same way.

The 28-year-old produced a sensational performance from Durban to Pietermaritzburg, crossing the finish line in 5:15:56 to break the long-standing Up Run record of 5:24:49 set by Russian Leonid Shvetsov in 2008.

His victory earned him R925,000 in prize money, a R600,000 course record bonus, R550 000 for an average pace incentive, and an additional incentive of more than R200 000 as the first South African, taking his earnings to nearly R2 million. 

"In terms of pressure, I've got huge respect for Piet and the way he shows up every year and hits it out of the park. It takes a lot of guts to do that and obviously Gerda does that as well. I often think of Rassie Erasmus when he said this is not pressure, this is a privilege to do what you love and hopefully I can keep that mindset next year."

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Kusche’s bold race strategy paid off in spectacular fashion as he outclassed defending Up Run champion Piet Wiersma and surprise contender Mbuti Mollo in one of the fastest races in Comrades history.

Wiersma finished second in 5:19:36, while Mollo secured third place in 5:21:31.

All three athletes dipped under the previous course record in ideal racing conditions and collected gold medals.

"This past week it was hard to think of anything but the Comrades so I'm very grateful that everything worked out as planned because this is a very tough race, you can't take it for granted. I took a bit of a gamble by going out early but luckily it paid off this time."

The new father enjoyed an emotional moment after the race, holding his newborn baby shortly after crossing the finish line.

Kusche’s rise has been remarkable…

After finishing 12th in his Comrades debut last year in the colours of the Nedbank Running Club, he returned just 12 months later to stand on top of the podium with a record-breaking performance.

He revealed that lessons from last year’s race stayed with him throughout Sunday's challenge and helped drive him to victory.