Dintwe back on track after giving birth
Calistus Kolantsho | Friday May 15, 2020 11:17
Dintwe is not just a record holder but is now a mother to Favour Leroy Dintwe.
Dintwe told Mmegi Sport that her baby is one-year-old and already he has been to the National Stadium to watch his mother train.
However, Dintwe said it was not easy to train after giving birth because her body had to re-adjust first.
“I started training two months after delivery with a target of running for 20 minutes, but it proved difficult as I had to stop inside of 15 minutes. I then managed to cover three kilometres in the morning and rest in the afternoon,” the 35 year-old said.
Dintwe said before delivering in April 2019, she had competed at the Phikwe and Diacore marathons where she finished fourth in both races. Despite the struggles she faced, when Dintwe started training, she continued pushing hard to get back to her old self. In July, last year she was back on the road and competed in her first race in November and ended the year with the Mmadinare Christmas race where she finished in position two in 10 kilometres.
“I am happy with my achievement thus far. It is an indication that I am going to claim back my form. I am now able to cover 15 kilometres during my training and I want to cover 30 kilometres in a few months,” she said.
Dintwe said she wants to make history like one of the Russian twins who won Comrades marathon after giving birth.
“I am enjoying every moment of motherhood. I used to hear people saying when you give birth, you lose your speed or strength. That is not true. Even before I had a baby, I used to meet other athletes in South Africa who had just given birth. In six months, they are champions again; they reach their peak again. The only change that happens is that plans you had change because you know that you are working for your child,” Dintwe said.
She added that the baby has made her be bold and hungry for success. She said her target now is to run ultra-marathons, with a distance of more than 42km. Dintwe said she could not run ultra-marathons before having a baby but now her boldness has grown because of the baby.
“I want to be the first Motswana to be in top three of Two Oceans marathon and in a few years, I should be able to finish in the top 10 of the Comrades marathon. I would be using Phikwe and Diacore marathons to prepare for ultra-marathons,” she said.
Dintwe said her plan this year was similar to the one she had in 2015 when she recovered from a three-year injury. She said the intention was to train for six months without competing. Dintwe said she wanted to focus more on local competitions than crossing the border because she wanted to bring back her confidence.
“I depend on sport as a source of my income so COVID-19 has affected me negatively. I just hope the government comes to my rescue,” she added.
Dintwe has won the Phikwe marathon in 2016 with a time of 2:48:34 and 2017 when she clocked 2:52:08. In 2018, she finished in position four, clocking 3:01:10. In 2016 she scooped position one in 21.1km at the Diacore marathon clocking 01.17 and 2017 she finished first with a time of 01.20. In 2018, she ran 42.2km and finished in position four with a time of 02:58:18 in the Diacore marathon.
During the PPC Kgale King and Queen of the hill, she scooped position one in 15km clocking 57.17 in 2016. She continued to dominate the competition in 2017 and 2018.
She has run her best times of 34.06 in 10km in Port Elizabeth and 55.55 for 15km in Runback. She also has a record of 01:15:44 in 21.1km, which she clocked in Port Elizabeth in 2009.