Going deep: SA engineer Ledile Dikgale to run World’s Deepest Marathon

South African mining engineer Ledile Dikgale is set to take on an unprecedented endurance challenge: the World’s Deepest Marathon.

On Saturday, Dikgale will be one of 60 runners from 17 countries to attempt a full 42.2km marathon inside Boliden’s Garpenberg zinc mine in Sweden.

The race will see the athletes descend to a staggering depth of 1,120 metres below sea level, a depth at which a marathon has never been attempted before. The monumental event aims to break two world records and raise over R27.3 million for charity.

WHERE PASSION AND CAREER CONVERGE

Dikgale is one of only three South Africans in the race and the sole woman representing the country. For the 34-year-old, the event is a unique convergence of her two main passions.

With over a decade of experience in mining, including underground gold, platinum, and iron ore commodities, Dikgale currently works for Anglo American, Kumba Iron Ore at Sishen Mine as a Section Manager: Mining.

“This race is a marriage of what I have been doing in my career as a mine engineer and private time as a recreational runner,” she reflects.

Dikgale discovered running in 2015, but it became a personal lifeline in 2019 after she recovered from pleural effusion.

“When I run, I feel I can conquer anything, and I’m grateful that I have the means and capabilities to participate in sports,” she says.

FORMIDABLE UNDERGROUND CHALLENGE

The conditions for the World’s Deepest Marathon are formidable. Runners will traverse 18 lengths of a 2.4km tunnel with temperatures expected to climb to 28°C.

The unforgiving course features gravel underfoot and is enveloped in darkness, broken only by the runners’ head torches.

Dikgale is pragmatic about the enormity of the task, noting, “This race might be an epiphany that my life has been leading me to this point.” She is training hard, setting an ambitious target of finishing the gruelling event within four hours and 30 minutes.