Inspired by DAF trucks
Comrades runner up compares himself to a DAF truck
At Babcock, we understand the importance of going the distance. We know what it’s like to prepare for the long haul and we are driven by quality which is why we are pleased to be the sole importer and distributor of DAF Trucks. DAF is synonymous with performance and reliability. So, when we heard about a Zimbabwean runner sporting the nickname “DAF”, we had to investigate.
Hatiwande Nyamande is a 38-year-old Zimbabwean who recently made his country proud by achieving a runner-up position at the 2017 Comrades Marathon in South Africa. Nyamande completed his race in 5 hours, 38 minutes and 48 seconds - 10 minutes faster than his previous personal best at the 2015 Comrades.
Nyamande has been given the nickname DAF by all those in his country. Now, it’s hard to believe that anyone could be so bold as to compare themselves to the mighty DAF giants we put on the road. After all, these trucks need to have the stamina to travel extraordinarily long distances, the power to overcome steep mountain climbs and the ability to never stop. These are not considered to be human abilities or attributes. Well, that was until Nyamande came along.
Nyamande is not built like a truck, but he considers his body to be his engine and agrees that it’s as strong as his namesake. Nyamande told TimesLive, “People in Zimbabwe call me DAF because they know when they talk about climbing hills‚ that's what I'm good at."
He continues, "When it comes to climbing‚ for me anything is possible. I know I'm powerful on the hills just like the DAF trucks.”
Nyamande certainly deserves his nickname considering the excellent level of skill, staying power and determination he displayed at this year’s Comrades. Just like a DAF truck, he seems to be unstoppable in his striving to be number one. DAF Trucks recently outperformed the competition at Truck Test 2017. Here, just like the runners in the Comrades, the engines are put through their paces and pitted against their counterparts.
We’ll be keeping an eye out for Hatiwande “DAF” Nyamande’s future achievements. We hope to continue being a beacon of motivation to him with our trucks of unrivalled capabilities.