Windy weather had tongues wagging at Saturday's Old Mutual Two Oceans 56 kilometre ultra-marathon around the peninsula.
But comeback kid Marco Mambo still ran off with a financial windfall of R150 000 plus bonuses from his club Mr Price.
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Not only did he wrest the title back to Zimbabwe after South Africa's Bethuel Netshifhefhe won last year, but he also joined Siphiwe Gqele as only the second three-time winner of the Cape classic, although Gqele won three times on the trot.
Mambo won in 2004 and 2005 and then failed to finish in the next two years.
Zimbabweans Honest Mutsakani won in 2001, Mambo in 2004 and 2005 and Moses Njodzi in 2006.
Proof of the wrecking-ball wind effect was Mambo's winning time of 3hr 11min 35 sec - his previous two winning efforts were 3:07:41 and 3:05:39.
Runner-up yesterday in 3:12:30 was fast finishing (and 11th last year) Mzwanele Maphekula from Eastern Province, with little-heralded Simon Peu from Gauteng third in 3:13:33.
"I couldn't actually run to plan today," said the likable Mambo, a businessman in Bindura, roughly 90km from Harare.
"This year I had my best preparation ever, better than when in won in 2004 and 2005. I did less mileage (maximum 150km a week this time) and more quality.
"But the wind messed everything up. Next year I'll be back and I still think I can break the record (3:03:44 by Thomson Magawana in 1988)."
As for the money, a fortune in Zimbabwean terms, Mambo was not overly stressed.
"I'm a businessman so I watch my money carefully," he smiled.
"I'll probably put it into my businesses (he owns two supermarkets, two bottlestores and 'some taxis').
The race saw a bunch of "red ants" in the shape of the Mr Price team, dominate from the gun.
As the pace hotted up Toyota's Phillip Molefe held them off till 28km (passed in 1:34:15) but then they took over.
Going up Chapman's Peak it was Mambo and Netshishefhehe who went head to head, but when they hit Hout Bay it was Mambo who was 32 seconds clear of teammate and 2003 winner Mluleki Nobanda.
The marathon mark (42.2km) saw Mambo motor by in 2:19:35, by which time the lead had grown to 1:06 and the race was effectively over.
Runner-up Maphekula had a storming finish, improving on his fourth place in 2006 and 234th in 2005.
"I had hoped for the top five so this is great," said the Port Elizabeth based athlete.
"I wanted to chase harder but that wind really scared me."
Top Western Province finisher was Mr Price's Siyabonga Habe in 17th spot (3:21:09) followed by John Mboko in 21st spot 3:24:14.
Last year's champion, Netshifhefhe was gallant in defeat. "I just struggled from the start. I knew early on that I wasn't going to win today."
- Former Comrades Marathon king Bruce Fordyce (4:57) just dipped under 5hrs to claim a Chet Sainsbury (former race director) medal but Sainsbury himself was about 10min too slow to get a namesake medal, clocking 5:11:30.
- Three-time Comrades Marathon champion and 2001 Oceans runner-up Vladimir Kotov failed to break Titus Mamabolo's masters record of 3:29:40 by exactly a minute.