Blind Comrades runner, Richard Monisi, killed in hit-and-run

"He just achieved so much, he was an absolute hero to us all!," said the Association's Cheryl Winn.

She says Monisi, 48, was a symbol of strength and an inspiration to those who wished to run the marathon.

Monisi finished last Sunday's Comrades Marathon up-run in just over eight hours.

"He had a disability and he was just so brave and so wonderful. He worked so hard to overcome that disability. He was just an absolutely shining inspiration to the ordinary runner that does not suffer from a disability and is not disadvantaged," she said.

The husband and father of two was killed in a hit and run incident in Johannesburg on Saturday. He'd been walking to the shops with a friend when a car veered out of control and hit them both.

Monisi died shortly after the incident. His friend, whose name is not yet known, is in a critical condition in hospital.

In 2016, the East Coast Radio team, along with Old Mutual, tracked Monisi's down-run. He ran it in 8h28 hours.

Above, Monisi is pictured being interviewed by ECR's Sky Tshabalala at the end of Comrades 2016 in Durban.

Below, one of the videos the East Coast TV team filmed of Monisi in which he explains how he ran daily - to train for long-distance races - from 3am until 6am.

The East Coast Breakfast team this morning spoke with Andrew Hall, Monisi's pilot runner for last Sunday's race.  He's gutted by the athlete's death. Listen below.

Monisi's memorial service will take place on Thursday. Efforts are underway to fundraise for his family. For more information, go here.