Olympic and paralympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius might be starting to feel as though he's actually running a marathon.

On Friday, a judge convicted him of culpable homicide (manslaughter) over the death of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, controversially dismissing a charge of murder in what was certainly a huge relief and even seen as vindication for the athlete.

But there is still a very long way to go before the case that has fascinated the world can be formally declared closed.

Pistorius has an uncertain month ahead. A sentencing hearing begins on October 13, which could have him sent to prison. There is also a possible appeal against that sentence and, potentially, an appeal by state prosecutors against Judge Thokozile Masipa's decision to acquit him of murder.

He could also face a civil case brought by his late girlfriend's family, who are seeking damages for emotional distress and loss of earnings in a wrongful death suit.

But perhaps the biggest challenge, the one that might take him the longest, is his desire to resurrect his reputation in the eyes of the world.

A source close to the Pistorius family said that ultimately the Blade Runner wants to get back on track and return to the life he led before the early hours of February 14, 2013.

Indeed, it's believed the International Paralympic Association will not seek to ban him from competition despite the culpable homicide conviction, clearing the way for an eventual return to competitive sport.

But first, he must await Judge Masipa's punishment for both the negligent killing charge and a single reckless firearm charge he was also convicted of.

Cape Town university law professor Kelly Phelps said culpable homicide was not governed by any mandatory minimum sentencing legislation, so Pistorius' punishment was a matter for the judge.

A maximum 15-year penalty applies, but Judge Masipa will be bound by case law, and "guided by the mitigating and aggravating factors that either side argues before her in the sentencing hearing", Ms Phelps said.

"The eventual outcome has a huge range to it; it can potentially be a weighty length of imprisonment, but equally it could be no time served in prison and a wholly suspended sentence," she said.

"So as with the rest of this trial, and the way that it has played out, we are left off yet again with another cliffhanger in terms of what to expect at the next phase."

Llewellyn Curlewis, a legal expert, said a punishment such as community service could be explored as an option by the judge.

Judge Masipa permitted Pistorius to remain on bail, and it's expected he will lie low at his uncle's home in Pretoria, where he has lived since the shooting on Valentine's Day.

But one thing he definitely won't be doing is going to any nightclubs.

In July, Pistorius made headlines after getting into a fight in a Johannesburg nightclub, and witnesses claimed he drank tequila shots, socialised with a known violent offender and had a scantily-clad woman sitting on his knee.

In an attempt to quell the outcry that followed the incident, his family released a statement saying his decision was "unwise", and that he was experiencing an escalating sense of loneliness and alienation that was "underlying some of his self-harming behaviour".

The news, reported all over the world, certainly did not win Pistorius any new friends – something he has in short supply.

Also drawn into the collateral damage of this extraordinary case are those in the disability sector, for whom Pistorius used to be a poster-boy.

On Friday, QuadPara Association of South Africa chief executive Ari Seirlis said he found Pistorius' claim of "vulnerability" in his murder trial a double standard.

"You're tall, you're fast, you're agile, and you've got gold on the one hand, you can't hold up a pistol in the other hand and say, 'I'm vulnerable'," he said.

"I think he got his judgment today, sentence still to come, but we feel he can't play both hands."

In any event, the ressurection of Oscar Pistorius has a long way to go.