From Venda, to Mpumalanga, then to Seshego and back to Gauteng!
- Tumelo Mabua
- Nov 22, 2024
- 5 min read
Updated: Nov 26, 2024
It has been a little while since our last edition. There is a lot of catching up to do. Dumelang bagolo.
September was as action filled, as it was fun filled. We covered a few thousand kilometers while at it. Our first work in Nelspruit, Mpumalanga, the province of the rising sun came in the form of Mpumalanga Marathon. The million-rand prize per winner was also the inaugural for such a huge purse within the South African borders. Runners from all over the country and outside gathered to fight for the millions. It was Lesotho’s Jobo Khatoane of Maxed Elite who came out tops in the men’s race, while Ethiopian Tadu Nare of Nedbank coquered the ladys’ race in the tough but beautiful route. One can only hope the prize purse inspires other races to buckle up and increase their own prize purse.
From Mpumalanga we passed through the beautiful Tzaneen, then ascended the scenic Magobaskloof landscapes to Seshego Marathon. The main event, the Ultra Marathon, had the gun going off at Mankweng, as the runners made their way to the Seshego stadium, in the scorching Limpopo heat. The perennial winner of the Limpopo races, Gladys Jepchichir of Kenya and Nedbank was once again the winner of the lady’s race, while the men’s race was won by Given Baloyi of Carlton Athletics. The announcements about the next addition of the race are already out. Be on the lookout for the social media announcements.
Fortress Running Series Venda Plaza was once again a marvel of a race. The Eden of South Africa once again attracted great talents in the form of Mulaudzi, who won the 21km race, and comrades marathon gold medalist. The Limpopo edition of the race was once again welcomed with warmth by the participants.
We were excited to have a double header in the form of Ford 3 in 1, and Redstar Marathon on the same day. Both races produced both excitement, fun and athleticism. We were pleased to serve both as excellently as we could, stretching our team, and establishing our credibility as a race photography service provider. We are growing with both races, and the future looks bright for the three of us.
As always, friends of Tshwantsho, the Tembisa Mile delivered on the promise to be a running party. The race has produced Olympians and continues to showcase the best of the up and coming and established talent. The 10km race produce an edge of the seat duel between Thabang Mosiako and Elroy Gelant. Mosiako made his intentions clear early in the race with a bullet pace right off the starting gun, only for Elroy to overtake with 2km to go, so to finish in scintillating fashion. Mosiako would finish second, while ABSA Joburg runner up, Chris Mahlanga finished 3rd. The ladies race winner was Karabo Mailula, followed bu her stable mates, Karabo and Karabo. The mile race was won by Luaan, while Munnik from Potchefstroom in a start studded lineup, while US based Carina Viljoen exerted her authority early to win the ladies’ race.
The junior mile races were as usual, provided a platform for the young ones to showcase their talent at the new and bigger venue, the Olifantsfontein Sports Grounds. We hope this talent is kept in the game.
Dubbed “the people’s race”, the Soweto Marathon didn’t disappoint. The sold-out affair finished at the old venue, the Nesrec centre. It was Nedbank’s Onalenna Khokhobe who stole the race in the last kilometer and finished first ahead of Joseph Seutloali who had the race in the bag late in the race. Neheng Kgatala finished in the ladies’ race in dominant fashion, while Galaletsang Mekgoe was 8th and first South African. I have lamented the lack of local female contenders and really hope we will have a solution soon.
Jacaranda City, as Pretoria is affectionately called was purple once again, as runners endured the rain to compete in the Jacaranda City Challenge. Runners filled the streets of Queenspark, Kilnerpark and surrounds to qualify for the Comrades Marathon. The relatively flat route offered runners a good race, while the weather was perfect for such an endeavor. Philani Buthelezi of the host club Faranani ensured that the money stayed home, while Jolande McLean was victorious in the ladies’ race.
Our day would end at Centurion for the soccer awards at Centurion Blues Football Club. We wish the youngsters the best of luck. It would be great to see them wearing PSL regalia one day. Our friend Obed Baloyi and his colleagues are doing a wonderful job there. Well-done to them.
The launch of the Tshwane North Ultra Marathon was held at the new sponsors’ offices in Centurion. The Mpileng Group is now the title sponsor for the Pretoria North Race. The race director promised the toughest route yet, as the new route added several other new hills.
The Ikhaya Lethu year-end offered wine and food at the La-Beato in Muldersdrift. The young athletics club celebrated the member’s achievement of the past year, while offering cash incentives for the Comrades Marathon finishers. We are grateful to share in the team’s achievements. We hope they spend some of the reward money on us. We are grateful to share in the team’s achievements.
We were please to have had a few shots at the Ride Jozi cycling event with the Daveyton Athletics Club at Kyalami Grandprix Circuit. On a personal note, we were inspired by Oswald Kydd who is an amputee athlete, riding his bike with only his right leg. We take note and will tackle our challenges despite some perceived and actual limitations. We hope to be at the race in a bigger capacity in the upcoming years. This opens up our world of cycling.
Obituary
We end on a sad note with the departure of one of Athletics stalwarts in Collen McNally who sadly lost her battle to cancer. She was open about her struggles and shared her experiences on her social media page. We have known Collen as a friend and some of the words that will remain with us for the long time are “give me a call if you don’t come right". She was always willing to help. We will miss her passion for athletics, and her dedication to the sport. Condolences to the family in this difficult time.
General
In general matters we continue to observe the ministry of sports with interest. We also hope to see more people in athletics using their influence to channel resources to the development of the sport and supporting elite athletes. Preparations for the next Olympics start as soon as now. We saw great performances by the Paralympics team, and we hope to ride on the success of the team henceforth.
We are almost at the end of the season, and we hope our athletes are well rested for the resumption of the season early next year. Keep your eyes peeled for our next events. There has been a lot of activity on the recent past, most of which we did not cover.
Thanks for your continued support on social media and everywhere we go.
You are appreciated.
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