Manja: I love to run in the City
DAVID MANJA may not be a big shot or loose cannon, but he does have an intimate relationship with the Gun Run and the 27-year-old Klerksdorp athlete raced home to his fourth win and sixth successive podium position in yesterday’s annual race in Green Point.
Manja won in 1hr 02min 58sec, the third fastest winning time ever and just 27 seconds outside Joel Mnone’s 2015 record.
KwaZulu-Natal athlete-on-the-rise, Jenet Mbhele, took the honours in the women’s race, outrunning local athlete, Annie Bothma in the second half of the race.
“Yes, this is one of my favourite races – I love running in Cape Town and we always aim (to) travel to the Gun Run,” Manja responded, echoing his sentiments in recent years. “It was a tough race today, but I always felt confident.”
Over 20 000 runners participated in the half marathon, 10km and 5km races in perfect, cool conditions, thankful that the storm-grade winds that had threatened to play havoc with the event, stayed away.
Desmond Mokgobu, one of only four South African IAAF gold-label athletes who placed 10th in the recent Cape Town Marathon (third South African), chased Manja all the way, before falling victim to the latter’s relentless surging and was forced to drop off the pace in the final kilometre, before crossing the line 17 seconds in arrears in 1:03:15.
Lesotho athlete Namakoe Nkhasi and Johannesburg’s Gladwin Mzazi ensured quality racing up-front, staying in touch with the leaders until 14km, when the athletes reached Victoria Road, Camps Bay.
Mokgobu, running for Hendrick Ramaala’s new Olifants Athletics Club based in Thembisa, was philosophical about his defeat, but determined to return to win next year. “I still felt the effects of the Cape Town Marathon in my legs, and they just did not have enough in them to respond when Manja broke away. But I’m sure I will be able to beat him on my day.”
Pietermaritzburg athlete, Mbhele, represented SA at the World Half Marathon Championships in Spain in March, where she placed 76th in 1:16:23, but she raced to a personal best of 1:15:10 yesterday and was delighted with the win. “It was hard, but I’m really pleased with the win and the time,” Mbhele said.
Bothma bounced back, just 10 days after an operation to extract her wisdom teeth and was delighted with a three-minute improvement on her previous best time in the half marathon. “I’m still a beginner over this distance – this was only my sixth 21km and first in three years. Today was three minutes faster than my previous best in finishing second in the Two Oceans Half Marathon in 2014,” Bothma said.
Johannesburg athlete Precious Mashele and Zimbabwe-born Rutendo Nyahora were the respective winners of the 10km in 29:24 and 34:01.