Frans expects real tough day at office
I have been keeping track of what I did and I would say I have met most of the small goals I’ve set for myself during my training block
Port Elizabeth roadrunning star, Melikhaya Frans, will put his best foot forward when he takes to the streets of Summerstrand for the Nelson Mandela Bay Athletics South African Half-Marathon Championships in PE on Saturday.
This year’s event, which includes the CAA Southern Region championships in addition to a 5km fun run, is expected to offer up some monumental battles as runners look to claim the prestigious title on the fastest 21.1km racecourse in the country.
“I am healthy and my training has been going well. I have been keeping track of what I did and I would say I have met most of the small goals I’ve set for myself during my training block,” said Frans.
Frans, who finished fourth overall last year but still managed to clinch bronze provincially, said he was excited to see how his training plays out on the course.
He ran one hour, one minute and 58 seconds at last year’s event and is confident he can improve that time and possibly dip under the one-hour mark.
“There are going to be a lot of strong runners coming to PE for this race. The likes of Precious Mashele, Namakhoe Nkhasi and other strong runners will be competing, and I know they will be fit. So it will be a tough day out but I just want to focus on my own race,” he said.
“I just want to try and stick to the front pack as much as I can. It would also be great if I can improve my time,” he said,
“The only thing that would then come into play is the weather.”
Defending champion Stephen Mokoka, who won last year in 1:01.21, is expected to chase his eighth national title over the half-marathon distance after being included in the Athletics Gauteng North provincial team.
“I am keen to have fun in Port Elizabeth as I love running on the beachfront,” said Mokoka.
An Athletics Central North West contingent featuring the likes of Thabang Mosiako, Joel Mmone and David Manja will also look to make their mark in the roads of the Bay.
There will also be a strong contingent from Ethiopia, Lesotho and Kenya.
“The Nedbank Running Club has established clubs in other African countries like Ethiopia, Lesotho, Zimbabwe and Kenya and will be sending a strong contingent of top African athletes to race against the best athletes in South Africa,” Nedbank Running Club national manager Nick Bester said.
Action gets under way with the 21.1km road race at 7am while the 5km fun run starts at 9am.
The elite field will have a total cash pool of R700,000 to compete for, with the overall winners taking home R80,000.
If the first finisher is a South African, an additional R25,000 bonus will be awarded to the runner, taking the winning purse to R105,000.