How Zoo Lake got Mokgobu top title
Ramaala’s charge relives win in Japan
Johannesburg’s Zoo Lake might be ranked among the best recreational facilities in Gauteng, but the scenic park has also produced a fair share of athletics champions.
This is where the legendary Hendrick Ramaala guides a group of middle and long-distance hopefuls, some of whom have competed at the IAAF World Championships and the Olympic Games.
His 4x4 bakkie has served as a makeshift dressing room for years, yet Ramaala still describes the facility as the “best set-up”, using his charges’ achievements as back-up.
This past weekend, marathon runner Desmond Mokgobu became the latest from the stable to win an international race.
The 29-year-old clinched the Beppu-Oita Marathon in Japan last Sunday in a new personal best time of 2 hours, 9 minutes and 31 seconds, shaving off 80 seconds from the previous mark he set in the Netherlands in April last year.
“It’s unbelievable that I won the Japan race because the guy I went neck-on-neck towards the finishing line made me work overtime,” Mokgobu told Sowetan.
The runner from Bochum in Limpopo said he received “inside information” on how to win the race during the inspection of the course on the eve of the event.
“One of the race organisers told me this race is mostly won on the 41km mark in a sprint finish, and I used this information on race day,” said Mokgobu, who had prepared for the IAAF Silver Label race since last October.
His feat was the third time a South African had won this particular marathon after Gert Thys in 1996 and 2006.
Mokgobu said running has changed his life since he joined Ramaala’s group as a junior a decade ago.
“When I came to Johannesburg in 2008 I did not come with the intention of seeking a day job – all I needed was an opportunity to run professionally. It has been a commitment since.”
Mokgobu, the only child in his family, is in the process of building his parents a house in his home village through his earnings from top races.
Prior to Sunday’s race, the ardent Mamelodi Sundowns fan had a few international races under his belt having previously competed in Chile (twice) and the Netherlands.