Half-marathon title holders first again
MELIKHAYA Frans and Ntombesinthu Mfunzi successfully defended their titles at the sixth staging of the annual Panamor Gel Half Marathon on Saturday.
While Frans’s winning time of 1:04:05 was nearly two minutes better than his time last year, Mfunzi was nearly seven minutes slower, clocking 1:27:05.
Last week, Mfunzi won the Africa Day Marathon in East London in 1:36.
She was not disappointed with her time.
“Winning the race was a bonus,” she said.
“I treated the race as a training run and followed my coach’s instruction to keep to a 4:05 pace.”
Ikhamva AC made a clean sweep of the men’s category with clubmates Zolani Mabhongo and Luyanda Tshangana following Frans home.
Adriaan Gerwel and Luthando Nxanisa completed an excellent day for Ikhamva when they won the men’s and women’s category in the 10km race which was run concurrently.
“The race was once again a huge success,” race organiser and club chairman Wendy Denston said.
“The weather [the previous night] was terrible and we thought it would be a disaster if it continued.
“[But on the morning] the fine weather saw an excellent turnout. There was a festive atmosphere all round.”
The half-marathon was the final event where athletes could be selected for the EP halfmarathon team for the South African champs which will be held in Port Elizabeth for the third time on July 28.
The race, organised by Aspen Pharmacare, was an EPA Championship event as well as a Participation and Prestige League event.
The event included a 10km race and a 5km fun run.
The leading results were: 21km Senior men: Melikhaya Frans (Ikhamva) 1:04:05, Zolani Mabhongo (Ikhamva) 1:07:15, Luyanda Tshangana (Ikhamva) 1:07: 21. Senior women: Ntombesinthu Mfunzi (Nedbank) 1:27:05, Siphokazi Nojoko (Motherwell) 1:27:20, Lisa-Marie Kingston (Nedbank) 1:28:42. Junior men: Anele Voorman (Nedbank) 1:19:43, Elroy Claassen (Charlo). 10km Senior men: Adriaan Gerwel (Ikhamva) 31:19, Zolani Ngqaqa (Tinarha) 31:35, Brendon Effenaar (Nedbank) 33:31. Senior women: Luthando Nxanisa (Ikhamva) 37:48, Kayla Nel (Temp) 44:45, Zimkitha Hoza (Ikhamva), 45:32. Junior men: Tumelo Montane (Tinarha) 37:48, Keechen Ruiters (Gelvan) 37:57, Dylan Miggels (Nedbank). Junior women: Jastine van der Berg (SAPS) 1:93:41, Saskia Wait (Madibaz) 1:03:44, Pavana Pillay (Charlo) 1:08:28.
THERE was a poor turnout in the weekly 5km parkruns on Saturday, with fewer than 1 000 participants in total in all the runs.
However, both the top male and female finishers at Hobie Beach and Sardinia Bay recorded personal best times.
Top finishers: Hobie Beach: men: Pranesh Raga 19:48 (Pb), women: Candy Boonzaier 22:33 (Pb). Sardinia Bay: men: Keeran Dana 23:34 (Pb), women: Grethe Lochner 25:56 (Pb) Lady Slipper: men: Wynand du Preez 32:11, Elrika Pieterse 49:30. Jeffreys Bay: men: Martin de Bruin 22:20, Andrea Bakker 26:49 Harkerville: men: Robbie Styger 22:21, Janet Woodhead 27:02.