Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 113, December 2018 | Page 13

ADVERTORIAL
25 Years
of the
People’s
Race!
With an increased field of 30,000 entries, the 25 th edition of the
Old Mutual Soweto Marathon was the biggest yet. What a way to
celebrate this landmark anniversary for the People’ Race.
T
he build-up to the race launched
in March this year with a challenge
to all participants to come out and
#RunYourGreat, and reflecting on the stories of
the 2018 edition, it’s clear that the runners took
this to heart. Not only did our President Cyril
Ramaphosa join us and take part in the 10km
event, but we saw a fourth win for Sintayehu
Legese Yinesu in the men’s marathon, and a
new course record for Irvette van Zyl as she
won back to back women’s titles.
Running for Their Brothers
There were many inspiring stories of runners
going the extra mile to achieve their great at
this Old Mutual Soweto Marathon, but one
story in particular caught our attention. Earlier
this year, three Johannesburg firefighters
tragically lost their lives fighting the Lisbonfires
in the Joburg CBD, and their colleagues
wanted to do something special to honour
their fallen comrades, so Nhlakanipho Khoza,
Siphiwe Tshabalala and Nkosi Mzolo decided
to run the Old Mutual Soweto Marathon in
memory of the close friends they’d lost.
However, they felt that just running the race
was not enough, so they decided to truly
honour the fallen by taking on the gruelling
42,2km course in full firefighting kit! “The
Old Mutual Soweto is one of the toughest
marathons you can do, and we wanted a
race that would be hard, to honour our fallen
comrades,” said Simphiwe.
The three came to race day with one simple
objective, to finish the race, and when they
arrived at the finish in the FNB Stadium, they
were brought home by cheering crowds, crossing
the line with tears in their eyes. “The pain we felt
today is nothing compared to the pain we felt on
the 5th of September,” said Nhlakanipho.
Their story truly encompasses the spirit
of the Old Mutual Soweto Marathon. The
People’s Race.
People’s Race Podium Position
Marathon Men
Sintayehu Legese Yinesu (Ethiopia) 2:19:10
Lebenya Nkoka (Lesotho) 2:20:31
DabaIfa Debele (Ethiopia) 2:21:13
Marathon Women
Irvette van Zyl (Nedbank) 2:33:43
Mamorallo Tjoka (Lesotho) 2:37:12
Selam Abere Alebachew (Ethiopia) 2:44:50
Half Marathon Men
Elroy Gelant (Boxer) 1:07:02
Philani Buthelezi (KPMG) 1:08:22
Samuel Molefi (Impala) 1:08:44
Half Marathon Women
Betha Chikanga (Zimbabwe) 1:17:16
Caroline Mhandu(Zimbabwe) 1:20:49
Christine Kalmer (KPMG) 1:20:57
10km Men
Desomd Mokgobu (Olifants) 31:05
Kabelo Melamu (KPMG) 31:25
Sylvester Koko (Botswana) 31:28
10km Women
Glenrose Xaba (Boxer) 35:25
Lebogang Luthuli (Boxer) 37:34
Diana Lebo Phalula (Boxer) 39:07
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