Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 126, January 2020 | Page 33

ADVERTORIAL
Year of Highlights
Having recently celebrated its first year of existence, the Murray & Roberts Running Club can look back on a
terrific first year of racing that delivered more than 100 wins and 250 podium positions, gold medals in all the major
races in South Africa, and more. These were just some of the many highlights.
Instant
Success
At the first
official outing
for the club
at the Dis-
Chem Half
Marathon in
Johannesburg
in January, Philani
Buthelezi announced
the arrival of the new club
by winning the men’s title, with teammate Benedict
Moeng finishing third. In the women’s race, Charne
Bosman led a wave of Murray & Roberts athletes
home to sweep positions two to eight! On the same
day, Nolene Conrad won the Nutribullet Bay to Bay
15km in the Cape, and a week later Kesa Moletsane
finished first in the women’s 10km race at the SA
Cross Country Trials in Pretoria.
Women Sweep
the Peninsula
In February
the Murray
& Roberts
women’s
team put on a
display of sheer
dominance
in the Cape
Peninsula Marathon
in Cape Town, with the
first five positions going
to the team in black and yellow, and a further two
in the top 10. First home was Jenna Challenor,
followed by Charne Bosman in second place (and
first veteran), and Kerry-Ann Marshall rounded off
the podium, with Mia Morrison fourth and Janie
Grundling fifth. Finishing seventh was second veteran
on the day Ulrica Stander, to claim the Western
Province Champs title in the process, and she was
followed home by Salome Cooper (third veteran).
Middle Distance Medallists
Continuing his fine year, Philani Buthelezi won the
national 10,000m title at the SA Senior Champs in
Germiston in April. Two
days later he lined
up in the 5000m
and added a
silver medal to
his haul. Another
Murray & Roberts
silver medallist
was Tumisang
Monnatlala,
who finished as
runner-up in the men’s
3000m steeplechase, while
Kesa Molotsane, in her first race back in SA after
representing the country at the World Cross Country
Championships in March in Aarhus, Denmark,
earned a bronze medal in the women’s 5000m.
The Next Generation
Athletes from the Murray & Roberts Vorentoe
Running Academy raked in a serious number of
medals at the SA Schools Championships in Port
Elizabeth and the SA U18 & U20 Championships
in Paarl, both held in March. This included national
titles for Tshepo Ntuntwana (Boys’ U18 2000m
steeplechase), Lethabo Makgoga (Women’s U20
3000m steeplechase) and Frans Matlala (Men’s
U20 400m), and Dipuo Mashamaite (Women’s U20
5000m).
Goldrush at
Comrades
The black and
yellow of Murray &
Roberts Running
Club made an
astounding
debut at the
2019 Comrades
Marathon in June,
with eight women in
the top 20, several podium
positions across the different
categories, as well as first place in the women’s team
competition and third place in both the elite and
veteran men’s team competitions. The highlight of this
was Jenna Challenor finishing sixth in the women’s
race (and first KZN woman over the line), with Charne
Bosman (8 th and first veteran) and Mary Khourie
(10 th ) also claiming gold medals. Val Watson won the
women’s grandmaster category.
Vories Retain Their Title
At the annual North Vaal
Cross Country meet
in Pochefstroom
in August, the
Murray & Roberts
Vorentoe Running
Academy
continued its
glorious domination
of this prestigious
meet. Having won no
less than 17 overall titles
in the previous 18 years, the
Vories youngsters weathered the early pressure from
several strong schools to once again take the title for
a record 18th time.
Our First World
Champs
Athlete
Having already
represented SA
at the 2015 Track
and Field World
Champs in Beijing,
Benedict Moeng
became the first
Murray & Roberts club
member to make Team SA
for the World Champs when he was selected
to run the marathon in Doha, Qatar at the end of
September. With his PB of 2:10:21, run in 2014 in
Xiamen, China, Benny is one of just 21 SA men ever
to post a time of 2:10 or faster for the marathon.
End of Year Awards
In November, the club celebrated its terrific first year by
holding its inaugural Annual Awards, and top road, cross
country and track performers, Kesa Molotsane and
Philani Buthelezi, walked away with the 2019 female
and male athlete of the year awards respectively.
33