Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 128, March 2020

ADVERTORIAL More Than Two Dozen Victories in One Weekend for Murray & Roberts! The Murray & Roberts Running Club bagged no less than 28 wins on the weekend of 13-15 March, across most running provinces, on both on road and on the track, and including a national age category record. T he weekend started off in Pretoria with Philani Buthelezi continued his good run of form by taking second in the Gauteng North provincial track and field championships 5000m, then winning the exacting Om Die Dorp 21km the next morning in 67:55. This race doubled up as the Gauteng North provincial half marathon championships, with Leilani Scheffer also taking second spot in the women’s race in 83:52. In the Western Province, Ben Matiso nailed down the win in the Langebaan Country Estate Weskus Marathon in 2:29:13, with the consistent Siviwe Nkombi third in 2:37:15. This also gave the black and yellow the men’s team prize, with Phumlani Nxusani and Simphiwe Tanga rounding out the winning foursome. Speeding Around Harties At the 30 th edition of the hilly Om Die Dam race, which circles the picturesque Hartbeespoort Dam, Rone Reynecke strode to a fine win in the half marathon in a tad under four minutes per kilometre, with her teammate Alexandra Stuart-Smith just less than four minutes further back in 87:31. In the 50km main race, Lutendo Mapoto was second in 2:56:35 while Renier Grobler’s 3:06 route PB earned him the last gold medal in 10th. Thulane Magagula was the third over-40 man home in a rapid 3:08:36. The consistency of the Murray & Roberts team came shining through as our Limpopo men took second in the team competition and our Central Gauteng team took third. The women’s race saw new sensation Caroline Josten increasing her pace throughout the race to clinch the win in 3:33:38, with the evergreen Yolande Maclean third overall and first veteran runner home in a quick 3:36. The black and yellow had no less than four women in the top 10, with Salome Cooper (4 th ), Kate Rees (9 th ) and Lesley Austin (11 th ) joining Caroline in clinching the team prize for the Gauteng North women, while the third team prize also came our way for the Central Gauteng team. Track Triumphs At the Central Gauteng Track & Field Champs at the University of Johannesburg track, the Murray & Roberts team clinched 13 golds, 17 silver and three bronze medals, with our Murray & Roberts-sponsored Vorentoe Running Academy taking 12 of those victories. The most outstanding of these was the in the girls’ U/15 1500m, where flyer Naledi Makgata ran an outstanding 4:29.96 seconds. Astoundingly, this time would have won her the U/17 and U/19 titles, too! Also in the metric mile, boys’ U/15 speedster Johannes Morepe raced to a 3:59:22, and amongst the under-19 sprinters, young powerhouse Mvuyo Moss had daylight to spare for the win in 21:35 in the 200m. At the Gauteng North Champs, masters athlete Marili Munnik’s brilliant 2:21 saw her become the joint SA Record holder over 800m in her age category, which also gave her the world leading time for the year. Amongst the seniors, Stella Marais won the 5000m title and Chantelle Kruger took gold in the 2000m steeplechase. grandmasters category in the marathon in 3:19. The 42km race also saw the club add another age category win for the weekend when Simone Verster stopped the watches with a 2:57:19 PB. Lastly in the undulating Gallopers 15Km race in Leondale, Kabelo Melamu was second in 46:42, and first under-19 in the street mile was Tshepo Nfuntwana, who won by six seconds in 4:24. Proud Management “This weekend was without doubt one of our finest, if not our best so far,” said team manager Dana Coetzee. “To clinch provincial titles in everything from the 200 to the 1500, an SA record and world leading time in the 800, and all the wins and superb performances at Om Die Dam and the other races makes my heart swell with pride. In just more than a year of competing, we have become one of the top clubs in the country. The athletes deserve all the praise and glory for that, and we continue to support, develop and assist the young talent as well as the established runners who have found a welcoming home with us.” Another Day, More Wins On Sunday in the Deloitte race in Durban, Jenna Challenor was leading the half marathon by a healthy margin when she was misdirected and thus the win went to Mia Morrison in 84:42. Challenor was given third place officially, but awarded the same prize money as Morrison. In the accompanying 10km race, Asta Ganasen nipped under the 40-minute mark by 51 seconds to win, with Janene Carey second (and first over-40 home). Grace de Oliveira made it a triple slam for the club as she clinched the over-50 title in a tad over 43 minutes, while husband Eloi was second in the Socialising after Om Die Dam 9

Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 128, March 2020 | Page 9