Amelework Bosho takes the women ’ s title , but misses the World Record |
As the frontrunners in the second edition of the Nedbank Runified Breaking Barriers 50km hit the end of the second 10km loop in just a few seconds over 65 minutes , they were slightly behind the required average pace to break the World Record 2:42:06 run by Ethiopian Ketema Bekele Negasa in the first edition of the race in 2021 . The question was , could they up the pace and then maintain it , in spite of the hotter , slightly windier conditions in March compared to the milder conditions last year in May ? The leaders went through halfway in 1:21:03 , having done a slightly faster 5km split of just under 16 minutes , and maintained this pace till the 35km mark , when the last remaining pacesetter , Melikhaya Frans stepped off the road . Soon after that Stephen Mokoka emphatically answered that question , throwing in a 2:56 kilometre to shatter the lead group and clocking a blistering 5km segment of 14:05 . No-one could answer this challenge , and by the 40km mark Stephen was 39 seconds clear of the next athlete .
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Uncatchable Mokoka
Stephen went through the marathon mark in 2:15:22 , more than a minute clear , and in spite of a slightly slower final 10km split of 31:50 , he crossed the finish line in 2:40:13 , taking nearly two minutes off the World Record ! Subject to the rigorous record ratification process , which looks at certified course measurement , official timing , doping control and additional checks and standards , Stephen ’ s time will stand as the World , African and South African Record , as well as an IAU World Age Best Performance in the 35-39 category .
The World Record is just the latest in a long line of achievements in Stephen ’ s career . He has earned 30 national titles from 1500m up to the marathon distance , on all surfaces ( road , track and cross country ), which is more than any other South African male runner , and has also represented SA at the Olympics , World Champs , African Champs and other events . He finished looking as serene as if he had just completed a 10km training run , but did admit
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Images : Richard Pearce Photography & Courtesy Nedbank Running Club , Tim Stones |