ROAD RUNNING
Staking a Claim
Anthony Timotheus ( right ) with Desmond Mokgobu in the last kilometre of the Absa
RUN YOUR CITY CAPE TOWN 10K
There is a changing of the guard taking place in South African road running , with a new crop of athletes beginning to make their mark , particularly in the men ’ s 10km distance , and one of these emerging stars is Anthony ‘ Timmy ’ Timotheus . – BY JACKY McCLEAN with SEAN FALCONER
For almost a decade , the likes of Stephen Mokoka , Elroy Gelant and Desmond Mokgubo have dominated the South African road running scene , but in the last few years things have begun to change . In 2021 , with Stephen focusing more on marathons and beginning the transition to ultra-marathons , Precious Mashele officially took over the mantle of king of the road over the shorter distances , and chasing him are several exciting talents , including Mbuleli Mathanga from KZN , Maxime Chaumeton from Gauteng , as well as Timmy Timotheus from the Western Cape .
Finding More Speed
Timmy ( 27 ) made an emphatic breakthrough when he finished fifth overall and first South African in the 2022 Absa RUN YOUR CITY CAPE TOWN 10K on 15 May . He clocked 28:29 and took a massive 17 seconds off the personal best he had run in the Absa RUN YOUR CITY DURBAN 10K in October 2021 . At the time of his Cape Town run , Timmy ’ s 28:29 was the fastest 10km by a South African male in the country in 2022 . That has subsequently been surpassed by several times posted in the 2022 edition of the Absa RUN YOUR CITY DURBAN 10K , on 10 July , but Timmy ’ s time remains one of the fastest for the year .
“ I still get goose bumps when I think of it ,” he says , when asked about being the first South African over the line in Cape Town . “ In the last 900 metres , I was with Desmond Mokgubo , Stephen Mokoka and Namakoe Nkasi of Lesotho . When Desmond went , I went with him . In hindsight , I should maybe have not gone with him immediately , as I really battled in the final 200 metres , and that ’ s where Namakoe passed me .”
For Timmy , the breakthrough was not only about posting a big PB , but also that he took some big scalps in the race . “ In Durban last year , I had a few niggles in the lead-up to the race , and so on race day I ran with Adam Lipschitz , because he paces himself so well , and I ended up equalling my PB . But I also felt that I could have gone better had I been in 100 % shape . So , Cape Town was massive for me , and after I finished , I even felt I had more in the tank and could have gone faster .”
Year of Big Changes
This has actually been quite some year for Timmy . He concluded his teaching degree last year and graduated from the University of the Western Cape ( UWC ) at the end of March , and married Geraldine in April . In the meantime , he had made the decision to focus on his running full-time . “ I want to give my running the attention it deserves and see what I can do before I go back to school , to teach . So , I made some changes at the end of 2021 ,” he says .
That included making the move to train with the legendary Zola Budd , after a number of years training under Glen Bentley at UWC . “ Mr . Bentley is like a father figure to me , and I will forever be grateful for his guidance over the years . However , we both felt that in order for me to take it up a notch , a change was necessary , and we thought that Zola would be the right move .”
The move immediately paid off , too . In January , Timmy broke eight minutes for the first time over 3000m , clocking 7:59.19 ( a PB by eight seconds ) at the Cape Milers event in Cape Town . In March , he ran a PB 13:36.11 in the 5000m at the Athletes Academy Invitational Track League meet in Stellenbosch . He then took that form into the South African Track and Field Championships in Cape Town in April , and came away with the bronze medal in the 5000m , and just a few weeks later smashed that 10km PB .
Looking for Advice
Surprisingly , in spite of all that success , Timmy says that in the lead-up to the Cape Town 10km race , he still felt he wasn ’ t quite getting it right . “ In training , I always felt good and knew I had it in me , but it just didn ’ t seem to be coming together . But then I spoke to Mr September ( John September holds various Western Province road running records – Ed .) and also to Uncle Gert ( SA Marathon Record-holder Gert Thys – Ed .). Mr September told me I need to race with my heart , and not worry too much about the time . Uncle Gert told me to focus and select my races , and that ’ s what also hit me when I analysed Stephen ’ s approach to races . He focuses on specific races . I followed all that advice and look what it gave me ,” he says .
Timmy adds that he is also very appreciative of the Elite Athlete Programme introduced in this year ’ s Absa RUN YOUR CITY Series . “ Usually at this time , I go overseas and run some 10 kays to try and get fast times , but now I do not need to do that . The Absa RUN YOUR CITY Series means I can race at home , not spend money on travel , and not have to worry about travel fatigue , while also knowing I will be in a race that will allow me to get close to 28minuntes . This is a fantastic initiative .”
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