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5:27:33 , and Nicolette Griffioen third over the line in 5:47:31 .
Precious Mashele wins the 10km
In the men ’ s 10km Peace Run , Precious Mashele was first home is a very fast 28:46 , in spite of the windy conditions , with Melikhaya Frans following him into the finish in 28:51 . Anthony Timoteus was third home , and first local athlete , in 29:06 . In the women ’ s 10km race , Kyla Jacobs took line honours in 34:08 , followed by Nwabisa Mgoqi ( 34:44 ) and Lara Rossouw ( 36:05 ).
Pike Dominates Wheelchair Race
The marathon featured an elite wheelchair race for the first time , which added great excitement to the spirit of the day . The men ’ s race was dominated by American Aaron Pike , who won in 1:40:15 , with SA ’ s Ernst van Dyk second in 1:44:02 , while third place went to Mexico ’ s Martin Velasco Soria in 1:46:43 . The women ’ s wheelchair race came down a thrilling sprint finish , with Brazil ’ s Vanessa De Souza having to dig deep to win in 1:57:48 , just one second ahead of Noemi Alphonse of Mauritius ( 1:57:49 ). Third place was claimed by British veteran Shelly Woods in 1:46:43 .
Even though he always looked in command of the men ’ s race , Pike admitted that the hilly section in District Six proved a huge challenge . “ That climb was a bear ! That was the steepest climb in all the Majors . It wasn ’ t long , but it was brutal , and I had to rest my arms after that .” He added that he enjoyed having great friend Van Dyk alongside him in the early part of the race . “ Ernst knows the route so well and he was helping me with advice , but once I broke away , I was still OK , because the quality of your roads is so good here . Outside of Tokyo and Berlin , this was the next best course I have raced .”
Line honours for Kyla Jacobs
Having helped design the course , Van Dyk said , “ We have the ability to host fantastic events here in Cape Town , so why not a major marathon ? We can make this a showcase event for the Majors . My personal highlight was seeing a photograph of Aaron and I going over the highway , and in the background is a building with a mural of Madiba and Archbishop Tutu . That will stay with me forever .”
Reilly Wins on Home Trails
In the second edition of the Sanlam Cape Town 46km Trail Marathon , Kane Reilly made full use of the knowledge of his ‘ home trails ’ to power his way to the win . He crossed the finish line in 4:14:14 , beating defending champion Johardt van Heerden ( 4:21:41 ) by more than seven minutes , and reversing their finishing positions from the 2021 race , when Van Heerden won in 4:17:23 to Reilly ’ s 4:20:44 . Third place this year went to Germany ’ s Marcel Höche in 4:36:24 .
“ That ’ s my hood , and I ’ m so familiar with those trails , because all my training runs have been there ,” said Reilly . “ I ’ m a mental runner , and thought to myself , I ’ ve done these trails hundreds of times , so sit where I ’ m comfortable in terms of heart-rate and comfort , just keep going , and I ’ ll be OK . It was just an amazing race , couldn ’ t have gone any better .”
In the women ’ s Trail Marathon , Kerry-Ann Marshall looked set to turn her fourth place in 2021 into a win in 2022 as she led the race until well into the second half , but cramping legs allowed her great friend Landie Greyling to catch and pass her . Greyling went on to win in 5:24:23 , with Marshall following in
The men ’ s title in the 22km Trail Run was taken by Siboniso Soldaka in 1:34:05 , with Siviwe Nkombi following 11 second later in 1:34:16 , and Zimbabwean Tranquil Gumbo coming home third in 1:37:48 . Soldaka won the race in 2021 , and was second in the previous edition in 2019 . The women ’ s 22km race was won by British elite Holly Page in 1:58:29 , with Spaniard Yaiza Marin second in 2:04:31 and Leani Grimes third in 2:09:28 .
Time to Say Thank You
“ The event was a great success ,” reflected Sanlam Cape Town Marathon Race Director , Renee Jordaan . “ The City ’ s support was outstanding , with virtually every service department fully mobilised to help runners successfully navigate the course . We also thank residents for their patience while the roads were closed , and for their enthusiastic support . Many of our runners commented on the fantastic roadside support and said it felt like a true Cape Town party .”
Sanlam ’ s Head of Brand , Mariska Oosthuizen , added , “ What a weekend ! This year was particularly special as we made history as an Abbott World Marathon Majors Candidate race – the first on the African continent . It has truly been an astounding success and we thank our partners – the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon race organisers – for their tireless energy and vision in making it so . Thank you to everyone who took part this year .”
Kane Reilly on Signal Hill
Landie Greyling on the way to victory
Aaron Pike wins the wheelchair division
Visit www . capetownmarathon . com for more on the event .
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