ROAD RUNNING
Thabang wins the 2017 FNB RUN YOUR CITY JOBURG 10K
Dreams Put on Hold
On 21 April 2017 , in a sweltering Potchefstroom , Thabang Mosiako must have felt his dreams had come true . The 22-year-old had just been crowned SA Champion in the 5000m , leaving in his wake some of South Africa ’ s best middle-distance exponents , including Elroy Gelant and Stephen Mokoka . A few months later he once again showed his athletic class as took the win in the 2017 edition of the Absa RUN YOUR CITY JOBURG 10K ( then still sponsored by FNB ), over the tough original route that went up and around Constitution Hill , once again destroying a quality field . It seemed the hard work Thabang was putting into his training was paying off and his running career was now taking off .
Representing SA at the African Cross Country Champs in 2017
However , in January 2018 , as Thabang was preparing for the African Cross Country Championships , due to take place in Algeria that March , he was the victim of a vicious attack that left him in a coma for three weeks . When he finally awoke , the doctors initially feared that he would never run again , but the resiliency and toughness that goes along with Thabang ’ s running talent then kicked in . He was determined to still make the South African team for those African Champs , and through sheer determination he fought back to full health and fitness . In a phenomenal run , considering he had been in a coma less than two months earlier , he finished 26th , having defied the doctors who thought he would never run again , and anybody who doubted his steely determination .
Stuck in the Doldrums
Whether it was the attack that left a mental scar , or his body was still processing the trauma it had gone through , Thabang was a shadow of his former self for the rest of 2018 , and struggled much of the year to post the times he believed he should be hitting . He did still manage to crack two PBs that year , equalling his best 10km time of 29:29 and lowering his half marathon best to 1:01:59 , but he says it just wasn ’ t good enough .
“ I was frustrated , because the year had started so well ,” he says , referring specifically to the 3000m PB of 8:05.83 he ran in January in a league meeting in Potch . “ That attack really knocked me , but I was determined to get back to my best , and be ever better , so when the times did not come , I was very frustrated , even depressed .”
2019 proved to be another year of struggle for Thabang , although there were once again some glimpses of his ability and promise . In June he placed fourth at the SA Cross Country Championships , in September he was second in the SA 10km Championships , and then in October he cracked 29 minutes for 10km for the first time , running 28:56 in the RUN YOUR CITY event in Durban to take 31 seconds off his PB . Yet two weeks after this , he failed to break 29 minutes again , clocking 29:11 at the Sanlam Cape Town Peace 10km , and other results were still further off the mark . “ I was so frustrated . I knew I could do better , I
knew there was a lot more to me , but I just could not find my form , no matter how hard I tried .”
Fighting the Depression
For Thabang , 2020 was possibly the worst period in his life – perhaps even worse than the attack . He had become a father for the second time in that January , when his wife Ntando gave birth to their daughter . ( Their son was born in 2017 .) But then the world shut down in late March due to the global COVID-19 pandemic , and for someone who relies on racing for an income , these were desperate times for Thabang . Even more so because his year had not gotten off to the best of starts , with a mid-14s time in the 5000m and a slow ( by his standards ) 1:07:37 in his sole outing in the half marathon , thus meaning less income .
As was the case with many athletes , the lockdown hit Thabang hard . “ I relied on racing to support my family , and with no racing , it became desperately tough ,” he recalls . The only thing that saw him just keep the wolves at bay was the continued support from his club at the time , Boxer which continued to pay retainers during the pandemic . Thabang openly admits that without the support from Boxer , he and his family “ would have starved to death .” ( On this , all the pro clubs in SA must be commended for continuing to support the athletes on their books during this torrid time .)
During this time , some athletes and artists were assisted by the Department of Sport and Recreation ’ s COVID Fund , each receiving R20,000 , but Thabang was not one of those who benefitted , causing further frustration , fear and depression . “ I am an international athlete and regularly represented my country , so it broke my heart to see fellow athletes smiling to the bank , so to say , going to withdraw the funds , while I was helpless . It still pains
Images : Tobias Ginsberg , Roger Sedres , Anthony Grote & courtesy Thabang Mosiako
22 ISSUE 162 | www . modernathlete . co . za