Having clocked 1:01:42 in the EDP Lisbon Half Marathon in Portugal on 17 March , Thabang Mosiako is currently the fastest SA man over 21.1km thus far in 2024 . It means he has picked up this year where he left off in 2023 , a year that saw him win the SA Half Marathon Championship title in his homebase city of Gqeberha with a massive PB , and then go still faster at the World Road Running Champs Half Marathon later in the year .

In Gqeberha , he clocked 1:00:29 , and then at the World Champs in Riga , Latvia , he dipped under the one-hour mark for the first time as he clocked 59:52 , taking sixth place and leading the SA men to the bronze medal in the team category . That time

Thabang Mosiako

TOP 10 STATS

put him second on the all-time list of SA men for the distance , with only Stephen Mokoka ( 59:36 ) having gone faster on a record-legal course .

Last year also saw Mosiako clock three sub-28-minute times for 10km – the most by any South African ever , never mind in one calendar year – and his 27:45 in the Urban Trail de Lille 10km in France in November moved him up to third on the SA all-time list . No surprise that many pundits believe that a new SA Record over either distance , if not both , may come soon for Mosiako .

2024 HALF MARATHON : TOP 10 MEN 1:01:42 Thabang Mosiako Lisbon , 17 Mar 1:02:50 Adam Lipschitz Durban , 24 Mar 1:03:40 Sibusiso Kubheka Richards Bay , 17 Feb 1:03:58 Simon Sibeko Despatch , 16 Mar 1:03:58 Nicholas Seoposengwe Despatch , 16 Mar 1:04:20 Melikhaya Frans Coamo , 3 Mar 1:04:27A Sbonginkosi Maseko Ngodwana , 2 Mar 1:04:51 Reghen Magwai Polokwane , 17 Feb 1:04:54 Given Makgoba Polokwane , 17 Feb 1:05:02 Ayanda Ngcobo Durban , 24 Mar

KEY | A - Aided course , e . g . point-to-point

James Duffy was not your typical top athlete . One account said he led a “ rollicking lifestyle ,” and he loved cigarettes and beer . Born in Sligo County , Ireland , he emigrated to Canada in 1911 , and the following year finished fifth in the Olympic Marathon in Stockholm , won by South Africa ’ s Kennedy McArthur ( who was also born in Ireland ). On this day in 1914 , Duffy ran the race of his life in the Boston Marathon , clocking 2:25:01 to beat another Canadian , Edouard Fabre , by 15 seconds . His first words after finishing were , “ Give me a cigarette .” Then , after going through the required physical examination , he drank a beer .

After the race , Duffy said he hoped to win the Boston Marathon again , but it was not to be , because when the 1915 race was held , he was in a trench outside the Belgian town of Ypres as a member of the 16th Canadian Battalion . Four days later he was killed in an advance against the German lines , becoming one of several famous athletes who lost their lives in the Great War . With Duffy not defending his title , Fabre won the 1915 Boston Marathon in 2:31:41 .

James Duffy

South African Road List Leaders for 2024 ( As at 1 April 2024 )

This section lists the best South African performances for 2024 in each of the officially recognised road racing distances .

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About the Author

These stats and results are drawn from the weekly Distance Running Results mailer compiled by internationally acclaimed athletics statistician Riël Hauman , who has more than 50 years ’ experience as a journalist , author , publisher , commentator , pundit , administrator , event organiser , coach , team manager and runner in South African athletics , road running and cross country . He is also a former editor of the South African Athletics Annual , and author of two books , Hardloop en Lééf and Century of the Marathon 1896-1996 . To subscribe to his weekly newsletter , send him a mail at rielh @ mweb . co . za .

KEY | A – Aided course , e . g . point-to-point , and therefore not record-legal .

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