Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 95, June 2017 | Page 42

CAPE TOWN’S FIRST ULTRA
WINNER SINCE 1973
T
he ecstatic Gongqa broke down in tears seconds after breaking the
winner’s ribbon, as the reality of his biggest career win to date sank
in. Up until the marathon mark, he said he did not think he would win.
Instead, he made it his goal to stick to the leading bunch, and after a brief
break from the bunch at the 47km mark, he made his decisive move at 52km
and retained a convincing lead all the way to the finish. In the men’s Half
Marathon race, Namakoe
Nkhasi successfully
defended his title and set
a new course record in a
time of 1:03:15, beating
Khoarahlane Seutlaoli
(1:03:45) and David
Manja (1:04:19) in third
place. Nkhasi was ecstatic
about his record-setting
win and added that not even the windy conditions could keep his eyes off the
prize. In the women’s race, Irvette van Zyl reclaimed her Half Marathon title in a
time of 1:13:53. Nolene Conrad arrived at the finish line about 30 seconds later,
finishing in second place (1:14:27), while Louisa Leballo was third (1:15:00).
In the women’s race, Belarusian Maryna Damantsevich had a convincing
lead by the half marathon mark, in spite of a mishap at the start that left
her convinced she had fallen behind. “Someone bumped into me at the start
and I fell a few times. I thought I was in second place, but couldn’t find the
woman in front of me, so I ran faster to catch up,” Damantsevich explained
via coach Anatoliy Bychkov. In the end she finished the race in 3:37:13 with a
10-minute lead. SAVE THE DATE FOR 2018
Jenna Challenor had a strong maiden Ultra, finishing second in a time of
3:47:32. Tanith Maxwell followed in third place, clocking 3:55:42. The
women’s race was left wide open after a hamstring injury brought defending
champ Caroline Wöstmann’s race to an abrupt end at the 11km mark.
Race Results
56km Men
1. Lungile Gongqa (Nedbank Western Cape) 3:09:43
2. Warinyane Lebopo (Maxed Elite/Lesotho) 3:10:21
3. Teboho Sello (Maxed Elite/Lesotho) 3:11:48
56km Women
1. Maryna Damantsevich (Nedbank International/Belarus) 3:37:13
2. Jenna Challenor (KPMG Running Club KZN) 3:47:32
3. Tanith Maxwell (Boxer Superstores AC) 3:55:42
42
ISSUE 95 JUNE 2017 / www.modernathlete.co.za
Mark your calendar for
the 49 th Old Mutual Two
Oceans Marathon in 2018!
OMTOM Expo:
28-30 March 2018
Trail & Fun Runs:
30 March 2018
Ultra & Half Marathons:
31 March 2018
21km Men
1. Namakoe Nkhasi (Nedbank RC International/Lesotho) 1:03:15*
2. Khoarahlane Seutlaoli (Maxed Elite/Lesotho) 1:03:45
3. David Manja (Nedbank Development Club Central North West)
1:04:19
21km Women
1. Irvette van Zyl (Nedbank Gauteng North) 1:13:53
2. Nolene Conrad (KPMG WP) 1:14:27
3. Louisa Leballo (Nedbank Gauteng North) 1:15:00
* New course record
Race day for the 48 th Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon and Half Marathon dawned to a cold and windy
start, but transformed into what athletes described as “the perfect day,” despite a few strong gusts along
some sections of the Ultra route. And those near-perfect running conditions saw Olympic marathoner
Lungile Gongqa take a comfortable win in the 2017 edition of the Ultra, crossing the finish line in
3:09:43 to become the first Capetonian to win the men’s title since 1973.