THE RECORDS
Another Local 50km Best
Besides Thompson Magawana holding the men ’ s IAU World and African Records for 50km at 2:43:39 , another South African man holds a World Record over the distance as well . In 2012 , Gert Thys clocked 2:48:39 at the 50km mark on the way to finishing fourth in that year ’ s Two Oceans Marathon , which also gave him the prize for first veteran home ( age group 40-49 ) and a new 50km World Record for that age group .
South African Amongst the Best
As mentioned earlier , the South African running community loves its ultramarathons , and amongst the biggest on the calendar each year are the Om Die Dam , Loskop and City to City 50km races , as well as the 56km Two Oceans . The three 50km races are run at altitude , and all three feature notable hills , so pose quite a challenge , but they still attract top level competition and still produce fast times . Throw in the IAU World 50km Champs and IAU African 50km Champs , which are now regulars on the global racing calendar , and our South African men enjoy quite a few opportunities to race the distance .
Through the years , our runners have produced some scintillating times , and Thompson Magawana is just one of many South Africans to feature in the all-time list of 50km performers ( as per IAU rankings last updated in 2020 ). In fact , 11 of the all-time fastest 20 men over the distance are South African , and a further three of the top performers ran a top 20 time on South African soil .
The Women ’ s Record : From Frith to Aly & Des
While the men ’ s current IAU World Record for 50km has stood unchallenged for 33 years , the women ’ s mark set by South African Frith van der Merwe in 1989 also racked up its own three-decade reign , from 1989 to 2019 , but in the last two years that record has been broken twice , first by Alyson Dixon and then Des Linden .
South Africans in the All-time World Top 20 |
1 |
2:43:38 + |
Thompson Magawana ( SA ) |
1988 |
Cape Town , SA |
5 |
2:48:26 |
Lungile Gongqa ( SA ) |
2019 |
Brasov , Romania |
6 |
2:48:51a |
Kheledi Moleti ( SA ) |
2003 |
Johannesburg , SA |
7 |
2:48:52a |
Ben Choeu ( SA ) |
1981 |
Johannesburg , SA |
14 |
2:49:35 + |
Hendrick Ramaala ( SA ) |
2014 |
Cape Town , SA |
15 |
2:49:39 |
Othaniel Phahlane ( SA ) |
2010 |
Hartbeespoort , SA |
16 |
2:49:43 |
Joseph Masuku ( SA ) |
2005 |
Hartbeespoort , SA |
17 |
2:49:49 |
Edward Mothibi ( SA ) |
2019 |
Brasov , Romania |
18 |
2:49:55 |
Ludwick Mamabolo Modibe ( SA ) |
2003 |
Hartbeespoort , SA |
19 |
2:49:57 |
Willie Afrika ( SA ) |
1984 |
Cape Town , SA |
20 |
2:50:00 |
Stemmer Lekota ( SA ) |
1997 |
Hartbeespoort , SA |
(+ denotes time recorded during a longer race , a denotes non-record legal aided course )
Further Top 20 Times run in South Africa
9 |
2:49:02 + |
Lebenya Nkoka Ezekial |
|
|
( Lesotho ) |
2014 Cape Town , SA
11 2:49:23 + Warinyana Lebopo ( Lesotho ) 2014 Cape Town , SA 13 2:49:27a Marko Mambo ( Zimbabwe ) 2003 Johannesburg , SA
With Thompson Magawana ’ s record-breaking run still fresh in the memory , the 1989 Two Oceans Marathon was expected to deliver more fireworks . However , it was not to be in the men ’ s race , with the defending champion mysteriously not making it to Cape Town to start the race . Instead , it was the women ’ s race that produced the excitement , as Frith van der Merwe rewrote the record books completely .
She had run her first Two Oceans two years earlier , finishing ninth in 4:25:25 , and came into her second Oceans voyage on the back of winning the SA
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