ELITE RACE
LOOKBACK TO 2024
The 2024 edition of the Totalsports Women’ s Race Durban added still more to the rich history of both the Durban event and the series itself.
Kenyan Christine Njoki, who clocked the fastest time ever in Africa( 30:37) in the same city almost exactly a month earlier, won the 2024 Totalsports Women’ s Race in Durban easily in 31:00, then the joint ninth-fastest time ever on South African soil, and currently the joint 12th-fastest time ever posted in SA. First South African was Cacisile Sosibo, the defending 2023 champion, who took sixth position in 33:27.
2024 DURBAN TOP 10 |
1 Christine Njoki( Kenya) |
31:00 |
2 Selam Fente Gebre( Ethiopia) |
32:01 |
3 Neheng Khatala( Lesotho) |
32:03 |
4 Diniya Kedir Abaraya( Ethiopia) |
32:46 |
5 Marion Chepkoech( Kenya) |
33:07 |
6 Cacisile Sosibo( South Africa) |
33:27 |
7 Tayla Kavanagh( South Africa) |
34:07 |
8 Jenet Mbhele( South Africa) |
34:45 |
9 Debash Desta( Ethiopia) |
35:20 |
10 Ntsoaki Molahloe( South Africa) |
35:52 |
Christine Njoki sets the fastest time ever in the Totalsports Women’ s Race
ROLL OF HONOUR
The list of former winners of the three Totalsports Women’ s Races includes a veritable who’ s who of South African road running, going right back to Elana Meyer winning the first race in Cape Town in 2002.(* denotes the fastest time run for each race.)
TOTALSPORTS WOMEN’ S RACE CAPE TOWN |
2002 |
Elana Meyer |
32:51 |
2003 |
Carlien Cornelissen |
34:33 |
2004 |
René Kalmer |
34:45 |
2005 |
Mamorallo Tjoka( Lesotho) |
34:04 |
2006 |
Zintle Xiniwe |
34:34 |
2007 |
Bulelwa Mtshagi |
37:02 |
2008 |
Anneline Roffey |
34:41 |
2009 |
Mia Pienaar |
37:17 |
2010 |
Lusanda Bomvana |
37:20 |
2011 |
René Kalmer |
34:04 |
2012 |
Bulelwa Simae |
36:25 |
2013 |
René Kalmer |
33:35 |
2014 |
Irvette van Zyl |
32:20 * |
2015 |
Lebo Phalula |
33:16 |
2016 |
Zintle Xiniwe |
36:58 |
2017 |
Lebogang Phalula |
34:21 |
2018 |
Annie Bothma |
35:20 |
2019 |
Annie Bothma |
34:52 |
2020 |
No event due to COVID-19 |
|
2021 |
No event due to COVID-19 |
|
|
2022 |
Fortunate Chidzivo( Zimbabwe) 35:28 |
2023 |
Lisha Van Onselen |
37:51 |
2024 |
Christine Njoki( Kenya) |
28:30 ** |
** Course shortened to 9.1km due to a fire |
alongside the route |
TOTALSPORTS WOMEN’ S RACE JOHANNESBURG |
2007 |
Irvette van Zyl |
37:34 |
2008 |
Irvette van Zyl |
36:49 |
2009 |
Irvette van Zyl |
35:31 |
2010 |
Irvette van Zyl |
35:31 |
2011 |
Lebo Phalula |
35:50 |
2012 |
Lebo Phalula |
35:45 |
2013 |
Cornelia Joubert |
37:55 |
2014 |
Lebogang Phalula |
36:01 |
2015 |
Lebogang Phalula |
33:22 |
2016 |
Lebogang Phalula |
33:41 |
2017 |
Irvette van Zyl |
34:09 |
2018 |
Mamorallo Tjoka( Lesotho) |
34:33 |
2019 |
Glenrose Xaba |
35:05 |
2020 |
No event due to COVID-19 |
|
|
2021 |
No event due to COVID-19 |
|
2022 |
Glenrose Xaba |
34:36 |
2023 |
Irvette Van Zyl |
34:58 |
2024 |
Glenrose Xaba |
32:56 * |
TOTALSPORTS WOMEN’ S RACE DURBAN |
2011 |
René Kalmer |
33:21 |
2012 |
René Kalmer |
34:21 |
2013 |
Jenna Challenor |
34:59 |
2014 |
Irvette Van Zyl |
33:49 |
2015 |
Lebogang Phalula |
33:44 |
2016 |
Irvette Van Zyl |
33:02 |
2017 |
Mapaseka Makhanya |
34:30 |
2018 |
Glenrose Xaba |
33:41 |
2019 |
Jenet Mbhele |
34:51 |
2020 |
No event due to COVID-19 |
|
2021 |
No event due to COVID-19 |
|
2022 |
Tayla Kavanagh |
33:11 |
2023 |
Cacisile Sosibo |
33:31 |
2024 |
Christine Njoki |
31:00 * |
|
|
Images: Anthony Grote, Tobias Ginsberg |
WINNING STATS
Last year, the three Totalsports Women’ s Races were held on three different dates for the first time, and this ensured an exciting series of three race in three cities on three consecutive weekends. With lucrative prize money up for grabs, the elites made the most of the opportunity.
In the Durban race, Kenyan Christine Njoki rewrote a number of records. She became the first international athlete not based in South Africa to win a Totalsports Women’ s Race – the only previous non-South African winners were Mamorallo Tjoka( Lesotho) and Fortunate Chidzivo( Zimbabwe), both of whom were SA-based at the time of their wins. More importantly, Njoki clocked 31:00 to win in Durban, the fastest time ever run in all Totalsports Women’ s Races, and she then also won the Cape Town race, although it had to be shortened slightly on the morning of the race, to ensure the safety of all entrants, when a fire that broke out in a building alongside the route. The two wins made Njoki just the fourth athlete in the history of the event to win two Totalsports Women’ s Race titles in the same year.
Glenrose Xaba sets the pace during the 2024 race in Johannesburg
DOUBLE WINS |
2011 |
René Kalmer |
Cape Town & Durban |
2014 |
Irvette van Zyl |
Cape Town & Durban |
2015 |
Lebogang Phalula |
Johannesburg & Durban |
2024 |
Christine Njoki |
Durban & Cape Town |
The third win in the 2024 series, in Johannesburg, was claimed by
South African 10km Record-holder Glenrose Xaba, who crossed the 26 line in 32:56, shattering the previous best for the Jozi leg of the series,
Lebogang Phalula’ s 33:22, set in 2015. This also moved Xaba up to four wins in the Series – three in Johannesburg and one in Durban – which now puts her third on the all-time list of multiple winners for the Totalsports Women’ s Race.
MOST WINS 9 Irvette van Zyl( CTx1, Jx6, Dx2) 5 René Kalmer( CTx3, Dx2) 5 Lebogang Phalula( Ctx1, Jx3, Dx1) 4 Glenrose Xaba( Jx3, Dx1)