Benoni Harriers athlete Kaitlyn Mackay is refusing to place unnecessary pressure on herself as she pursues qualification for both the schools’ and clubs’ cross-country national championships later this year.

The Farrarmere teenager delivered an impressive performance in the U17 girls’ 4km race at the fourth CGA Cross Country League meeting at Marivate Park in Daveyton on June 20, finishing fourth in a competitive field.

Mackay completed the two-lap course in 17:25, crossing the line behind winner Nicola Smith of Ekhaya AC, Katelin Heymans of 32Gi and Jade Doran of Benoni Northerns.

Although pleased with her result, Mackay felt there was still room for improvement after finishing eighth overall and fourth in her age group.

“The race was good. I think I could have gone better, faster and run better,” she said.

“I was ill and only did recovery runs leading up to the race, but other than that, I think I did really well. I’m happy. This is only my second league race, and it was much better than the first one.”

The performance has boosted her confidence as she targets selection for the Central Gauteng Athletics (CGA) team for the Athletics South Africa (ASA) Cross Country Championships in Pretoria in September and the South African Schools Athletics (SASA) Championships in KwaZulu-Natal in October.

“My goal is to qualify for the nationals. I know I have to put in a lot of hard work and perform consistently to get there. I’m prepared to put in the effort to make both the schools and club national teams,” said Mackay.

Emma Hickley enjoyed a successful return to competition by claiming second place in the U16 girls’ 4km race.

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Competing in her first race of the season, Hickley clocked an impressive 15:12 to finish runner-up behind Sune-Louise Prinsloo of Helpmekaar.

“It’s my first race back, so it was quite an experience,” she said.

Hickley credited coach Richard O’Donoghue for the progress being made within the Harriers squad.

“Coach has us doing a lot of endurance work to prepare for the longer distances. Coming here, I felt good and I’m happy with my progress.”

While she also hopes to earn CGA colours and compete at the national championships, Hickley said her primary focus remains on continuous improvement.

Meanwhile, Kiana Pepler showed determination to secure a podium finish in the junior women’s 6km race despite battling stomach cramps during the closing stages.

Pepler completed the three-lap course in 26:04 after overcoming discomfort in the final lap.

“It was okay for the first 4km, but I got stomach pain in the last lap and struggled a bit. Fortunately, another runner encouraged me and helped me push through,” she said.

Elsewhere, Ockert Winter, Alexander and Jonathan Whitehead, Liam Hendrikse, Amber Hugo and Gareth Jonas all continued to show encouraging progress for Benoni Harriers.

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