Kai Hattingh officially opened her season with a strong performance at the Absa Run Your City Gqeberha 10k on Beach Road in Gqebera on March 1.

The Nedbank Running Club athlete, from Parkrand, dominated the junior women’s category from the gun to the tape to claim victory in 42:49.

While Hattingh’s final time reflected a positive split after running a faster first half due to wind sweeping across the coastal route, she maintained her position up top to win the race by over three minutes.

Averaging 04:15min/km, Hattingh, one of the country’s promising middle-distance runners, covered the opening 5km in 20:50. Despite facing the wind in the last half, she remained resolute and fought all the way to the finish, covering the distance in 21:59, clocking a combined 42:49.

She crossed the line ahead of Zinhle Xhonthi, who was 03:11 adrift after finishing the race in 45:40, while Butho Breakfast completed the top three in 46:19.

The Central Gauteng athlete was elated after winning her first junior 10km title in the series.

“It was the best feeling ever. I’m so happy,” she said.

“My preparation for the race started in January. This is a long season. You have to take the Absa Run Your City series and SPAR Women’s Challenge one race at a time. The wind got stronger from Friday and we woke up to a beautiful morning on Sunday. But from 06:00, the wind started getting stronger again.”

Giving her autopsy of the race, she said, “The race started fast on a flat route. In the first 5km, we were strong. When we turned into the wind, we tried to maintain the pace. It was hard we kept on fighting until the end.”

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