Mwahla succesfully defends his title at the Colgate Race

Kabelo Ziyavuya Mwahla (27), from Qhubeka AC, was once again victorious at the Colgate Race held at Boksburg Stadium on May 4.

The top athlete, who recently won the MNS Attorneys Carnival City Half-Marathon, claimed the 15km race title with an impressive time of 49:42.

Hot on his heels was 18-year-old Jaun-Pierre van der Berg, who finished second in 51:59, while Monty Adams secured third place in a time of 53:09.

Speaking to the Boksburg Advertiser after the race, Mwahla said he was happy to retain his title.

“The race was nice and there weren’t many challenges. I made it, and I’m extremely happy. I’d like to thank everyone for their support,” he said.

Van der Berg, from iRun Athletic Club, said he was pleased with his performance.

“The most challenging part of this race was the mental toughness required. I’d like to honour my fellow teammates who were there to support me on the sidelines, and give a shout-out to my coach and parents for their support,” he said.

Adams, representing 32Gi, attributed his success to God’s grace.

“I can only thank the Lord. This was an extremely good race. It became tough from the 11th kilometre. My training was focused on uphills, but there were a lot of downhills in this race. I also want to express my gratitude to my sponsor, 32Gi, and my coaches.”

Women’s results
Colize Stoltz from Boxer AC clocked 1:00:35 to win the women’s race.

She was followed by Nedbank’s Tebogo Mokgosinyane, who finished second in 1:02:19, and 16-year-old Kelly-Lynn Barkley, who crossed the line in 1:03:45 for third place.

Stolzt, a former learner at EG Jansen, said the final stretch of the race tested her.

“I had to push myself through the last 5km, but overall the race was good. I injured my foot last year, so now I’m trying to train and perform as best I can. I feel proud, and I think this year is going to end well,” she said.

Mokgosinyane also expressed satisfaction with her race.

“Today I ran very well. I was just here to run for fun. The route was fine, but my body was a little tired because I ran yesterday as well,” she said.

Barkley, despite some fatigue from a cross-country race the previous day, was pleased with her performance.

“Today’s race was alright. I was a bit stiff after yesterday’s cross-country. The uphills were tough, but the downhills were very nice,” the EG Jansen learner added.

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