Maiden Midmar victories for Houtman and Buck
The 49th edition of the aQuellé Midmar Mile crowned two first-time champions on February 13 as Stephanie Houtman and Connor Buck emerged victorious in the elite races.
Just a week ago, Houtman wasn’t even planning to compete but made the last-minute decision to head to the famous KwaZulu-Natal dam for the event.
It was Tory Earle who took an early lead in the women’s race, reaching the 400m and halfway points in front. But Houtman steadily worked her way to the front by the 1 200m mark and powered ahead to win in 19:37 seconds.
Finishing 13 seconds back was her TUKS training partner Samantha Randle, with 17-year-old Mykae Forrest hot on her heels in 19:51.
The men’s race saw two-time defending champion Michael McGlynn taking an early lead before 19-year-old Connor Buck took control. Buck reached the 400m mark in front and simply extended his considerable lead from there.
By the time he reached the finish in 18:18, he was a remarkable one minute and 20 seconds in front of McGlynn who took the second spot. 16-year-old Ross Paterson then just edged out Ross Hartigan for the third spot in a frantic sprint for the line, finishing in 19:41.
