Athlete returns from injury and wins marathon

Simonay Weitsz demonstrated her hunger for more success when she made a victorious return from injury after winning the women’s 10km race at the Benoni Northerns Marathon on April 13.

Weitsz, owner of the Benoni Northerns Night Race women’s 10km record of 37:08 set in 2023, got back to competitive racing with a pedestrian 40:05 to win the women’s race, beating Bronywn Nel of Benoni Harriers by 10 seconds and Corlize Stoltz, who clocked 40:58 for third place.

Although the 40:05 is way outside her lifetime best of 34:41 set in 2015, the 26-year old is not yet at peak at peak fitness and used the race as a tempo run to ramp up her preparations for the upcoming cross-country season.

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“I’ve just recovered from injury. I’m taking it easy at the moment. I’m not trying to push myself too hard to get in a good shape only to stop again. My doctor instructed me to take it easy.

“This was a training run. I only started my tempo run last week,” she said.

After winning the 3km gold at the FISU world university cross-country championships in Oman in February last year before representing the country at the World Athletics Cross Country champs in Serbia the following month, the Kempton Park resident suffered an injury that laid her off for the entire year.

After a positive start to the year, she’s shifting her focus to cross-country to try and qualify for next year’s World Athletics Cross Country champs in the USA, where she hopes to compete in the 10km individual race.

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“I’m still hungry for success. Last year I had a really good start, winning the world students 3km title and going to the world cross-country champs for the 2km relay. I’m really hungry for success again.

“This little setback is getting me back in for a good comeback at the end of the year and for a good track season, next year.

“My focus is on next year’s cross-country worlds. I want to try to do the 10km individual races and not the 2km relay. I’ve shifted everything to that. I’m happy with my tempo runs. Let’s see what happens.”

Weitsz has set her sights on the AGN cross-country league meetings and the 4km Wednesday leagues hosted by her school, Tshwane University of Technology, to get herself back into shape.

“I’m going to run the 10km at the nationals in September in Middleburg because they say the race is going to be a trial. I’m going to run that and hopefully if I have a good run, we’ll be at the worlds next year,’ said Weitsz.