Giyani runners shine at Spar Tuffy Tzaneen marathon
Strong performances from Giyani athletes at the Spar Tzaneen 4-in-1 Marathon, with local runners defending titles and earning podium finishes.
LIMPOPO – Runners from Giyani and surrounding areas delivered strong performances at the Spar Tzaneen 4-in-1 Marathon held on Saturday, March 7.
Regular podium finisher Mishack Makhubele of Giyani Gallopers Athletics Club successfully defended his 21.1km title in the 60–69 age category.
He completed the half-marathon in 02:03:44, averaging a pace of 5:54 per kilometre.
Aletta Ngoveni also impressed in the half-marathon, finishing third overall and first in the 40–49 age category.
She crossed the line in 02:06:03 with a pace of 6:03 per kilometre.
Makhubele said winning the category title was especially meaningful because of the race’s difficulty.
“It was a tough race. After the 10km mark, I changed my strategy and started running under 5 minutes per kilometre. Running faster than younger runners motivates me,” he said.
Other Giyani Gallopers athletes who performed well in the 21.1km race included Kenny Shivambu (02:18:46), Nkhensani Mabunda (02:32:27), Abigail Mathebula (02:47:45) and Vongani Zitha (02:53:14).
In the 42.2km marathon, Steven Masinge of Malamulele Athletics Club finished fourth overall in 03:10:53, averaging 4:33 per kilometre. His performance also earned him a silver medal in the 40–49 age category.
Gift Mashavani of Giyani Gallopers finished 11th overall in 03:35:26, while teammate Wisani Tshabalala completed the race in 04:59:26.
Ronny Baloyi and Foster Baloyi finished in 05:03:35.
Masinge said he had not expected a podium finish, as his main focus was preparing for the Comrades Marathon.
“My goal going into the race was to run 03:05:00. Although I missed that by about five minutes, I’m still happy with my performance.
“I will run a few more marathons, including Mall of the North and Gaza Med, before Comrades,” he said.
Rufus Photo won the men’s 42.2km race for the third consecutive year, finishing in 02:50:55.
Anna Maponya of the University of Limpopo Athletics Club also defended her women’s marathon title in 03:04:05.
In the 21.1km race, Emmanuel Ramohlale and Rosaline Isaiah successfully defended their titles, finishing in 01:21:30 and 01:39:00 respectively.
The event once again proved popular among runners. Organisers received 1,450 online entries, which closed on February 3 after reaching capacity, leaving many runners requesting additional entry slots.
