Maruleng athletes excel at Spar Tuffy Tzaneen Marathon
Runners from Maruleng impressed at the Spar Tuffy Tzaneen Marathon, with multiple podium finishes in all race categories.
HOEDSPRUIT – Athletes from Maruleng were among the runners who participated in the popular Spar Tzaneen Tuffy 4-in-1 Marathon hosted in the Agatha valley on Saturday, March 7.
Maruleng Athletics Club athletes were well represented.
In the 42.2km marathon, Jacky Mahlatse Bango completed the gruelling race in a time of 05:19:54, showing determination and endurance on one of the province’s toughest routes. Aloise Ndlovu also participated in the marathon distance.
In the 21.1km half-marathon, several athletes finished the demanding course.
Diapo Letsoalo crossed the finish line in 02:10:51.7, followed closely by Tebello Mabilu in 02:10:52.
Caiphus Molamodi completed the race in 02:31:11.9, while Lettie Motubatse finished in 03:20:28.9.
Among the notable participants was Maruleng Local Municipality Mayor Tsheko Musolwa, who ran the half-marathon.
Musolwa completed the race in 02:39:48.7, demonstrating his commitment to promoting health and fitness within the community.
Other half-marathon participants included Belinda Barkas and Tyler Rance, who finished in 02:30:50.8.
Monica Baker and Catherine Allen came in together with a time of 02:45:52.3 on the clock.
In the 10km distance, Hlabishi Ntloana recorded a time of 00:57:43.3, while Phippie Mashile finished in 01:04:12.4.
Other runners included Mpyafe Daphney Shai with 01:13:36.1 and Tumelo Moagi with 01:13:39.7.
Further finishes came from Winky Malapane in 01:27:41.4, Florance Mathaba in 01:28:25.8, and Moore Sadi in 01:31:31.3.
Carmen Gair, representing Hoedspruit Running Club, completed the 10km race in 01:33:29.4.
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.
