Tzaneen Tuffy tamed by Phalaborwa runners

PHALABORWA – Lutendo Mapoto of PMC Athletics Club claimed victory in the 10km race at the Spar Tzaneen Tuffy 4-in-1 Marathon on his debut, finishing in 35:47 at an average pace of 3 minutes and 33 seconds per kilometre.

Mapoto said he was pleased to return to competition with a win after recovering from injury.

“I took on the Tuffy because I wanted to test whether the stress fracture I sustained in my leg in 2024 had fully healed. I also used the race as part of my training,” he said.

Although entries for this year’s Comrades Marathon sold out within 10 hours after all 22 000 slots were filled, Mapoto remains hopeful that he might still secure a substitution entry and compete in June.

Another PMC runner, Akani Mathebula, finished third overall in the men’s 42.2km marathon with a time of 03:07:49, maintaining a pace of 4:27 per kilometre.

Despite securing a podium finish, Mathebula said he was not entirely satisfied with his time due to the demanding nature of the course.

“With the Tuffy, setting a time target is difficult. My focus was to run the best race I could rather than chase a specific time, because the hills are very challenging,” he said.

“All I can say is that I’m happy to have earned a bronze medal and a podium finish while competing against some of the best runners.”

Julient Mgiba, also representing PMC, delivered a strong performance in the marathon, finishing fifth overall in 03:11:06 with a pace of 4:31 per kilometre.

Mgiba said he was satisfied with his result, having improved his time by 12 minutes compared to last year’s finish of 03:23:00.

“Even though it was tough, it was better than last year as I managed to achieve a personal best for this course. I was well prepared for the race, and I’m happy with the outcome,” he said.

Several local runners also performed well in the Comrades Marathon qualifier.

Doctor Mcwabe completed the race in 04:58:50, followed by Setimela Sebashe in 05:10:02 and Molatele Ramankweteke in 05:16:19.

In the 21.1km half-marathon, Golbert Mahlaule of Phalaborwa Road Runners finished seventh overall in 01:39:55, while his teammate Sipho Baloyi crossed the line shortly afterwards in 01:41:29.

Masilo Moremi of PMC finished 10th overall and claimed first place in the 50-59 age category. Teammate Abbey Ledwaba secured second place in the same category with a time of 01:50:13.

Gareitsane Mthimkhulu of Foskor Athletics Club was among the leading women in the race, finishing in 02:33:43, while PMC’s Pretty Moremi completed the race in 02:36:09.

In the men’s marathon, Rufus Photo claimed victory for the third consecutive year, finishing in 02:50:55.

Anna Maponya of the University of Limpopo Athletics Club also successfully defended her women’s marathon title, crossing the finish line in 03:04:05.

The 21.1km race also saw defending champions retain their titles, with Emmanuel Ramohlale winning the men’s race in 01:21:30 and Rosaline Isaiah taking the women’s title in 01:39:00.

The event once again proved highly popular among runners. Organisers received 1 450 online entries, which closed in  February after reaching capacity, leaving many athletes requesting additional entry slots.