Masingita Marathon sees pride from local clubs
Despite few top-10 finishes, local athletes from Giyani and Malamulele impressed at the Masingita Mall 4-in-1 Marathon.
LIMPOPO – Although most local runners did not make it into the top 10 of their categories at the Masingita Mall 4-in-1 Marathon, they delivered impressive performances and gave their all on race day.
Clubs such as Giyani Gallopers, Malamulele Athletics Club, and Shikhumba Runners represented the region with determination and pride.
In the men’s full marathon (42.2 km), notable performances came from Vonani Chabalala of Giyani Gallopers, who finished in 03:01:24, followed by teammate Andrew Mhlongo at 03:13:12, and Gift Moshani at 03:26:27.
Hlulani Maringa from Malamulele Athletics Club completed the race in 03:27:13.
Among the women in the marathon distance, Giyani Gallopers’ Gracious Ndlovu finished in 04:33:37, Salvah Ngobeni in 04:35:33, Queen Nghonanei in 04:43:33, and Beryl Monakisi in 04:43:53.
Monakisi proudly went home with two medals after securing second place in the 50–59 age category.
In the men’s half-marathon (21.1 km), Justice Marima of Malamulele Athletics Club led the local runners, finishing in 01:19:51, followed by Giyani Gallopers’ Tiyelani Nghatsane at 01:28:26, Nzama Mavunda at 01:33:25, and Malamulele’s Ntsako Sithole in 01:40:01.
The women’s half-marathon also saw strong performances, with Malamulele AC’s Nomusa Mangange crossing the line in 01:55:04, teammate Nobukhosi Baloyi finishing in 02:25:56, and Shikhumba’s Lester Chuma completing the race in 02:36:22.
Reflecting on her performance, Monakisi told the Herald that she was both pleased and pleasantly surprised to finish under five hours, as she had expected a slower time.
“Since returning from the Comrades Marathon, I haven’t run long distances or had enough time to train properly. I’m very excited about my performance,” she said.
The 42.2km race, a Comrades Marathon qualifier, was won by Kenyan Hosea Maiyo in 2:21:30, with fellow Kenyan Rosaline Isaiah taking the women’s title in 3:04:38.
In the half-marathon, Kabelo Melamu from Nedbank Running Club Central Gauteng won the men’s race in 1:06:23, and Zanele Maisa from Waterfall Athletics Club won the women’s race in 1:18:58.
The 10km winners were Alex Aphane of Nedbank Running Club LIMA (30:57) and Kamogelo Magano of Boxer Athletics Club (37:39).
