Musa Thuketana wins Maroela to Maroela half-marathon
Musa Thuketana from Mashishimale won the men's 21.1km Maroela to Maroela half-marathon in Phalaborwa in a time of 01:09:51.
PHALABORWA – Musa Thuketana from Mashishimale made Phalaborwa proud by winning the men’s 21.1km Maroela to Maroela half-marathon.
The Nedbank Running Club Limpopo athlete outpaced the field to cross the finish line first in 01:09:51.
Men’s 21.1km results
| Position | Athlete | Club | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Musa Thuketana | Nedbank Running Club Limpopo | 01:09:51 |
| 2 | Present Mongwe | SANDF Athletics Club | 01:16:05 |
| 3 | Tonnie Ngobeni | Letaba Road Runners | 01:20:30 |
| 4 | Happy Ubisi | – | 01:27:05 |
| 5 | Itumeleng Mahlo | Nedbank Club | 01:32:07 |
Ubisi also claimed gold as the fastest man in the 40-49 age category, while Mahlo was the fastest junior.
‘I did not expect to win’
Speaking to the Herald, Thuketana said his main aim in taking part was to prepare for the upcoming Spar Shikhumba 4in1 Marathon in Shikhumba village on October 3.
“It was a great race, and I really enjoyed myself. The route was smooth sailing, and there were not many challenges. I did not expect to win,” he said.
Other local performers in the 21.1km
Other local athletes who performed well in the 21.1km included:
- Foskor Athletics Club’s Fana Mahasha (8th, 01:43:01)
- Celebrate Mathebula (9th, 01:43:48)
- PMC Athletics Club’s Kgosimang Balosang (10th, 01:45:39)
- Tribe Mashaba (12th, 01:46:49)
Women’s 21.1km results
In the women’s 21.1km, Foskor Athletics Club’s Mmapula Tshehla kept the title at home, crossing the finish line first in 02:00:38. She also claimed gold as the fastest woman in the 40-49 age category.
| Position | Athlete | Club | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mmapula Tshehla | Foskor Athletics Club | 02:00:38 |
| 2 | Amelia Taljaard | – | 02:04:44 |
| 3 | Angelique Kriel | PMC | 02:06:20 |
Men’s 10km results
| Position | Athlete | Club | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Winky Chauke | – | 33:55 |
| 2 | Chris Schutte | Nedbank LVCC | 35:40 |
| 3 | Lucky Mathebula | Phalaborwa Road Runners | 36:17 |
Women’s 10km results
Dessire van Zyl won the women’s 10km race in 46:09. She claimed two gold medals for winning both the women’s open and junior categories.
| Position | Athlete | Club | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dessire van Zyl | – | 46:09 |
| 2 | Isabel Alma | PMC | 53:09 |
| 3 | Precious Manganyi | PMC | 57:20 |
Organisers thank participants
The race was organised by Phalaborwa Road Runners, who thanked all participants for helping make the event a success.
