Half-marathon hero passes first trail trial
Local athlete, Aubrey Mabuza has added another trophy to his already extensive collection after winning the South Africa trail series, which was recently held in Pretoria.
Mabuza said it was the first time he participated in a trail race. “I’m not a trail runner, I run half-marathons. I had to be alert at all times as I kept worrying about spraining my ankle. But I really enjoyed the route and the scenery was beautiful,” said Mabuza.
He completed the 20km race in one hour, 16 minutes and 48 seconds, in the process defeating defending champion, Sizwe Dhlomo, who came third.
“Participating in the trail race does not mean I will quit long-distance marathons. I will continue doing both. The trail race helped me to maintain fitness as I look forward to compete in the South Africa Country Championship that will be held in George in September,” said Mabuza.
As part of being a professional athlete, Mabuza is set to undergo a fitness test at the renowned High Performance Centre, which will be conducted by Hannah Ougus who is a sport scientist.
He is currently running under the University of Johannesburg and it makes it compulsory for all professional athletes to undergo the fitness test.
