Route presents runners with steep challenge

Legogote Villager’s Mozma half-marathon is not for sissies. The club held its annual race on Saturday on quite a hilly route.

Runners were warned that the 21 kilo-metre was run on road and gravel, but it was described as hard even by experienced athletes. For some it was the steep up-and-down hills. For others the unevenness of the dirt tracks made the half-marathon exceptionally challenging. But which half-marathoner doesn’t love a challenge?

Lovers Hlatshwayo of Nedbank LVCC won the race by some distance: he took only 01:15:49 to complete the run. His closest competitor, Proffessor Mthethwa of Barbarton Gijimas took 01:22:13 over the same distance. Wihan Swanepoel for Longtom Marathon Club finished third in a time of 01:23:57. The fastest male veteran, Elmon Ndlovu of PMMC took only 01:25:14 to complete the distance.

Nelspruit Marathon Club’s Madeleine Whitehair was the fastest woman and female veteran in a time of 01:33:03.

She was followed relatively closely by Gina Scheferman of Nedbank LVCC in 01:35:52 and Elsabé van der Merwe in third with a time of 01:44:16.

In the master’s category Moses Sibiya of Nelspruit Marathon Club was fastest in a time of 01:32:44, with his female counterpart Heidi Linden of FITT 2000 finishing in 02:05:32.

Bennie Burger of Nelspruit Marathon Club was the fastest grand master in 01:49:17 and Lorraine van der Nest of Vryheid the fastest woman in 02:33:30. Nelspruit’s Kate Hulett’s 02:25:38 was enough to make her the fastest walker.

All the runners who could finish in less that three hours were awarded with medals. Participants could also compete in a 10-kilometre race and fun run.