Hoërskool Elspark learners Nolia Maruta and Khayelihle Ndlovu are set to represent their school at the upcoming South African Schools Cross Country Championship at Curro Midrand on Saturday (October 3), reports Germiston City News.

Balancing academic rigour with elite athletic performance is no easy feat, but Maruta and Ndlovu’s determination on and off the track is opening major doors.

The Hoërskool Elspark duo, representing Lesedi Athletic Club on a club level, are gearing up to make their mark at the national schools championships.

For Grade 12 athlete Maruta, qualifying for nationals is a triumph over an intensely demanding schedule.

Between gruelling June exams, prelims, and mandatory extra classes, finding time to train was a constant challenge.

“Even though I’m very disciplined, I couldn’t prepare as well as I wanted to. It is really tough to balance matric and training,” said Maruta.

Despite the pressure, Maruta is no stranger to top-tier competition.

The upcoming cross-country event in the Girls U19 6km category marks her sixth national schools’ appearance since 2024, having already represented her region three times in track and field and now three times in cross-country.

On the track, she competes in the 800m, 5000m, and 3000m steeplechase, where she claimed a sixth-place finish at the national level in April.

Maruta won the Ekurhuleni South District Championship Girls U19 6km event, which was held at Thabo Trials in Mulbarton, Alberton. She came fifth at the Gauteng Schools Cross Country Championship, which was held at Curro Midrand.

Looking ahead, Maruta aims to secure a top-three finish or set a new personal best, while also preparing for her first road race in Lesedi AC colours at the upcoming Tembisa Street Mile.

“Reaching nationals means a lot to me. It shows that hard work and determination pay off and opens doors for the future,” she said.

“It is an honour to represent my school, district, and province, and to show that children from any community can reach the top,” said Maruta.

While Maruta navigates the final stretch of high school, Grade Nine learner Khayelihle Ndlovu is making the most of his early high school years to build momentum in the Boys U16 6km event.

Ndlovu recently represented Central Gauteng Athletics (CGA) at the National Cross Country Championships on the club circuit, but this marks his very first qualification for the schools’ nationals.

On the track, he focuses on the 1500m and 3000m events.

For Ndlovu, who credits his progress to the backing of his family and his coach, Antonie du Toit, reaching this level carries deep personal significance.

“My hard work and the faith that my coach put in me paid off. It shows that anything is possible, even if you are from an economically disadvantaged background,” said Ndlovu.

Driven by the support of his coach and his older brother, Zakhele, Ndlovu has set a clear benchmark for himself at the upcoming national meet: breaking the sub-18-minute barrier to post a new personal best.

Both athletes form part of a training squad based at the Leondale Sports Complex under coach Antonie du Toit.

The facility lacks basic athletic infrastructure, forcing athletes to share open space with local soccer teams while coaches measure out track and training distances manually using a measuring wheel.

Despite these conditions, 11 athletes from the Leondale training group qualified to represent Ekurhuleni South at the provincial cross-country championships this year.

Many of these young runners come from single-mother households and face ongoing shortages of basic necessities, including proper athletic footwear and nutrition.

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