Vryheid Athletics Club (VAC) kicked off the year in style with their first event of 2025, the ‘Back to School Fun Run’, held on Thursday. This community event brought together runners of all ages for an afternoon of fitness and fun.
The race featured both a 5km and a 2.5km route, attracting a diverse crowd of participants eager to kick-start their year with some physical activity. A highlight of the event was the generosity of the sponsors – you know who you are. Thank you very much! Their continued support helped make the event a great success.
The entrance fee for participants was in the form of stationery, which was kindly donated to Vryheid Public Primary School to help equip young learners for the upcoming term. The club expressed deep gratitude for the community’s generosity and the support from the sponsors who made it all possible.
The results are as follows:
5km race:
Men:
First place – Thabiso Mazibuko;
Second place – Bongani.
Women:
First place – Simangele Mnguni;
Second place – Buhle Thusini.
2.5km race:
Men:
First place – Nhlanhla Ncube;
Second place – Bongani Ndlovu.
Women:
First place – Sphelele Magubane;
Second place – Ruth Simelane.
Junior categories:
Junior male: Jessie Coleman;
Junior female: Thandolwethu Simelane.

In addition to the fun run, VAC also held their first internal time trial of the year on Tuesday last week. The time trial saw a great turnout of club members eager to test their speed and endurance.
The results for the 5km time trial were as follows:
Martin Schoeman – 22:56;
Andrea de Beer – 23:29;
PJ du Toit – 25:04;
Paula Small – 25:25;
Ruzelle Grobbelaar – 26:59;
Nicole Landman – 27:05;
Simphiwe Maseko – 28:00;
Ané Theunissen – 30:16;
Bongiwe Zulu – 30:41;
Tholiwe Hlophe – 32:16.
5km walk:
Vlam and Marie – 42:06.
VAC is pleased to announce that Paula Small has earned the title of ‘Time Trialist of the Week’, with the highest age-graded percentage of 70.32%. In second place was Andrea de Beer with 61.61%, followed closely by Martin Schoeman on 61.48%. Well done to Paula, Andrea and Martin for their fantastic performances!
Congratulations again to all the participants of the ‘Back to School Fun Run’ and the time trial. A big thank you to the sponsors, volunteers and the entire VAC community for helping to make these events successful – let’s continue to make 2025 a year full of fitness, fun and community spirit! See you at the next event. Keep an eye on the VAC social media pages for more information.

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The news provided to you in this link comes to you from the editorial staff of the Vryheid Herald, a sold newspaper distributed in the Vryheid area.