Makhanya ready for Spar Challenge
Mapaseka Makhanya (28), one of the most promising athletes in South Africa, is looking forward to take part in the Johannesburg Spar 10km Women’s Challenge on 13 October at Wanderers Club.
Photograph: Reg Caldecott
She has had a stellar year, both on the track and on the road.
Competing at the national championships in Stellenbosch in April, Mapaseka won the 1500m and 5000m titles, and also achieved personal best times for the 800m and 3000m races. Although she insisted that track running remains her forte, this year she turned her attention to road running, in an effort to build up stamina for long-distance events.
With just one race to go in the five-race Spar Women’s 10km Challenge Grand Prix series, Mapaseka is virtually assured of winning the overall title and driving off in a brand new Nissan Micra. She finished second to Rutendo Nyahora in Cape Town, and third behind Nyahora and Dina-Lebo Phalula in Port Elizabeth. She won the third leg, in Durban, in a personal best time, and then stormed home in record time to win the Pretoria leg.
Mapaseka stunned the athletics world in September when she won her maiden 42km race, the Gauteng Marathon, in the second-fastest time by a South African woman this year.
The bubbly single mother said she was very excited about her achievements. She said, “I feel more comfortable thinking about running 10 000m than 10km. I really started running on the road just to get some distance into my legs as I move into the longer races. But I have enjoyed the experience, and I love the Spar races. There is a fantastic vibe and it is a completely different experience from running on the track.”
