Irvette wins two races in two days
JOBURG -– Irvette van Zyl is now the strong favourite to win the coming SPAR Women's Race on 7 October after conquering the FNB CItyRun on Heritage Day.
Favourite Glenrose Xaba was nowhere to be seen when first time entrant Irvette van Zyl stormed home to victory in the women’s race of the FNB Joburg 10K CityRun on Heritage Day.
She not only won the women’s section of the race but shattered the record as well as she blazed home in an incredible time of 00:33:51, smashing the record of 00:35:34 set in 2016.
Read: Van Zyl ready to take on Xaba
No one had given her a chance especially considering that she had run and won a Cape Town race the day before. “I just wanted to sound a warning to other athletes and tell them that I am on a mission this year,” she said in the post-race interview.
This record-smashing victory has catapulted her into a firm favourite for the SPAR race on 7 October in Emmarentia while defending champion, Xaba was a good way off the pace throughout the race and only came in fourth at the finish line at Mary Fitzgerald Square.
Hot on the heels of the flying Van Zyl was Kenyan Susy Chebet in 00:34:30 followed by Gerda Steyn (00:35:01) and then Xaba (00:35:10). Van Zyl is hitting peak form just a mere three months after giving birth to her second son.
“To run two really good times back to back like this means that I am reaching another level in my running,” said Van Zyl.
“I had no idea where the other ladies were so I just kept on pushing. But I had no idea I was on record pace, so that is a pleasant surprise.”
The men’s race which started at a blistering pace was won by Eritrean Filmon Ande who came in at 00:29:27 followed closely by Ugandan Mande Bushendich (00:29:37) and in third position was Namakoe Nkasi (00:29:40) who was the winner of the inaugural race in 2016.
This year’s race boasted a prize purse of R250 000, with the winners in the men’s and women’s race pocketing R30 000 each, while the second and third place finishers secured R17 000 and R13 000 respectively in both sections of the race.
The top three finishers in the junior, 40–49, 50–59, 60–69 and 70+ categories were awarded R3 000, R2 000 and R1 000 respectively.
