Retsepile finishes second at Knysna Forest Marathon
HOUGHTON – Local runner finishes second in the Knysna Forest Marathon.
Old Edwardian Athletics Club runner Retsepile Khotle finished in second place at the recent Knysna Forest Marathon, completing the 42.2km marathon in little over two hours.
The 36th edition of the marathon, which forms part of the coastal town’s annual Knysna Oyster Festival itinerary, promised to be one for the books, as the weather was forecast to play along perfectly for the 5 500 runners set to tackle this year’s race.
The runners set off first as the start gun shot at 7am with darkness still the dominating force in the Knysna forests.
While the full marathon runners were out tackling the course and traversing the forests, the half-marathon runners were getting ready. Luckily for them, by the time they set off, the sun had already begun peering through the treetops and managed to act as some form of relief from the bitter cold that hung in the air.
While the full and half-marathon races most likely played host to the more serious runners, there was also a much shorter 5km run for everyone else. Defending half-marathon champion Lloyd Bosman was once again a man on a mission, as he managed to cross the finish line in first place yet again, this time three minutes ahead of his nearest competitor, in 01:07:25.
The first female to cross the line in the half-marathon was Rene Kalmer, who ran an equally-impressive time of 01:19:33. Crowds at the finish line of the race on Knysna High School’s sports fields would have to wait half an hour after Bosman’s arrival before the first full-marathon runner would cross the line.
Siviwe Nkombi was the first runner home, with 02:33:21 before collapsing into prayer after the finish line. He was followed home by Old Edwardian runner Khotle who clocked a time of 02:37:30. The first woman who would cross the line in the 42,2km race would be Valentine Wanga, who ran a 03:37:05 marathon.
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