Phalula looks to cap series in style

“This has been a great season for me and all I want to do is end the challenge with a top three finish, but a win will definitely be a bonus for me,” Phalula said on Friday.

“I’m so happy to be on top of the log. It was my aim from the first race in Cape Town and I’m proud of what I have achieved.”

After four races in the Grand Prix series, Phalula almost has her hands on the keys to a new car, which will be driven away by the runner with the most log points at the end of the five-race series.

She has 94 points in the bag, after winning the Cape Town and Port Elizabeth races in record time, and finished fourth in Durban and Pretoria. Her good run in the series has earned her an almost unbeatable lead of 28 points.

However, the chase for the Joburg win will be a tightly contested one with three-time Grand Prix winner Rene Kalmer — who is second on the table with 66 points — hot on Phalula’s heels, while last year’s Grand Prix champion Mapaseka Makhanya would also be in the challenge for victory.

Other runners looking for a spot on the podium include Diana-Lebo’s twin sister, Lebogang, two-time winner of the Grand Prix, Irvette van Zyl and Zimbabwean Rutendo Nyahora.

Phalula said she would not focus on the other challengers on the day, but would work hard in executing her game plan.

“I’m not going to be looking at the other girls, I have my own plan and will run my race.

“I will, however, have an eye on my sister as I think she’ll be a great challenger.”

Fresh off the recovery from a hamstring injury, she said she had learned a lot from her injury woes.

“My aim was to win all the races this year, but I encountered obstacles on my way. I ran the last two races with a hamstring niggle, but I feel 89 percent better now.

“The injury set me back but I’m not disappointed because I still did well and have not lost focus.

“This injury has taught me a lot and it has just reminded me that when I’m doing well I must not relax but continue to work harder so that I can be better each day.”

It would be the second time the athletes take on the new route, after the race was moved from Old Parktonians Sports Club in Randburg to the Wanderers in Illovo.

The route takes the runners along Corlett Drive and Oxford Road as far as Riviera Road in Killarney, before zigzagging back through some of Johannesburg’s leafiest suburbs.

Phalula said she looked forward to running along the course where she placed fourth in last year’s race.

“The course is very nice, it doesn’t have a lot of challenges. It’s nice and flat, doesn’t have a lot of hills and is very enjoyable.

“The route may make it a fast race on Sunday but I’m prepared.”

– Sapa