Three-times Soweto Marathon winner, Lesotho’s Mamarola Tjoka, emerged from a success defence of her Tshwane Nedbank Matha Series road race title on Saturday, after winning in 1:16:50.
The popular race in which South African Charne Bosman finished second in a time of 1:17:14 was proved in an overall increase in entry numbers from 1200 in 2007, to the 1600 runners taking part in this year’s event.
The successful Mr Price stable featured five runners in the top five Open division, with Tjoka and Bosman joined by fourth-placed Rene Kalmer, Olivia Chitate (eighth) and Rutendo Nyahora filing the final top-ten slot.
The half marathon covered a relatively flat and fast loop course through Hatfield and Arcadia to the City Centre passing Union Buildings, and many of the embassies and consulates, providing a symbolic link between South Africa, its capital Tshwane and the world.
The runners enjoyed an opportunity to run past some of the capitals’ historic and architectural features, with the wide tree-lined and straight roads aiding runners in search of a fast time.
The introduction of the Nedbank City Marathon Series and Nedbank Matha Series last year, presented in association with Athletics South Africa (ASA), has rewarded top performance over internationally recognised distances via lucrative prize money – a boost for the South African road running fraternity.
The next Nedbank-sponsored race is the Durban City Marathon, incorporating the SA Marathon Championships, in KwaZulu-Natal, on 10 February, 2008, starting at the Kings Park Athletics Stadium.
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