SA’s leading long distance runner and race favourite Stephen Mokoka will be out to defend his title when he lines up for the Nelson Mandela Bay South African Half Marathon Championships on Saturday, at Pollok Beach.
The 36-year-old Universiade four-time medallist, won the race in 2019 in a time of 60 minutes and 56 seconds for the third consecutive time.
Mokoka finished fifth at the World Half-Marathon Championships held in Gdynia, Poland, in 2020 where he clocked 59min 48sec to smash 15 seconds off his own national half-marathon record of 2019.
His strongest challenge is expected to come from in-form Precious Mashele, who won the SA 5,000m title at the Sizwe Medical Fund ASA Senior Track & Field and 20km Walk + Combined Events Championships in Tshwane two weeks ago.
Mashele finished 15th at the World Half Marathon in 1hr 24secs and is still chasing a qualifier to join the Olympics.
Along with Mokoka, who has already qualified for the marathon at the Tokyo Olympic Games, fellow qualifier Desmond Mokgobu will also be eager to put up a fight in preparation for the global showpiece.
Other contenders in the race include Mbuleli Mathanga and Collen Mulaudzi.
Leading the charge is Ethiopia’s Chela Dechesu Beyene who boasts a best of 60:19 for the half-marathon, but it is his 28.55km run in Addis Ababa that catches the eye. Addis is 2,355m above sea level.
Beyene also clocked 2:04.25 in the Seoul Marathon in 2019.
Uganda’s Maxwell Rotich is another challenger to look out for.
The Silver Label athlete, at only 23, is a big prospect for the future after he went 60:20 at the prestigious RAK Half Marathon in the UAE in 2020, finishing ninth.
In March 2020, he finished third at the Uganda UAF Trials in the 10,000m in Kampala, running 29:24.
Nelson Mandela Bay sport, recreation, arts and culture political head Helga van Staaden said the city would ensure that all Covid-19 regulations were adhered to during the race.
“We are very happy to see the preparations for this race under way and to see our city buzzing with sport activity again,” Van Staaden said.
“This always means an economic boost for various industries and it is needed more now following the effects of the ongoing pandemic.
“People have been longing to partake in such an event, the athletes especially, as this is their way of living.
“They have families to feed.
“The number of those who will be taking part has been limited, but generally with athletics the runners keep a distance between each other anyway.
“So we are confident that they are ready and we wish them well.”
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