Ikhamva Athletics Club rising star Sinawo Poti aims to set a personal best time when he takes on the 1City 21.1km race in December.
The race, which previously took place at the Fairview racecourse and consisted of distances over 42.2km, 21.1km, 10km and 5km, will now be held at Baywest Mall (entrance 4) on December 6.
This will be the 23-year-old’s first attempt at the 1City half marathon.
Poti finished second in the 2025 Choose to Challenge 10km run and set a new half marathon personal best with a time of 30:01.
The ninth edition of the race will be presented by EP Athletics in partnership with the Nelson Mandela Bay municipality and is part of the NMB Legacy Project.
“Yes, I will be running the 21km,” Poti said.
“My preparations have been going slowly because I had exams early this month, but I’m confident that I will be able to catch up with training and be 100% ready for the race.
“I’m hoping for a first-place finish and a personal best time as a bonus.
“Last year, I ran the 10km, and I finished second.
“My 21km time is 1:05:35. I ran it this year in June at the NMB half marathon.”
Asked why he decided to upgrade from 10km to a half marathon this year, Poti said: “This year is different because I finished my exams early and have more time to prepare than last year.
“I like the 21km race course because it’s flat and fast, so I asked coach Mike to put me in the 21km race, even though the competition will be tough, but I’m up for it.”
Michael Mbambani, a trainer and the founder of the Ikhamva Athletics Club, said he was eager to see what Poti could offer now that he had finished his final year of study.
“Sinawo started running in 2016 as someone who never ran,” he said.
“We have walked hand in hand on this journey, and he became one of Eastern Province Athletics’ top juniors for track and cross-country.
“He got to university, and we supported him with his education as Ikhamva through CHC-A. I think he showed potential at 19.
“I think that was the turning point of his athletics, where he started winning provincial championships in cross-country as a junior and provincial championships on the road and on the track.
“Last year and this year, we could see that he has picked his races very well, because he started winning races and he started running new PBs.
“He became very competitive, and he has learnt how to win a race.
“He is finishing his degree in accountancy at Nelson Mandela University this year, and he has done so well in balancing his studies and athletics.
“We are very proud as Ikhamva to have athletes who can be graduates and at the same time be champions.
“So that they can cushion their lives going forward for life after sport.”
The Herald
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