McGregor wins top honours again
Shane McGregor won this award following his incredible Comrades Marathon performance in June.
Shane McGregor was awarded Benoni Northerns Sports Club (BNSC)’s sportsperson of the year for the second successive year at the club’s year-end awards on November 18.
The top runner was awarded following his performance in the Comrades Marathon in June, where he finished 93rd overall and 63rd in his category, moving 43 spots from last year’s 146th overall finish.
“It’s a surreal experience. I’m part of an elite club. I’m privileged to have won this trophy two years in a row. It’s an incredible honour. I’m truly humbled,” he said.
Running at an average pace of about 4:15 minutes per km, McGregor completed the race in an improved 06:13:27, slashing 43 minutes off his Comrades personal best of 06:57:17 from the 95th edition of the Ultimate Human Race.
“My sole focus this year was the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon, but the Comrades was a phenomenal day. I got into a good rhythm early on, and it paid off. The consistency, hard work and hours of training paid off,” said McGregor.
The 31-year-old joined Northerns in 2007 as a junior hockey player. He caught the road running bug after a hockey teammate recommended he run to stay fit.
“I thank him to this day for pushing me in a direction that I never thought I’d be comfortable in,” he said.
He advised the club’s junior runners to stay disciplined and humbled and remember why they run if they want to succeed in long-distance running.
“It’s a lesson I’m still learning myself. Don’t always run to win, but run to have a good time. As long as you have fun and run for the love of it, it will pay off eventually.”
Youngsters Chelsea van Dyk and Tamzyn Hartman were named the club’s junior sportspeople of the year after their successes in athletics and cricket, respectively.
Van Dyk is a provincial and national U12 3km cross-country champion.
The middle-distance specialist dominated the Central Gauteng Athletics (CGA) cross-country season and won the ASA cross-country championship U12 3km title in September when she upset favourite Xante Harris with a well-timed run to storm to the finish in a personal best of 10:49.
She passed the exhausted Athletics Vaal Triangle runner on the final stretch to slice off 1:05 from her national PB of 11:54 achieved last year when she finished ninth.
Cricketer Hartman, awarded in absentia because she was in KZN with the Eastern Storm Women, has had an incredible season with the Northerns and Storm women’s cricket teams.
In her first match as captain of Northerns, the top-order batter delivered an exceptional performance when she scored an unbeaten 164 off 115 balls against Etwatwa, with 27 boundaries and one maximum.
The football vice-chairperson, Victor Pinha, was named the club’s person of the year for his incredible work behind the scenes. He helped refurbish the change rooms on the fields on the John Barrable side, used by the football, cricket and rugby clubs.
“It’s not something you strive for. It’s a community club. We all give up our time. It’s for the children, so we do what we have to do,” said Pinha.
Club chairperson Emma da Silva thanked the winners, nominees and all BNSC members for being great ambassadors.
“To all the nominees and winners, congratulations. I know a lot of time and dedication goes into each sporting discipline. You are all truly inspirational,” she said.
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