Oldknow runs to debut win

Cian Oldknow made history in her debut over the classic distance when she won the Johnson Crane Hire Marathon in a record-breaking 02:39:28 on January 28.

Known as ‘Ms PB’ for her knack for achieving personal milestones, Oldknow was intentional from the onset, taking the lead from the gun and running the first 10km in 40:33 at 4:04mins/km before arriving at the halfway mark in 01:20:02.

She sped to the 30km mark in 01:54:05, running at 03:49min/km, and ran the last 12km in 45:24 at 03:47min/km before thrusting her hands in the air to cheers from the crowd on the final stretch, smashing Charnè Bosman’s 02:44:52 set in 2019 by almost four minutes.

After smashing the Springs Striders 32km course record on January 21 and the Varsity Kudus 15km race on January 6, the 27-year-old had initially planned to stop after 40km. After realising she was ahead of schedule and still felt fresh, she decided to go for it.

“I had a great run. The plan was to stop at 40km because I’m doing a marathon in three weeks. I wanted that to be my debut. But I was feeling good and was a bit ahead of schedule.

“It’s such a nice race. If I had only stopped at 40km, I don’t know what would happen in three weeks. So I thought I might as well finish because I felt really good,” Oldknow said.

She broke the tape 27:52 ahead of second-placed Gladys Cheruiyot of Nedbank Kenya, who clocked 03:07:20 for the silver medal. 32Gi runner Carol Smith completed the top three 22 seconds after the Kenyan.

“The body feels good, better than I expected. This race is now the furthest distance I have run. The Striders Race was the same, both unknown territories, and they both felt great.”

Oldknow said she will focus more on road running this year, which means she will miss the track and field season, which began on January 20, and the first half of the cross-country season because she also wants to qualify for the Olympics in July.

“I’m focusing on the road this year, so will miss the track season. I want to do the Two Oceans half-marathon, which was exciting when I last ran the race as a junior.

“I will maybe catch the backend of the cross-country season in August or September. I would like to qualify for the Olympics. If I can get my time down on the road, that would be amazing,” said Oldknow.

Proud Chauke won the men’s race in 02:26:20, Moshoeshoe Maama came second, while Given Baloyi claimed the third spot.

After taking the lead at the halfway mark, the Pan-African Resources runner never looked back and completed the last half of the race in 01:14:67.

“This is my first time running this race. I was well prepared because of my training. I am so grateful. It was well organised, and I will come back again,” he said.

Chauke said his goal is to slice 15 minutes off his Comrades Marathon PB of 05:41:51, achieved at last year’s race, where he finished 25th.

“I train with legends like former Comrades Marathon winner Gift Kelehe. Last year, I ran 05:41. I want to cut 15 minutes and finish in the top 10.”

Elroy Gelant and Farida Zwane won the men’s and women’s 21.1km, while Gladwin Mzazi and his wife, Lebo Phalula-Mzazi, took top honours in the 10km race.

Locals impress

Kate van Jaarsveld claimed the second spot in the women’s half-marathon after crossing the line in 01:26:23, while the Benoni Northerns Athletic Club (BNAC)’s Kaitlyn Bubb was seventh in the event.

Bubb‘s teammates, Alison de Bruin and Robyn Kaltenbrunn, were 14th and 16th, respectively, in the distance, and Bright Mikolongwe clocked 01:11:01 for fifth place in the men’s race.

Stephane Gormley, from Northerns, finished fifth in the women’s 10km race in 37:43, and Farrarmere resident Keaton Stansfeld was 10th in the men’s race after clocking an impressive 33:10.

For the full results with all category winners, go to https://www.peaktiming.co.za/results/

Also Read: Bosman and Mohale make history at Johnson Crane Marathon

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