Keegan Dally, who resides in Randburg, took part in the last of four trail runs in the Spur Gauteng Winter Trail Series on 29 June.
The 13-year-old pulled out all the stops by winning the Minimee Category for the third time at the Pelindaba Nature Reserve toward Hartbeespoort.
This is not the first time the young athlete gets a recognition – his previous two wins were in the 2012 and 2013 Summer Trail Series –however, this marks the first time he managed to complete the Winter Trail Series.
“The trail series is great fun and I really enjoy trail running. The food and drinks are nice and the prizes are the best. The runners are very humble and I always make new friends,” says Dally.
Dally started running seriously two years ago – now he is a full-time athlete at the high performance centre were he boards.
He recently received his Athletics Gauteng North (AGN) provincial colours for cross-country at club level and also finished fourth in the U14, 4km cross-country in 13:43 at the Inter-provincials held in Eldoraigne.
He explained that the secret to his success is motivation from his coach Michael Seme, who is consistently with him five times a week during training.
He also highlighted where his inspiration comes from. “I’m inspired by the people I train with – people like Stephan Makoka. I’m also inspired by the environment I’m exposed to at Tuks Sports High School and the High Performance Centre where I train and board,” concludes the enthusiastic runner.
Dally hopes to take part in the South African Championships this year.