POLOKWANE – Phuti Mohale of Pietersburg Road Runners successfully defended his Iron Crown Trail Run Marathon title in Haenertsburg on Saturday.
He finished the race in a time of 1:44:48.
Mohale said the race was a bit tough and the weather conditions almost worked against him.
“There was mist during the race and I could not see where I was going and that almost made me lose track of the race. The athlete in second place crossed the finish line 15 minutes later,” said Mohale.
He said he did not have enough time to train as he was still tired from the Comrades Marathon, but was happy with the outcome of the race.
The start and finish of the Iron Crown Trail Run Marathon was close to the Haenertsburg Village Community Centre. The route followed village streets, earth roads, firebreaks and single-track footpaths and avoided the main R71 and R528 roads.
The 21,1km route climbed 687m from 1 439m in the village to the top of the Iron Crown, which is regarded as the highest point in Limpopo at 2 126m. The 10km route was less testing and rose to 1 600m. The 5km fun run was for the less energetic and young athletes.
