It was a day of good surprises at the Stor-Age Pirates 10K race on 5 August.
If it was not enough that former men’s champion and hot favourite, Namakoe Nkasi was beaten by 20 seconds, a 15-year-old girl was the first woman runner to cross the line.
Pirates Sports Club, Greenside, saw 2 000 runners attend its 40th annual 10km run and walk.
Experienced and novice runners alike gathered for the popular race, which takes runners through the leafy suburbs of Greenside and Parkview.
The weather was mild with very little wind – perfect for good running times.
After the field had thinned out, it turned into a four-horse race for the leading men, though Nkasi and David Manja looked the strongest.
Running barefoot, Tumi Lephoto kept pace with the leaders and even led for a good kilometre or two in the middle period, but later fell back and was overtaken in third spot by Lucky Mohale.
It was even-stevens for Nkasi and Manja for the last period until a long downhill stretch where Manja stepped up his pace and Nkasi could not match it.
Manja finished first in 00:30:04 with Nkasi second in 00:30:24.
Not long afterwards, a dramatic finish saw teenager Gené Coetzee edge out senior women runners Chrizell Roberts by four seconds and Nomsa Cossa by seven.
“It was a nice run but the hills were intense,” the junior runner said after finishing her first Pirates 10K in 00:40:26.
“The last kilometre was hard.”
Mshimbi Tebatso won the men’s walk in a time of 00:48:15 and Nthatisi Mokhele won the women’s walk in 00:55:54.
Race director, Bradley Nelson said what made the event special was that it not only attracted the fastest runners and walkers, but also a number of 10km first-timers, dog walkers and pram pushers.
“We are proud that the Stor-Age Pirates 10K can be considered not only ‘Joburg’s warmest winter 10K’, but also a race that is fun for both competitive runners, and social runners,” he said.
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