Stephen Mokoka ‘still learning’ as he gears up for Two Oceans return

Stephen Mokoka will line up among the favourites for the men’s title at the Two Oceans Marathon in Cape Town on Saturday, but he admits he is still learning to race ultra-marathons.

Mokoka is widely considered the best road runner in South Africa, a status he richly deserves after dominating the sport for more than a decade in a career which has included four victories at the Shanghai Marathon and three wins at the Cape Town Marathon.

He is also the SA record holder in the half-marathon, and he has generally been the nation’s best performer on the road at major international championships for some time.

However, despite his tremendous success on the road, Mokoka has little experience over ultra-marathon distances.

He’s not a novice. Three years ago, on his ultra debut, he set a national 50km record of 2:40:13 in Gqeberha. But that was on a flat course designed for quick times.

A learning curve

Last year, he made his Two Oceans debut over 56km, but he bailed shortly before the finish, and he said this week he had learned a lot from competing in his first ultra race over a challenging course with hills.

“My coach (Michael Seme) has never coached an ultra runner, so we’re still learning how to crack it properly,” said 40-year-old Mokoka.

Mokoka said he had approached ultra-distance star Gerda Steyn for advice, which had helped.

“After speaking to Gerda I realised my tempo runs, for example, were too fast, so I needed to change my approach. It’s a learning process,” he said.

Strong field

Facing one of the strongest men’s fields that have ever been put together for the Two Oceans, Mokoka will need to be at his best against a line-up which is headlined by defending champion Onalenna Khonkhobe, former winner Givemore Mudzinganyama of Zimbabwe and last year’s runner-up Lloyd Bosman.

Mokoka said he wasn’t getting ahead of himself, and his goal tomorrow was modest for an athlete of his pedigree. But his modesty could be the key to potential victory, with most ultra-distance specialists focusing on simply finishing a race before they worry about victories and records.

“My first goal is to finish, and then if I can run under three hours and 10 minutes, I will be happy,” Mokoka said.

Meanwhile, his Hollywood Athletics Club teammate Steyn will line up as the firm favourite to win her sixth successive women’s title and she is likely to give her own race record of 3:26:54 a real shake.

Irvette van Zyl could give her a challenge, as she has done in the past, but Van Zyl is on the path back from injury and Steyn might have things all her own way.