Famous for being a three-time Comrades Marathon winner, Tete Dijana is beginning to make a name for himself as a mentor and coach. This after one of the athletes under his guidance delivered a memorable performance at the Athletics South Africa (ASA) Cross Country Championships which took place at Curro Hazeldean in Tshwane on Saturday 5 September. Running in the colours of Athletics North West North, Tiisang Molopi claimed the bronze medal behind the Central Gauteng Athletic

Nicola Jansen shocked even herself when she pulled off the upset of the ASA cross country championships at Curro Hazeldean on Saturday September 5, beating overwhelming favourite Cacisile Sosibo to claim the senior women's 10km title. With defending champion Glenrose Xaba and last year's runner-up Karabo Mailula absent, Sosibo was widely expected to dominate. But Jansen, relatively unknown outside Gauteng North after spending five years studying in the United States, flipped

This time last week Elex Moyo was celebrating a breakthrough performance that redefined his running career and catapulted him into the upper echelons of elite 10km runners. After years of struggling to break the 30 minute barrier, the 27-year-old produced a remarkable run of 28:57 at the Hollywoodbets Durban 10km on Sunday 30 August to dip under 29 minutes for the first time and claim ninth position ahead of the likes of Thabang Mosiako, Namakoe Nkhasi and Ryan Mphahlele. "I'

Amogelang Tatai outsprinted Musawenkosi Mnisi in a thrilling finish to claim his first senior title at the ASA Cross Country Championships at Curro Hazeldean, while Karabo More capped a memorable afternoon with a 4km and 2km double. In perfect, albeit unusual, overcast and windy early spring conditions on September 5, Tatai silenced a partisan crowd backing Mnisi as he surged down the final straight, denying Athletics Gauteng North (AGN) a sweep of the senior 4km titles after

This time last year, few outside the Central Gauteng Athletics (CGA) circles knew the name Nicola Smith. Fast-forward 12 months and the Ekhaya AC middle-distance sensation is emerging as one of the country’s most exciting young talents. The 16-year-old has enjoyed a breakthrough season, dominating the CGA track and field season earlier this year, before claiming silver in the U18 girls’ 3 000m at the national age-group championships at Germiston Stadium. Smith enjoyed a break

Already one of the country's leading mile races and a magnet for top runners, Thembisa Mile Founder and Race Director Donald Mathipa's long-term vision is to see the event reach its 100th milestone, even if he is no longer around to witness it. Mathipa and his team launched the 2026 edition of the race at headline sponsor Lenmed Zamokuhle Private Hospital's headquarters in Thembisa on August 27, with preparations well under way for the October 25 event. "I want to see this ra

When Zenzile Pheko clocked 13:52 at altitude to win the men's 5km at the Zet Sinqe Series Run 2 in Vosloorus on August 1, he boldly declared that he could challenge for a podium finish at the Absa RUN YOUR CITY TSHWANE 10K. That belief was strengthened by the 21-year-old Boxer Athletics Club runner's blistering 11:21 victory in the senior men's 4km at the CGA cross-country championships on August 15. "I gained confidence after running 13:52 at altitude. I knew a podium was a

Comrades Marathon Association (CMA) Chairperson Mark Leathers has revealed that runners will no longer be required to have a valid Athletics South Africa (ASA) permanent licence to take part in The Ultimate Human Race. Leathers was speaking at the Hollywoodbets Kings Park Stadium in Durban yesterday (19 August) after the launch of the 2027 race, which will be the 100th running of the world's oldest ultra marathon. "For the 2027 race, runners will not need to be in possession

The Comrades Marathon has announced a significant increase in prize money, with the winners of the men's and women's categories set to receive R1 million each art next year’s race. The news was revealed at the official media launch held on at the Hollywoodbets Kings Park Stadium in Durban on Wednesday, 19 August. Many of the nations top ultra distance runners including former winner Gift Kelehe has been vocal about the desire to see the world’s oldest and most loved ultra mar

While it was Comrades Marathon gold medalist Shelmith Muruiki who stole the headlines when she clocked 03:24:49 to win her fourth consecutive Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi 52km Ultra marathon title at the Nquthu Sportsfield on Sunday 16 August, Puleng Patience Khumalo announced herself as a serious contender for future ultra marathon success. Competing in her very first Mangosuthu 52km race which is run between the northern KwaZulu-Natal towns of Dundee and Nquthu, Khumalo deli

Zenzile Pheko closed the CGA cross country championships programme in scintillating fashion, obliterating a star-studded field to win the senior men’s 4km at the Germiston Soccer Club on Saturday August 15. The Boxer AC runner produced one of the most impressive performances of the championships, beating a field that included reigning national senior men’s 4km champion Sibusiso Msibi, Olympian Ryan Mphahlele, Precious Mashele and Corne de Fouw. Pheko completed the undulating

Phantane Athletics Club elite athlete Samuel Cijimpi Moloi delivered a remarkable 03:02:49 performance to outclass a top class field and win the Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi 52km on a perfect day for running in Zululand. Run between the northern KwaZulu-Natal towns of Dundee and Nquthu, Moloi took the lead before halfway, with a pack including the likes of Two Oceans podium finisher Siboniso Sikhakhane trailing in his wake. The man who is coached by Mdu Khumalo proved too stro

Sprint Hurdler Tumi Ramokgopa has already set her sights higher after a near-perfect conclusion to her junior career at the World Athletics U20 Championships in Eugene. The 18-year old clinched two silver medals, helping South Africa achieve its second biggest medal haul in the competition since the nine won in Nairobi in 2021. Jan-Hendrik Heymans won javelin gold with a personal best 80.50m. The men’s 4x400m relay team added another silver, while Jaco van Dyk (shot put), Mar

In an effort to mend their broken relationship with the Comrades Marathon Association, KwaZulu-Natal Athletics decided to send a delegation to meet with the CMA to discuss solutions to the well-document impasse between the organisations. After the successful 99th edition of The Ultimate Human Race took place on 14 June, a public row erupted between KZNA and the CMA when the latter questioned why they should pay race levies and consequently asserted their independence by decid

Road running legend Blanche Moila says the middle and long distance running in South Africa is healthy. The first black woman to receive Springbok colours for cross country believes that the event is growing in the country and more young women and girls should be encouraged to take part. Over the recent years a number of women, such as Glenrose Xaba, Tayla Kavanagh and Karabo More, have been making a mark in the event. Moila has stressed the importance of encouraging young gi

Comrades Marathon Board member and seasoned sports administrator Brenda Marolen has responded to the call made by some of the South Africans for the CMA to officially honour the race’s oldest finisher. Now 84 years old, ntate Johannes Mosehla made history by completing the 2023 edition of The Ultimate Human race in 9:26:10 at 81 years old, to eclipse the record set by the great Wally Hayward who finished the race in under 11 hours back in 1989. Marolen says they can only act

As the Fortress Running Series prepares to expand its footprint by staging it’s very first event in the KwaZulu-Natal town of Vryheid on July 25, renowned local coach Sabelo Ndlovu is pleased, citing it as a positive step forward for athletics in the Zululand District, where a lack of events has been a pressing concern. "I'm glad there is an event like this taking place in our area,” he told #TheTopRunner. “It comes as a huge relief to local athletes who will now be exposed t

In an effort to provide local children with a productive outlet during the school holidays, athletics coach Xolani Mabhida established a training camp in the Howick township of Siphumelele, KwaZulu-Natal Province. The camp, designed for children between the ages of 6 and 13 years old, drew significant interest with approximately 30 youngsters taking part during the winter vacation. Mabhida, whose coaching credentials include guiding three-time Comrades Marathon champion Bongm

Limpopo Athletics (LIMA) Athletes’ Commission Chairperson Phateng Kgomo has hit back at suggestions that race entry fees in the province are becoming too expensive for ordinary runners. In recent months, many of the province's social runners have raised their concerns about the sharp increase in race entry fees since 2022. Speaking to #TheTopRunner, Kgomo defended race organisers saying people must understand that everything costs money. "We've got the Mapungubwe 4-in-1 marat

After announcing herself as one of South Africa's brightest young sprint prospects with a dominant display at the ASA U16, U18, U20 & U23 Track and Field Championships in Germiston in March, Sarah Reed is preparing for the biggest race of her career. The multiple national champion will head to the World Athletics U20 Championships in the United States next month, where she hopes to test herself against the world's best junior sprinters while continuing a journey that has been