'He gave me his blessing' - Mashele leaves Ramaala & Zoo Lake to join Richard Mayer and Kabelo Muluadzi

For a decade, Precious Mashele has used Zoo Lake as his primary training base and second home. Under the guidance of coach Hendrick Ramaala who served as his coach, mentor and father figure, Mashele blossomed into one of SA's leading top runners. He won five consecutive national cross country titles, qualified for the Olympic Games, World Championships and African Championships and broke the SA 10km Record when he ran a lifetime best 27:35 at 2023 Absa RUN YOUR CITY GQEBERHA 10K.

However, Mashele has decided to embark on a new chapter, seeking a fresh environment as he prepares to join 3-time SA Cross Country Champion and prolific Sub 28-minute 10km performer Kabelo Mulaudzi and Andries Sesedi at coach Richard Mayer's training group in Alexandra township.

Mashele's most iconic photos taken by Tobias Ginsberg when he broke the SA 10km record under the guidance of Ramaala.

"I am excited to be joining Richard Mayer training group," he told #TheTopRunner. Although the decision was not easy, I believe its a good one," he told #TheTopRunner. 

"I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere appreciation to Ntate Ramaala for his guidance and support throughout the years. He and his wife have consistently made me feel like part of their family. When I informed him of my decision to leave the group, he was extremely understanding and offered me his blessings. We have shared numerous memorable moments together, with the Olympics being the highlight," said Mashele who also represented South Africa at the 2018 and 2020 World Half Marathon Championships.

Mashele poses with coach Hendrick Ramaala and former training partner Desmond Mokgobu at the 2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo where he ran the 5000m. Photo Credit: Supplied.

Given his impressive CV, Mashele could have chosen to join any training group. But the 35-year-old says his positive interactions with Mayer and the good relationship he enjoys with Mulaudzi and Sesedi were the deciding factors that informed his decision - a decision which must also keep one eye on an impending marathon debut.

"I respect Richard and our interactions has left me positive that I can adapt to his coaching approach. Adjusting to a new training programme can be difficult, but when the coach has faith in your abilities the transition becomes easier. I am also pleased that his group only has two athletes, Kabelo and Andries. I respect both of them and I like small training groups. I believe this setup will enable me to achieve new levels of performance. Overall, I am very excited about the future."

Mulaudzi and Mashele racing the Boxer Super Run Durban 5k. They were training partners at Zoo Lake from 2020 to 2022 and will be training partners once again. Photo Credit: Anthony Grote/Boxer Super Run.

According to Mayer, Mashele's transition into the new environment is expected to be smooth, given his long history with 3-time SA cross Kabelo who trained alongside Mashele at Zoo Lake before rejoining Mayer in 2023. Mayer also took the opportunity to express his gratitude to Ramaala for his remarkable efforts in developing Mashele into a dominant force on the road.

"His close friendship with Kabelo Mulaudzi has resulted in extensive training sessions together in the past, under the guidance of Hendrick Ramaala. I believe he will excel in his training with Kabelo and Andries Sesedi. I am honoured that Precious has chosen me as his guide, but I am also aware of the challenge that comes with following in the footsteps of Hendrick, who has achieved impressive results with him. It is a substantial responsibility to ensure that Precious maintains the high standards of performance he achieved under Hendrick's guidance. I am excited about the prospect of working with him.”