"I knew my time would come" - Magwai wins SA title in new PB at Durban International Marathon

Reghen Magwai turned in a career-defining performance this morning (Sunday, 3 May), recording a personal best time of 2:11:20 to claim victory at the Durban International Marathon, which incorporated the Athletics South Africa (ASA) Marathon Championships. Representing Athletics Gauteng North (AGN), Magwai eclipsed his previous mark of 2:13:58, set when he took fifth place at the same event last year, to win his first national title. 

The 34-year-old Magwai surged to the front of the pack with approximately 5km remaining, outpacing Samuel Cijimpi Moloi, who finished second in a new personal best time of 02:11:31. Simon Sibeko of the Nedbank Running Club rounded out the top three with a time of 2:13:11, capping off a sweep of the podium by South African athletes. Speaking after the race, Magwai who pocketed R80 000 for his victory, said it had long been his dream to win an SA title. 

Winning the 2026 Durban International Marathon and the SA Marathon title is the first major victory of Magwai's career. Photo Credit: Thathe Msimango.

"I'm happy to win the race. In the past, I have obtained silver and bronze medals in the nationals and gold was the one that was left in my cabinet. To be able to get it, is exciting," said Magwai, who trains under the guidance of Caster and Violet Semenya.

"My plan going into the race was to run with the leading bunch until 35km and then see what happens. Although I didn’t manage to run under 2 hours and 11 minutes, I'm happy to clock a personal best time. The weather conditions were good. It wasn’t too hot. I'm used to these kind of weather conditions since I live in Pretoria," he explained.

Having faced considerable challenges in his running career over the past two years, during which he failed to achieve his goals, Magwai draws inspiration from the victory. In particular, the Hollywood Athletics Club top runner believes his decision to leave coach Michael ‘Sponge’ Seme to join the Semenya group in a bid to revive his career, paid dividends.

2023 champion Annie Bothma clocked 2:27:45 to finish in second place overall and as the first South African. Photo Credit: Thathe Msimango.

"This victory means a lot to me. In the past few years, I have been struggling to get the results I wanted. I decided to join coach Caster and Violet and they have motivated me so much. It’s very difficult to train hard and not get the desired results. But I told myself that my time is coming and today turned out to be my day," he concluded.

In the women's event, Alemitu Ajema Lema recorded an impressive 2:26:44, securing the victory and establishing a new course record, which surpassed the previous record of 2:29:46 by Cian Oldknow set in the 2024 edition. The 28-year-old Ethiopian received a total prize money of R150 000, comprising R80 000 for the win, R25 000 for breaking the course record, and a further R45 000 for completing the race in under 2 hours 27 minutes.