'I never imagined that I would do it' - Khatoane smashes 23-year-old Pirates 21K record

Maxed Elite top runner Jobo Khotoane is delighted with himself after setting a new course record at the Pirates 21K powered by Medshield, which was held in Johannesburg on Sunday, 15 February. The man from Lesotho ran the impressive time of 1:06:57 to secure victory and break the long-standing record of 1:07:13, set by his countryman Mabutile Lebopo 23 years ago. Khotoane couldn’t hide his excitement for breaking the course record at race infamous for being the 'toughest 21K' in Joburg.

"I'm very pleased to to win the Pirates 21km race in a record time," he told #TheTopRunner. "I never imagined that I would be able to do so. It is a record that has stood for years. The route is known for being tough so you never what is going to happen on a race day," explained Khotoane .

Khatoane was the first man to crest Northcliff Hill taking an additional R2500 for being King of The Mountain. He walked away with a total of R12 000. Photo Credit: Medshield.

"What excited me is that I managed to get the record that belong to my countryman and that shows we dominate the race now. When I lined up at the race and saw how competitive the field was, that motivated me to give it my all. To run a good times, you need athletes to push you. I think that was a good contributing factor to my performance." 

Khatoane finished more than a minute ahead of fellow Mr Price athlete Elvis Tau (1:08:16) as Tsepo Ramashamole also of The Mountain Kingdom claimed the final podium position (1:08:20) for the Hollywood Athletics Club. It was 34-year-old Khotoane's third victory of an already busy 2026 season, following wins at the Kearsney Half-Marathon and Hilton Harriers 10k last month.

2025 Totalsports Two Oceans Marathon third place finisher Neheng Khatala of Lesotho won the women's race in 1:19:33 ahead of ultra marathon queen Gerda Steyn (1:20:14) as Nedbank's Likeleli Majara of Lesotho claimed third place (1:21:19) ahead of her countrywoman Malineo Mahloko (1:22:00). Photo Credit: Medshield.

He will now turn his focus to the Totalsports Two Oceans Marathon Half Marathon where he took third position in 2023. However aside from targeting the Two Oceans 21km which takes place on 12 April, Khatoane who won the 2024 Mpumalanga Million Rand Marathon whcih scammed athletes out of their prize monies, is eyeing a good run over 42km in May.

"I'm happy with the way I started the year. Now, the main focus is to go back to training as I'm going to prepare for Two Oceans Marathon. However my biggest focus remains Durban International Marathon and I'll see how the year unfolds."