"I was patient and kept on reminding myself that my time would come" - Majara celebrates successful 2026 with one SPAR race to go
After becoming Lesotho’s first woman to win a Comrades Marathon gold medal and breaking 34 minutes for the first time during last weekend’s (26 September) Gqeberha leg of the SPAR Women’s Challenge, 2026 will go down as Likeleli Majara’s best season on record.
“After a long time things are finally going well,” she told #TheTopRunner. “You know where I am from and I’m so grateful that things are coming together for me. Things are going much better than I ever expected.”
Although representing the Mountain Kingdom, the Nedbank Running by Grace (Free State) top runner enjoys a diverse heritage spanning the rural alpine borders between Lesotho and South Africa. Majara who resides in the Free State town of Virginia was born in Lesotho to a Mosotho father and South African mother. She trains in the Free State where she is coached by Goodman Mokgathi whom she met during her days competing for the well known Sibanye Stillwater marathon club almost a decade ago. Yet only now is the 34-year-old beginning to break into the upper echelon’s of South Africa’s distance running scene.
“I was patient and kept on reminding myself that my time would come. Imagine…I’ve been running for over ten years but most people don’t even know me because I was down the bottom. I drew strength from the realisation that there aren’t many black women who are truly focussed on running. So even when I was running what I considered to be slow, I was motivated by the fact that my times were not too far behind from some of the best athletes. That’s what kept me going. That’s why I continued working hard.”
Her patience was rewarded with a 06:12:29 clocking to take seventh place at The Ultimate Human Race on 14 June, which was followed by victory at the SPAR Women’s Challenge Maritzburg nine weeks later.
“After Comrades I focussed on recovery and tried hard to rebuild my speed. So when I won the Maritzburg leg of the SPAR Women’s Challenge in 35:01 on a tough course, I challenged myself to run 33 minutes for the first time.”
The 2025 Totalsports Two Oceans gold medalist delivered on her promise to herself when she crossed the finish line at the penultimate SPAR Grand Prix race of the year in Summerstrand in 33:52 to take eighth position, which leaves her in fifteenth place on the overall SPAR Grand Prix standings ahead of the final SPAR Grand Prix race of the year in Johannesburg on 4 October. Majara is targeting another top ten finish in Jozi saying every penny she earns goes towards improving her house.
“The most important thing is to have a home - a place to call home. That was my dream. I wanted to have a beautiful home that I could be proud of. All my earnings go that. That’s what I’m working for.”
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