Jobo Khatoane looks for yet another Soweto Marathon top ten finish

Maxed Elite top Runner Jobo Khatoane believes that this year's Africanbank Soweto Marathon will be the hardest to predict after the race was rescheduled to take place on 29 November instead of it’s traditional first Sunday in November. The date change as a result of the G20 which also took place at the Nasrec Expo Centre in November and the uncertainty created by a faction claiming ownership of the event which insisted that the race would not take place, made it difficult for top runners to prepare for the 30th edition of The People’s Race.

"I usually take almost three full months to prepare for the Soweto Marathon," he told #TheTopRunner. "But this year, things were quite different," explains Khatoane who finished in the 10th position in 2024 edition of the race after clocking a time of 2:22:48.

Khatoane has been a consistent performer on the SA road running circuit over the last decade. Here he is pictured in action at the 2022 DisChem Half Marathon. Photo Credit: Supplied.

"Firstly, we were not certain if the race will go ahead or not. There was too much infighting. So it was very hard to train for something that you are not certain about. Were left in the dark for quite a while. So it was only six weeks before that I started to prepare for the race. Overall, I'm quite impressed with the work I have done in the training to get ready to be on the start line. Now, I'm going to do all to put a good performance on the day."

The 34-year-old who hails from Lesotho has a rich history with the race. Khatoane has managed to finished inside the top 10 on four occasions with his best result coming in the 2023 edition of the race where he finished fifth in 2:21:17. He says because of the less than ideal build up to South Africa’s premier township marathon, he would be satisfied with a top ten finish.

"It's hard to predict the results of the Soweto as most of us as runners never had more time to prepare. On my side, I have a good track record with the race and I know the route. I'll be happy to finish inside top 10. But the game changer has to be the halfway point of the race - that is where the outcome is usually determined. If my legs allow to push for the top five, I can do it," he concluded.