Mlambo wins Pietermaritzburg Spar 10km!

Monday 14/09/2009

Started training again after a 2 week layoff. I haven't being sick since being on the high fibre diet and medication but the weight I've put on and rest means I may miss the Winelands marathon.

Mlambo wins Pietermaritzburg Spar 10km

The diminutive Poppy Mlambo beat over 2 300 runners to win Sunday's Spar Ladies 10km race in Pietermaritzburg.

Mlambo who was a late entry to the event from Gauteng and local favourite Tanith Maxwell led from the gun. At the first steep descent it was clear that South Africa's leading lady marathoner, Maxwell, was still feeling her Berlin Championship race in her legs.
"I thought I had recovered enough but the legs were flat as soon as I tried to run the hills," said the 33-year-old who found herself 100 metres off the pace as Mlambo pulled away just before half way.

Nedbank's Mlambo spent much of the final three kilometres checking the gap over her shoulder before racing in to the oval to cross the finish line in 36 minutes and three seconds.

"My body is still very stiff from yesterday (SA Cross country) but I knew Tanith would still have Berlin in her legs, so I just kept ahead of her" said Mlambo.

"Even though this is not part of the Grand Prix, I love this event and the course"

A discrepancy with the timing apparatus resulted in the organisers and officials agreeing that Mlambo's time would equal the course record held by Maxwell, and amending all prize giving times by 39 seconds.

Maxwell's Boxer club mate Janene Carey had also raced in Saturday's SA Cross Country Championships in Tshwane but was able to finish a clear third in 38 minutes 15 seconds.

Maxwell had fallen during her warm up ran 36 minutes 24 seconds for her second place.

"The fall never really impacted. I knew that as long as I kept moving the ankle I should be OK, but will probably feel it tomorrow (Monday) and Tuesday," said the Kloof-based athlete. "Poppy deserved her win today, she has been training hard for the half marathon at the high altitude camp."

Mlambo is part of the team named to compete in the World Half Marathon Championships in Birmingham UK next month.

Maxwell's mother kept winning ways in the family, taking one hour six minutes and 37 seconds to complete the course for top spot in the 60 plus category.

This year's race attracted all ages of runners with considerable increase in the number of younger runners with Nisipho Khuzwayo leading the juniors home in the 10k in 49 minutes 46 seconds, only a few strides ahead of Thembeka Bhengu.

More at : Women’s race draws 1000s of colourful women: moms, grans, tots and their friends

OPEN

1. Poppy Mlambo (Nedbank)00:36:03

2. Tanith Maxwell (Boxer)00:36:24

3. Janene Carey (Boxer)00:38:15

AGES 40-49

1. Joanne Piper00:50:02

2. Kathy Kruger00:51:25

3. Lizell Pienaar00:55:26

AGES 50-59

1. Sandy Fismer (Hilton Harriers)00:46:41

2. Debby DeKoning00:48:51

3. Judith Grove00:50:22

AGES 60+

1. Jenny Maxwell Westville01:06:37

JUNIOR

1. Nisipho Khuzwayo00:49:46

2. Thembeka Bhengu00:49:50

WALKERS

1 Maryna Gray01:03:20

2. Babongilie Memela01:08:13;

3. Sharon Fuchs01:08:13

WPA uploaded photo's of the Bike Tekkie 10km run












































Photo-finish victory sees Felix prevail over Richards - 22.29 to 22.29sec! - IAAF / VTB Bank World Athletics Final










Thessaloniki, Greece - Three-time World 200m champion Allyson Felix of the US made it a three-peat at the IAAF / VTB Bank World Athletics Final too as she added the 2009 200m title to her victories of 2005 and 2006 here in Thessaloniki.

Both Americans clocked 22.29 with Felix being given the win by seven thousands of a second.

Olympic bronze medallist Kerron Stewart who won silver in the shorter dash at the World Championships in Berlin was third once again at 22.42 with Berlin bronze medallist Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie in fourth at 22.45.

Men

100 1, Tyson Gay, United States, 9.88. 2, Asafa Powell, Jamaica, 9.90. 3, Darvis Patton, United States, 10.00.

400 1, LaShawn Merritt, United States, 44.93. 2, Chris Brown, Bahamas, 45.49. 3, David Neville, United States, 45.60.

800 1, David Lekuta Rudisha, Kenya, 1:44.85. 2, Gary Reed, Canada, 1:45.23. 3, Mbulaeni Mulaudzi, South Africa, 1:45.53.

3 000 1, Kenenisa Bekele, Ethiopia, 8:03.79. 2, Bernard Lagat, United States, 8:04.00. 3, Sammy Alex Mutahi, Kenya, 8:04.64.

400 Hurdles 1, Kerron Clement, United States, 48.11. 2, Isa Phillips, Jamaica, 48.72. 3, L.J. van Zyl, South Africa, 48.74.

Springboks beat All Blacks to win Tri-Nations

Springboks celebrates their Tri Nations win in HamiltonThe dominant Springboks held off a late All Blacks charge for a 32-29 victory here Saturday to secure the Tri-Nations rugby crown for the first time in five years.



Tuesday 15/09/2009

Hendrik Ramaala : Is it at all discouraging to go to a marathon and see kids you have never seen before and then run so fast?

Whenever I come into a marathon, I have to believe I can win, no matter who’s gonna run, be it a 2:03 or a 2:05 guy. At the marathon we are all equal at the starting line. The belief keeps me going. You hear like “this guy is a 58 minute half marathoner” or “a 60 minute half marathoner”. But this is the marathon! Let’s see what happens after 30k. If you don’t respect the distance, it’ll mess you up.

Catherine Ndereba : When the going gets tough in a race, what’s your mental strategy?

The word of God helps me to keep on going. I encourage myself a little bit.

I have this lovely phrase in the book of Isiah chapter 40: “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”

If the going gets tough, I remind myself that I can do all things. Not because of me but because of who is in me, Jesus Christ. The bible says in the book of Habakkuk chapter 3:19 “The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights.”

So when I remember that the Lord is my strength and I don’t have anything left, I remind myself that I have somebody much, much greater than me who makes me to be able to move.

Thursday 17/09/2009

NT uploaded some photo's of her ultra Karoo run in Lainsburg.















Friday 18/09/2009

Gebrselassie meets Kibet in possible epic Berlin Marathon battle

The two-fastest marathon runners of all time - Haile Gebrselassie from Ethiopia (2:03:59) and Duncan Kibet of Kenya (2:04:27) - are slated to face off at the real,-Berlin Marathon on Sunday, September 20.

Gebrselassie, a three-time Berlin champion, has established two world record times at the race in consecutive years (2007 and 2008). Unlike the 36-year- old Gebrselassie, Kibet, 31, only has one year of marathon running under his belt, yet he has drawn attention thanks to his 2:04:27 at the Rotterdam Marathon earlier this year.

On the women's side, last year's runner-up, Askale Tafa Magarsa from Ethiopia owns the fastest entry time at 2:21:31, while countrymen Atsede Habtamu Besuye (2:25:17) and Genet Getaneh (2:26:37) own the next two fastest times.

The men's field this year features 11 sub-2:10 marathoners, while the women's side features 9 sub-2:30 runners.

Already in its 36th year, the real,-Berlin Marathon has become known as one of the world's fastest courses. Since 1998, six world records have been broken. The course begins and ends at the Reichstag as it loops around the historic city before culminating with a pass under the Brandenberg Gate during the last mile. Last year's race boasted 35,783 runners and this year over 40,000 are expected to run.